Factory/Extended Warranty..what really voids it?

[Mazo EMS2]

Most of us on here have added all sorts of farkles from horns, lights, suspension, car tires, trailer hitches...etc...I have done all of the above plus some...Has anyone ever been in a situation where a farkle voided your warranty, be it factory or BEST or other? I ask because our 2016 Rt is at the end of its factory warranty and I'm considering extending it with the BEST warranty. If there are farkles that void it anyway, then I won't purchase it, but if there hasn't been anything that has voided warranty, then I'll go ahead with it. So, what kind of experiences have you run into with farkles and warranty?

Thanks,
Rick

 

[Road-Kill]

When I purchased my BEST warranty a couple of months ago my dealer told me anything altered that effects the system in need of repair voids that portion of the warranty. In BRPs defense, I've seen people do really less then intelligent things to their bike and when a problem starts they blame BRP. If you are altering, playing or whatever you want to call it with your ride then stay away from BEST. Every other manufacturer does the same thing because as stated.....too many geniuses out there think they know better.

Hope this helps.nojoke

 

[Rick H.]

Amen to the above post!

Rick H.

 

[Firefly]

Most of us on here have added all sorts of farkles from horns, lights, suspension, car tires, trailer hitches...etc...I have done all of the above plus some...Has anyone ever been in a situation where a farkle voided your warranty, be it factory or BEST or other? I ask because our 2016 Rt is at the end of its factory warranty and I'm considering extending it with the BEST warranty. If there are farkles that void it anyway, then I won't purchase it, but if there hasn't been anything that has voided warranty, then I'll go ahead with it. So, what kind of experiences have you run into with farkles and warranty?

Thanks,
Rick

Nothing you do to your Spyder can just 'void' your warranty.. at least here in the USA. The Magnusen-Moss Warranty Act protects us.
What CAN happen is if you perform a modification and a related part was to fail, BRP can choose not to cover that particular failure.
If you did a bunch of electrical modifications and then had your front driveshaft go bad, they can't use your electrical mods as an excuse not to cover the driveshaft. But if something electrical was to fail, then they could refuse to cover that area.

So the 'failure' has to be related to the modification you did in order for them to legally not cover the repair. I've yet to hear of anyone having a big issue with this kind of thing on a Spyder.

I recommend getting the BEST extension to cover expensive items like the computers, sensors, cluster, etc....

It's also best when installing modifications to do it in a manner that can be easily reversed back to original factory condition.

 

[JP58]

Unless the farkle you installed cause the failure they will warranty your bike. They have to prove it caused the problem. I've never been turned down on a warranty claim and I add a lot of farkles.

 

[canamjhb]

If you go into ANY dealership for ANY make of vehicle, you will see that they all sell farkles and accessories. If dealers (any of them) started voiding warranties due to add-ons, they would lose a big part of their sales and soon be out of business. If an offending farkle caused a system failure then a warranty claim could be denied. But then could you have recourse against the farkle manufacturer.....?

 

[oldguyinTX]

Unless the farkle you installed cause the failure they will warranty your bike. They have to prove it caused the problem. I've never been turned down on a warranty claim and I add a lot of farkles.

Agreed. I never had any warranty claim denied on my 2013 RT-L, factory or BEST, and I had a lot of farkles. I would go with the BEST warranty.

 

[Madison Sully]

OEM warranties are covered by the Magnuson Moss Act.
However, separately purchased extended warranties often do NOT need to adhere to it.

From Wikipedia:


A "service contract" is different from a warranty because service contracts do not affirm the quality or workmanship of a consumer product. A service contract is a written instrument in which a supplier agrees to perform, over a fixed period or for a specified duration, services relating to the maintenance or repair, or both, of a consumer product. Agreements that meet the statutory definition of service contracts, but are sold and regulated under state law as contracts of insurance, do not come under the Act's provisions.

And you have to be careful; the contract you purchase as an "extended warranty" may in fact be a "service contract".

 

[ARtraveler]

All good advice above.

I would recommend going with an extended BEST warranty if you are so inclined. It is in the later years that most mechanical issues seem to crop up.

I have also NEVER heard of a dealer refusing warranty work because of added on farkles.

There were a couple early on situations (2008 and 2009) where people installed after market turbo chargers, and eventually blew up their engine. BRP even cut them a break--IMO.:yes:

 

[Rick H.]

