Wow!!! Very interesting..... How does your dealership handle these situations? Thankfully I never had a problem to find out what my dealer would do for me...lol

 

Well it depends on the customer and the extent of the mod. If I have a customer come in and they service the vehicle with us (not just covered repairs but also maintenance) and they are generally good people, i will be more inclined to help out. The real problem is that we still have to adhere to GM guidelines. At that point, it becomes a question of can we help out. Sometimes there is just too much to brush under the carpet, so to speak. When you are dealing with motors, the first question we are asked is if any modification has been done. Its not that easy to cover some things up... and if GM decides to send an inspector, the case is pretty well closed.

It also depends on how good of a relationship the dealer has with the zone rep. Sometimes if it is a good working relationship, they can be persuaded to close an eye. This all comes down to the customer as well because if I am going to go to bat for you, i better like you. I want to see that you are a good customer. I want to see that you do your brakes, oil changes, tire rotations (etc) with us. If you are someone who only comes in for warranty work and never spends a dime with us, quite honestly I don't want to hear it. I have no motivation to even try to help.

Keeping all of that in mind, there are times when even the best of customers are beyond help. In many cases, its just out of our hands.

 

Where did you see that it will not void your warranty with aftermarket parts? If I can find documented proof, I'll add the intake. Otherwise its not worth voiding the warranty. Thanks for the input everyone!

 

I never said that installing an aftermarket part would not void your warranty. I developed a fairly good relationship with my service writer and when asked about aftermarket add on's he noted that if the aftermarket part was responsible for a failure, the failure would not be covered under warranty.


Let's say that you did add an aftermarket intake system and the water pump failed. It would be pretty darn hard if not impossible for GM to pin the failure on the aftermarket intake addition. The additions or mods will determine the degree of risk, its all a matter of what degree of risk your willing to take.

 

Does this go the same for exhaust?

 

If it causes the failure yes. I installed Flow Masters on mine a couple of months after I got it and had it in the shop a couple of times for warranty repairs.


I would question a full out system replacement unless your ready to accept the outcome should something go wrong and it happens to be the result of the new system.

 

I would just be looking to do a cat back system. Probably magna flows. I had those on my grand prix and I liked the sound out of them. Can't imagine that they could prove that a cat back would cause any problems with anything major.

 

Ya I guess thats one of the good things about used cars. Mine has 60,000 on it and there is no warranty what so ever left. I have been thinking about gutting the airbox, but it sounds kinda complicated and I don't wanna screw something up just for a few horses. A new dual exhaust appeals to me but I don't really wanna spend the money right now.