looking for info/advice

[mike d]

ive had my 2012 civic lx for about 9 months now and im looking just for info on minor upgrades. i wanna do a lip kit, h.i.d.s, rims, lower it (debating on slamming it out but it is my daily) intake header exhaust, and tinting it out. my problem is its still under warranty and i dont wanna void the warranty so is there a way to do all of that without voiding it or am i beat until the warranty is up?

 

[Monk]

Welcome.........
Nothing you mentioned will void your warranty, as for the "Slamming" since I haven't a clue to what that is I won't comment.

 

[webby]

Under the provisions of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, an automotive dealership/carmaker cannot void your warranty because your vehicle has been modified with aftermarket parts. They (the manufacturers) have to prove that the failure was the direct result of the installed aftermarket part. Unfortunately, too many folks have gone to a dealer to have warranty service performed on their modified vehicle only to have the dealer refuse to cover the defective items. The dealer usually states, that because of the aftermarket parts installed, the warranty is void (without even attempting to determine whether or not the aftermarket part caused the problem). This is illegal...period.

Examples where the dealership will not cover your repairs under warranty
You install an aftermarket air dam system to channel more air to the cold air intake system that you installed. The air dam system causes the vehicle to overheat because it restricts airflow over the radiator. As a result of overheating, the engine blows a head gasket and a cylinder head is warped. The car is still under warranty. You take it to your dealer and they determine that the aftermarket air dam system caused the overheating and thus the cylinder head damage and gasket failure. The carmaker is not obligated to perform any repairs under the provisions of the warranty.

 

[Monk]

Go with webby 's answer, much better than mine.

 

[BlacklistRogue]

Do what I do. Keep all OEM parts organized labeled. Small parts labeled in baggies. Install aftermarket parts. If something would happen to go wrong. *Knock on wood* just put everything OEM back on and head to the dealer. I've done it with all my Hondas

 

[Ron Flood]

I'm curious tho webby, why would the dealer not want to cover it under warranty, their shop is paid shop rate by the car company... But then again, one of the biggest reasons i bought another civic is because of the dealer.

And BlacklistRogue, thats sounds like work... lol Find a dealer with a really easy going head mechanic that will vouch for you....

 

[webby]

Say you run a turbo at 30lbs of boost and the motor blows as a result. If that happened to the stock car under warranty, it's in the neighborhood of 10 grand for parts/labor. They don't want to eat that expense. Yes, they can be compensated for labor...but the cost of parts has to come from somewhere. If everyone had major repairs like that, Honda takes a massive loss. ...or the cost of cars starts going up considerably.

 

[Ron Flood]

Say you run a turbo at 30lbs of boost and the motor blows as a result. If that happened to the stock car under warranty, it's in the neighborhood of 10 grand for parts/labor. They don't want to eat that expense. Yes, they can be compensated for labor...but the cost of parts has to come from somewhere. If everyone had major repairs like that, Honda takes a massive loss. ...or the cost of cars starts going up considerably.

yes thats a reasonable thing to say... but thats pretty extreme, and if you did that to your car and expected warranty, that in my opinion would be a pretty unreasonable expectation..... just saying...

 

[webby]

I've seen people on other forums try similar things in the past.

 

[mike d]

i think im just gonna do what BlacklistRogue said and keep all the oem parts just in case. my next problem lies in the fact that i cant seem to find anything aftermarket for my car. does anyone have any info on any good bang for your buck parts available for the 2012 civic lx non-vtec?

 

[webby]

injen intake, k&n drop in, & tsudo exhaust are available for the non-si models. Suspension upgrades are also available. Check out any of the vendors here. Almost all of them offer those parts in their stores.

 

[Ron Flood]

like webby already said, but id advise against a header/downpipe coz it'll make your engine light/imid go off, since it analyzes your exhaust befor and after the cat. coilovers really are the way to go, depends on the time of year, where you are driving etc... i did a K&N drop in and a Tsudo exhaust, its very distinct, but still a little ricey to me...

 

[ethlar]

I'm curious tho webby, why would the dealer not want to cover it under warranty, their shop is paid shop rate by the car company... But then again, one of the biggest reasons i bought another civic is because of the dealer.

And BlacklistRogue, thats sounds like work... lol Find a dealer with a really easy going head mechanic that will vouch for you....

Late to the party but, dealers dont like warranty work because theyre reimbursed for "book time" meaning if the job is stated to take 3 hours thats all honda will pay them for. If your car is special and for some reason it takes 6 hours, the dealer still has to pay the tech for having worked for 6 hours, but only gets reimbursed by honda for 3 and cant charge you for the difference

 

[Ron Flood]

Late to the party but, dealers dont like warranty work because theyre reimbursed for "book time" meaning if the job is stated to take 3 hours thats all honda will pay them for. If your car is special and for some reason it takes 6 hours, the dealer still has to pay the tech for having worked for 6 hours, but only gets reimbursed by honda for 3 and cant charge you for the difference

hehehe true true, but i have only ever paid for book time too.... altho that also depends if they know exactly whats wrong.... trying to fault find can be tedious....

 

[ethlar]

not all dealers are asses about warranty though, if you actually develop a relationship with a service writer they can help a lot. I had a bearing in my transmission go (probably my fault due to driving style) and my service writer managed to get honda to cover a total transmission rebuild completely under warranty. Hes also usually amused to see what things ive done to my car each time it comes in

 

[Ron Flood]

not all dealers are asses about warranty though, if you actually develop a relationship with a service writer they can help a lot. I had a bearing in my transmission go (probably my fault due to driving style) and my service writer managed to get honda to cover a total transmission rebuild completely under warranty. Hes also usually amused to see what things ive done to my car each time it comes in

TOTALLY!!! some people will goto bat for you, some won't.... the biggest reason im still buying hondas is because of the dealership...

 

[squiggy]

Maybe you should put this as a PSA on the front page of the forums since you have had to post it so much lately.

 

[nat3d]

back to whoever keeps their parts the dealer cant prove it was your part if its a stock part in the car when its in the shop. my buddy works honda service (half the reason im driving a civic) and he had a car come in hydrolocked with a stock air box they take a look and can see the hole the guy had cut for the cai to sit in but they had to do it under warranty

 

[immajackuup]

not all dealers are asses about warranty though, if you actually develop a relationship with a service writer they can help a lot. I had a bearing in my transmission go (probably my fault due to driving style) and my service writer managed to get honda to cover a total transmission rebuild completely under warranty. Hes also usually amused to see what things ive done to my car each time it comes in

service writer and tech dont get along at all. who ever got you pos ticket i feel bad for them.

 

[Mikex18]

warranty... Nope never heard of that