Mods on R8 versus warranty?

[Monkey boy UK]

Mods on the R8 are always popping up on this forum, quite a few of these interest me for the Spyder such as the exhaust mods, sprint booster etc but does anyone know how these mods affect the Audi warranty? the reason for asking is that i once fitted a non recommended ( by Porsche ) alarm and tracker to a Cayenne S and when i had electrical problems with the cars ecu when it was only 6 months old Porsche refused to cover under the new car warranty due to not using their recommended product which they obviously make a margin on! i just sold it quick and bought an RS4!

Any experience on similar with Audi as i don’t want to tinker if it causes issues if a problem arises?

[randombloke]

in theory, audi would have to show that the change affected the warranted component - so if you changed exhaust and then had a problem with the brakes, they'd struggle to show the 2 were connected and deny a warranty claim on the brakes.

it gets more complicated when they are more closely related - it's worth seeing if the manufacturer/supplier is willing to guarantee to cover anything audi claims is affected so that it's them that will then argue with audi and engage in any legal action rather than just you as an individual.

[gazza1]

Audi Germany will tell you officially NO NO NO

However by comments I have read on this forum and others.. it does appear to differ from country to country,dealer to dealer.

If the mods are dealer installed.. like my exhaust all other parts of the car remain under full warranty including the installation(in OZ)... but excluding the exhaust itself obviously.

I believe the strength of your relationship with the dealer has a major part to play if you were to come across any future problems.

[Monkey boy UK]

in theory, audi would have to show that the change affected the warranted component - so if you changed exhaust and then had a problem with the brakes, they'd struggle to show the 2 were connected and deny a warranty claim on the brakes.

it gets more complicated when they are more closely related - it's worth seeing if the manufacturer/supplier is willing to guarantee to cover anything audi claims is affected so that it's them that will then argue with audi and engage in any legal action rather than just you as an individual.

OK, Got it! only go for mods from reputable companies who warrant thier own work & guarantee any related problems should Audi question, in other words dont DIY either which a lot of advice on the forum seems to support!! i will have to give it some thought and do my homework before going for expensive mods.

[Monkey boy UK]

"I believe the strength of your relationship with the dealer has a major part to play if you were to come across any future problems"

Gazza, i have a great relationship with my Audi dealer ( perahps DD should have ordered through them! ) i think i would take their advice before any major mods are done, cheers

[Davey_Dee]

Just posting what's on the Audi UK site

Our guarantee to you

All new Audis purchased from an authorised Audi Dealer in the United Kingdom qualify for a three-year vehicle warranty consisting of a two-year/unlimited mileage manufacturer’s warranty and a third year warranty with a 60,000 miles limitation.

Should a defect in manufacture or workmanship occur with your vehicle during the three-year warranty period and it is within the mileage limitation, any member of the Audi authorised network will be able to carry out the necessary rectification, free of charge, whether or not they were the original supplying Dealer.

If you have modified the vehicle with the addition of accessories or other equipment, you may be charged for the removal of such equipment if so required to affect a repair.

The warranty is not affected by any change in ownership of the vehicle.

Any part which is replaced becomes the property of Audi. Any replaced parts are covered for the unexpired period of the vehicle warranty.

The third year warranty with 60,000 miles limitation

After the first two years of your warranty, your vehicle will be covered by a third year Audi authorised network warranty if:

The vehicle has not exceeded 60,000 miles
The vehicle was imported by Audi UK and supplied through the United Kingdom Audi authorised network

This warranty will terminate on the anniversary of the third year from the date of original registration or at 60,000 miles, whichever is soonest. Should the mileage exceed 60,000 miles within the first two years, the two-year manufacturer’s warranty will still be valid, but you will not automatically have a third year of warranty.

Travelling abroad within the first two years of your warranty

In the event of warranty repairs being necessary when travelling abroad, any member of the Audi authorised network in the country you are visiting will be able to carry out any rectification work under the terms of the manufacturer’s warranty. They will require the vehicle information data details contained in the front of your car’s Service schedule book to enable them to carry out the repairs. They will undertake the repairs free of charge.

Travelling abroad within the third year of your warranty

Should your Audi suffer a manufacturing defect covered by the third year warranty while outside the United Kingdom, the repair must be carried out by a member of the Audi authorised network in that country. The cost should be settled by you with the repairer and a claim made for reimbursement through your local member of the Audi authorised network in the United Kingdom. In order for reimbursement to be possible the repair invoice should be returned to a member of the Audi authorised network in the UK within 28 days of the invoice date.

Servicing

Your vehicle should be serviced in accordance with the manufacturers’ technical guidelines. Any damage to, or defect in, the vehicle caused by poor or insufficient servicing will not be remedied under the vehicle’s warranty.

Please ensure that you maintain sufficient records to enable the Audi authorised network to confirm that the vehicle has been appropriately serviced. In any event, please ensure that the Service schedule book in your vehicle is stamped by the Dealer/authorised repairer carrying out the service work.

[R84ME]

in theory, audi would have to show that the change affected the warranted component - so if you changed exhaust and then had a problem with the brakes, they'd struggle to show the 2 were connected and deny a warranty claim on the brakes.

Now, using the same logic, consider an aftermarket supercharger. If ANYTHING goes wrong with the engine, you KNOW the finger will be pointed at the supercharger. Most of us probably don't have enough time and/or money to argue the point with Audi.

[randombloke]

Now, using the same logic, consider an aftermarket supercharger. If ANYTHING goes wrong with the engine, you KNOW the finger will be pointed at the supercharger. Most of us probably don't have enough time and/or money to argue the point with Audi.

exactly - that's why some manufacturers offer to cover warranty items if audi say that their component caused the problem. I could be mistaken, but I seem to recall milltek offering this back when I had an exhaust for an m3 and it's something some of the chip tuners offer eg:

http://www.superchips.co.uk/index.ph...d=15&Itemid=29

[OEMplus.com]

I believe the strength of your relationship with the dealer has a major part to play if you were to come across any future problems.

This is what it boils down to. If they like you and the mod is not an obvious cause of a warranty issue, you should be fine. If your have a headlight bulb die, they aren't going to point to your custom exhaust as the culprit. If you melt your rear bumper because the exhaust shop didn't put the heat shields back on, then the exhaust will be the obvious problem and a warranty repair will be difficult to justify.

[Monkey boy UK]

exactly - that's why some manufacturers offer to cover warranty items if audi say that their component caused the problem. I could be mistaken, but I seem to recall milltek offering this back when I had an exhaust for an m3 and it's something some of the chip tuners offer eg:

http://www.superchips.co.uk/index.ph...d=15&Itemid=29

Spoke to Milltek dealer today, there seems to be no exhaust system developed yet for Spyder, not sure id its same as V10 Coupe of which there is one in development, i said i may be interested in offering my R8 V10 Spyder as a donor if the terms and timing was acceptable ( terms covering warranty & a price concession as i will be possibly the first Spyder, good PR etc etc ) ( Timing is everything as i dont want to be one of the first to get a Spyder then find i am without it for 1 or 2 months, also got to think about the Alpine trip of a lifetime! )

They are getting back to me on the above.