Voiding the warranty on a lease

[Golden3ye]

Are there any implications on getting your warranty voided while leasing a car beyond just not being covered under warranty.

I am wondering if when it comes time to turn the car in if they hit you with some charges.

[angler]

It's a leased car I would assume they want the car back oem for the most part. What would you void?

[Golden3ye]

I would of course return the car with all the OEM parts, I just figured a car with 1 year remaining on a warranty would be worth more than a car without a warranty to them. So I wouldn't put it past BMW to charge me for voiding the warranty.

I just was considering moding the car a bit, with probably downpipes and a jb4. But I dont have the equipment to remove the downpipe every time the car has to go in for a service, oil change, ect... I can only assume once they see the mods they would void the warranty, which wouldn't devastate me. Just wondering what to expect come turn in time if my warranty was voided earlier in the term of the lease.

[tracer bullet]

I don't think they'll just void the warranty, I wouldn't be surprised if they knock you at the end of the lease a lot as well - ie depreciated value or anything else they come up with. Also you'll be buying parts that you know you'll have to turn back around and sell soon after. Doesn't seem worth it.

[ejm3]

What does the lease agreement say? Have you read through it thoroughly?
I have never leased a car so I've never read through one of these agreements to see what it says you, as the person leasing the car, agree to do or not do.

But here's my guess, since you had no part in drafting the specifics of the lease and the lessor did the details will probably not be written in your favor. You just signed whatever they put in front of you. You have two choices really, sign it or not.

I'm guessing when you go to turn in the vehicle in in addition to a physical inspection they will run the VIN and see the warranty was voided (assuming a dealer has noted as such in the system) and give you a very hard time about it.

[the1andonly]

My car is leased and I've added the BMW Performance Exhaust, spacers, and tints...and if I dont keep it or trade it thats how Im turning it back in...

[KingOfJericho]

I turned my car in with 15% tint and took it in for service many times with my CP-E exhaust and BMS headlights installed. I also had the Cobb AP tune which I would uninstall before every visit. That's your best bet. They didn't bat a lash when I turned it in.

[JimD]

Two things to remember about warranties. First, the manufacturer is required (by federal law) to honor the warranty and not try to create escape paths from doing so. Like saying you can only install BMW parts (that is specifically declared illegal (it's called a tie in sale)). So they cannot say you have no warranty because you put non-BMW parts on the car. There are stiff penalties for that kind of thing (google Magnuson Moss).

But the other side of the coin is consumers cannot claim warranty coverage for damage that they caused. So if you put a tune on the car and the head gasket blows, the manufacturer is not required to fix the car under warranty. The additional boost from the tune is a reasonable explanation of the blown head gasket and they would legitimately not cover the damage. But if you mod the car and there is no damage, the warranty is not affected.

You can hear all kinds of silly stuff including from car dealers but this is what is required to meet U. S. law. You need to worry about potential damage you do to the car with mods, because that is your responsibility, but you shouldn't worry the dealer won't warrant anything on the car because you performed a modification. They can't do that.

Jim

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by JimD

Two things to remember about warranties. First, the manufacturer is required (by federal law) to honor the warranty and not try to create escape paths from doing so. Like saying you can only install BMW parts (that is specifically declared illegal (it's called a tie in sale)). So they cannot say you have no warranty because you put non-BMW parts on the car. There are stiff penalties for that kind of thing (google Magnuson Moss).

But the other side of the coin is consumers cannot claim warranty coverage for damage that they caused. So if you put a tune on the car and the head gasket blows, the manufacturer is not required to fix the car under warranty. The additional boost from the tune is a reasonable explanation of the blown head gasket and they would legitimately not cover the damage. But if you mod the car and there is no damage, the warranty is not affected.

You can hear all kinds of silly stuff including from car dealers but this is what is required to meet U. S. law. You need to worry about potential damage you do to the car with mods, because that is your responsibility, but you shouldn't worry the dealer won't warrant anything on the car because you performed a modification. They can't do that.

Jim

Came in here to say just that. The car dealer can't pro-actively void your warranty. They can only refuse warranty claims on the basis that modifications you made caused the damage. For example, if you put exhaust on your car, and later your windshield wiper stop working, they can't refuse to fix your wipers because of your exhaust.

Because you're leasing, you'll have to return the car to 100% OEM condition before turning it in though. The trick is to only do mods that are reversible and don't damage the car. When you turn the car in, you have to go through inspection. If they find "damage" during the inspection, you pay the fees.

[Golden3ye]

Thanks guys!

[awns729]

So are you going to mod it?