Ok so I want to do some modding now that I have a little cash and basically I need to know what won't mess up my warranty. I don't want anything fancy to start with just the basics such as exhaust and intake. I know exhaust will only void the exhaust but it requires a tune doesn't it? Can the tunes be easily and inexpensively done yourself so that I could reverse the process whenever I wanted so a dealer wouldn't know? Also what about a short throw shifter such as hurst, saleen, or roush does that void warranty? And which do yall suggest I've felt the hurst and liked it but I've heard incredible things about the old MGW so I was thinking about waiting for it. That's basically it those are the only three things I have in the works at the moment so I just need to know if they void the warranty and what parts. I'm hoping to get some mild performance upgrades without really sacrificing hardly any warranty ESP the transmission. I wouldn't mind changing to the gt500 6 speed but not for many many years. Thanks for all the advice I know I'm asking like 10 questions at once but I really appreciate it!

chris

 

Intake and tune will void the warranty. But it aint "illegal" unless or until you get caught If you keep the engine mods simple, the intake can be put back to stock and the PCM reflashed to stock in less than 20min.

 

This has been posted a million times but here it is again...
http://www.magnusonproducts.com/magnusonmoss.htm

 

yes I have seen that and know that and that's technically what I'm asking will any of these mods cause this to happen if something... anything goes out... and if i take off the intake and if I retune it back to stock will they then be ok warranty wise. I mean I know they will know that it has been flashed or whatever but does this matter? Basically will it in any way affect the warranty if I set it back to stock and they realize it was changed.... Also what about the short throw shifter?

 

If you install rear gears and your alternator goes out for example they gotta fix the alternator. If you install a cai and the tranny goes out they gotta fix the tranny. Now if you have a cai and the throttle body leaves town you may have an issue there. I go to a dealer here that is "mod" friendly...You may wanna go that route.

 

I will let you know about that, I am taking mine in for the TSB on the rear axel noise from the clutch pack. I did some FRPP racing gears ( I doubt if they will even notice that, but I did have them put in royal purple oil. I am hoping that they will honor the warranty since there is a TSB out on it.

 

well idk about everybody else, but I dont take any chances. You can see in my mods list what all I have. Everytime I go to the dealership, it all comes off but the axle backs. I retune back to stock and unplug the battery for a half an hour. That resets the computer. Then its back to a stocker! If the dealership asks about the comp, just say you left your flashers on and the battery went dead. Thats it!

 

Thats exactly what I wanted to know time to go get me some mods the only other thing I'm wondering is the short throw shifter. Does that mess up the transmission warranty in any way? I guess I could reinstall the stock whenever I had to take it in but that sounds like a pain in the ****. Also what shorth throw shifter do yall reccomend?

... o and this is gonna sound really noob but I don't know how to go about getting a specific tune and doing it myself...

 

Check out www.brenspeed.com or www.bamachips.com and get an X-Cal II or predator tuner with their tunes loaded into it. It is plug and play. Also, you should consider getting a cold air kit as well, the combo might save you a little $$ and it's great bang for the buck!!

 

Def get a tune from Bama.... 93 Race, 93 Torq, 87 Perf... You'll love it... It plugs right in under the dash.... CAI will instal and uninstal in under 20 min.

 

as far as the shifter.... I wouldn't take it out unless your taking it in for warranty work.... not just for maint

 

Good advice!

 

Ok first of all the Mag-Moss honestly does not mean ****. They can void your warranty if they so choose. Most folks do not have the time money or lawyer it would take to fight that and Ford and the dealerships know it.

Another thing to consider is some Dealerships could care less what mods you add and have no problems with mods even Superchargers. Others will void your warranty for sneezing wrong. I would suggest this since you are truly worried about your warranty. Find a local Dealership that sells and install the Ford Racing stuff and go that route. Otherwise you do in fact risk them voiding your warranty. Not all CAI require a tune but most that don't are in my opinion not worth it.

