What mods can you make and still retain warranty

[El Rey]

Starting with a new Defender, what can you add, change or upgrade and still retain your full warranty. Anybody know from experience?

Roof racks, tents, awnings etc.?
Aftermarket chequerplate?
Ridgidij and Mulgo items and mods?
Electrical like Ex Box, Cruise Control etc.?
Underbody guards?
Long range fuel and water tanks?
Upgraded drivetrain and suspension bits?
Winches, bullbars and bumperettes?

[manofaus]

Usually warranty of any description only covers what it comes with or what has been fitted as an approved accessory by a dealer. Some things like drive shafts and flange upgrades would probably not concern warranty but a diff locker would. It would also depend on what you are claiming as a warranty issue. Some warranties with some brands cover your battery but fit a winch and no cover in battery. Suspension upgrades also could be covered but would have to be fitted by the dealer or approved fitter. You need to think hard about what you want. Ask the dealer. Get it in writing. It all has to be approved.

[El Rey]

Appreciated - cheers and will do.


Usually warranty of any description only covers what it comes with or what has been fitted as an approved accessory by a dealer. Some things like drive shafts and flange upgrades would probably not concern warranty but a diff locker would. It would also depend on what you are claiming as a warranty issue. Some warranties with some brands cover your battery but fit a winch and no cover in battery. Suspension upgrades also could be covered but would have to be fitted by the dealer or approved fitter. You need to think hard about what you want. Ask the dealer. Get it in writing. It all has to be approved.

[weeds]

It would partly depend on which dealer does the work, the relationship you have with them etc.

Out of interest which dealer would you use for warranty work.......??

[Marty90]

I've got a 2013 Defender90 fitted with;Hannibal roof rack,rear and side awnings,ARB bullbar and winch,spotties,safari snorkel ,two sill tanks,rear drawers,Rijidij spare wheel carrier,Mulgo X-Box and bumperettes. I've taken her back for oil pump recall and turbo hose as well as a front axle seal leak.When I showed the service manager the spare wheel carrier to show him how it unlocked he said,"geeze,I like that!" The seal was replaced with an upgrade,so they did both sides.The mechanic asked if there was anything else and I mentioned the back door seal was crooked,so he replaced it,I mentioned it's sometimes notchy going into 2nd and he said there're bushes that can be fitted in the gear selectors to centralise the levers,which he fitted.I talked to the mechanic about upgrading the suspension,and if that voids the warranty,and he told me LR will not cover under warranty only the parts fitted by me,i.e springs and shocks.I've seen threads on this forum of guys fitting 35"tyres with massive lifts and DC shafts,aftermarket intercoolers,diff locks etc and take their trucks back for warranty when the clutch fails.AND LAND ROVER FIX IT. How good is that.I sort of feel bad I don't get it serviced there:D

[Tombie]

If you fit a locker as an example, then the warranty could be void on the diff centre, half shafts etc..

ONLY if it can be demonstrated that the change you made caused the issue.
So in this case a locker could cause the stock shafts to break..

Fitting a cruise control for instance could only be considered an issue if the wiring caused a problem which did damage elsewhere to the ECU, this would then be covered by the installer of the Cruise Control.

Check Plate, Roof racks etc wont void warranty - if fitted correctly...

Corrosion behind check plate could be contentious, as could overloading the roof beyond LR spec...

[El Rey]

It would partly depend on which dealer does the work, the relationship you have with them etc.

Out of interest which dealer would you use for warranty work.......??

For warranty work I'd be looking at someone in SE Queensland. Lynton is getting recommendations on another thread. Frizelles is opening a LR shop in Logan City in October.

[El Rey]

Cheers for the input - gives me a bit more confidence to accessorize.
As Tombie said somewhere else, a good relationship with your service manager is probably worth it's weight in gold.



I've got a 2013 Defender90 fitted with;Hannibal roof rack,front and side awnings,ARB bullbar and winch,spotties,safari snorkel ,two sill tanks,rear drawers,Rijidij spare wheel carrier,Mulgo X-Box and bumperettes. I've taken her back for oil pump recall and turbo hose as well as a front axle seal leak.When I showed the service manager the spare wheel carrier to show him how it unlocked he said,"geeze,I like that!" The seal was replaced with an upgrade,so they did both sides.The mechanic asked if there was anything else and I mentioned the back door seal was crooked,so he replaced it,I mentioned it's sometimes notchy going into 2nd and he said there're bushes that can be fitted in the gear selectors to centralise the levers,which he fitted.I talked to the mechanic about upgrading the suspension,and if that voids the warranty,and he told me LR will not cover under warranty only the parts fitted by me,i.e springs and shocks.I've seen threads on this forum of guys fitting 35"tyres with massive lifts and DC shafts,aftermarket intercoolers,diff locks etc and take their trucks back for warranty when the clutch fails.AND LAND ROVER FIX IT. How good is that.I sort of feel bad I don't get it serviced there:D

[El Rey]

Gracias amigo.



If you fit a locker as an example, then the warranty could be void on the diff centre, half shafts etc..

ONLY if it can be demonstrated that the change you made caused the issue.
So in this case a locker could cause the stock shafts to break..

Fitting a cruise control for instance could only be considered an issue if the wiring caused a problem which did damage elsewhere to the ECU, this would then be covered by the installer of the Cruise Control.