A lot of owners that modify their Spyders must live "charmed" lives. There have been many reported instances of people that modify their vehicles with after market parts and then have something happen to their vehicle only to see the manufacturer give them a ration of grief on a warranty claim. I can relate several of these instances on motorcycles and cars. Now while the alleged Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act gives some protection to an overly zealous vehicle owner, it doesn't give 100% protection. For an example, I wanted to install an MGW after market shifter in my Chevrolet SS. I discussed this idea with the service manager where I bought the car and he told me point blank if I developed a transmission problem the MGW shifter could be cause for a denial of the warranty claim. He didn't say installation of the shifter "would" be cause for a denial, he said it "could" be cause for denial. So in essence he put the ball in my hands to make the decision. Seeing as though I am not independently wealthy, I decided to leave the stock shifter in the car.

If you have time and money fighting a warranty claim denial is no big deal, but it can be a very long, rocky road. Claims have been denied for using the wrong weight oil in an engine, transmission or differential. Claims have been denied when an engine control module has been re-flashed or replaced with an aftermarket item. A good friend of mine had a warranty claim denied for an engine problem based on the fact he replaced the stock rocker arms with high performance ones that were made by the vehicle manufacturer. Had the rocker arms have failed in the 90 day parts warranty period that was offered perhaps the problem would have been covered. As it happened the failure came almost a year after he installed the rocker arms so he ended up paying for the extensive repair work. I installed an after market adjustable clutch lever on my son's Road Glide and when he took it in for service he was informed that the lever would be questioned if problems developed in his clutch or transmission because there was no way to guarantee proper clutch plate separation when using an adjustable lever. So he had me take it off to avoid any issues.

So say what you will, the fact remains that if you alter your vehicle there are any number of ways a dealer or manufacturer can call into question any modifications you have made. If you make alterations or modifications to your vehicle you are going out on a limb you may not want to be on. Dealers and manufacturers hold all the cards when dealing with warranty claims and they can make life miserable for someone if they want to. At a minimum they can prolong a repair job for a long time. I have my selling dealer(s) do all my service work now just to cover my bases if a problem should develop. It just isn't worth the worry or the hassle later on and it definitely builds a better relationship with the dealer.

Rick H.

 

[Firefly]

A lot of owners that modify their Spyders must live "charmed" lives. There have been many reported instances of people that modify their vehicles with after market parts and then have something happen to their vehicle only to see the manufacturer give them a ration of grief on a warranty claim. I can relate several of these instances on motorcycles and cars. Now while the alleged Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act gives some protection to an overly zealous vehicle owner, it doesn't give 100% protection. For an example, I wanted to install an MGW after market shifter in my Chevrolet SS. I discussed this idea with the service manager where I bought the car and he told me point blank if I developed a transmission problem the MGW shifter could be cause for a denial of the warranty claim. He didn't say installation of the shifter "would" be cause for a denial, he said it "could" be cause for denial. So in essence he put the ball in my hands to make the decision. Seeing as though I am not independently wealthy, I decided to leave the stock shifter in the car.

If you have time and money fighting a warranty claim denial is no big deal, but it can be a very long, rocky road. Claims have been denied for using the wrong weight oil in an engine, transmission or differential. Claims have been denied when an engine control module has been re-flashed or replaced with an aftermarket item. A good friend of mine had a warranty claim denied for an engine problem based on the fact he replaced the stock rocker arms with high performance ones that were made by the vehicle manufacturer. Had the rocker arms have failed in the 90 day parts warranty period that was offered perhaps the problem would have been covered. As it happened the failure came almost a year after he installed the rocker arms so he ended up paying for the extensive repair work. I installed an after market adjustable clutch lever on my son's Road Glide and when he took it in for service he was informed that the lever would be questioned if problems developed in his clutch or transmission because there was no way to guarantee proper clutch plate separation when using an adjustable lever. So he had me take it off to avoid any issues.

So say what you will, the fact remains that if you alter your vehicle there are any number of ways a dealer or manufacturer can call into question any modifications you have made. If you make alterations or modifications to your vehicle you are going out on a limb you may not want to be on. Dealers and manufacturers hold all the cards when dealing with warranty claims and they can make life miserable for someone if they want to. At a minimum they can prolong a repair job for a long time. I have my selling dealer(s) do all my service work now just to cover my bases if a problem should develop. It just isn't worth the worry or the hassle later on and it definitely builds a better relationship with the dealer.

Rick H.

It's not an 'alleged' act, The magnuson-moss is real.

No one is claiming that MM gives you carte blanche to modify without risk. You put new rocker arms in an engine and it blows later... of course they'll deny a claim on that.. with good reason. What they CANNOT do is say they won't cover your engine because you installed aftermarket LED headlights. The failure has to have a close relationship to the aftermarket item in order for a valid denial. MM gives us all peace of mind.

