seems everyone is up in the air on this, i called the local chevy dealership and they said it would completely void the warranty on every thing. my GMC dealer ship said it would void the power terrain warranty and i say if the truck threw a rod i would be screwed. not the exhaust shop said its illegal but all it should void is the warranty on the cat assembly due to the fact the cut it. this one seems most logical. anyone have experience with this?

 

Post is slightly hard to read but i understand what you are asking. My understanding is that gm would have to prove that the modification had a role in the malfunction. So maybe delete cat and mess up emissions and maybe that would mess up air/fuel. If they can link it together they WILL VOID WARRANTY.

 

Yes, if you had a major failure, they could deny warranty coverage. Some dealers are more lenient than others, so you may want to ask the same question of other nearby dealers.

There may be the possibility of GM getting involved in the decision if an engine or transmission were to need replaced. These days, they don't always let the dealer make the decision. Just something else to think about. And yes, they actually do send people to the dealerships to inspect the vehicles at times.

There is another concern with taking your truck to the dealer with cat(s) removed. We all know that removing the cats is a federal offense, and there are penalties when caught. Shops (including dealers) are required to follow the rules set by the government (EPA), or pay the fines if caught doing wrong. IIRC, the fine for removing a cat & not replacing or reinstalling the original is $10,000. They can also add jail time to that. So if you have a slipping transmission under warranty, but the dealer would need to R&R the y-pipe to complete the repairs, by reinstalling your y-pipe with a missing cat they expose themselves to the possibility of being fined. Not just the business, but the technician as well. Because of that, most of them would refuse to work on your vehicle.

Back home, I remember the EPA testing shops in the area with "sting vehicles". It wasn't that long ago, and it's more common than you would imagine.

Bottom line, if you want a guarantee of your warranty, leave it alone. If you just can't leave it alone, you need to decide your threshold of risk vs reward.

 

Is that cat monitoring anything. Also u wont get any performance or VERY little sound diffrence by deleting it. My best friend ownes an exhaust shop and has deleted several 3rd cats. He said no difference in sound or performance. Good luck though

 

sorry man, never been good at writing things out lol. my biggest thought on it is that if it was that important GM would have put some kind of sensor to monitor its performance.

I remember back when i worked at ford they never had issues with a warranty on vehicles with modified exhausts. Even when the engineers came out to look they never gave it a second look.

this is my first vehicle with a warranty, just dont want to screw it up. my last 2 vehicles had no cats lol.

 

I am pretty sure the 3rd cat is not monitered. Just there to pass Emissions in all 50 state. Cali folks done this.

 

i know for a fact it is not, already had this truck on the lift checking it out lol

 

The exhaust component your referring to as a third cat is not a cat, its actually a resonator. When I purchased my rcsb 14 I drove it for 3-4 days and took it straight to a muffler shop, it was to dang quiet. I told him to put straights on it. When I picked it up, I thought man, it sounds good but its not as loud as my other trucks I've had straights on. So when I got to work the next day I put it on one of the lifts and raised it up to inspect his work only to discover the resonator still on there. These truck have two cats, a resonator, then a muffler , then another resonator behind the muffler, no wonder they are so quiet. But anyway, I just looked at mine, its actually part of the converter pipe assembly, so I probably would leave it.

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.