Modifications and warranty??!!

[SizerM4]

I'm based in the U.K. and was wondering if anyone know the limits of modifications before you risk losing your warranty?
I've just cancelled my order and put my name on the list to get one of the first 2018MY model in September but I still plan to get my modifications listed below.
Akrapovic exhaust system with downpipes.
ER charge pipes.
Eventuri cold air intake system.
Vorsteiner VFF 102 alloys on Pirelli P Zero tyres.
Can't decide on a Litchfield remap or JB4.
Also getting from the M Performance range.
Carbon front Splitter.
Carbon thru flo spoiler.
Carbon fibre and alcantera interior & steering wheel.
Height adjustable suspension.
I may change things depending on wether warranty can be kept or not with certain things.
Any help will be appreciated

[brianeck]

Originally Posted by SizerM4

I'm based in the U.K. and was wondering if anyone know the limits of modifications before you risk losing your warranty?
I've just cancelled my order and put my name on the list to get one of the first 2018MY model in September but I still plan to get my modifications listed below.
Akrapovic exhaust system with downpipes.
ER charge pipes.
Eventuri cold air intake system.
Vorsteiner VFF 102 alloys on Pirelli P Zero tyres.
Can't decide on a Litchfield remap or JB4.
Also getting from the M Performance range.
Carbon front Splitter.
Carbon thru flo spoiler.
Carbon fibre and alcantera interior & steering wheel.
Height adjustable suspension.
I may change things depending on wether warranty can be kept or not with certain things.
Any help will be appreciated

Of everything you mentioned - these two are going to likely be the most troublesome:

Carbon fibre and alcantera interior & steering wheel. (unless you just mean swapping out the trim pieces, pulling out any other fabric and replacing with alcantera is going to violate the warranty)
Height adjustable suspension.

[blake9220]

Here's my stab.. A safe rule of thumb is that any aftermarket parts will put your warranty at risk. Also, this is based off of what I know about US dealers/BMWNA, maybe the UK is different.

*NOTE*:
The levels below are also extremely dependent on the item you are trying to get warrantied. If the component you are trying to get covered by warranty has been modified, or could be affected by another modified component, the dealer will try everything they can to get out of the warranty.


Akrapovic exhaust system with downpipes. (High Risk)
ER charge pipes. (High/Medium Risk)
Eventuri cold air intake system. (High/Medium Risk)
Vorsteiner VFF 102 alloys on Pirelli P Zero tyres. (Low/No Risk)
Can't decide on a Litchfield remap or JB4. (High Risk)
Carbon front Splitter. (No Risk, Dealer Install)
Carbon thru flo spoiler. (No Risk, Dealer Install)
Carbon fibre and alcantera interior & steering wheel. (No Risk, Dealer Install)
Height adjustable suspension. (Medium Risk)

[SizerM4]

The M Performance parts including suspension is being supplied and fitted by BMW. So I know I'm safe with all them but the others are my concern.
I couldn't just get the Akrapovic without the downpipes, as the sound is incredible with the 2 and is probably the one I'm most concerned about.
The Eventuri cold air intake system, I'm also a little concerned about but feel the car will benefit from it, same as the charge pipes. My biggest concern is the remap, I know the Litchfield remap is traceable and cannot be removed and I don't fully understand the JB4 enough yet to commit to it yet but there's still plenty of time for that. From what I've read, it's removable and untraceable but it's the different maps and settings I'm unsure off. As I don't plan on running methanol or E85 and in the U.K. the best octane rating we have is 99. So wether this helps people with my original question I don't know but if anyone got any advice on the JB4 and if it's worth it and what I need for it to run at its best.

[jwzimm]

This has been discussed many times with relation to US cars. In the US we have some consumer protections in place to keep the dealer/OEM from voiding the warranty for simple things like using aftermarket replacement parts.

