I've got the 3 yr no-cost maintenance warranty, and 6 year extended drive train warranty. I want to start 'modding' my car a bit, but it appears that it would only break my warranty. Anyone have any knowledge on this topic?

 

That said, they are required by law to prove that your mod caused the damage they are trying to deny a warranty repair for. But if you have crazy engine mods and your engine blows... thats not hard.

 

Yeah bro I have 0 mods right now. I just got mine last week, 2011 non-S.
It looks beautiful. They are going to add in some nice cosmetic mods next week. Full tint, checkered mirrors,rack and bonnet stripes. :D

Since its a non-S I'd like a little more umph to it. I am just paranoid about something blowing and having to pay for it ahhh

 

You have to pay to play. If you don't have the cash to possibly replace an engine due to a mod, then you shouldn't be even considering it.

 

That's why, for now, I'm only doing visual mods. I got the OEM sport suspension so I wouldn't even do aftermarket suspension mods. Once the warranty is up...all hell will probably break loose. I'll definitely go over miles before time. I drive about 27k a year.

 

If you add the basic bolt ons with no tune you will be okay. Also JCW parts are covered under warranty.

 

Porthos has a great point. You could put some JCW parts and still maintain your warranty.

On the bolt on part, it depends. If you install something on an engine and it goes bang, you may have a fight to get it covered if the dealer wanted to push it. Yes, they do have to "prove" it, but it may mean a legal battle to get to that point. My best advice would be to steer clear of these parts if you are trying to maintain a warranty.

 

The warranty on your MINI is goverened by the Magnuson-Moss act, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuso...s_Warranty_Act

Basically it states, that the manufacturer cannot just void the entire warranty because you add a modified part. They have to PROVE that what you added CAUSED the failure.

Ex: you installed aftermarket springs on the suspension. They cannot void the entire warranty on the car and deny a warranty claim on a broke water pump or say a HPPFP...

That said, to make them prove your mod caused the failure would probably require litagation. Which by itself may cost you more than the repair would...
You may win, but it would be a Pyrrhic victory.


Anyway, just ask the service manager, (not the service advisor) what the dealerships policy on modding cars is... Most don't give a rats ***...

 

And to add to that the MM Act will not cover the fact that you changed the configuration of the car. The idea of the MM is to allow consumers to use other parts that are not OEM (high priced) but that are a direct replacement. However, if you have an MCS and then install a larger turbo or a reduced SC pulley and you pop an engine, they have every right to deny you coverage. They also don't have to "prove" it, only show that it is a possibility it caused the damage.

Folks have traveled down this road and lost so please don't lean on the MM as a right for you to mod out of spec. I know several Suby owners that have paid big bucks trying to enforce the MM only to be met with a simple "pay for it" from the judge.

 

I haven't heard of anyone with MINIs having that problem. Not saying it isn't possible. But fro rely there isn't much mods for the Cooper. An intake and exhaust about all you can do on the power party side. Now suspension is all the same as the S so go to town and make that bad boy handle like theres no tomorrow.

 

Even if you don't have mods they still try and void your warranty. Whether its the old "bad gas" trick, or the "misuse and abuse" trick, they will try to get over on you......

 

When you buy a 6 year warranty, you're signing up for a 6 year long adversarial relationship. It's their job to find reasons to not pay; that's how they profit. So you fight with them for 6 years. If they have to pay, they make it as unpleasant as they can so you won't come back. But when you put money in the bank and pay out of pocket when something breaks, it becomes their job to make you a satisfied customer. Your whole relationship with them is different.

That said, "void your warranty" is a misleading phrase. it's almost impossible to "void" an entire warranty. The OEM part you replaced with aftermarket isn't covered, of course. And any parts that were definitely damaged by the part you changed. Not just any random part on the car; they have to show it broke because of your aftermarket mod. The parts that are independent of the mod are still covered. Not that they want you to know that. It's you vs them. Fight fight fight.

