I was wondering what all mods I could do to my new 2009 Z71 without voiding the warranty. Anyone out there dealt much with them yet?

 

Any faulty part that can be blaimed on a mod can make the dealer say your warranty is void.
ex. If you lower the truck and your wheel bearing goes out, the dealer can blaim your lowering kit and refuse to fix it under warranty.

 

it really depends on the dealership and the service writer.....it is at the discretion of the service dept if they want to warranty a modified truck... i was one of those service writers for a while...and i would warranty lots of modified stuff it it made sense and i felt i would not get busted by the GM warranty audit guy ...cant remember his title... but basically he would come to the dealer and look at work performed and assess whether it was documented correctly....

the customer can also make a huge difference...******* customers with modified stuff were less likely to get warranty work done than reasonable people... the dealer and the service writer make money on both warranty and out of pocket tickets....just a higher margin on the out of pocket stuff....


some of the writers are just straight out ****** though...will try to void a suspension claim if you have a modified exhaust and crap like that...if that is the case, go to another dealer or ask to speak with the service manager or general manager.



just my $.02...

 

I think just being on here voids the warranty- you know, guilty by association....

 

LOL!!! Thats what i was thinking.

Seriously, ANYTHING you do to your vehicle can be associated with some kind of failure that you are trying to get covered under warranty, except if it is installed by the dealer themselves. Like say a GM intake kit or performance exhaust.

 

I lowered my truck, and didnt have it aligned for almost two weeks. I went to some random alignment shop, and my tierods were shot(my right tire had been toe out, and left straight ahead). I went to the dealership, they even noted that it was lowered and fixed it under warranty.
so it depends, I think it has to be within reason, tierods go out, I just helped them along

 

Im a GM Tech and you have to keep in mind that moded trucks and cars that go to the dealer most techs hate working on them. Like most of the guys I work with they dont want to fight with something that has been alter from factory specs. Most Techs are paid per job and how long it takes to perform that job. The faster you knock one out the faster you can start on another. When you mod you take all the factory specs out and anything that GM has found to be wrong over the years such as Bulletins go out the window. Plus alot of custmors who have mods on there rides are dicks. Just keep that in mind when you go for dealer work. Be nice to the writers and they will help you the best they can.

 

Warranty work would fall under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and generally, the warrantor (dealer) must prove that the repairs in question are necessary due to the aftermarket/ altered parts. The catch is, generally the dealer only has to prove it to the consumer and no one else- So it can become a one word against another.

 

It really depends on the dealership, hell we warrantied an 06 transmission that had a 10 inch lift and 39" tires. And we wonder why GM is struggling.

 

this is right off GM's bulletin concerning PCM programs. They are getting stricter about this stuff. They don't care if they **** off the hot rodders because they only make up about 10% of the buying public.

"If a suspicious hard part failure is observed in the engine, transmission, transfer case or driveline, perform the calibration verification described to determine if a non-GM issued engine calibration is installed. Non-GM issued engine calibrations subject driveline components to stresses different from the calibrations that these components were validated to. Repairs to engine, transmission, transfer case and/or other driveline components where a non-GM engine calibration has been verified are not covered under the terms of the New Vehicle Warranty."