The bottom line here is that adding performance parts that are meant to increase the output of the engine or add load to other components (suspension) will add stress to the OEM components. It is at your risk to do this and it is, in my opinion, unreasonable to expect the dealer to cover failures that might arise from this added stress.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Akrapovic exhaust system with downpipes.
Exhaust is safe, downpipe not so much ... Ask your deelership about DP before getting it

ER charge pipes.
Safe

Eventuri cold air intake system.
medium risk, ask your dealership

Vorsteiner VFF 102 alloys on Pirelli P Zero tyres.
safe

Can't decide on a Litchfield remap or JB4.
Get the JB4 because you can remove it before your visit and you will be good

[tom @ eas]

There is no such thing as a "safe list". No one can give you a definitive list as not all cases are the same. Some dealers look the other way, some don't.

If you are worried about compromising your warranty, it's best to stick with M-Performance parts or not mod at all until after your warranty is up.

[schnell1982]

I agree with Tom's answer

Each dealership is different 100%
Don't take everyone's word on what is safe and what is not without talking to YOUR dealership where your car will be serviced.
Your only way to know is to ask your service advisor.
It would be a shame to buy all these non-BMW parts and to find out your dealer is very picky with mods and your get hassled

[LOW4LYF]

It's not about the dealer... it's more about BMW NA...

You can switch the dealer if needed, but once BMW NA flagged the car, gonna be hard 😎 doesn't matter what dealer.

[The Choosey begger]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

There is no such thing as a "safe list". No one can give you a definitive list as not all cases are the same. Some dealers look the other way, some don't.

If you are worried about compromising your warranty, it's best to stick with M-Performance parts or not mod at all until after your warranty is up.

European dealers usually dont look the other way like some American dealers do.
Sometimes BMW will replace an engine that's been modified bc it's so easy for an individual to sue BMW in the states and BMW rather just make it go away even tho thry're right.
Dealing with BMW NA sometimes comes down to how serious you are about taking legal action.

[The Choosey begger]

Originally Posted by Figurka

It's not about the dealer... it's more about BMW NA...

You can switch the dealer if needed, but once BMW NA flagged the car, gonna be hard �� doesn't matter what dealer.

Dealers also flag car, some are more eager than others.

[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by anglo

Dealers also flag car, some are more eager than others.

No...they can't flag cars.

[alz0rz]

Originally Posted by Figurka

No...they can't flag cars.

Yes, they can. Whether they have enough reason to do so or not is something else. But they (service GM) can and will flag (usually some process unlike the auto flags).

[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by alz0rz

Yes, they can. Whether they have enough reason to do so or not is something else. But they (service GM) can and will flag (usually some process unlike the auto flags).

A BMW dealer in the states can't flag a car. They only can report to BMW NA. It's NOT the dealers decision. They don't have the right to flag customer cars.

Why a dealer should flag a car and not get paid for warranty work?

[Coloradom3]

Originally Posted by Figurka

A BMW dealer in the states can't flag a car. They only can report to BMW NA. It's NOT the dealers decision. They don't have the right to flag customer cars.

Why a dealer should flag a car and not get paid for warranty work?

happening more than ever right now! I know of 4 people who have been flagged just in the last month around the country. Audi has been notoriously tough on this.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Agedog2gt

happening more than ever right now! I know of 4 people who have been flagged just in the last month around the country. Audi has been notoriously tough on this.

Audi / VW are crazy militant sometimes. BMW are very forgiving compared to VW. Always best to talk to your dealer.

Mike

[BMW M4 PWR]

