Warning!! Mazda Reps

[MS3077]

Word has it that Mazda reps are going on this forum looking to void warranties.

I don't know about everyone else but I'm not putting down where I'm located, etc in my profile. I'm not too surprised by this because the other day I went to the stealer ship because my hood was a little misaligned and a service tech was giving me shit about it. He was trying to say that I was abusing the car because the plastic thingy under the bumper was scrapped up a bit. I got a little pissed at the guy and asked to speak with his supervisor and he got in my face like he wanted to fight or something.

When it was all said and done nothing was wrong with my hood. There are these rubber things that you can adjust that fit under the hood so that’s what I did and my hood looked fine. Sorry about the rambling but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it almost seems like Mazda is just looking for excuses to not honor our warranties.

[Darkhorse]

Word has it that Mazda reps are going on this forum looking to void warranties.

I don't know about everyone else but I'm not putting down where I'm located, etc in my profile. I'm not too surprised by this because the other day I went to the stealer ship because my hood was a little misaligned and a service tech was giving me shit about it. He was trying to say that I was abusing the car because the plastic thingy under the bumper was scrapped up a bit. I got a little pissed at the guy and asked to speak with his supervisor and he got in my face like he wanted to fight or something.

When it was all said and done nothing was wrong with my hood. There are these rubber things that you can adjust that fit under the hood so that’s what I did and my hood looked fine. Sorry about the rambling but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it almost seems like Mazda is just looking for excuses to not honor our warranties.

X 2.

[JDM Sam]

This is old news. They did that crap when the Mazdaspeed Protege came out.

[fastdreams]

Bring it on assholes.

You'll be buying my car back with interest, paying my lawyer fees, and pay for wasting the courts time.

Lawyers are fun aren't they? May be meanest shark win ;)

[JDM Sam]

Mitsubishi took it a step further and got race results from sanctioned race events and voided warranties like that for competition use. Owners tried to fight it and lost. Mazda can very well do the same thing.

[dparm1984]

Cue the "I'm going to give you legal advice even though I am not a lawyer" posts....... *rolls eyes*

[fastdreams]

Mitsubishi took it a step further and got race results from sanctioned race events and voided warranties like that for competition use. Owners tried to fight it and lost. Mazda can very well do the same thing.


Yeah technically they should have won unfortunately. The best defense against that is to hide you VIN and plates.

It doesn't change the fact that they are complete assholes for doing that!

[MS3077]

Mitsubishi took it a step further and got race results from sanctioned race events and voided warranties like that for competition use. Owners tried to fight it and lost. Mazda can very well do the same thing.

This kind of shit is exactlly the reason why I have an index card covering my VIN # under my windsheild. You guys might want to do this even if you just take it to the 1/4 strip...

[JDM Sam]

You need to look at it from both sides.

The car wasn't built for competition use, the manufacturer shouldn't be liable for conditions outside street use. They have disclaimed liability in the warranty contract.

I also know as an owner the car should hold up to the power it was designed for. If it can't handle some hard driving on the street, they obviously didn't build the car good enough.

However, if the owner adds mods such as a boost controller and blows their motor, I don't see why Mazda or any other manufacturer should pay for it since it was the owner's choice. If the owner didn't know the consequences, they shouldn't have done it in the first place. Those kind of warranty claims is what ruins it for the owners who have legitimate claims for warranty.

For example, your MS3 turbo seals going out is a factory defect. No matter what mods you have they should swap it out b/c they go bad even on stock cars. On the MSP it was the LSD being weak.

Good luck to everyone and if you really want to avoid warranty hassles, take your mods off before taking it in.

[Andrade08]

Ya, the warrenty is the reason I am not touching the boost PSI, DP and MP. By then SCT or who ever should have a tuner out to add boost also. I'll just do the cat back, cold air kit, Forge BPV and the shorty shifter. Maybe a ETS TMIC too. Not too + or - on that yet. I just do not want to hear it if some thing does blow on my car. And I do not want a modded to holy high hell car that I have to de mod every time I go in for service.

[ForceFed]

This is old news. They did that crap when the Mazdaspeed Protege came out.+1,000,000
Not a new tactic..hence why my full mods were NEVER...Disclosed.

[SwampAss]

I'm going to quit writing swampass on my work orders.

[hectik1]

These rumors are as old as internet forums. There is no big brother watching us here.

Coming from an Evo, I have read many threads about this. Some say yeah, some say no.

[MS3077]

I'm going to quit writing swampass on my work orders.

+1

[MS3077]

Ya, the warrenty is the reason I am not touching the boost PSI, DP and MP. By then SCT or who ever should have a tuner out to add boost also. I'll just do the cat back, cold air kit, Forge BPV and the shorty shifter. Maybe a ETS TMIC too. Not too + or - on that yet. I just do not want to hear it if some thing does blow on my car. And I do not want a modded to holy high hell car that I have to de mod every time I go in for service.

Yeah I'm not messing with the DP or MP either for exactly the same reason. SU is coming out with a test pipe soon that replaces the 2nd cat and is really easy to install / uninstall. Appearently it renders pretty decent HP / TQ gains as well.

I'm not going to add anything to my car that I can't have off in 2hrs or less for stealership visits.

[Ben Nast]

Im staying pretty much stock. Possibly a mazdaspeed cai if dealer approves of it and installs. My ms3 will never be at any track besides the parking lot as a spectator. Anyway, I dont see how they could void a warranty by reading a post on a forum. The post could be completely made up. I heard about something like this on the srt forums a while back too. Total crap.

[dparm1984]

The word you are all looking for is "fearmongering".

