Does tracking affect your M3 warranty?

[LeifW]

Originally Posted by drey

Rev limiter pretty much precludes this possibility, doesn't it?

Not if you miss a shift (i.e. down shifting to 2nd instead of 4th by mistake).

Leif W.

[elh0102]

Originally Posted by drey

ELH -

that is an informative, rational response, but it's difficult for me to believe that for a corporation as large and as dedicated to motorsports as BMW, it comes down to your personal relationship with your dealer.

Ultimately, it does not. The relationship you have with the policeman holding his citation book doesn’t determine whether you will ultimately be determined guilty or not guilty. But, it can make a huge difference in the course you take in reaching the desired resolution. BMW is dedicated to motorsports for one reason only, its support of sales. Similarly, it has a great interest in minimizing the expense warranty claims.

[LiM3y]

My dealership said they will not cover "abuse"... e.g. a new clutch after 5000 miles or new brakes every 3000 miles.

My SA actually liked the fact that the car was tracked (more money??? LOL) and seeing a customer using the car as it was designed rather than "posing down main street".

[FStop7]

Originally Posted by drey

ELH -

that is an informative, rational response, but it's difficult for me to believe that for a corporation as large and as dedicated to motorsports as BMW, it comes down to your personal relationship with your dealer.

You have to keep in mind that BMW NA is not BMW AG. At the end of the day BMW NA is a glorified importer and marketing company. And that most BMW dealerships in the USA are not owned by BMW NA and that the dealership operators have pretty much free reign on screwing you over without consequence. BMW NA doesn't care, and BMW AG cares even less (if possible).

[Erhan]

Originally Posted by LiM3y

My dealership said they will not cover "abuse"... e.g. a new clutch after 5000 miles or new brakes every 3000 miles.

My SA actually liked the fact that the car was tracked (more money??? LOL) and seeing a customer using the car as it was designed rather than "posing down main street".

That's the fair way honestly. You can't expect them to change oil, brakes etc for your tracking pleasure.

My SA knows about me tracking and he says I should get Akro exhaust and he himself races an E36 M3 He told me about his other clients that track their M3s, gave me their names and told me that I should meet with them. If you don't abuse the car, and try to take advantage of the dealer/SA, they will work with you.

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by status38

Seems kind of odd they would sell a car that basically requires a track to use the abilities of the car, then void your warranty for doing it.

I'm thinking your insurance company would have a bigger problem with it than BMW would.

"because it can" doesn't mean "go and do it" unfortunately...

Example being nissan's 1st gen launch control for GTR

[donovan]

If you break something that the warranty covers and you want the warranty to work then take that shit and put it back to stock before taking it back to BMW woo!


jk... I dunno what to tell you, life is short, I have fun then seriousness later, moan and complain about the way of my life if you want.. lol

[414bhp]

Originally Posted by erhanh

Have you ever heard of BMW Car Club America? Either BMW wants us to track our cars, or it is a big scam to monitor which customers are tracking their cars.

BMWCCA is actually independently run and is not owned by BMW itself. That said, I am sure BMWCCA has a close relationship to BMW.

[lucid]

I suggest reading the manual in detail if you haven't done so alredy as that is pretty much the only legal document that addresses this issue--not that I am a lawyer or anything. I don't think that the relationship between BMW CCA and BMW NA is relavant unless BMW NA explicitely states that participating in BMW CCA events does not void the warranty, which they have not done to the best of my knowledge. BMW CCA also organizes club races. That would void the warranty, so the BMW association does not guarantee anything.

A few interesting points regaring the manual (relying on my memory here, so correct me if I am wrong):

1. Competition voids warranty.

2. They recommend high temperature pads for track driving.

3. They use some kind of soft language around expected service life for parts and state that parts will not be replaced if they wear out a prematurely. I don't remember the exact language, but that is more or less the point, which means they can refuse to service the car if they think it has been used in a manner which is way out of some kind of norm. All very subjective langauge, which is open to interpretation.

[Mike Benvo]

Not a huge deal if you track the car from time to time. If they see excessive wear on brakes/tires/suspension components they will not cover it. The other stuff should be OK unless it's somehow attributed to the tracking driving.

[status38]

Originally Posted by GewoW

"because it can" doesn't mean "go and do it" unfortunately...

Example being nissan's 1st gen launch control for GTR

Point taken, though the GTRs in Japan are speed limited to 111mph until the GPS detects it's at a race track and then raises the limit. So they have to expect some form of tracking/abuse.

Someone's comment about BMW not replacing things due to excessive wear seems like the best compromise, but who knows. I guess the safest thing to do is not tell your dealer you're tracking the car!