You must be an attorney to be giving this much thought to this.

 

Well, I am a business owner and have attorneys on retainer -- so I spend a lot of time around legal issues. As an enthusiast I'm always wondering why some people do what they do -- like focus on something as minor as a decal, or do something to a new car that voids warranty. I wonder if perhaps people don't give it any thought, but then when the PASM shocks blow, or there's an accident and forensics discovers the airbags were disconnected and seats replaced... I guess maybe part of my message is "It's OK to leave well enough alone..."

 

I think people remove the stickers for the same reason they change wheels and make the myriad of other changes we all read about - personal preference. I removed mine - I think it looks better - and I'm not sure what they even said other that "Airbag" and "Warning" and being bright yellow. So are they warning me that I have airbags (I know that) or are they meant to warn mechanics (I hope they know that) - I can't see what legal or warranty exposure I have by not having these stickers. We'd never have an aftermarket industry as big as it is if we left "well enough alone". My opinion only.

 

I'm with you on modification -- my car has GT3 control arms, AWE headers, cats, and mufflers. I also have a 2nd set of wheels (Fikse 13s w/ 18" RA1s). None of these impacts warranty or liability. It's the few items like airbags that just make me nervous for my fellow enthusiasts. For example, if you were to remove / disable the airbag to change a seat and took somebody in the car, and were in an accident and the passenger was injured, then I'm sure there would be a big liability issue. Early cars I've had included a peel-off sticker warning about the airbags (that they were there, could cause injury, that you should not put a child seat in the front, etc.) Now they are permanently attached and I'm sure there's a reason...

There have been some that want to add rear seats to a GT3. Should be simple -- but in the last example the car owner couldn't even get a dealer to sell him the parts due to potential liability (car in an accident, child in the back gets hurt, car didn't come that way from the factory, etc.).

I know, I'm at the extreme on this -- just saying that you have to think through some of these things before doing them. The 1st guys that bought lowering springs thought everything would be fine because they were made for PASM cars -- but then after 10-20k miles, the shocks blew out because they were not made for that spring height / rate.

 

There's a far cry between wheels/shocks/suspensions from decals on visors.

 

The stickers are a function of "our" screwed up legal system. Frivolous lawsuits and people not taking any responsibility...let's just blame others because we are idiots.

 

A control arm is a key suspension component. Wouldn't an attorney have cause to come after you if he found out you had altered the factory's original suspension design? That seems a lot more intrusive than just removing a warning sticker!

I think the warnings are required only to satisfy the federal regs and the owner is under no obligation to preserve them. Otherwise, I'm sure there would be strictures to that effect in the OM.

I think these visor labels are the automotive equivalent of mattress warning tags!

 

the car is full of stupid warnings, probably because of lawyer, for example, direct quotes from the owners manual:

Warning!
There is a danger of accident if you set or
operate the on-board computer, radio,
navigation system, telephone or other
equipment while driving. This could distract
you fromthe trafc and cause you to lose
control of the vehicle resulting in serious
personal injury or death.

Danger of injury when the windshield wipers
operate unintentionally, e.g. in rain sensor
operation.

 

OK so who cut the tags of the mattress? Your are now going to jail!

jv

 

The control arms are OEM provided and installed by Porsche - so no issue there. I'd rather not have the warning labels either and when they were just stick-on (intended to be removed) I removed them. Once they made them "permanent" I didn't mess with them figuring the federal government / manufacturer had good reason to make sure the warnings remained there for liability purposes. Same as with airbags, brakes, and other safety related items. I'd love it for somebody in the know to chime in and definitively be able to say "no liability exposure" on various items like warnings, etc.

I've enjoyed the debate

 

Dude, are you serious? -- I suppose you are afraid to cut off those silly tags on furniture too?

 

Don't be ridiculous... I've seen people held accountable for things like this.

 

Ridiculous? Can you cite even one case in which a consumer has been prosecuted for removing a mattress label? Those are intended for the seller, not the consumer.

btw, do you think you'd also be at risk if you covered up the visor warning with a CD holder, sunglass case, or something similar? What about driving at night when the poor passenger couldn't even SEE the warning?

 

Having something installed by a dealer doesn't necessarily absolve you from legal liability. Many a dealer will gladly install an illegal muffler, a non-CARB supercharger, non-reg side markers, etc. and YOU will be liable if caught.

I think you secretly want to remove those stickers. Go on, do it!

 

I said ridiculous suggesting I'm afraid to cut the tags off. Those are intended to be removed by the consumer.

Believe me, as I said before, I'd love for those stickers not to be on the visors. When I took delivery of the car I used my thumb nail to try to get them off and thought "what the heck?...."

As to the dealer with illegal / improper parts -- you are right. I've read that some make the client sign a waiver that says the owner knows it's not right, and that the will hold the dealer harmless. I don't think that would hold up in court -- an attorney would make the case that the dealer should have known better and that because they did the work, somebody got hurt or is dead.

As for my control arms -- they are oem Porsche, designed for my car, installed properly, etc. It's not an illegal or improper part. Then there's also the Magnusson-Moss Act... It doesn't talk about liability as far as I know, but the theory behind it makes me sleep at night. It basically says the maker cannot deny warranty claims if aftermarket parts are used assuming they are designed and built properly. For example, they cannot mandate one brand of oil filter over another if they do the same thing. Apply this to shocks, springs, mufflers, oil, etc. Just make sure that if the engine requires 0-40 synthetic that you are using 0-40 synthetic.
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