The truth about aftermarket modifications and voiding your new car warranty | Auto Expert John Cadog
Question: "I’m about to upgrade to a Forester XT. Subaru have stopped making them for the moment. The current 2.5 Foz is a sluggish family SUV and I like a touch of spirited driving now and then, even in a CVT!
"So I have seen your video on ECU remapping and I’m going to wait out my warranty period before trying any of that. However, what performance enhancements can one implement on a new car without disturbing one’s factory warranty?"
How warranties work - not a monolith.
The MMAL/Canberra Times case.
Absurd (tinting) V credible (bigger turbo, intercooler, exhaust)
Question: "Can I lower the suspension by about an inch or two? (This would make the XT handle better.) Add a better sway bar? (Better handling)"
Is the car actually right for you? If you’re going to buy a new or late-model used car, and then drop $10k on mods, you have to ask yourself…
Why not just buy a new Levorg?
Impact of lowering on driveline joints
Handling tweaks and the dark side thereof
Question: "Exhaust system upgrade? (Better performance and not just noise?) Turbo upgrade? Any suggestions for fuel economy upgrades?"
Exhaust/fuel economy/Turbo/ECU remap./legality
Performance and economy are mutually exclusive. WRX Vs Prius...
Question: "It would be great if you could do a video on new car upgrades that won’t void your warranty! Please?"
It’s OK to want to modify the car. But expecting to do this and maintain the warranty is nuts. It’s like expecting the wife to be OK about your informal arrangement with the boss’s secretary. The world doesn’t work that way.
Why modify? Are you just aimlessly tinkering or are you doing it for an objective reason? Ie - are you routinely exploiting the limit of some aspect of the car’s performance?
The one component that can always do with an upgrade is the driver.
