Warranty Questions / Clarification

[MrChrisLS3]

Here's the deal on warranty. If keeping the warranty fully intact is important to you, than keep the car exactly the way GM designed it and built it, period.

The grey area is where some dealers are "mod friendly". In most minor situations, they may be willing to over look modification to warranty a repair. However, there is a threshold where GM needs to approve the work. GM may ask for a diagnostic read out, they may ask for pictures, they may even send a district rep to inspect the car. It's at this point that the warranty is out of the dealers hands. GM says no, then it's on your dime. It's really as simple as that.

If you touch the programming of the ECM, you're powertrain is done. Again, your dealer may be able to do those things that fly under the radar, but if it's an issue that requires a major replacement, like engine, transmission, something of that nature, GM will want the specifics before writing the check. The dealer is not GM. They are paid by GM for warranty work, and GM won't pay warranty on a modified car.

Sure, headers seem like an innocent modification. However, it removes the major components to the factory designed emission system, so at the very least, it will void your emission warranty. Of course, if you put headers on the car, you will most certainly get a CEL, as a result of changing the emission related parts. To turn it off requires tampering with the factory program, and that will void powertrain. They will still fix non related bumper to bumper stuff, but driveline and powertrain are yours.

Many people will bring up the Magnuson Moss Act. This is widely mis-interpreted. The clause in the act that many think involves a modification is the "tied in sales" clause. This clause refers to a manufacturing requiring you a their brand of replacement parts to maintain warranty. This would be things like air filters, spark plugs, even brake pads etc. you are allowed to use any brand you like, so long as it meets of exceeds OEM specification and does not change the design of function of the related system.

So, the short answer is, if you want to keep your warranty, leave the car stock.

[17SSfifty]

Originally Posted by KICKASS4272

Sorry if this is a repeat post but I have seen so many different answers that its hard to determine whats right / wrong.

So here's the basic rundown:
I am planning on putting aftermarket headers on my Camaro. I already called my dealership and asked if changing this will void the warranty and they said "it will not void the warranty". But my question is this, if the dealership does the work + tune is there anything I have to worry about voiding still? I haven't seen a similar post (may have overlooked it) so i'm unsure what will come from this.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated

You are pretty safe with headers but depending what you do with the headers it will throw out a error code or check engine light. This is where the tune comes in to "clear it". More than likely the dealer will not do it. It's Better to go to a speed shop and get it done there.

That being said depending on the dealer it will either void out the warranty or they are mod friendly. If they are not mod friendly They have to prove the mods you did caused the failure.

[KICKASS4272]

Once again I truly appreciate all the insight from you guys / gals. I think i'll take the risk and mod it anyway. And for clarity sake it does have an extended warranty which I forgot to mention. Also this car hasn't had a single issue since the day I got it thank god.

Also I realize ill be overpaying at the dealer but they are family friends so im sure they would cover us if they break my car ya know?

[MrChrisLS3]

Originally Posted by KICKASS4272

Once again I truly appreciate all the insight from you guys / gals. I think i'll take the risk and mod it anyway. And for clarity sake it does have an extended warranty which I forgot to mention. Also this car hasn't had a single issue since the day I got it thank god.

Also I realize ill be overpaying at the dealer but they are family friends so im sure they would cover us if they break my car ya know?

You should be alright there. Just remember that you get a CEL with the headers and high flows. If you state doesn't emission test, that won't matter, but if it does, than inspection is going to be an issue. Getting rid of the CEL will require ECM tuning, and that will void the powertrain. Your personal dealer may get some stuff done under the radar, but if you start talking major rebuild/replacement GM is going to look more closely and you dealer may not have a say. Also, if, heaven forbid, something happens on a road trip and another dealer is involved, they may not be so 'mod friendly', just something to consider.

Originally Posted by 17SSfifty

You are pretty safe with headers but depending what you do with the headers it will throw out a error code or check engine light. This is where the tune comes in to "clear it". More than likely the dealer will not do it. It's Better to go to a speed shop and get it done there.


That being said depending on the dealer it will either void out the warranty or they are mod friendly. If they are not mod friendly They have to prove the mods you did caused the failure.

This is that part of the Magnuson Moss Act that people often misunderstand. GM does not have to prove that modification caused the issue, you have to prove that it didn't, and even then it's still a long shot.

That part of the act, that is misunderstood, is the 'tied in sales' clause. This is for replacement parts, things like air filters, plugs etc, like I described before. Once you start putting in parts that are not OE spec, change how a systems operates, or the parameters in which it operates, all bets ore off, it is no longer the car/engine that GM designed and built and thus the warranty, at least on that system, is now null and void.

[KICKASS4272]

Yea the car is registered to Florida so I don't have to worry about emissions. Also I'm fairly certain they do the tuning as well because I remember a few years back they did a real nice job on a different customer's Camaro. I am fairly certain they mentioned dyno tuning it for him to bc they did headers, cam, supercharger and some supporting mods. All I know for sure is that they definitely mentioned some sort of custom tune.

[MrChrisLS3]

Originally Posted by KICKASS4272

Yea the car is registered to Florida so I don't have to worry about emissions. Also I'm fairly certain they do the tuning as well because I remember a few years back they did a real nice job on a different customer's Camaro. I am fairly certain they mentioned dyno tuning it for him to bc they did headers, cam, supercharger and some supporting mods. All I know for sure is that they definitely mentioned some sort of custom tune.

Perhaps, dealerships are licensed franchisees of GM/Chevrolet, however they are also independent operators. The service dept, while under contract to perform warranty work on GM vehicles, can run the shop pretty much how they want. If they want to go into the modification business they can. It does not mean that any of this work is warrantied, especially by GM. The customer you mentioned, at best, if all of these parts were ordered through GMPP, would've had the warranty on those parts and the installation work, which is typically about 12 months. However, even with the GMPP parts, the factory powertrain is still gone. Many of those GMPP parts are labeled "off road use only", which translates to we will no longer be responsible if the car does not pass emissions or a piston goes through the block.