No tune or other item is required for Axle Back Mufflers and I highly doubt any dealer would even think twice about voiding any part of your warranty for installing axle backs even the rest of the exhaust. Also most CAI/Tune combos modify the shift and line pressure parameters if it is an auto so that could technically void the warranty. I also suggest going and talking with your local dealership they may be MOD Friendly.

Richard

 

Sorry but I'll have to respectfully disagree...First off only Ford corporate can legally void their factory warranties and that's only if afterwards it's been proven that an aftermarket part or PCM re-flash was directly responsible for causing the warranted parts in question to fail..However dealerships can refuse to service a vehicle under a warranty claim if an aftermarket part is found on the vehicle which may be suspected as causing the failure ? ..Therefore to avoid any type of hassles ? just use good ole common sense and make certain that you re-install your factory parts and re-flash the PCM back to stock before taking your vehicle back to the dealership for servicing and NO Ford cannot prove that the PCM was flashed providing you first disconnect the negative battery terminal and then re-connect after 20 min. or so..This re-sets the PCM then afterwards, just put 50 miles or so on the car before taking it in for servicing and if your questioned about why there's an incomplete test (cycle) code ? you just simply state that you disconnected your battery to avoid it from going dead while in storage or from sitting and there's nothing anyone can do to prove otherwise...

 

So in other words, according to your opinion ? each dealer has a different warranty policy meaning that dealers who are Mod friendly won't void a Ford factory warranty ? However for those dealers who are not, it's perfectly ok and legal for them right ? well I really hate to disappoint you but that is completely inaccurate because first off, only Ford Corporate has the legal authority to void their factory warranties and second, every Ford dealership is required to follow the same procedures written under the Ford factory warranty policy which clearly states that it must be proven that an aftermarket part or parts were directly responsible for causing the warranted parts in question to fail before a warranty claim is denied..Therefore even dealerships are required to follow policy and are not above the law..And I highly recommend you speak with someone from Ford corporate, before posting inaccurate info. on this forum..

 

It's hard to put 50 miles on a car with a rod hanging out the side of the block..
I put 650 1/4 mile runs on mine before installing the S/C.
I knew that there were no weaknesses in my powertrain before installing the blower.
If I have a problem with the powertrain I will man up and pay for any damage I do to it.
I have no problem bringing it in and asking for warranty work if the heater takes a dump but it's not right to try and pin my racing progam on Ford.

 

I dont think he was saying that some dealerships just dont apply the warranty rules... he just simply ment that some dealerships are "Mod Friendly" and will let mods slide if warranty work is needed.

 

Oh I'm not saying it's ok for them to do this but it is the simple truth that some dealerships are now taking this approach. My info is not inaccurate at all. Many dealership now are even being required by Ford Corporate to take pictures of the cars and submitting this info with warranty claims and if Ford see a aftermarket part they void the warranty. It has happen to people i know.

Richard

 

That is correct!

Richard

 

Then once again, this is completely illegal and I can tell you from personal experience that under a warranty claim, the dealership's service manager is required to have a field service engineer brought in from Detroit to conduct a full investigation and once it's completed, the results are then submitted to Ford corporate headquarters who in turn make the final decision and once the decision is reached ? the status of the final decision is then submitted back to the dealership's service manager either approving or denying the warranty claim and unless Ford changed it's warranty policy ? this was the procedure in which all Ford dealerships were required to follow..As for those certain boneheaded dealerships are concerned ? just as I mentioned in an earlier post..use good common sense and make certain that before submitting a warranty claim ? make sure to re-install all factory parts and especially make sure that you re-flash your vehicle back to stock, then disconnect the negative battery terminal which re-sets the computer then after 20 min or so, make sure to put at least 50 miles or the car before taking it in for warranty work, this erases any custom re-flash that was previously downloaded and if asked why an incomplete cycle showed up on the PCM read out ? all you have to do is just say that you disconnected the battery and there isn't a thing they can do to prove otherwise...or even better yet ? find another dealer who isn't such a bonehead to begin with..lol