LAAlpina

Hi guys,

I've been reading various posts on the web about how strict Porsche is with their OEM/CPO warranties. Will an aftermarket body kit void a warranty, or is it only mods to the drive train, etc.?

This is my first Porsche, and previously mods to Mercs and BMWs were not a problem with the service departments...but the forums I've been reading have me a little concerned.

Thank you in advance.

MJBird993

I don't see why - it's just cosmetic.

LAAlpina

Thanks, that's what I figured but was spooked by some threads about service depts being ridiculous about what voids the warranty. The Panny is my first Porsche so wasn't sure how they deal with mods.

Cyberpunky

talk to your dealership and see what they say, as it doesn't matter what ppl say here, if the dealership disagree, and knock you back

rijowysock

u only void the warranty of what you remove or what it affects..

basically, if it comes off while driving and wraps around your trans and rips it off the car.. then.. that would void that part of warranty.. they cannot void all warranty because of this and that.. just what the work directly affects..

LAAlpina

Thanks for the feedback guys. I just was reading some threads about some nightmare scenarios like one where someone had their car black listed because of an ECU tune such that he couldn't have his car serviced under warranty anywhere afterwards. That seems like a pretty extreme situation, so I just wanted to gauge how strict Porsche was (my previous cars have been mercs and bmws and I've never heard of such a thing).

rijowysock

depends where you go and what the mod affects, a tune could affect and ruin things so they would make a note of it.. the porsche system is really cool. look at your dealers screen one day. lists every deal every been to.. and comments and work done.. and etc... they keep track of things.

Cyberpunky

I recently moved into the car industry and modifying the ECU ie Chipping it, will void any/all brands warranty, as it changes the makers engine settings/state of tune, and so they have no control of things staying in their required performance envelopes, which could lead to damage. As most chip makers know, it is not hard to get a performance gain from changing factory settings, the problem is that these may lower safety margins the maker has put in, and the maker doesn't want to be liable for damage caused by this. Fair enough really.

My car has a performance chip in it, but it is a good chip, and at 26 years of age the car is a long way from being in warranty anyway, so I am liable for any damage it may cause.

At my old dealership, the service manager was happy to sign off on any mods he had been consulted with first, and that he deemed would not to effect normal operation. Warranty would be fine as long as he knew prior to fitting, what was going to be used, and that it met his requirements. One customer wanted to fit a cat back exhaust and he agreed, and so customer had no warranty issues, but if customer had fitted it without consulting the service manager/dealership, then he may have voided his warranty.

Body kits should not cause an issue but my advice is to consult your dealership first, before you spend any money, as that way you do not jeopardize or risk voiding the warranty on what is a very expensive vehicle, that could have very expensive repairs needed at some point. Once you are out of warranty, you are free to modify your vehicle till your heart is content
peace
Cyberpunky