[Guest]

I know that some manufacturers specifically state that certain mods will void your warranty. For instance, Porsche put out a disclaimer on the use of the Cool Air Intake (CAI) because some of them dropped the intake filter down to where it could suck up rain water splashed up from under the car. This would of course potentially put water into your intake system and eventually into your oil. You have to take into consideration the fact that Porsche engines are in the back. Some of the better known CAI systems had intake tubing (because of very limited space in the engine compartment) that dropped the CAI filter down into an area away from heat, but open to water splashed up from below, especially a hard rain, that splashed water up and was sucked into the CAI. This usually only occured on some models, but it was determined to contribute to potential engine failure...especially bearings. Sometimes the manufacturers of the mods don't recognize the potential impact that some of the mods can cause.....but the maufacturers have certain thresholds they assign to engine performance. Usually they plug in a margin knowing that most folks will be pushing the envelope, so they need wiggle room for an allowance.

Some mods may have little or no effect...most CAIs don't do a damn thing for you in terms of horsepower or gas mileage. They're basically an acoustic system that allows exhaust sound engine feedback to come thru the CAI and give you a deeper sound....but that's all you're getting for your money....a cool sound.

Then there's the chip. The chip basically alters the mapping of your ECU, and what affect does that have upon the performance? Usually boosts some horses and can actually improve some gas mileage. BUT, and here's the rub...in increasing horses, you put more strain on engine parts....so can or will the manufacturer deny a claim if you blow an engine and have the engine chipped? Can they run a diagnostic and see that the engine rpm's exceeded certain thresholds, or that horsepower was boosted by XX percent? By beefing up your performance, have you violated the terms of the warranty? I don't know....so I'm asking. Does anyone have any direct knowledge? Some ECUs are pretty complex and can log all sorts of information on speed, rpm's, date, times, number of events in certain categories etc. I don't know if Dodge has this built into the engine system.

If you decide to jack up your suspension a few inches (or more) and put on big tires to slick it up and you have suspension failures later...will the mods void your suspension coverage?

You have to remember that no manufacturer likes to eat the costs of putting in a new engine or tranny or differential....so they may (operative word is "may") elect to deny the claim based upon your installation of unauthorized or non factory parts. I've seen them reach pretty far to tie a major failure to a mod and use that as the basis of denying a claim.

I see folks here just itching to throw in some mods...but before you do, what are the potential impacts or downsides of doing that? Are another 40 horses worth killing a 36K mile warranty? Your call.

Chuck

 

[huntergreen]

all true cj.............

 

[dodgert]

What mods do you want to do exhaust will not void it a cai will not void it and as far as a chip/programmer not one made for a 2011/12 yet

 

[ONOutdoorsman]

To each their own. I bought a brand new Ram so I wouldn't have to do any mods. No wait, I mean I bought a Ram and now I can't afford any mods. Ha ha, just kidding. Stock for me except for a few dress up items and a cap.

 

[Guest]

My sentiments exactly. There's no shortage of power in that 5.7 litre engine if you want to stick your foot in it....and with a towing capacity of 10K pounds for a half ton model.....that's at the top of the performance ladder for a half ton. if you need more, then you need to buy a 2500.

I see a chip mod offered for about $75 or so, but I can't imagine why you'd want to chip it given the performance it already has. I like the old adage..."If it works, don't fix it." Great advice, but I'm an older guy now, been there, done that, so I won't knock you who want to go that route.

On the other side of the coin, I've been thru the mod phase when I was younger, and there's always a temptation to "personalize" your vehicle....make it just a little faster than the other guy's, give it a bit more aggressive stance, or make it sound cooler. I don't fault folks for wanting to mod...however I still think that you need to look into the potential downside to your warranty before you launch out and add on a bunch of aftermarket doo-dads. I would agree that mufflers probably won't affect anything, for most vehicles, a CAI won't affect anything but sound (unless you over oil the K and N and wipe out a MAF sensor)...but a chip, lift kits, huge tires etc. all put additional strain on parts that could potentially end up putting you at odds with the dealership over covering the replacement.















'

 

[Olddodgeowner]

I don't know about other dealers, but I did ask the service manager about warranty issues before I put on my leveling kit. They had no problem with it and said it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[AlbertaRam]

The dealer where I just ordered my 2012 Outdoorsman from had a 1500 with a 6" lift kit in the showroom with the disclaimer in the window advising that vehicle had been modified in a way the would affect the suspension and front end warranty.

Also, a buddy of mine had a similar kit installed on his 2008 2500 and was told to expect to have to redo his front end every 70-80K KMs (45-50K miles). And that's exactly what happened at a cost of $3000.

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately it seems that in the pursuit of a sale, most salesmen won't discuss this issue. They just want to get the sale made, and to start discouraging you from "personalizing" your truck could negatively impact the sale.

In truth, there should be a written disclaimer in the front of the owner's manual (that a lot of folks don't bother to read...hence the birth of the acronym "RTFM") that at least alerts a new owner to the downside to installing mods. The 3/36K warranty is a valuable benefit for any new truck owner, and it seems a shame to jeopardize it without knowing the possible downside to doing it. Now, once your warranty is up, have at it, or stick to the mods that you are assured will not affect your warranty...most likely the CAI, mufflers, wind deflectors and cosmetic doo-dads that have no connection or nexus to any electrical or mechanical part of your truck. Something as apparently harmless as changing out the back up camera could (note the word "could") affect the NAV warranty if the dealership chose to do so. One thing I found is that developing a really good and friendly working relationship with your service manager or technician can come in really handy. Many times, it's how they write up the anomaly that makes the difference in whether the manufacturer will cover the part and labor. I had a Nissan Murano, and because of a good working relationship, the dealership ate about $600 in parts and labor on an uncovered part under the caption of "customer goodwill". You don't have that worry for a new vehicle under warranty, but no sense in pushing the envelope. As long as you personalize it knowing that you're putting your warranty in potential jeopardy, then it becomes a self inflicted gunshot wound...done knowing that you took a chance and lost. I just think that folks should be made aware of the dangers with a disclaimer on the window sticker or in large letters on the sales contract. Apparently one dealership did that in the post that talked about seeing the truck that had been jacked up with a disclaimer about dealership non-coverage of the suspension portion of the warranty.