Hey does anyone know what kinds of things I can put into my engin, suspension, whatever else there is to do... that the dealership will not flip out and void my warranty? So far I have done a cat back exaust, and soon a short shifter... Any info would be making my day..

Thanks.. guys...

 

The short answer, it depends on the dealership and the kind of day the Service Manager is having.

 

The absolute short answer is to do your shopping from the MINI factory accessory catalog. Anything else, and you are rolling dice and hoping the dealer will turn a blind eye.

 

I am not liking the rolling the dice option... hummm guess I will do one little thing at a time and hope they do not notice it being transformed... hehe..

 

The dealer's service department generally won't raise a flag while you are transforming your MINI. It is when something fails (like in your instance - the catalytic converter) and you bring the car in for warranty service and they notice a non-factory item (your cat-back exhaust) attached to the catalytic converter. Then you get to sweat the warranty denial discussion/decision. The only way that I can think of pre-empting the warranty denial discussion/decision is to have the dealer do the install of the aftermarket products. Then you have leverage over them for doing the install.... "If there was going to be a problem, why did you accept the job to install the _____ ????" (Fill in the blank with whatever aftermarket accessory item you have them install for you.) That ploy will really help you if you have to take them into Small Claims Court down the road....

 

Dealer has to prove your mod caused the failure is my understanding. To use the example above, they'd have to show cause for how your cat-back exhaust harmed the cat (which I suppose could happen if you didn't pet the cat nicely during installation!).

I'd go to your Service Manager and ask flat out about the mods you are considering.

 

What a brilliant way of ensuring a dealer WON'T install aftermarket products.

AbsltBatty: I would caution you about the short shifter. I've seen too many improper installs. I've seen a tranny and many cables go as a result. Besides, I don't really think the MINI needs a short shifter.

 

Do you have an alternative? My suggestion was made as a defensive step. If the dealer accepts the job to install the aftermarket part(s), there is a dealer warranty (somewhere around 6 months/6,000 miles) on their work. You have some recourse if after they install the cat-back exhaust, there is a failure of the catalytic converter. Without the dealer in the picture, you are totally on your own.

 

If Magnusson-Moss is the authority you are using for your assertion, the dealer doesn't have to prove anything - they (the dealer) are not making the warranty. The manufacturer (MINI/BMW) is making the warranty. While technically, the manufacturer can not void the warranty without cause, the practical reality is that they can and they do. To get the manufacturer to own up to its obligations in the event of capricious denial of warranty will require a lawsuit to be filed by the consumer and the cost of the lawsuit must be borne by the consumer until MINI/BMW decide to throw in the towel. Net, net, the cost of litigation is much higher than the cost of a repair.