Spyder Mods related to BRP Warranty coverage.

[SpyderRT]

Hi all,
I am new and have a question in regards to what Mods I can do to my new 2014 Spyder RT-S without voiding the warranty?
Which I got the current promotion of 2+2 Best.
I suppose graphics won't void the warranty but I am more concerned about lights, bump/skid plates, and shocks, etc...

Real experiences with warranty repair issues only please unless you are part of BRP network with explicit knowledge on this subject!

 

[cuznjohn]

mods

Hi all,
I am new and have a question in regards to what Mods I can do to my new 2014 Spyder RT-S without voiding the warranty?
Which I got the current promotion of 2+2 Best.
I suppose graphics won't void the warranty but I am more concerned about lights, bump/skid plates, and shocks, etc...

Real experiences with warranty repair issues only please unless you are part of BRP network with explicit knowledge on this subject!

many people do mods to their bike i would say to only buy lights that are plug and play and made for the bike's electrical system all the other mentioned should be just fine

 

[jcthorne]

Hi all,
I am new and have a question in regards to what Mods I can do to my new 2014 Spyder RT-S without voiding the warranty?
Which I got the current promotion of 2+2 Best.
I suppose graphics won't void the warranty but I am more concerned about lights, bump/skid plates, and shocks, etc...

Real experiences with warranty repair issues only please unless you are part of BRP network with explicit knowledge on this subject!

Its pretty simple actually. NOTHING you do will VOID the warranty. That said, ANYTHING you do to the bike that causes harm that BRP can show was caused by what you did and not the fault of the way the bike was designed and built will be grounds for denying a claim. In simple terms, that is what the vehicle warranty laws in the US state.

I can say, BRP is somewhat more understanding than many other OEMs that look for ANY reason to deny claims. BRP seems much more inclined to reason with what really did cause failures and even then, errs on the side of helping the customer in most cases.

You are not going to get any sort of 'Go ahead and do XX but not YY and we will still completely cover your bike'. If the first statement I made is unclear or uncertain to you, you would be better off not modifying your bike.

 

[NancysToy]

In the US, as was said, nothing can void the entire warranty. If a modification you did can be shown to have caused or to have aggravated a problem, that particular thing can be rejected for warranty repairs for that instance. Those are the provisions of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and state laws that support it. In short, you can install aftermarket parts, but if they break the Spyder, the repairs will be at your cost. If something unrelated breaks, the manufacturer has to cover it under the warranty, other than any written exclusions in the warranty, such as normal wear parts.

 

[3 Wheel Addict]

The only other downfall is if adding any "goodie" requires extra time for the service people to repair your bike they will charge you. Or worse yet not put those parts back properly. My dealer was not happy to have to remove 2 extra screws from the Spyderpops bump/skid to get the frunk off.

 

[NancysToy]

The only other downfall is if adding any "goodie" requires extra time for the service people to repair your bike they will charge you. Or worse yet not put those parts back properly. My dealer was not happy to have to remove 2 extra screws from the Spyderpops bump/skid to get the frunk off.

Good point. Owners should be aware of this "wrinkle". Dealers are justified in charging extra for extra time/effort...but for two screws it is carrying the policy a bit too far!

 

[SpyderRT]

Its pretty simple actually. NOTHING you do will VOID the warranty. That said, ANYTHING you do to the bike that causes harm that BRP can show was caused by what you did and not the fault of the way the bike was designed and built will be grounds for denying a claim. In simple terms, that is what the vehicle warranty laws in the US state.

I can say, BRP is somewhat more understanding than many other OEMs that look for ANY reason to deny claims. BRP seems much more inclined to reason with what really did cause failures and even then, errs on the side of helping the customer in most cases.

You are not going to get any sort of 'Go ahead and do XX but not YY and we will still completely cover your bike'. If the first statement I made is unclear or uncertain to you, you would be better off not modifying your bike.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Pennyrick]

Good point. Owners should be aware of this "wrinkle". Dealers are justified in charging extra for extra time/effort...but for two screws it is carrying the policy a bit too far!

It's only one bolt to secure the Baker Air Wings on each side but I usually remove the air wings before taking the Spyder in for service. It makes the job easier for the tech but it also protects the air wings from being damaged at the dealership.

Almost everything you change or add on a Spyder has some impact on the machine. If it didn't you probably wouldn't make the change. On our Spyders we have added Spyderpops blockers, Air Wings, changed the antennas to smaller units, removed pegs, added boards and auxiliary gauges, etc. but I don't think we have gone overboard and impacted the warranty. If something were to crop up and we found out we have, that is the price of making the change.

I witnessed an argument at a service department where the manager was trying to explain to a customer that the myriad number of additional lights and heavier fuses that he had added to the machines' circuits caused the wiring to overload and overheat and that caused the wiring harness to melt. The customer was screaming about warranty coverage, calling his lawyer and suing both dealer and manufacturer..... that is an example of why manufacturers scrutinize warranty claims. I wouldn't warrant an overloaded harness either.

 

[rcturner]

My dealer warns about two issues that will get BRP's attention. One is electrical overload and/or modifications made to the electrical system that the computer doesn't like. The other is problems related to using the incorrect tires. As has been mentioned many times before, the tires on your Spyder are motorcycle tires, not car tires. Aside from the fit on the rim being slightly different, the other issue would again relate to computer unhappiness caused by rolling diameter or traction variables of the tires not being the same as the OEM tires and that getting the computers attention. His advise is simply, don't do it unless you are willing to foot the bill to fix it.