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CAI & warranty question

3K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  longboarder81 
#1 ·
Possible stupid question: Does replacing the stock air box with the CAI void the warranty?
 
#2 ·
Made you a new thread in the appropriate performance section, better place for this question.

Basic answer is that any problem resulting from a modification is not covered under warranty.
 
#4 ·
#7 ·
You guys are soooooo wrong , Ford does not have to prove anything , If Ford says your warranty is voided because of the CAI then it is YOU that has to prove they are wrong and that the CAI did not cause the warranty issue NOT Ford

Tom
It depends on what is broken, the time and cost to fix and the quality of the dealership. I have an intake and have had warranty work done, My visor rattled, and it was taken care of no problem, but that clearly had no relation to the intake. If it could be related they are going to deny coverage or if it is an expensive or time consuming repair I could see it, but if it is something where they can make a few dollars on an easy warranty charge to ford they probably will fix it.
 
#6 ·
^^^That makes more sense to me that the burden of proof resides with the consumer.
 
#9 ·
So they just told you the warranty was void? I would think it would be more related to specific issues..not just your warranty is null and void for nothing because of a CAI.
 
#14 ·
Had a few bad injectors and IDM. The intake did not cause them, neither did the exhaust, but they fixed it and said warranty void don't bring it back. The dealer fired the mechanic also which was a friend of mine.

The truth is very few dealerships will look past aftermarket parts besides a emission legal cat back exhaust and drop in K&N air filter.
 
#11 ·
The Local Ford Dealer service manager doesnt make the decision for a new engine or trans the area service rep does and good lick getting up with him

I dont know how it is in your area but a service manager saying yes you can modify something you better get it in writing and again good luck with that

Tom
 
#13 ·
That would be fradulent if the intake had any influence on the failure, plus the tell tale witness marks and other damage would be potentially consistent with the modifications to the intake as far as increased air flow, which when examined by the company's warranty inspector/ service rep will point to the cause of failure as being something other than a design defect. Once they have suspicion that it's not caused by a warrantable defect good luck arguing otherwise.
 
#16 ·
At the end of the day if you are into car modding you run the risk of warranty issues. Make the decision. If you value the warranty and are risk-adverse, then don't mod. I have a hard time believing my drop-in filter and snorkle delete are going to cause me issues so I accept the risk.
 
#17 ·
I'm fine with the risk of cai because it could just be swapped plus I doubt there is going to be any ware thats noticeable since I'm not driving super hardcore. So I wouldn't see a problem. Also I only got the 36k/3yr warranty so it'll end way before I need it more than likely.

Yes .... This in my opinion needs to be done with the the mods and tune

Tom
The reply is to both of you guys.
Not trying to be disrespectful.

-B
 
#21 ·
First off your warranty can not be voided for making a modification, a claim for a specific repair could be denied if the modification caused the failure. So bringing it in because of window motor issue is not going to be an issue because you have a CAI.

Second the life blood of a dealership service department is doing warranty repairs so they are not motivated to see any claim denied but yes Ford Motor Company approves all claims. A catastrophic engine failure will result in the local Ford field rep coming out before the claim is approved. This is when you may have an issue but even then for the most part the field reps are enthusiasts too and are not going to be motivated to deny a claim.

My son was the service manager for a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership and he had some discretionary leeway to perform work under warranty that technically wasn't covered under a customer satisfaction umbrella. Can't imagine Ford not having a similar policy.

That all being said I have been a hot rodder since my teens and have modified every vehicle I have ever owned and I have never had a catastrophic failure to test what the dealer would do. Since 85 I have owned turbo Dodges continuously and have accumulated about 700k miles on them. They all have had intakes, exhausts and tunes, never had any kind of turbo or drive train failure, 240k miles was the highest single car mileage. I wouldn't worry about putting a CAI on your car.
 
#24 ·
First off your warranty can not be voided for making a modification, a claim for a specific repair could be denied if the modification caused the failure. So bringing it in because of window motor issue is not going to be an issue because you have a CAI.

Second the life blood of a dealership service department is doing warranty repairs so they are not motivated to see any claim denied but yes Ford Motor Company approves all claims. A catastrophic engine failure will result in the local Ford field rep coming out before the claim is approved. This is when you may have an issue but even then for the most part the field reps are enthusiasts too and are not going to be motivated to deny a claim.
Please read the post above this one and I have seen this a lot

100% your warranty can be voided for ANY modification , the "law" stated that Ford has to prove that the mod caused the damage but in fact when they say your filter voided some part of your warranty its YOU that has to prove that the mod didnt cause the damage and good luck with that , a filter having an effect on a window part no I couldnt see that

Ford dealerships have a limited number of warranties they can do before a red flag comes up and they get a reprimand fro Ford , I know this for a fact so they cannot just do what ever they want with warranties even tho thats how they make a lot of there money

Tom
 
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