vboi4life

iTrader: (2)

I think they told me if my check light turn on .they would void warraty because the intake.it scared the **** out of me.i mean they are the only one dealer around here.i guess i would sell and get f sport intake so no more headache with them.i believed they will claim something else as alarm starter.i just hate it

TimboIS

Rule #1. Don't f*** with your car if you don't know what you're doing.
Rule #2. Don't claim warranty by violating rule #1.

Legend217

iTrader: (1)

They gotta prove it was the intake that caused check engine light to come on and even so you can turn it off by resetting ecu (disconnect the battery). There is nothing to worry if you follow the installation instruction correctly. Btw, was your cruise control turned on at the time ?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Yes, but they're lying. Dealers do that a lot.

They can't void your entire car warranty for an aftermarket part. as others have mentioned it's a federal law.

RTIS250

iTrader: (9)

Im guessing, since he mentioned the codes related to the MAF/Throttle body, that its possible the intake could've been improperly installed causing those codes... Remember, we're dealing with a barrier here, so im sure we arent getting the entire story. Either way, you are correct, and its common knowledge that aftermarket parts cannot void an entire warranty. They can, however, void a warranty to a particular area if its deemed that the part caused the failure.

If there were MAF/Throttle body codes, and the dealership noted the battery was jumped backwards and missing the ECT fuse....... yea, i can see the idle fluctuating and acting weird. User error.

vboi4life

iTrader: (2)

The car back to normal now but the drl is not working.i install vled module last coupe days .they work fine and after the car acting weird.the dealer fix it but the drl stop working.The parking light and fog light and headlight are all working.i read the manual and check all the fuse and its okay.i also took out the module v led and put back the oem bulb.it does not work.i check the fuse box under hood.i just dont know what to do.if i bring back to dealer and i know they gonna charge me something else.anybody have any idea or recommend to check.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

They're going to be justified in charging you. I assume you only started having problems with the DRLs after you installed the VLEDs module? Therefore it's clear the issue is related to this aftermarket part and as such, you're responsible for paying for damages/costs related to it.

To be completely straightforward, it sounds like you've been doing a fair amount of modding to your car without being fully informed or aware of how to do it correctly. I don't claim to know more than anyone else about cars, but I certainly know the limits of my knowledge and where to draw the line.

All of the issues the dealer has brought up can quite easily be traced to either aftermarket modification (DRLs stopped working after VLED installation, CELs after intake installation whose codes were related to the workings of the intake) or user error (battery jumped backwards, fuses missing).

I would consider backing off some of this modification without learning more about installation and correct procedure.

Finally, on the issue of the warranty. We all love to quote the Magnuson-Moss warranty act and defiantly yell "They can't do that!" when a dealer mentions voiding some warranty because of mods, etc. And it's absolutely true that a dealership isn't being accurate when they state that your warranty will be "voided" because of a modification. However, we need to consider this type of situation in real-world terms. Take this situation as an example. The dealership is clearly incorrect if they truly stated your entire warranty would be void because of your intake. They're even correct if they state that all CEL code-related issues won't be covered because of your intake.

HOWEVER, you can be fully guaranteed that if anything could remotely be tied to the intake at all or if there is any shred of a question, the dealership WILL claim it's related and WILL deny your warranty claim. What recourse do you have then? People on CL also love to bring up that dealers who deny claims based on aftermarket parts will be "subject to a lawsuit". I don't have my warranty paperwork with me, but I can virtually guarantee that there will be no lawsuits filed - it will go to arbitration. Lexus also likely chooses or has a hand in designating the party that oversees the arbitration.

Basically, the short version is that while the Magnuson Moss warranty act does provide safeguards, and dealers shouldn't erroneously tell people things like your warranty will be voided if you do XYZ, you have to take into account what's going to happen in the real world. And it's going to be a huge headache to ever successfully pursue a challenge to a dealership's warranty claim denial.

My point with this warranty discussion is that if you mod your car, you should be prepared to handle the potential expenses of resulting failures. Whether that means diagnosing/doing the repairs yourself, having a friend or trusted mechanic do it, or simply paying out of pocket, you should have a plan. If you don't, that's when you find yourself incredulously paying $120 diagnostic fees at the dealership.

Toymota

Well said Calvin. From what I can tell from the OP's broken English, he probably ****ed up something with the electronics while DIY modding the lights. I feel the dealer is right to deny any warranty work there.

CANDYAPPLE

iTrader: (1)

dont worry, when the alchohol where's off you'll be fine lol

Toymota

After rereading this thread, I see you've got aftermarket HIDs and LEDs everywhere and you're blowing fuses all over the place. Yeah you've probably fried your electronics including the Engine Control Unit and other parts of the car.

CANDYAPPLE

iTrader: (1)

the intake can blow the maf, see it a 100 times, happened to me 3 times on my other cars. too much oil on the filter its burning out the filament in the maf. did you check every fuse inthe car, seems like a 7.5 amp to me. there are 4 locations, 2 under the hood and 2 under the dash on both sides. dont rely on a tester to check the fuse, physically pull them out and inspect them. i dont know if anyone else has encountered this but even when a fuse is blown it still shows power on both ends sometimes.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Maybe I should also add to my above statement, though it should be a no-brainer, that if warranty coverage is important to you, you should NEVER mod your car without fully understanding the impacts of those mods on your warranty coverage.

The OP has an 09 with 13k miles on it, so he's got a ton of powertrain warranty left and probably a fair bit of factory warranty. Looking at his signature, not only does he have HIDs and LEDs everywhere but he's done the navi bypass, Vaistech, and starter alarm.

Basically if he has any type of electrical issue whatsoever, particularly ones relating to the dash and lighting, he has no chance of getting a warranty claim approved.

CANDYAPPLE

iTrader: (1)

no he's melting the fuses, thats why he cant find the bad one its still showing good but not making contact. took me 3 weeks to find a bad fuse in my car, when lexus told me it was a 4,000dollar module. it turnd out to be a 1.00 fuse.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Uh, he has an F-sport filter. No oil.







Couple things here-

1) The MM Act allows arbitration before court. But it requires that arbitration meet a number of requirements. One of which is:

Regarding the dealer denying the claim- they actually do have to prove the part caused it. Here's the text of the law on this:


Bold added.

They can't just tell you the part caused the problem (legally anyway) they are required to demonstrate that fact... if they refuse, and calling corporate gets you no where, my next call would be the federal trade commission, which enforces compliance of this law.



All that said, in the few times I've had this argument with a dealership, I've never had to go beyond informing them of the law, and that I was aware of it, and they generally shut up pretty quickly about denying anything at that point.

The "void your warranty" crap is usually a scare tactic to be used against those ignorant of the actual laws.

06isDriver

The dealership definitely has to prove that aforementioned problems were caused by the aftermarket item. While I understand what you're saying, Calvin, about how they could give your grief, I wouldnt take the word of a dealer on face value for anything.

In the end though, everyone is responsible for whatever they do to their own vehicles, and if you actually broke it, you buy it.