Computer Chips and other mods affect on warranty?
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 1,246
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From: Wilmington, NC
One thing I would advise, talk with your service dept. See how they stand on chips and mufflers. I even had one tell me that my BOSCH plugs voided my warrenty!!! If you get a neg response then please just agree w/this service manager. Never let them know you actually have a chip. Then "if" you ever have to have warrenty work or something looked at that "could" envolve the chip, then pull the chip before taking your truck in. Also if you do pull the chip, please disconnect the battery so the computer resets. (make sure you turn on head lights to discharge all electric fields) This way there should be no "strange" codes popping up causeing the service manager to become suspicious. Ford should service our trucks. We have the law on our side to demand this service. But actually getting it can sometimes be a hassel. Personally, I'd rather avoid the fight.
Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Roswell, GA, USA
Computer Chips and other mods affect on warranty?
Curious about how many mods you can make on a new truck (if any) without voiding the warranty?
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R.C. Windsor
General Motors Man, now converting to Ford Man - ordering 2000 F150 SuperCab Lariat 4x4 to modify extensively into an eyepopping wonder to behold! Give new meaning to "high-tech redneck!"
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R.C. Windsor
General Motors Man, now converting to Ford Man - ordering 2000 F150 SuperCab Lariat 4x4 to modify extensively into an eyepopping wonder to behold! Give new meaning to "high-tech redneck!"
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Dear Captain Windsor,
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it *illegal* to void a warranty or to even deny a warranty claim just because you have aftermarket parts installed. What the Act does is establish a basic set of "fair play" rules. According to the law, the automaker must first *prove* that the aftermarket part in question was the *sole* cause of a related parts failure; they must further prove that had the aftermarket part not been installed, the related part(s) would not have failed, before any warranty claim can be denied, and that is very strong protection.
So it gets down to just exactly what does the part you're thinking of installing actually *do* to the components of your vehicle; does it push any of them beyond their design limitations?
To answer your question more specifically, things like chips, K&N air filters, cat-back exhausts, etc. do not void your warranty, because they do not push any components beyond their capabilities. Now when you get into things like superchargers, nitrous oxide, etc., then yes, you can pretty much kiss your powertrain warranty coverage goodbye in many cases, as they can be shown in to be capable of causing damage in certain situations, IE, racing for example. Although I do want to point out that there are a good number of F-150's that are supercharged, and running with complete reliability for over 100,000 miles, so I don't mean to scare anyone away from supercharging, just comment on it's potential affect on warranty coverage.
The whole idea behind the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was to first, eliminate the virtual monopoly in replacement parts that the automakers and other manufacturers had been able to effectively establish, by telling people that anything other than factory replacement parts would void your warranty. And second, to put into place a basic set of fair play rules, to protect both the vehicle owner *and* the manufacturer from either unfairly denying warranty claims, or holding the manufacturers liable if in fact it could be proved that a given part or parts did in fact cause damage, and that is the key: they have to be able to prove that what you added to your vehicle actually caused damage, and the vast majority of simple bolt-on parts won't cause damage, as a loose general rule.
So things like the Superchip, an Airaid or K&N airbox elimination kit, cat-back exhaust systems, etc., are generally fine, but it is important to know your legal rights. Some service departments still to this day will tell you just about anything if they think they can get away with it, and it's a shame. Those types of dealers should be avoided like the plague, both from a service and from a sales standpoint, and the "good" or well-informed service departments are the first to agree, they don't like to see people given false information either.
I hope that gives you the information you are looking for, and please feel free to call us if you have further questions.
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 03-22-2000).]
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it *illegal* to void a warranty or to even deny a warranty claim just because you have aftermarket parts installed. What the Act does is establish a basic set of "fair play" rules. According to the law, the automaker must first *prove* that the aftermarket part in question was the *sole* cause of a related parts failure; they must further prove that had the aftermarket part not been installed, the related part(s) would not have failed, before any warranty claim can be denied, and that is very strong protection.
So it gets down to just exactly what does the part you're thinking of installing actually *do* to the components of your vehicle; does it push any of them beyond their design limitations?
To answer your question more specifically, things like chips, K&N air filters, cat-back exhausts, etc. do not void your warranty, because they do not push any components beyond their capabilities. Now when you get into things like superchargers, nitrous oxide, etc., then yes, you can pretty much kiss your powertrain warranty coverage goodbye in many cases, as they can be shown in to be capable of causing damage in certain situations, IE, racing for example. Although I do want to point out that there are a good number of F-150's that are supercharged, and running with complete reliability for over 100,000 miles, so I don't mean to scare anyone away from supercharging, just comment on it's potential affect on warranty coverage.
The whole idea behind the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was to first, eliminate the virtual monopoly in replacement parts that the automakers and other manufacturers had been able to effectively establish, by telling people that anything other than factory replacement parts would void your warranty. And second, to put into place a basic set of fair play rules, to protect both the vehicle owner *and* the manufacturer from either unfairly denying warranty claims, or holding the manufacturers liable if in fact it could be proved that a given part or parts did in fact cause damage, and that is the key: they have to be able to prove that what you added to your vehicle actually caused damage, and the vast majority of simple bolt-on parts won't cause damage, as a loose general rule.
So things like the Superchip, an Airaid or K&N airbox elimination kit, cat-back exhaust systems, etc., are generally fine, but it is important to know your legal rights. Some service departments still to this day will tell you just about anything if they think they can get away with it, and it's a shame. Those types of dealers should be avoided like the plague, both from a service and from a sales standpoint, and the "good" or well-informed service departments are the first to agree, they don't like to see people given false information either.
I hope that gives you the information you are looking for, and please feel free to call us if you have further questions.
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 03-22-2000).]