People still don't fundamentally understand the warranty claims work... it's made out to be a mythical black science when it's pretty easy. I've had many discussions with my BMW dealerships foreman (which I grew up with) which happen to be very consistent with years of warranty claims on prior modified cars from
various brands as well). For obvious reasons I cannot release his name or dealership here but in short; Mickey Mouse mods like an exhaust or downpipe aren't going to void your warranty unless you're an idiot, lemme define idiot = have an emission related failure/code your asking the dealership to diagnose for example while still having your DP's installed on the car... having engine related problems, while having the JB4 still installed on your car as you bring it in... with minor warranty repairs they'll look the other way, just don't make it blatant. Major repairs like a brand new $30K motor bc yours has a hole in the block and you bet your ass they'll look at your ECU forensically to determine if it was tampering that caused it. Common sense folks... no an exhaust isn't going to void your entire power train warranty if u have any common sense at all on how to properly approach it after your mods. Not a big deal... really.. A JB4 is also "invisible" in most cases after it's taken off the vehicle going in being it's just a piggyback that never actually flashed of altered the ECU's programming. Their basic search to determine tampering at BMW N/A for a high dollar engine repair (new motor) is pulling the ECU to check if there's an "unauthorized tampering" flash code on it and how many times the flash counter had been triggered. The JB4 affects neither, and for the CSI Miami crowd claiming they can still see higher boost targets, etc that had been hit if they really get into researching thru your ECU's data... yes in extreme cases they could but that on its own merit does NOT substantiate an excuse to void the warranty claim legally bc they still cannot prove it was YOU INTENTIONALLY whom had those targets altered for performance/racing reasons unless you were stupid enough to leave your JB4 installed onto your car while bringing it in for an extreme claim like that common sense stuff folks, no black magic here...

[bd307]

Originally Posted by alz0rz

Yes, they can. Whether they have enough reason to do so or not is something else. But they (service GM) can and will flag (usually some process unlike the auto flags).

You did not read what he said carefully.

Dealers cannot flag a car, but BMW can.

[The Choosey begger]

Originally Posted by bd307

You did not read what he said carefully.

Dealers cannot flag a car, but BMW can.

A dealer can send ANY power modifications, jb4/ tune/dp's they see to BMW main server and your car will be flagged as modified.
BMW NA can use this information as a basis for denying any warranty work on powertrain.

What the dealer did , they flagged your car as being modified, that info stays with your car. Other dealers look the other way and dont turn you in.

It's not that complicated to understand.

[The Choosey begger]

Originally Posted by Figurka

A BMW dealer in the states can't flag a car. They only can report to BMW NA. It's NOT the dealers decision. They don't have the right to flag customer cars.

Why a dealer should flag a car and not get paid for warranty work?

Because some dealers dont care if it's you paying for the work or it's BMW paying for it.
They're not going to start working on your car unless they know someone's paying for it and most have more work than they can handle.

That's why you want to go to a dealer that's mod friendly and on major work regardless, BMW NA can send someone down to make sure you weren't running a piggyback/tune developed by Joe blow in his garage.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by Figurka

A BMW dealer in the states can't flag a car. They only can report to BMW NA. It's NOT the dealers decision. They don't have the right to flag customer cars.

Why a dealer should flag a car and not get paid for warranty work?

The dealer doesn't do anything but plug in your OBD that's directly read by Munich using FASTA. If it detects dme or software tampering your car is flagged, and it instructs the mechanic to stop working on the vehicle. So in theory no the dealer doesn't but they can't stop it either.

There have been flagged cars and owners of the vehicle didn't even know it. A simple oil change and a software update while they're at it will doom that warranty. Make sure to instruct them NOT to hook it up to the computer.

[GeordieMike]

Originally Posted by SizerM4

The M Performance parts including suspension is being supplied and fitted by BMW. So I know I'm safe with all them but the others are my concern.
I couldn't just get the Akrapovic without the downpipes, as the sound is incredible with the 2 and is probably the one I'm most concerned about.
The Eventuri cold air intake system, I'm also a little concerned about but feel the car will benefit from it, same as the charge pipes. My biggest concern is the remap, I know the Litchfield remap is traceable and cannot be removed and I don't fully understand the JB4 enough yet to commit to it yet but there's still plenty of time for that. From what I've read, it's removable and untraceable but it's the different maps and settings I'm unsure off. As I don't plan on running methanol or E85 and in the U.K. the best octane rating we have is 99. So wether this helps people with my original question I don't know but if anyone got any advice on the JB4 and if it's worth it and what I need for it to run at its best.

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from as the litchfield tune is a plug n play box which is easily removed and easier to move than the jb4.

If you are so worried about warranty then I would advise staying away from now OEM parts. However my experience with the BMW dealers in the uk is great with modifications and buzz over my car every time I go in.