[zoomspeed3zoom]

The Mazda reps employ special robots from the future. They are like the terminator, accept their purpose is to terminate warranties of owners. This plan was devised in the year 2017 so that Mazda will have more funds to put towards researching new flying cars. I heard that from the dealer so I just wanted to let everyone know. Robots are smarter than Humans!

[AutoXRacer]

Terminator theme song playing... (lol2)

[ForceFed]

I really can't "hear" that theme music in my head...Can someone link it to make this even more special. ;)

[crashkelly]

Yeah technically they should have won unfortunately. The best defense against that is to hide you VIN and plates.

It doesn't change the fact that they are complete assholes for doing that!

why should they have won the lawsuit? If competition racing voids their warranty and they got caught they deserve it. I think it's total bullshit that everyone does all this shit to their car, but they get all pissed when their shit gets voided like they were owed something just for buying the car. Everyone in here knows when they are breaking their warranty and if you get caught then that's the consequences...It's such bullshit that people cry and bitch about the dealerships trying to void warranties when the car owners HAVE VOIDED THEIR WARRANTY!

They are a business and they are trying to cut down on bullshit claims because it costs them time and money. The dealership told every motherf-er out there what would cause their warranty to be voided and people are actually surprised that dealerships are trying to keep from basically being defrauded.

I mean seriously, what the f-ck would you do if you owned a retail store and then you saw there were forums all over the internet where people are talking about how they bought your product, then destroyed it by nothing other than their own stupidity, but they were going to take it back to your store and make it look like it wasnt their fault for breaking it. Then you have to pay out of pocket for every idiot trying to pull a fast one.

IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR WARRANTY BEING VOIDED THEN DON'T MODIFY YOUR CAR...

[AutoXRacer]

I really can't "hear" that theme music in my head...Can someone link it to make this even more special. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q91-nER4ins&feature=related

[ForceFed]

Aghh..Yes....Thank you...
this thread has much more meaning now.

I couldn't quite remember it....I kept hearing jepordy playing in my head for some reason.

[meha11]

My car goes to the dealer with all mods on it, people need to be responsible for their actions, its basic honesty and nothing more.
My local dealer has fixed unrelated problems and declined services for related issues which is how it should be.

[acidbbg]

This is old news.

I have owned 2 mazda's over the years.

Mazda does ready up on forums..I remember few years ago someone got their warranty voided for track racing. Came on the forums to vent about it and the mechanic came on flaming the guy for being stupid.

Here's a tip.

If you care about your warranty..don't mod or race it.

-C

[ForceFed]

If you care about your warranty..don't mod or race it.

-COr just dont talk about it.

[mx-p5]

I don't race, and, i don't consider my mods to void any warrantys(except maybe the headlights and foglight mod), so, I am not worried about it.

But, I do see both sides of the argument. If the car can't handle a good romp on the throttle even on the streets, it's the dealers problem

But, if you take your car to the track and thrash on it, that's your own fault.

Drive responsibly and mod responsibly.

Tylor

[Betelgeuse]

This is old news.

I have owned 2 mazda's over the years.

Mazda does ready up on forums..I remember few years ago someone got their warranty voided for track racing. Came on the forums to vent about it and the mechanic came on flaming the guy for being stupid.

Here's a tip.

If you care about your warranty..don't mod or race it.

-C

I remember a while back on the audi forums a guy who claimed his dealer messed up his intake and other mods when they were talking them off to work on his car. I think he also claimed they misplaced things. If anyone has a link or remember this incident, feel free to chime in.

Well little did he know the service advisor was a member and posted a bunch of pics showing all his mods tucked away in a box and pretty much called the guy out on everything he said. The guy eventually apologized but still got seriously reemed by the dealer the all the other members.

Fact is, lots of manufacturers browse the webs esp. when it comes to higher performance cars that are ripe for modding. It does suck in some ways to be honest, but I can't blame them.

[AutoXRacer]

But, if you take your car to the track and thrash on it, that's your own fault.

Drive responsibly and mod responsibly.

Tylor

Thats a miss conception... All the racers I know, treat their cars better than their mothers...as I do. The only thing I am trashing on the track are my tires and brakes which are wear items. I can't blow the engine since it has safetly parameters built into it (rev limiter, boost controller, etc). Most true racers take care of their cars...

Only ignorant, lame ass, wannabee racers thrash their cars...

(rant) OK, I'm done venting...

Oh and I forgot to mention, its ironic how Mazda promotes racing their cars by offering sponsorships and discounts to owners who race their Mazdas in sanctioned events...

[MS3077]

Thats a miss conception... All the racers I know, treat their cars better than their mothers...as I do. The only thing I am trashing on the track are my tires and brakes which are wear items. I can't blow the engine since it has safetly parameters built into it (rev limiter, boost controller, etc). Most true racers take care of their cars...

Only ignorant, lame ass, wannabee racers thrash their cars...

(rant) OK, I'm done venting...

Oh and I forgot to mention, its ironic how Mazda promotes racing their cars by offering sponsorships and discounts to owners who race their Mazdas in sanctioned events...

+1

And why the fuck would MAZDA recommend dropping the clutch at 2900rpm and flat shifting thru 2nd and 3rd to run a good 1/4 and then say "Don't worry it won't break" ?????

If the car can't take a few good 1/4 mile passes then it's a piece of shit anyway in my book. The only way in my opinion your warranty should be voided is if you clearly make driving errors like burning the clutch, consistent miss shifts, etc. I don’t think simply because a car was spotted running the ¼ at the local strip is grounds on it’s own to void a warranty.