It's interesting because Minis are marketed as being something you personalize. BMW looked with envy at how much money Harley-Davidson started making in the 1980s with accessories, not to mention branded clothing and swag. They wanted to build the same kind of brand culture, with official clubs modeled after the Harley Owners Group. But there's a downside when you encourage personalization. With Ducati motorcycles they seem to understand that: they market their bikes as born and bred on the racetrack, and so it's expected that you will track your bike, and you will mod it. Anybody who doesn't is rather exceptional. Ducati dealers still fight you on warranty stuff, but not as bad as some.

If your goal is to sell it, then get a warranty and never mod it. If your goal is to enjoy it to the max, skip the warranty and all the tears that entails.

But don't listen to guys like me who don't buy new and don't borrow money on deprecating assets. We're weirdos.

 

Save your money, buy an S after you beat this one up.... it will be cheaper in the long run.

 

He only said he wanted "a little more umph". The blown and turboed cars are awesome, but they're also complex and heavy. With a lot more than a little more umph. The aspirated cars can be made... well not fast certainly, but shall we say spirited? While remaining light and relatively simple.

It's all a matter of what you want. You could just as easily ask an S driver why they didn't get a V8.

(I have no idea what one is supposed to do when you've replied to a post that was subsequently changed.)

 

I have... This guy put a pulley on and (16%) and about a month later the engine popped. We were sure it wasn't due to the pulley but the argument from the dealer and MINI was that the extra compression is what caused it. Bottom line is that he had to pay for the new engine and install. He tried the MM bit but MINI dug their heels in on it.

He sold it right after it was fixed as the whole thing left a sour taste in his mouth.

 

I have everything but a tune and an exhaust/DP and my dealership hasn't said a thing. They even compliment its' sounds (intake and hardpipes) and dropped suspension.

 

LOL, pop that engine and see what they say. Why would they say a thing to you unless you have a problem? Like I said, I have seen it but if you want to go for it then go for it, just don't complain if it happens to you.

 

Remember we are talking 2nd gen not first gen. I know of people outside their warranty doing some serious mods that popped a motor.

 

1st or 2nd gen my point still stands. If you are going to mod within your warranty period, you better be ready to pay for repairs. The MM will not save you if they can remotely point towards a power making mod.

Look, I am not trying to be a party pooper here, just saying it how I have seen it. I modded my engine within my warranty and was lucky to never have a problem. It is just important to let folks know that there is a risk associated with doing it, that's all.

 

lol what? With that logic, if you don't have an extra 15k laying around, you can't play.

Why would you have a legal battle, they would first have to prove it, if they prove it, you are obviously going to loose. If they can't prove it, they loose.

This. It obvioulsy varies by dealer/manager/rep, but here are my 2 examples. Warranty 1, I had boost tubes, boost spring, DoS CAI, OCC installed and my engine failed. It was replaced entirely under warranty as the vacuum pump failed, this has happened before, and had no direct corelation to my mods. In fact when they replaced the engine they reinstalled all my aftermarket parts and still gave me a 2 years warranty. I made them write on the invoice that they installed my aftermarket parts even though I provided them with the OEM parts, it was their decision to do so.
Warraty 2, I had a soft feeling pass front strut. I had springs, urethane, bars, links, braces, CA's installed. They looked at it and said sorry, you voided warranty. Asked for the manager told him the situation, got it on a lift took a look and the seal on the strut was bad. While they did try and say it was possible that the parts caused it, I also said it's possible your supplier gave you a bad part. I walked out of there with a new strut under warranty.

Wrong, so what if you have a larger turbo and a tune. If your timing chain snaps and gernades your engine, what, they automatically deny you warranty? No, that is in direct violation of your rights. They would need to prove a situation like an overboost with a lean condition causing blah blah blah. What if the chain was faulty and had a bad pin, or the tensioner fained, or a tooth on the sprocket failed and it slipped? You see.

You guys have rights, don't let them walk on you, if something fails, their job is to tell you how, not to dismiss your warranty based on a visual inspection of non OEM parts.

 

Dang. Did not expect to see so many HELPFUL responses within a day. Anyways, I think after reviewing what everyone has had to say, I will stick to cosmetic mods for now.