I've done tons of mods on four Spyder's I've owned and never had any mod questioned during warranty work. Heck, they even did all new rear bearings, aligned the belt, etc. for no charge even though I had an aftermarket belt tensioner installed. They could have denied covering the work because of that, and I would usually take it off but had forgotten.
Which brings me to an important point that may have been glossed over above.... always make your mods you do easy to revert back to stock. Most aftermarket items for the Spyder can be reversed easily.
Also choose quality aftermarket parts.

But if you're that worried, go ahead and keep your Spyder 100% stock. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Kiry]

If you go into ANY dealership for ANY make of vehicle, you will see that they all sell farkles and accessories. If dealers (any of them) started voiding warranties due to add-ons, they would lose a big part of their sales and soon be out of business. If an offending farkle caused a system failure then a warranty claim could be denied. But then could you have recourse against the farkle manufacturer.....?

My dealer has both BRP and aftermarket items available for installation. As an example, they seem to like Baja-Ron and Tric-led and will recommend installing those over the factory upgrades for mods. :thumbup: I think in general, we're good to go farkling.

 

[BajaRon]

There are claims by the dealership and then there are legitimate reasons to deny warranty work.

I took my GS into a dealership because the DPS (power steering) unit failed within the warranty period. The dealership told me that warranty would not cover it because I had installed an aftermarket cruise control unit.

When I asked them how a cruise control had any relationship to the power steering unit they made the repairs on warranty.

As stated in previous posts. The manufacturer must be able to make a direct connection between whatever the owner did and the failure to be able to deny warranty coverage. For example, using a non-compatible oil and having a clutch failure is not going to fly. However, using a non-BRP oil that meets or exceeds the manufacturer's requirements and having a clutch failure should not create any warranty issues.

People more worried about warranty coverage than they are about enjoying their ride should leave everything stock. But for those of us who make reasonable modifications to our rides. The added enjoyment far outweighs the very small risk to warranty coverage.

 

[Mazo EMS2]

I got a quote from one dealer and waiting to see if another dealer has a different price. Berts Mega Mall got right back to me, on Saturday evening, and I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealer I bought it from. Guessing they were closed today. Thru Bert's 1 year is $521, 2 yrs is $671, and 3 yrs is $771. Sound about right?

 

[canamjhb]

I got a quote from one dealer and waiting to see if another dealer has a different price. Berts Mega Mall got right back to me, on Saturday evening, and I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealer I bought it from. Guessing they were closed today. Thru Bert's 1 year is $521, 2 yrs is $671, and 3 yrs is $771. Sound about right?

Sounds right to me. I had mine extended for 2 years which was the maximum. I think the cost for 2 years was about $650 and was only about $75.00 more than they wanted for one year.

 

[Mazo EMS2]

Just heard from the original selling dealer...exact same numbers in the quote that Berts gave me. I have until April...I think I'll wait til spring.

 

[NuttyBuckeye]

I’ve tinkered with electrical mods, among others, on my 2005 Burgman 650, but it was used when I purchased it. I’ll do some mods to the Spyder like belt guard and bump plate, but dropping 5 figures on it prevents me mentally from tinkering too much right now.

Besides, I’m not that much of a a genius.

 

[Rick H.]

My dealer has both BRP and aftermarket items available for installation. As an example, they seem to like Baja-Ron and Tric-led and will recommend installing those over the factory upgrades for mods. :thumbup: I think in general, we're good to go farkling.

From a personal standpoint, I wouldn't stake an out of state away from my dealer vacation on that...…

Rick H.

 

[jcthorne]

I will throw out a data point.

My F3 just went through a MAJOR warranty claim. A little over $12k for an entire new engine/trans assembly. My bike has been described as a rolling visual catalog for Lamonster Garage and Spyderpops products. IE, its really well farkled.

The only things BRP checked were -

1, maintenance was done, show receipts. I use K&N filters from BajaRon and Shell Rotella T6 oil. Showed the receipts...I have plenty of them.

2, clutch condition. They tore down the clutch and hydraulic control module to determine if the failure was clutch related. It was not.

They then tore down the engine a bit further and found the real failure and authorized the claim under BEST.

Now there was some real good communication going on between my dealer and BRP warranty division and then parts division, but there was never a discussion about voiding the warranty because of farkles I have that are unrelated to the engine failure or the use of other than BRP branded maintenance supplies that meet spec.

 

[Bob Denman]

I would love to hear from even ONE person: who had their warranty rendered "Null & Void"....

opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:


This is all "Much ado, about nothing". nojoke