Also I wouldn't consider helping the car breathe a little better via an intake are exhaust modifications grounds for voiding a warranty, unless Mazda can without a doubt prove the modifications were the cause. Also, it's really annoying that Mazda decided to put in probably the most restrictive air box and weak ass rear motor mount in our car. Also the shifter kinda sucks...
This is just my opinion flame me if you want!

[ForceFed]

I beleive he was mainly referring to road coarse tracks...Considering his NAME and all.

[MS3077]

I beleive he was mainly referring to road coarse tracks...Considering his NAME and all.

Yes I know But I'm implying it for any type of racing

[detsilverms3]

seriously, how would the company be able to prove you were the person at a race or put whatever mod on your car unless you put a video of yourself up doing it. they have to prove it, plain and simple. parts you can't take off your car are an easy way to prove it but then again they have to prove it caused the failure. i heard about this when i had my focus. its ridiculous. i took my focus in for multiple warranty issues with major mods i never took off. so i highly doubt that this is an actual problem. it's all blah blah blah to me. i find both irratating and funny that people think there people watching their every move on the internet or believe the hype of this stuff. whenever i have problems at a dealer, i just say prove it if they can no problem i'll pay but 90% of the time. they can't.

-end rant

[crashkelly]

+1

And why the fuck would MAZDA recommend dropping the clutch at 2900rpm and flat shifting thru 2nd and 3rd to run a good 1/4 and then say "Don't worry it won't break" ?????

If the car can't take a few good 1/4 mile passes then it's a piece of shit anyway in my book. The only way in my opinion your warranty should be voided is if you clearly make driving errors like burning the clutch, consistent miss shifts, etc. I don’t think simply because a car was spotted running the ¼ at the local strip is grounds on it’s own to void a warranty.

Also I wouldn't consider helping the car breathe a little better via an intake are exhaust modifications grounds for voiding a warranty, unless Mazda can without a doubt prove the modifications were the cause. Also, it's really annoying that Mazda decided to put in probably the most restrictive air box and weak ass rear motor mount in our car. Also the shifter kinda sucks...
This is just my opinion flame me if you want!

Yeah but it doesnt matter what your opinion is. The warranty is the warranty and you signed it. If you want a faster car that "breathes" better, then buy a sports car...I just cant get over this attitude people have (and I am not directing this at you, it is just a general comment) that even though they have a complete written warranty specifically stating what they can and cannot do, they still think that after they buy the car that they are entitled to put on what most tuners consider "basic mild modifications" just because they dont "see what the big deal is"

If a manufacturer wanted you to have a sportier exhaust or intake they would include it on the car. If the dealership thought it wasn't a big deal to have certain mods they would exclude them from the warranty.

It's just funny how people put intakes and exhausts on their car and are like "I dont see the big deal in putting that stuff on my car" well then why did you have to go and void the warranty and put it on? If it shouldnt be a big deal to them then it shouldnt be a big deal to you to wait until the warranty runs out before putting the stuff on.

[AutoXRacer]

The reason the manufacturer does not put intakes, exhausts, suspension, etc on cars is because most buyers do not want the added noise and harshness that comes with mods; plus it would make the car too expensive...they have to accommodate the masses.

Regarding Mazda, they are the biggest manufacturer involved in promoting motorsports. They own/sponsor numerous race tracks around the country and the world. All their cars have the "soul of a sports car". (lol2)
Why would Mazda offer light-weight forged wheels, coil-over suspension, sways, intake, exhaust, etc... The list keeps going and going...

And as I mentioned earlier, Mazda sponsors and give racers discounts for racing their car...for Mazda, its like free advertisement...they are really into promoting motorsports...

[MS3077]

The reason the manufacturer does not put intakes, exhausts, suspension, etc on cars is because most buyers do not want the added noise and harshness that comes with mods; plus it would make the car too expensive...they have to accommodate the masses.

Regarding Mazda, they are the biggest manufacturer involved in promoting motorsports. They own/sponsor numerous race tracks around the country and the world. All their cars have the "soul of a sports car". (lol2)
Why would Mazda offer light-weight forged wheels, coil-over suspension, sways, intake, exhaust, etc... The list keeps going and going...

And as I mentioned earlier, Mazda sponsors and give racers discounts for racing their car...for Mazda, its like free advertisement...they are really into promoting motorsports...

+1
Thank you! That's the point I was trying to get across some of these ppl.
And maybe it's just me but why the fuck would someone buy a MS3 just to drive to and from work?? This is a tuner car and I'm pretty sure it was made in mind that people are going to modify it to some extent anyway. I mean just take the stock air box for example... It's the most restrictive air box ever put in a car just replacing it with pretty much any intake system frees up like 10hp at least. Oh and the rear engine motor mount! If you leave this on because you're afraid of the warrenty being voided I feel sorry for you. I would probably sell this car if the stealership gave me problems about my rear engine motor mount because it really sucks without it. I don't like missing gears just because I'm shifting high in the revs.

[redrocketz]

I think Ford is more into promoting the modification and racing of their vehicles than anyone else. Who else sends out car to every known Mustang aftermarket company 6 months before the car is released just so there would be parts out there the instant the car goes on sale. Hell they sell full drag racing packages for their cars and warranty them. You can get gears, shifter, suspension, intake, supercharger, headers, exhasut and a reflash and still keep your factory warranty.

And on the warranty issues be realistic if you rip your cats off not only are you instantly voiding your emissions warranty but you are commiting a federal offence, if you go and install all this stuff and your motor pops you might get lucky and the dealer will get it warrantied and maybe not. When I worked for Acura a kid misshifted and sent his motor up to alteast 16k rpm and floated the valves into the pistons, he had every bolton under the sun on that car from race header and exhaust to different intake manifold and cold-air box along with a bunch of other little shit and we ended up warranting the car but told the kid it was the last time. Why you ask, because he was a good customer, you treat your dealer right and they will treat you right. Our mazda dealer we go to treats us pretty well and our customers. one of our customers went in there with a full catless TBE, intake, and Standback and they did warranty work on the car still.

