Invalidating Warranty

[m0nkey]

So, my mate says that I should be careful what changes I make to my car while I'm still paying off the finance which does make sense and I would not make permanent changes until I own the car outright.

The thing I'm not sure about is that he reckons I've already invalidated it by adding the rev counter myself rather than getting the dealer to fit it?

[ihpj]

I think technically he might be right. In reality, the rev counter is a genuine part and as with other modifications, if there was an issue you might be asked to remove it to see if it contributes to the fault (if any arises). Many dealers won't know what options the car was sold with - and by using a genuine part they won't bat an eyelid I'm sure as they would be grateful for the warranty money to fix whatever it is that you are having trouble with.

Safe driving!

[mrpj]

My understanding is that if a problem occurs, which would normally be fixed under warranty, that can be attributed to any modification/addition, then they'll have a "get out".

[MikeSh]

Finance and warranty are separate things though modifications can affect both.

In theory you might invalidate the warranty by modifying the car. So if a fault arises Mr T might say it's your fault not theirs. Depends on the fault and mod of course. If the boot lock fails they won't refuse to fix it because you fitted a rev counter. OTOH if the speedo fails and you'd damaged the instrument pod while fitting the rev counter ....

The finance company might want to know about and/or prohibit some modifications as they actually own the car and are interested in it's value (in case they have to reclaim and sell it). You need to read the agreement, but worst cases are probably either they demand immediate repayment of the loan, or if they reclaim the car and it's resale value is reduced by mods they could demand you pay the lost value.

[m0nkey]

Thanks for your replies. I had kinda thought that they might only pull their faces if the change I made could be linked to a fault. I don't think my glove box lid, mats or mudflaps will cause a problem either