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      06-01-2015, 08:43 AM   #1
Duder
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Does coding remove warranty?

does anyone know if coding voids the warranty or anything??? there's a couple things I would love to have coded but I don't want to screw anything up with the warranty and what-not.
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      06-01-2015, 09:47 AM   #2
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I'm waiting on delivery but I can tell you how it is in the Audi world and how I suspect it goes in the BMW world. Manufacturers can't deny your claim unless your modification can reasonably be blamed for the issue.

If you have a tune on your motor and the engine blows you aren't going to be covered. If your motor blew but the only modification you've made is windows going down with a button press then you will be covered. On the flip side, if you've got a tune and a power window motor goes you ought to be safe. But if you've coded angel eye brightness and a headlight assembly goes you're going to be on the hook. All this assumes BMW is aware of whatever you've done.

Ultimately any modification risks a denied warranty claim. I'd generally consider most coding changes to be relatively low risk, though.
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      06-01-2015, 11:45 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Duder View Post
does anyone know if coding voids the warranty or anything??? there's a couple things I would love to have coded but I don't want to screw anything up with the warranty and what-not.
99% of the time it won't be an issue as coding is simply turning on/off factory features, nothing foreign is being added. I definitely wouldn't voluntarily bring it up with the dealership.

Dealers simply want to get cars in and out of the dealership as quickly/efficiently as possible. They have much better things to do than to look for mods and potentiality losing future sales.

Just my perspective, hope this helps.
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      06-01-2015, 11:47 AM   #4
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yeah I really just want the ability to watch DVDs while driving. me and my wife take trips to Vegas quite frequently and she'd love to be able to watch a movie or something
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      06-01-2015, 11:57 AM   #5
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yeah I really just want the ability to watch DVDs while driving. me and my wife take trips to Vegas quite frequently and she'd love to be able to watch a movie or something
Won't be a problem at all, none of the coding options will raise any red flags even if the car is scanned and/or updated.

Let me know if you need any assistance in the coding portion.
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      06-01-2015, 11:58 AM   #6
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Quote:
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Quote:
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yeah I really just want the ability to watch DVDs while driving. me and my wife take trips to Vegas quite frequently and she'd love to be able to watch a movie or something
Won't be a problem at all, none of the coding options will raise any red flags even if the car is scanned and/or updated.

Let me know if you need any assistance in the coding portion.
yes please! is love to do it myself and not pay like $180 or so....
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      06-01-2015, 12:07 PM   #7
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yes please! is love to do it myself and not pay like $180 or so....
Not sure who's charging that much, we have a thread in the California regional section on what options are available.
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      06-01-2015, 12:08 PM   #8
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Quote:
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yes please! is love to do it myself and not pay like $180 or so....
Not sure who's charging that much, we have a thread in the California regional section on what options are available.
awesome can you link me to that thread please?
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      06-01-2015, 12:12 PM   #9
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awesome can you link me to that thread please?
Sure, you have PM.
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      06-01-2015, 12:13 PM   #10
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awesome can you link me to that thread please?
Sure, you have PM.
thanks!
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      06-01-2015, 01:23 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt_B View Post
I'm waiting on delivery but I can tell you how it is in the Audi world and how I suspect it goes in the BMW world. Manufacturers can't deny your claim unless your modification can reasonably be blamed for the issue.

If you have a tune on your motor and the engine blows you aren't going to be covered. If your motor blew but the only modification you've made is windows going down with a button press then you will be covered. On the flip side, if you've got a tune and a power window motor goes you ought to be safe. But if you've coded angel eye brightness and a headlight assembly goes you're going to be on the hook. All this assumes BMW is aware of whatever you've done.

Ultimately any modification risks a denied warranty claim. I'd generally consider most coding changes to be relatively low risk, though.
Agreed on all counts, but a caveat on the part highlighted in red. Keep in mind that it is the burden of the manufacturer to prove that the mod was the cause of a particular problem. If the ECU recorded a tune, and you had significant detonation problems, the burden is still on BMW to prove that the tune caused the detonation. If you score the cylinder walls because of a missing wrist pin circlip BMW would have a hard time denying the claim regardless of a tune.

You show up with a poorly running engine and a tune or piggyback ECU you will probably have to remove those items before they will work on it, but that is a different issue.

One more caveat: Regardless of the law, your worst enemy with mods is a stupid or nasty service adviser/manager. They can make bad decisions from the get-go that would make your life a living hell.

Make sense?
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      06-02-2015, 03:00 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie Chiles View Post
Agreed on all counts, but a caveat on the part highlighted in red. Keep in mind that it is the burden of the manufacturer to prove that the mod was the cause of a particular problem.
I've heard this argument made many times over the years - basically Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act *should* protect you and burden is on the manufacturer.

Practically speaking though - how it usually plays out is the manufacturer (beit BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, etc) will deny the warranty claim (whether right or wrong). And then the burden is on you to either convince them otherwise or more likely, to lawyer up and start throwing money and time at the problem.
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      06-02-2015, 09:38 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeD1sco View Post
I've heard this argument made many times over the years - basically Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act *should* protect you and burden is on the manufacturer.

Practically speaking though - how it usually plays out is the manufacturer (beit BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, etc) will deny the warranty claim (whether right or wrong). And then the burden is on you to either convince them otherwise or more likely, to lawyer up and start throwing money and time at the problem.
Keep in mind that a plaintiff suing a manufacturer can get attorneys and court costs.

By the time most claims make it to the manufacturer's legal department they will often cave in. A friend got $5k from Audi a fees years ago when the local dealer refused to cover something that due to a mod.

But I do agree that that a bad dealer can ruin your day if they don't know the law.
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