[Betelgeuse]

+1
Thank you! That's the point I was trying to get across some of these ppl.
And maybe it's just me but why the fuck would someone buy a MS3 just to drive to and from work?? This is a tuner car and I'm pretty sure it was made in mind that people are going to modify it to some extent anyway. I mean just take the stock air box for example... It's the most restrictive air box ever put in a car just replacing it with pretty much any intake system frees up like 10hp at least. Oh and the rear engine motor mount! If you leave this on because you're afraid of the warrenty being voided I feel sorry for you. I would probably sell this car if the stealership gave me problems about my rear engine motor mount because it really sucks without it. I don't like missing gears just because I'm shifting high in the revs.



Because Mazda sponsors racing doesn't mean your car is a race car. Don't get me wrong, I drive my car hard but taking it to the track regularly will surely put more strain on it than hard driving on the street. Also, I don't know if Mazda intended this car to be a serious tuner as cracking the ECU has turned out to be a royal pain in the ass! It's not like they have a dedicated aftermarket company like Darrel Cox working with them. And with all the electrical nannies programmed into it, it seems like they designed the car to be as reliable as possible AS IS.

But I will agree, a simple intake shouldn't be cause for concern but a full exhaust system can be iffy on this car. I say that because quite a few people have run into overboosting issues which isn't healthy for the engine at all. Notice how there's no Mazdaspeed high flow cats or downpipe/racepipes?
If they thought the car would be ok, I'm sure they'd sell them in a heartbeat.

[dparm1984]

If Mazda sells a CBE right at the dealership, I would think that it isn't a problem. And frankly, a CBE is not going to do much to the car reliability wise.....anything after the cat has virtually no impact on emissions, etc.

But yes, when in doubt, keep it stock.

[maestro]

Just because manufacturers support and promote motorsports does not mean they should accept responsibility for modded cars that break.
A local guy got his warranty voided and his claim denied by Chevy after he was caught at the track in his Cobalt last summer. I don't recall the problem with the car. Local dealer had pics of his VIN as well as his plates, while doing laps, at a track day.

[Young Roids]

I'm going to quit writing swampass on my work orders.

as I will stop writing Young Roids on mine.(yes)

[Young Roids]

why should they have won the lawsuit? If competition racing voids their warranty and they got caught they deserve it. I think it's total bullshit that everyone does all this shit to their car, but they get all pissed when their shit gets voided like they were owed something just for buying the car. Everyone in here knows when they are breaking their warranty and if you get caught then that's the consequences...It's such bullshit that people cry and bitch about the dealerships trying to void warranties when the car owners HAVE VOIDED THEIR WARRANTY!

They are a business and they are trying to cut down on bullshit claims because it costs them time and money. The dealership told every motherf-er out there what would cause their warranty to be voided and people are actually surprised that dealerships are trying to keep from basically being defrauded.

I mean seriously, what the f-ck would you do if you owned a retail store and then you saw there were forums all over the internet where people are talking about how they bought your product, then destroyed it by nothing other than their own stupidity, but they were going to take it back to your store and make it look like it wasnt their fault for breaking it. Then you have to pay out of pocket for every idiot trying to pull a fast one.

IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR WARRANTY BEING VOIDED THEN DON'T MODIFY YOUR CAR...


In all reality this post is correct. +1

[MS3077]

In all reality this post is correct. +1

Kinda vague if you ask me..

[newwildchild]

on a final note

when I was at the dealer I notice that they got this site link to there computer
showroom

[AutoXRacer]

on a final note

when I was at the dealer I notice that they got this site link to there computer
showroom

Sweet!!! (2thumbs)

[AutoXRacer]

A local guy got his warranty voided and his claim denied by Chevy after he was caught at the track in his Cobalt last summer. I don't recall the problem with the car. Local dealer had pics of his VIN as well as his plates, while doing laps, at a track day.

Thats kind of funny when you think that Chevy includes a 2 step rev limiter for drag racing/launching purposes in the Cobalt SS, HHR SS and the new ZR1 Corvette...

Manufactures need to stop advertising/promoting their "tuner" vehicles for motor sports if they are not willing to stand behind their warrantee... Why include features like 2 step rev limiters, special launching systems, no-lift shift, etc if the car is not meant to be used in that fashion?

The last thing I'll say is that, modding a car with "basic" bolt-ons (intake, CBE, even headers, etc) should not void the warranty, especially if the manufacturer offers these parts; Mazdaspeed, Ford Motor Sports/SVT, Nismo, TRD, etc. Anything beyond that, ECU piggy backs, stand-alones, NOS, turning up boost, etc is at the owners risk.

If the vehicle's tunning is left stock or reflashed by the manufacturer, then they should be liable for any failures that might arise even with simple bolt-ons. Manufactures design large safety margins in their vehicles, so there is some room to mod safely within the manufacturers margin of safety.

But we don't live in a perfect (ideal) world, so whats logical does not apply... And I don't think its Mazda/the manufacturer voiding warranties either, its more of the independent dealers that trying to save a buck.
But I do agree with redrocketz, its how to communicate and treat (the rapport you have with) your local dealer/service people that will dictate whether your vehicle gets warranty work granted.