Check Plate, Roof racks etc wont void warranty - if fitted correctly...

Corrosion behind check plate could be contentious, as could overloading the roof beyond LR spec...

[AndyG]

I am currently very tempted by the Alisport I/C provided via BAS with the 170 hp upgrade. ;) I am solely interested in the I/C for the sake of a cooler charge into the turbo to improve efficiency and reliability. :angel: However , i suspect if something catastrophic happened, the Dealer would be sceptical, even if the ECU was in standard tune, when towed in . :wasntme:

[Marty90]

I probably wouldn't:D

[MrLandy]

I am currently very tempted by the Alisport I/C provided via BAS with the 170 hp upgrade. ;) I am solely interested in the I/C for the sake of a cooler charge into the turbo to improve efficiency and reliability. :angel: However , i suspect if something catastrophic happened, the Dealer would be sceptical, even if the ECU was in standard tune, when towed in . :wasntme:

Does a BAS tune come with an ADR compliance certificate? I'd be a bit concerned about warranty, insurance and long term reliability implications if not. Nothing against BAS tunes and they sound amazing, just don't know if they are compliant or not? Same with Alisport Intercooler, sounds great. Do they have engineer cert for AU?

I'm happy with my 2.2 Puma. If it can be re-tuned for improved reliability, driveability and economy legally then maybe I'd consider it when out of warranty, but I'd want it to be ADR compliant or have engineers cert for peace of mind.

[Tombie]

Hahahaha... The vehicle is not individually parts complianced in the first place.

An IC doesn't need a certificate etc, neither does your replacement Exhaust, Muffler, Wheel bearing, coil Spring, shock absorber etc...

The tune would only need to meet emissions requirements to be compliant - nothing more.

Your vehicle was technically approved with factory tyres also, so what will you run?

Exactly how do you expect the IC to be engineered? If it fits, is sealed etc there is nothing to "engineer" for compliance.

Changing ANY of component relating to emissions or exhaust from factory is technically a specification change and non-compliant.

If you work to these theories your vehicle will be stock for its entire operating life...

[MrLandy]

Well there's your answer El Ray. None aparently. :eek:

Stock = Classic. Fine by me.

[Tombie]

I would suggest you treat it thusly..

BAS maps will and do meet UK MOT - tougher and tighter than AU requirements.

IC meets MOT

DeCat meets MOT.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Just screw it, and do ALL the mods.
You'll have more fun :D

Or you can don your tweed jacket and wellies and keep it a virgin until you get sick of it.

[Tombie]

And unless you will (and have) replaced your ageing emissions control gear in your current and previous vehicles - then you likely never complied regardless..

Most vehicles emissions gear needs replacement as it ages.


Just mod away and make it safe..

[Beery]

My 130 has been in to the dealer here 3 times (first service and a couple of warranty jobs) since fitting the Allisport intercooler and they havent even mentioned it, thats if they've even noticed it.

The cruise control I installed also hasn't been mentioned. and the bullbar and the towbar and the UHF

That said, I have a very good relationship with the dealership service staff and they love the vehicle, especially the apprentice LR mechanic who has his head well and truly screwed on.

I suspect if he'd noticed the intercooler, he would've just grinned to himself and on kept going.

[Toxic_Avenger]

It's funny you mention emissions control gear. I once had to prove my vehicle's road worthiness through a noise and air pollution inspection at a compliance station. Got a defect notice, revoked registration and everything :cool:
When emissions control gear is removed it's a big deal in the eyes of the law, and not always an easy thing to rectify. Same deal applies when modifications away from stock take place. The likelihood of this happening to you oftentimes depends on the type of car you drive, and whether the attitude test checks out. Defenders are fairly safe in that regard I'd say.

[AndyG]

Just screw it, and do ALL the mods.
You'll have more fun :D

Or you can don your tweed jacket and wellies and keep it a virgin until you get sick of it.

I am not sure ifmthe innuendo was deliberate, but why am I thinking Susan Boyle as a girlfriend :confused:

[AndyG]

Just screw it, and do ALL the mods.
You'll have more fun :D

Or you can don your tweed jacket and wellies and keep it a virgin until you get sick of it.

I am not sure if the innuendo was deliberate, but why am I thinking Susan Boyle as a girlfriend :confused:

[MrLandy]

Not trying to be a killjoy here guys, but it's only when something big goes wrong needing warranty or insurance claim that questions get asked. Just worth considering. Appreciate MOT advice Tombie, would be interesting to know how it fares in oz.

Anyone had a bad experience with mods and warranty or insurance claims? ...beyond Tweed not meeting spec that is! :D

[Toxic_Avenger]

I am not sure if the innuendo was deliberate, but why am I thinking Susan Boyle as a girlfriend :confused:

OH THE HUMANITY!!!

[El Rey]

Putting aside all the inyournendo, I'm thinking that I won't be able to resist customizing for purpose if there's a fair chance the dealer won't be pedantic about it - and there's a lot of advice and experience about that on here.

[Tombie]

Never had a warranty issue with *any* of my LRs...

And we all know what I do to mine [emoji41]

[lump_a_charcoal]

Just wanted to add to this thread that I have replaced the standard intercooler with an Allisport one, as well as silicone hoses.
I had the stock manifold hose replaced under warranty last week, despite my mods.