Installing mods vs. prius warranty

My 07 touring - package 6 is due to arrive in a few weeks...whew, finally !!! (purchasing, not leasing) I'm planning on a few mods, first and foremost the "speed sensor" mod. Should I be concerned with it voiding any part of the warranty?

Has anyone run into a problem with a warranty repair after the dealership found a mod in their car?

Thanks in advance for your posts.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 11 2006, 10:21 AM) [snapback]331111[/snapback]</div>

Good to know, thanks.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 11 2006, 10:36 AM) [snapback]331122[/snapback]</div>

Yes, after searching out other threads on PC (should have done this first, sorry) I'm finding all of this great mod vs. warranty info...enlightening indeed. Also did some investigating via my favorite search engine and came up with a ton of corroborating facts (not that I doubted any of you).

Note: As I would guess Toyota's factory warranty does not mention something to the effect in its "...not covered" section, anything pertaining directly to "making modifications" then it seems clear that they would have to prove that your mod directly relates to the problem you're bring the car into service for before refusing service under the warranty.

Here are some great sites that I visited to help support one's concerns for mods vs. warranties:

Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Site 4

Quote from "Site 4 - Mach1review" states: "As a consumer you have a powerful ally in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. This law was enacted in 1975 by Congress to give the consumer better information about written warranties and to provide a system under which they can achieve satisfaction for warranty claims in a reasonable amount of time. This is a Federal Law gives the consumer a tool to be used when unfair warranty practices or denial of warranty claims is an issue, providing that the warranty in question was not directly caused by the “modified†part in question. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that the written warranty must state clearly and in specific simple terms the conditions under which the warranty may not be valid.

For the warranty to be nullified with aftermarket parts, it must be clearly spelled out explicitly in the warranty text. To prevent manufactures from utilizing blanket denials such as stating any modifications void warranty, the Federal Trade Commission (the agency in charge of enforcing the Magnuson-Moss Law) takes a very dim view of such warranty postings. The Act also prohibits manufacturers from voiding your warranty for not using specified brand name products for service or repairs. This is called tie-in coverage. The manufacturers cannot make warranty coverage’s contingent upon the use of a specific product as long as the substituted product meets or exceeds the published manufacturers published requirements. For the manufacturer to flatly deny warranty coverage the manufacturer must prove that you have done something to cause the problem. It is not up to you the consumer, to prove that you have not.

Your case for non-denial of warranty coverage gets stronger as it is less related to the specific '‘modified†part. The manufacturer cannot claim that your CAT Back Exhaust Systems caused your front struts to fail. The manufacturer must prove not only prove that you did something in contravention to the warranty, but also that whatever you did directly caused the problems you are attempting to fix under the warranty. This proof of burden is on the manufacturer and not the consumer.

Not only does the Magnuson-Mass Act help you get the service you paid for, it creates a simplified method of redress. Warranty claims must be remedied by the repair or replacement of affected parts, including labor. If the dealership refuses to do the work as specified under warranty, it is putting the actual warrantor – the manufacturer- in breach of the warranty. Generally speaking the Magnuson-Moss Act encourages informal arbitration of the matter outside of the courts, but still maintains the consumer’s right to file suit for breach of warranty contract. In this case the consumer can sue for damages, replacement of the vehicle and loss of value among other things, and if he/she should prevail, can recoup reasonable court and attorney’s fees.

Warranty work doesn’t pay the dealer as well as straight labor, and manufacturers do not want to pay out any more in-warranty claims than they have to. Most service people will admit to seeing so many scam artists with obviously raced and or abused Mach 1’s coming in for warranty work, that they are already prejudiced to deny warranty claims. Because of this situation, you need to be more prepared, more informed and more reasonable so that the dealership will take you as a serious consumer and not a scammer trying to get warranty service on an obviously abused situation.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act may put the law in your favor, but getting warranty work done still takes effort on your part. The following are some tips to help you accumulate a strong case for justification of your warranty claims:

1. Take exceptional care of your Mach and document all the work that you have done to it.

2. Do your homework. Check the various websites and forums associated to the Mach 1 and find out if there are similar or exact same problems that you are experiencing. Download them and print them off for documentation purposes.

3. Look up recalls notices and all Technical Service Bulletins and Silent Recall notices. You can find information on these by visiting web-based forums such as the www.mach1registry.com or www.mach-1.org forums. Recalls are also available in their full text form from www.nhtsa.org. If there is a TSB associated to your problem bring it to the attention of the Service Manager.

4. Be reasonable with the Service manger and staff. They are human beings subjected to the same things we all are on a daily basis, and they deal with problems all day long. If the Service Technician denies your warranty claim, then ask to see the Service Manger. If the Service Manager denies it then follow the chain of command up the ladder as high up as you can go, including Ford corporate. Remember to remain clam at all times, but make it clear that you will not go away until you get resolve of your warranty issues. The noisy wheel gets the grease as they say.

5. Document all conversations and phone calls with the service department and ask to have the denials of warranty work in writing. Create an accurate and thorough paper trail.

6. Do not threaten to sue at he first sign of trouble. This will only cause you more grief and may hamper your attempts at getting a resolve. Remember the main goal here is to get your problem taken care of under the warranty. Once the dealership has begun the warranty repair, it is still in your best interest to document all conversations and pertinent details of the warranty work. Do not worry if you are close to the expiration date of the warranty. Once a problem has been noted and brought to the dealer’s attention, it must be repaired or broken parts replaced until satisfaction is achieved. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act stipulates that the time period and number of visits to complete the repairs must be reasonable, or the warrantor is responsible for the replacement or refund of the product. Although reasonable is difficult to define by law, it is generally considered reasonable that if a problem cannot be fixed in three attempts, the reasonableness has run out. When and if this situation happens, there are more stringent laws than can be applied, such as your state’s the Lemon law."