The end... (2thumbs) (lol2)

This thread may now be closed!!!! (outie)

[aaronc7]

^^ especially considering (at least for us) many boltons available from the rest of the market (not mazdaspeed) are better designed than the mazdaspeed parts. For example the MS CAI..CPE and cobb both paid a lot more attention to things like MAF size housing, flow straightener, etc.

On that same note, I asked the service people what they would do I did have a problem and had non Mazdaspeed parts....they said if the aftermarket part I had was related to the problem, they would just ask me to come back with the stock or mazdaspeed parts and they would be able to perform the work. Mazdaspeed parts just aren't viewed as aftermarket in their eyes. The specific issue I was talking about was the MAF. Mine went bad, and got it replaced no problem b/c I had the MS CAI at the time. If I had the Cobb SRI like I do now, I would have just swapped it out and put the stock airbox back in...no biggie to me. Now....if I had to put the stock DP back on I'd be pretty pissed, lol. If they had a mazdaspeed DP that would be something I would consider! lol

[MS3077]

Thats kind of funny when you think that Chevy includes a 2 step rev limiter for drag racing/launching purposes in the Cobalt SS, HHR SS and the new ZR1 Corvette...

Manufactures need to stop advertising/promoting their "tuner" vehicles for motor sports if they are not willing to stand behind their warrantee... Why include features like 2 step rev limiters, special launching systems, no-lift shift, etc if the car is not meant to be used in that fashion?

The last thing I'll say is that, modding a car with "basic" bolt-ons (intake, CBE, even headers, etc) should not void the warranty, especially if the manufacturer offers these parts; Mazdaspeed, Ford Motor Sports/SVT, Nismo, TRD, etc. Anything beyond that, ECU piggy backs, stand-alones, NOS, turning up boost, etc is at the owners risk.

If the vehicle's tunning is left stock or reflashed by the manufacturer, then they should be liable for any failures that might arise even with simple bolt-ons. Manufactures design large safety margins in their vehicles, so there is some room to mod safely within the manufacturers margin of safety.

But we don't live in a perfect (ideal) world, so whats logical does not apply... And I don't think its Mazda/the manufacturer voiding warranties either, its more of the independent dealers that trying to save a buck.
But I do agree with redrocketz, its how to communicate and treat (the rapport you have with) your local dealer/service people that will dictate whether your vehicle gets warranty work granted.

The end... (2thumbs) (lol2)

This thread may now be closed!!!! (outie)

+1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very well said :)

[MS3077]

Well perhaps this thread should stay open... Seems to be a pretty hott topic.

Put then again I think autoxracer said enough to end the discussion

P.S. I really hope I didn't come across as an asshole by starting this. Just trying to help my fellow MS3'er.

[AutoXRacer]

Well perhaps this thread should stay open... Seems to be a pretty hott topic.

Put then again I think autoxracer said enough to end the discussion

P.S. I really hope I didn't come across as an asshole by starting this. Just trying to help my fellow MS3'er.

Nah, its a legitimate concern... And come on, thats what forums are for...
Take it with a grain of salt... Is that how the saying goes...?(huh) (lol2)

[dparm1984]

http://bestuff.com/images/images_of_stuff/210x600/kent-brockman---insect-overlords-66141.jpg


And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

I’d like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.

[Rotary_Powered]

Take off your plates, get track insurance AND use an Alias while at the track. Tap over the vin on your window.;) Don't "over mod" problem solved.

[crashkelly]

Kinda vague if you ask me..

first off i dont see any vagueness in what I originally posted....but to make it clearer for you

"IF YOU VALUE YOUR WARRANTY DO NOT VOID IT BY INSTALLING PARTS THE PIECE OF PAPER LABELLED "WARRANTY" SAYS NOT TOO..."

YOU SIGNED THE CONTRACT WHEN YOU BOUGHT THE CAR SO MAN UP AND HONOR YOUR CONTRACT OR PAY FOR YOUR MECHANIC BILLS OUT OF POCKET

I do...

[crashkelly]

Thats kind of funny when you think that Chevy includes a 2 step rev limiter for drag racing/launching purposes in the Cobalt SS, HHR SS and the new ZR1 Corvette...

Manufactures need to stop advertising/promoting their "tuner" vehicles for motor sports if they are not willing to stand behind their warrantee... Why include features like 2 step rev limiters, special launching systems, no-lift shift, etc if the car is not meant to be used in that fashion?

The last thing I'll say is that, modding a car with "basic" bolt-ons (intake, CBE, even headers, etc) should not void the warranty, especially if the manufacturer offers these parts; Mazdaspeed, Ford Motor Sports/SVT, Nismo, TRD, etc. Anything beyond that, ECU piggy backs, stand-alones, NOS, turning up boost, etc is at the owners risk.

If the vehicle's tunning is left stock or reflashed by the manufacturer, then they should be liable for any failures that might arise even with simple bolt-ons. Manufactures design large safety margins in their vehicles, so there is some room to mod safely within the manufacturers margin of safety.

But we don't live in a perfect (ideal) world, so whats logical does not apply... And I don't think its Mazda/the manufacturer voiding warranties either, its more of the independent dealers that trying to save a buck.
But I do agree with redrocketz, its how to communicate and treat (the rapport you have with) your local dealer/service people that will dictate whether your vehicle gets warranty work granted.

The end... (2thumbs) (lol2)

This thread may now be closed!!!! (outie)


The problem with this is that we arent arguing about the mods that the dealership sells...If they sell it at the dealership they WILL offer you a warranty on it.

The Mazdaspeed3 Cold Air intake IS under warranty if you buy it at the dealer

And you cant blame the manufacturer for making a sportier car and not warrantying your aftermarket parts by saying "well they made it sporty already so they were "expecting me to mod it"" thats just bullshit rhetoric....

