Aftermarket Exhaust and warranty

[Tufosi]

I know this is probably a dumb question but better be safe than sorry...does a catback exhaust void any of the factory warranty at all? I'm thinking of the meisterschaft GT-2

Not doing x-pipe... Just catback.

Thanks guys.
P.S.. Can't do a search on the mobil App.

[mkPOTO]

the way it works is if a aftermarket part is a reason for failure one something they will void it. Simple answer

[Ashley Schaeffer BMW]

You should take it to the Northlake dealership, they are more cool about that stuff.

[ms372]

catback is ok.. dont worry

[crispy tofu]

likley no issues. it'd be hard for them to arugue a cat back caused some sort of failure. worst case, just put the stocker back on if you have a problem.

[Chriskm3]

Dinan is covered by warranty

[Tufosi]

Thanks guys! that's what I thought but I really wanted to make sure before placing my order

[Chriskm3]

Originally Posted by Team Plutonium

Again, Dinan is not covered by BMW warranty, they have their own.

What I meant to say is that Dinan products do not void oem warranty as many of aftermarket products do. And yes. Dinan has their own 4 year warranty, as do many other manufacturers.

[Chriskm3]

Originally Posted by Team Plutonium

I know I'm nitpicking now... but anyway, the 'not-voiding-OEM-products' really depends on the dealership. Dinan does not have an official partnership with BMW outside the motor-sport scene. Most dealers will work with you, and have no issues with Dinan, but it is always better to check with your service manager. I've seen issues were Dinan was blaming OEM parts, and the dealership blaming Dinan in return... this can cause quite a circle jerk.

My rule of thumb is always: When you start modding - never assume you have any kind of warranty.

Now I see how you reached over 8000 posts. Having the last word really adds up

[thegeneral101]

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

the way it works is if a aftermarket part is a reason for failure one something they will void it. Simple answer

^^ that's definitely the real answer. BUT that said, catback will be fine. It gets more grey when you put on an x-pipe for an example, and have to cut the pipes.

[crabman]

Nah, they can only void your warranty in total if the car meets a few specific criteria like odo tampering, declared a total loss by insurance, etc. Normally what you will face is a denial of a particular repair on a case by case basis or having your powertrain warranty voided because of power adding modifications that (they can say) put stresses on the drivetrain that it was not designed for and changed it into something that they did not sell you. No one is obligated to warranty something they did not sell.

Dont even bother with the idiotic "the dealer has to prove it" crap because you are not in possession of your warranty, BMW is in possession of your warranty and they can deny you whenever they want. The way it goes down is that you bring your car in, they spy those shiny new test pipes (for example) where your primaries used to be but the dealership does nothing, says nothing. Most dealers would rather just service the car and collect. In other words they are mod friendly or at least forgiving because it costs them to be otherwise. So that power mirror, trim piece that fell off, even miscellaneous drivetrain issues get fixed and nothing is ever said.

I said miscellaneous drivetrain but there is a kicker. BMW will not authorize any repairs for a whole bunch of expensive parts until a regional rep comes in and inspects the car. This guy is not mod friendly, he doesn't sell cars, you are not his customer. It is his job to look for those power adders and he is well trained and has no mercy. If he finds them he will deny your warranty repair at least on that case and depending on what he found, possible trigger a voiding of your powertrain warranty. At that point your dealership cant make the repair unless its willing to buy the parts and provide labor gratis. Most of us are not going to be that good a customer. This is where the "they gotta prove it" thing falls flat on its face. They don't have to prove jack. At the time of denial you are either coming out of pocket or leaving the car broke until such time as you go through a very lengthy process and do just exactly the opposite, prove they were wrong.

In practice for most of the parts that we install you will never have an issue getting your warranty work done. Even with power adding parts as long as you choose wisely from well sorted parts sold by reputable shops you will still likely not face any denial of coverage if for no other reason that its unlikely your going to have a major failure that brings in that regional rep. This one isn't about getting lucky, its about what happens if you're that one guy that gets unlucky. Thats where you have to ask yourself, am I financially capable and prepared to be my own warranty station if the worse should come to pass?

In life I know of no one that was ever given any type of grief with a cat back. They don't add any real power, and effect essentially nothing. In terms of emissions they are specifically allowed by the EPA as non emissions sensitive devices and it says just that on their website.