F-Sport Intake - Got it - Here's my opinion
07-02-09, 01:24 PM
#16
Driver
Thread Starter
I completely understand what you guys (and maybe some gals) are saying about the price, ease of installation, and warranty. I'm referring to the "car's" warranty. In other words, I don't want to take it into the dealer for some other problem with the car and give the dealer any excuses to not cover the car. It's not worth messing around with the possible future hassles for a few hundred bucks - well...not on a $40K car. It just isn't worth it.
That said, YES, it's a lot of money to pay for a tube, a box, and one hour of labor. Oh well.
That said, YES, it's a lot of money to pay for a tube, a box, and one hour of labor. Oh well.
07-02-09, 01:44 PM
#18
Driver
Thread Starter
Thank you to all of you who referred me to Sewell. I wasn't aware that the prices were so much lower. For the intake, it was only $65 cheaper - not a big deal (yes, it's still $65, so lesson learned). For the other parts that I'm considering, it will be more significant.
Will Sewell ship to my local Lexus dealer? Yes, the one that charges so much per hour. Yes, I'll pay the high labor price (again) to ensure the car's bumper-to-bumper warranty remains intact.
BTW - The dealer had to replace my steering rack under warranty yesterday. Well over $2,000 for parts and labor. $0 for me. You can see why I'm concerned about the warranty. (The car is only 2 months old.)
Will Sewell ship to my local Lexus dealer? Yes, the one that charges so much per hour. Yes, I'll pay the high labor price (again) to ensure the car's bumper-to-bumper warranty remains intact.
BTW - The dealer had to replace my steering rack under warranty yesterday. Well over $2,000 for parts and labor. $0 for me. You can see why I'm concerned about the warranty. (The car is only 2 months old.)
07-02-09, 01:49 PM
#19
Driver
Thread Starter
09ISboy: I'm sure someone on here will know if there is a requirement. I would say that you wouldn't want the intake until you are ready to run the engine at higher RPMs. Having the intake will make it too hard to resist revving the engine before it's broken in. I don't remember the engine's "break in" period right now, but I think it is some odd number like 675 miles, so you're probably good to go, from that perspective.
Of course, I don't know if a break in period is really required. The manual says it is.
Of course, I don't know if a break in period is really required. The manual says it is.
07-02-09, 03:11 PM
#21
Will Sewell ship to my local Lexus dealer? Yes, the one that charges so much per hour. Yes, I'll pay the high labor price (again) to ensure the car's bumper-to-bumper warranty remains intact.
BTW - The dealer had to replace my steering rack under warranty yesterday. Well over $2,000 for parts and labor. $0 for me. You can see why I'm concerned about the warranty. (The car is only 2 months old.)
FYI the ONLY difference between installing an F-sport part and paying the dealer insane $ per hour to do it is that the warranty ON THE F-SPORT PART gets extended to match the length of your cars warranty, rather than only being 1 year (and of course the actual labor of the install is warrantied, but that'd be true anywhere)
On top of that, it's a violation of federal law to deny warranty coverage on a new car because an aftermarket part is installed, unless that part is the -cause- of the problem.
Even if it is the cause they only get to deny coverage of that issue, not on anything else.
Neither intake nor exhaust would've had any impact whatsoever on your steering issue, even if you weren't using Lexus parts (which you are).
07-02-09, 11:46 PM
#26
Lexus Fanatic
There is a wide spread myth in the tuning community that any mod can void the warranty. The fact is that the dealer has to show that the part was directly the cause of damage to the car
07-03-09, 07:49 AM
#27
Driver
Thread Starter
Kurtz: Can you post a link to the federal law for me? I would love to look at some of the non-Lexus, non-F-Sport aftermarket upgrades. E.g., The F-Sport exhaust sounds very good, but I like some of the others I've heard better. Thanks.
07-03-09, 09:28 AM
#30
A good overview of how this applies to aftermarket car parts is here:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...ty-intact.html
the most relevant bits from there are:
such provisions are deceptive under section 110 of the Act, because a warrantor cannot, as a matter of law, avoid liability under a written warranty where a defect is unrelated to the use by a consumer of "unauthorized" articles or service.
Under the Magnuson-Moss Act, a dealer must prove, not just vocalize, that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before it can deny warranty coverage. If the dealer cannot prove such a claim — or it proffers a questionable explanation — it is your legal right to demand compliance with the warranty. The Federal Trade Commission administers the Magnuson-Moss Act and monitors compliance with warranty law.