We are talking about something so simple...

You signed a contract with a warranty when you bought the car....they expect you to honor the warranty or pay out of pocket....just like you expect them to honor the warranty and pay for something when it breaks when you havent voided the warranty.

I dont get why half the people out there walk around like entitled assholes thinking they expect to get away with something. They think that they deserve to be able to put these things on their car even though they SIGNED A CONTRACT! Doesnt a persons word mean anything anymore?? I wanted to mod my car and I voided my warranty so you wont find me trying to scam a dealership for parts.

Plus you know what happens when some entitled asshole pulls a fast one on the dealer for warranty work that wasnt deserved? THEY PASS THAT COST ON TO THE REST OF THE CONSUMERS WHO FOLLOWED THE RULES!

[crashkelly]

Dude, take a chill pill already!!!

What Mazda dealership do you work for anyway?
I'll be sure not to go to that one...

And why the f#$K would you care anyway? Your driving a 5 yr old car

I care because its bullshit to think you deserve to mod a car and then when it breaks to get new parts for free off the warranty

[downtube]

something that complicates this is that mazda pays the dealership to perform warranty work. warranty work is gravy to dealers. so when you show up with a modded car needing work, the dealer has these choices:

- void your warranty. why would the dealer do this? he's losing the opportunity to do any further warranty work on your car. unless he's very loyal to mazda or scrupulously honest, I don't know why he'd do this.

- refuse to do the work under warranty, but leave your warranty alone. mazda would probably prefer he void your warranty, but the dealer's straddling the fence between making the customer happy and playing by the rules. He's hoping you'll have the work done and pay out-of-pocket.

- tell you to put the car back to stock, then do the work under warranty. this is dishonest (cheating mazda), but makes easy money for the dealer and makes the customer happy.

- do the work under warranty on your modded car, and turn the paperwork in to mazda for payment. again dishonest, cheating mazda.

the dealer makes money selling cars, and aftermarket parts help him sell cars. he makes money doing warranty work, and he makes money doing non-warranty work. but he doesn't want to piss mazda off to much. each dealer is going decide where to draw the line.

a mazda rep, on the other hand, is working for the corporation and doesn't have the dealer's mixed motives.

[Betelgeuse]

I care because its bullshit to think you deserve to mod a car and then when it breaks to get new parts for free off the warranty

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way. I'm not anti-mods at all, but I'm willing to see both sides of this issue.

[dparm1984]

Downtube has said it very well.

Dealers don't like modded cars because they cause more headaches. Techs get surprises because the owner isn't 100% honest when dropping the car off, or the tech has no manual on how to deal with an aftermarket part.

This makes more work for them and causes frustration since now they have to go against "the book" and work around things.

[downtube]

...the tech has no manual on how to deal with an aftermarket part.

This makes more work for them and causes frustration since now they have to go against "the book" and work around things.

I didn't even think about that angle. mazda pays the dealer book time for a warranty repair, and the dealer pay's the tech book time. if the car isn't stock, the tech can't necessarily work by the book and will probably take longer. that's money out of the tech's pocket and the dealer's.

[dparm1984]

Well the dealer will find a way to bill you for it, but that can get tricky since they have to almost "time" things.


Example:

My old car had a dual-stage intake manifold. One set of runners for low RPM, another set for high RPM. I removed this and swapped it for a single-stage IM (to shift the powerband higher and make it coincide more with the gearing and other parts). This involved redoing a lot of vacuum and coolant hoses.

Six months later I had some idle problems. Dropped it off at the dealer, and they called me 30 minutes later...they got confused by the non-standard vacuum lines and said it might take them longer to diagnose and fix, hence cost more. He had to bill me for the standard book time plus an extra 30 minutes.

They weren't happy, nor was I.

[MS3077]

It isn't a fair world we live in. Some will play by the "rules" and get bent over backwards (butthump) and others will use common sense and remove mods before dealership visits if they don't want to get anally assassinated $$$

The mods I'm mostly talking about are mods that Mazda provides anyway but at a higher price and there shit isn't always as good as the stuff available on the aftermarket. I'm not implying if you do something like get a turbo upgrade you should be covered under warranty if something blows up, etc.

[dparm1984]

I guess the argument here is "where should the line be drawn?" The law (Magnuson Moss warranty act) says that you can only be refused warranty work on the given system, but Mazda might be trying to bully people into getting no warranty work at all.

What systems are you voiding when racing? Technically almost all of them -- the motor, the brakes, the suspension, the steering, etc.

[Betelgeuse]

Look, honestly, we all might pull the same shenanigans if our car needs warranty work however light our mods may be. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I won't remove my SRI before going into the dealer. However, what I take issue with is when people come on and bitch about Mazda even after getting covered for something they may have very well contributed to.

[MS3077]

Car manufacturers usually give vehicles at least a little room for improvement. As autoxracer already mentioned Car manufacturers have to appeal to the masses to be able to sell a lot of cars. We (Performance enthusiast) understand this and like to take advantage of the cars potential to a degree. I don’t think this makes us assholes if for example we put an after-market intake on the car and the turbo goes to shit and we expect for Mazda to fix it. A fucking intake shouldn’t hurt a car like this if it was built probably I’m sorry if you don’t so. This is only an example but it can be implied with other after-market parts as well.

[MS3077]

I guess the argument here is "where should the line be drawn?" The law (Magnuson Moss warranty act) says that you can only be refused warranty work on the given system, but Mazda might be trying to bully people into getting no warranty work at all.

What systems are you voiding when racing? Technically almost all of them -- the motor, the brakes, the suspension, the steering, etc.