The reason I didn't go with the S Coupe is for two reasons:

1.)I do a lot of city commuting, so I wanted the MINI but with the best fuel economy too.

2.) For all the bells and whistles I wanted, I'd have to pay probably another 5k out the door, which would bump my monthly payments prolly by another 100 a month which I am not ready for.


I think I will ride my 6 year warranty out and than get the S when I am a little more financially free :D.

Excellent recommendations from everyone.

 

Mod your MINI's however you want. But do it smart. Don't bolt on a big turbo and think you have a warranty, don't run 20lbs of boost and think you have a warranty, don't do a head swap, don't install coilovers then complain your car rides harsh, or is noisey.
There are a ton of mods that you can do that will greatly improve your MINI and they can NOT void your warranty for them. I worked at a BMW/MINI dealer for years before having WMW. You won't have warranty problems if you do reasonable mods, and you are reasonable when you bring your MINI in for service. If you need help with mods feel free to always call us.

On the other hand if you do mod your MINI within reason and something like a timing chain breaks and the dealer gives you a hard time. STAND YOUR GROUND, don't just roll over and let them tell you no warranty. FIGHT it, and get a lawyer. I know customers that have done this and come out far ahead, but sometimes the more that do it the better it will be for everyone else in the future. Your engine will cost less than the dealer going to court.

 

Ahh. I know that people are pushing litigation if a dealer doesn't cover something that should be covered, but I am trying to keep my relationship with my dealership as civil as possible. I really liked them and still do, I don't things to turn sour. I'll just keep my fingers crossed :D

 

I like how you pick and choose what I say but yes (15K is a little high) if you don't have spare cash laying around then stay away from performance modding under warranty.


Once again, they don't have to prove it, only show that it could have affected the failed part in an adverse way. No major scientific "proof" is needed. Besides, the MM does not cover performance increasing parts anyway, both a lawyer that deals with this and a judge stated this to my face. They just have to show that there is a correlation between the increased HP and the part that broke.

You have a dealer that is willing to look past it to make you happy and you really don't have any performance mods installed (minor stuff). Sadly they are all not like this and many won't touch aftermarket parts.

Once again, you have a dealer that is willing to work with you. Feel lucky as I know many dealers that would have told you to have a nice day on this one. Struts are cheap anyway...

Not wrong actually. All they have to say is that the extra compression put unnecessary strain on the engine and walk away. The MM will not protect you as that is not what it was designed to do. The chain could have been faulty and never failed without the extra stress on it and that is all they have to say.

My point in all of this is not that you shouldn't mod. It is that you should understand that there is a possibility that YOU could be responsible for repairs or a legal battle if you do and that the MM is not there to protect you if you make performance mods. As Way said, make mods that are within reason and you should be ok, but if you start going for more HP you could find yourself in a situation where you have to pay out the money. Hence you pay to play!

You do have rights, but it is not the MM that is going to save you on performance mods. I do think that you should at least try but as I said, I know a few people that have been told to pay on a failure because of the mods in both the Suby and MINI communities.


Look, the question was simple...
However, the answer is not and the best response I can give is a simple "it could".

I'm done arguing this. I have seen it happen and spoken to people that have been involved. Does that make me a professional? Nope, just someone that has a little understanding. Do as you please, just don't come here whining if you lose your case.

 

You have your reasons for not getting an S, and it's no one's business but your own. Sometimes people forget the added cost of a model up. If they have the $ to burn....luuuucky.

I got my first Mini as a gas saving commuting car; then fell in love and upgraded to an S. Now, I bought a couple JCW accessories for it and I'm dealing with the whole "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST BUY A JCW MINI? YOU'RE WASTING YOUR MONEY WHEN YOU COULD HAVE JUST GOTTEN THE REAL THING." Well, a $10,000 price increase for an identical car to mine, just JCW official, is a big difference compared to the couple hundred dollars I've spent on a few choice JCW parts.


Anywho...just mod smart. Don't mess with the powertrain until all you warranties are up. Enjoy the ride!