I think the "No racing" is bull because you can do just as much damage to a car on public roads as you can on the track. I mean at least at the track you're doing it legally. I think track racing should be encouraged not void warranties. Think about it when you’re on a track you’re just exploiting the cars performance and burning up gas, tires, brakes, etc why should this void a warranty? You can do the same thing on public roads but it doesn’t void your warranty…

[MS3077]

Look, honestly, we all might pull the same shenanigans if our car needs warranty work however light our mods may be. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I won't remove my SRI before going into the dealer. However, what I take issue with is when people come on and bitch about Mazda even after getting covered for something they may have very well contributed to.

Yeah have to agree with you there.

[dkswim]

thers a price to play and sometimes that involves loosing your warinty. if your going to install the parts and it breaks something beacuse you installed it should mazda have to pay for your mistakes they made the car to a level they were somfortable warianteeing.

[Young Roids]

What about dynoing your car? Would that technically void your warranty?

[azian6er]

we are really LUCKY that they actually do this guys and i'll tell you why.

Mazda, by conducting routine searches and investigating who is abusing their vehicle is in essence deciding who they wont be offering warranty service too. If in fact mazda did not care at all and allowed warranty service to everyone and their brother, believe me, we as consumers would bear the brunt of that cost. Where you say? in the price of the car.

Mazda, by denying warranty work on cars, help keep their prices low, which in turn keep our prices low when we are in the market for a new car. If mazda were to offer warranty work to everyone, believe me they would pass on the cost of doing business right to US the CONSUMERS.

SO either way, best way to go is either all stock, or be ready to shell out the cash when your car breaks and you are in breach of your warranty agreement.

[azian6er]

CrashKelly had the right idea in his post.

Say for instance you have life insurance, and some people are cheating by committing suicide and getting paid out their death benefits. As a result of this, YOUR premiums are going up because someone else is bending the rules.

Would you not be pissed, (as i assert other mazda owners who dont abuse their cars would be) if the people who cheat on their life insurance policies are the ones causing YOUR premium to go up even though you play by the rules?

Life is a 2 way street. We cant be naive enough to expect special treatment in one circumstance, yet expect differential treatment in another scenario.

I agree that Mazda sometimes can be ridiculous in the ways it denies coverage, however, ANY big business is like this, and it is how they stay afloat and keep costs down for us the consumers.

[Moonpie.Express]

(omg)(shocked) THE SKY IS FALLING




I trust Dealerships as much as they trust me.

[erick pina]

I think that you guys are going to deep I believe that bolt on does not blow your engine but when you start missing around with the A/f ratio thats when the problem begin and if you going to modify your car do it right.

[MS3077]

I think that you guys are going to deep I believe that bolt on does not blow your engine but when you start missing around with the A/f ratio thats when the problem begin and if you going to modify your car do it right.

+1

[Moonpie.Express]

+2

[oneofakindms3]

i wonder what mazda thinks when yhey have a young kid buy a speed3 n think there nt gonna mod it.They have 2 expect that, can't believe they would do that.id imagine da same thing happened when da srt-4 cameout.im not worried bout it gotta buddy who works at mazda he said he'll rip out all my parts put it stock in no time,lotta work 2do lol!!

[SwampAss]

i wonder what mazda thinks when yhey have a young kid buy a speed3 n think there nt gonna mod it.They have 2 expect that, can't believe they would do that.id imagine da same thing happened when da srt-4 cameout.im not worried bout it gotta buddy who works at mazda he said he'll rip out all my parts put it stock in no time,lotta work 2do lol!!


I'm guessing this is anecdotal vs. a "wondering".

[Sierra117]

I'm guessing this is anecdotal vs. a "wondering".

But remember, this is the internet, where the plural of anecdote=data.

[voiceKoil]

Bring it on assholes.

You'll be buying my car back with interest, paying my lawyer fees, and pay for wasting the courts time.

Lawyers are fun aren't they? May be meanest shark win ;)

Yeh its a big pain in the ass though, Trust Me, all in all I just got cash and a warranty to shut me up.

THANKS MAZDA IF YOUR LOOKING! (bird) lol (bj)

Shit no seriously thanks, i mean it, i dont want any problems.....

[staples187]

i wonder what mazda thinks when yhey have a young kid buy a speed3 n think there nt gonna mod it.They have 2 expect that, can't believe they would do that.id imagine da same thing happened when da srt-4 cameout.im not worried bout it gotta buddy who works at mazda he said he'll rip out all my parts put it stock in no time,lotta work 2do lol!!

I guess you're a young kid that bought an MS3 and you're modding it? I could only assume since I had to use alta vista to translate your post.

[Moonpie.Express]

I guess you're a young kid that bought an MS3 and you're modding it? I could only assume since I had to use alta vista to translate your post.

LMFAO!!!!

[MS3077]

I guess you're a young kid that bought an MS3 and you're modding it? I could only assume since I had to use alta vista to translate your post.

+1

[///M Compact]

I guess you're a young kid that bought an MS3 and you're modding it? I could only assume since I had to use alta vista to translate your post.

I'm thinking that opposable thumbs should be a prerequisite for registration in these forums...(laugh)

[CommieSpeed]

Just so you know guys, this is a valid concern. They did this bullshit to us back when the MSP came out too. They would ambush people in the dealerships like Chris Hansen,

"You didn't crank your boost? Well, that's not what you say in this forum log...aren't you 2MuchBoost69?"

"oh...ummm, I was just joking around..you know, for fun online...(gulp)"

"Fun? Saying that you wanna fully lay your downpipe in a car that's less than a year old? Is that appropriate for someone with a warranty?

"ummm I wasn't gonna actually INSTALL the downpipe, I uhh..."

"Did you bring colder spark plugs? Synthetic oil?"

"umm yeah but I always carry them..."

[FrequentFlyer]

I don't know about everyone else but I'm not putting down where I'm located, etc in my profile. I'm not too surprised by this because the other day I went to the stealer ship because my hood was a little misaligned and a service tech was giving me shit about it. He was trying to say that I was abusing the car because the plastic thingy under the bumper was scrapped up a bit. I got a little pissed at the guy and asked to speak with his supervisor and he got in my face like he wanted to fight or something.


I would have written to Mazda USA Corporate about this guy if I were you. That BS is uncalled for. You are a CUSTOMER, whether it be warranty related issues or an oil change. Don't let the dealers make you think that warranty work is coming out of their pockets. They are getting reimbursed for all parts and labor from Mazda. Unless that asshat can prove you're abusing your car, he should shut his piehole and act like a professional.

[gr3y]

It seems there's extremes to this situation. I agree that a warranty shouldn't be voided over modding the car to "free" some of the, frankly, dumb mechanical restrictions/hassles/weaknesses that were placed on this vehicle stock. I.e. airbox, motor mount, turbo hosing, TMIC, BPV. Mazda probably knew these things could've been way better, but wanted to keep costs down. So, I believe that replacing these items -- and others like them -- with ones that will generally perform better, and perform within the confines and limits of the engine and other parts, shouldn't void the warranty. The exception to that, for me, would probably be living in a very wet place (with bad roads/drainage, etc, etc.), getting a CAI, and hydrolocking your engine. That's just not smart. SRI, kthx.

But then there's the extreme of this, where people would throw in mods that perform out of the limits of the engine, or in ways this vehicle it wasn't meant to perform. If you're circumventing electronics, or pushing things past their threshold, or past what they were built to support, I think you should reap what you sew.

Same goes for racing. If you go to do a 1/4 once in a blue moon, I honestly don't see the problem in that. But if you're at a track every day, and you drive the car like fkn speed racer and the engine explodes, I don't think it's Mazdas fault that they didn't built the engine to nascar specifications, just for you.

That's my $0.02, but I really don't think dealers see things in such shades of grey, and most will do whatever they can to not uphold their end of the deal, regardless of the situation, imo.

[controlo]

if the aftermarket part caused the damage, you should have to pay for it.

if the aftermarket part had nothing to do with what was damaged, it should be covered under warranty. period.

if you have a forge bpv and the motor mount shatters, it should be covered under warranty.

unfortunately, there are service advisors out there that will try to bully people out of warranty work as such.

oh yeah... oneofakindms3: LOLZ

[krimsonviper]

Just so you know guys, this is a valid concern. They did this bullshit to us back when the MSP came out too. They would ambush people in the dealerships like Chris Hansen,

"You didn't crank your boost? Well, that's not what you say in this forum log...aren't you 2MuchBoost69?"

"oh...ummm, I was just joking around..you know, for fun online...(gulp)"

"Fun? Saying that you wanna fully lay your downpipe in a car that's less than a year old? Is that appropriate for someone with a warranty?

"ummm I wasn't gonna actually INSTALL the downpipe, I uhh..."

"Did you bring colder spark plugs? Synthetic oil?"

"umm yeah but I always carry them..."

how are they pulling real names?

[MS3077]

I would have written to Mazda USA Corporate about this guy if I were you. That BS is uncalled for. You are a CUSTOMER, whether it be warranty related issues or an oil change. Don't let the dealers make you think that warranty work is coming out of their pockets. They are getting reimbursed for all parts and labor from Mazda. Unless that asshat can prove you're abusing your car, he should shut his piehole and act like a professional.


Yeah I should have called Mazda USA but I didn't unfortunately. I just didn't feel like dealing with it anymore so I'm going to another dealership that seems pretty cool.

[MS3077]

It seems there's extremes to this situation. I agree that a warranty shouldn't be voided over modding the car to "free" some of the, frankly, dumb mechanical restrictions/hassles/weaknesses that were placed on this vehicle stock. I.e. airbox, motor mount, turbo hosing, TMIC, BPV. Mazda probably knew these things could've been way better, but wanted to keep costs down. So, I believe that replacing these items -- and others like them -- with ones that will generally perform better, and perform within the confines and limits of the engine and other parts, shouldn't void the warranty. The exception to that, for me, would probably be living in a very wet place (with bad roads/drainage, etc, etc.), getting a CAI, and hydrolocking your engine. That's just not smart. SRI, kthx.

But then there's the extreme of this, where people would throw in mods that perform out of the limits of the engine, or in ways this vehicle it wasn't meant to perform. If you're circumventing electronics, or pushing things past their threshold, or past what they were built to support, I think you should reap what you sew.

Same goes for racing. If you go to do a 1/4 once in a blue moon, I honestly don't see the problem in that. But if you're at a track every day, and you drive the car like fkn speed racer and the engine explodes, I don't think it's Mazdas fault that they didn't built the engine to nascar specifications, just for you.

That's my $0.02, but I really don't think dealers see things in such shades of grey, and most will do whatever they can to not uphold their end of the deal, regardless of the situation, imo.

Thank you!

[funkyman]

Yeah right how on earth are they going to track down 6-7 thousand MS3 owners in the USA and who they are what mods they did.Not everyone who goes into the forums likes to write anything or make a comment.They just use it as a source of info and knowledge and quitly go about modding their cars.I have a friend who has a MS3 with street tuner engine mount,short shifter,DP and Borla exhaust.He doesn`t make too many comments or ask questions either.