Hi all -

in the next 30 days or so I'd love to have a full mazdaspeed suspension:

Mazdaspeed Front Strut Tower Brace
Mazdaspeed Rear Shock Tower Brace
Mazdaspeed Spring Set
Mazdaspeed Front and Rear Shocks


My question is which do you think would be better, to do an install party and hopefully have some local 8 lovers with the tools help me out while I supply beer and help all I can? OR Pay my local mazda dealer to install these parts? (speaking of which how much would YOU estimate it would cost the mazda dealer to put the parts on if I brought them to them?

I can find them much cheaper online I'm sure then buying direct from them, thanks!

 

Well, I just installed the rear tower brace... only thing is with that is that I didn't cut the holes in the lining correctly... so, it looks ugly... I installed the front tower brace too and that wasn't a problem.

I wanted to do shocks and springs soon, but I might let the dealer do it, I don't want to mess up my suspension with my n00bness.

 

Those are some of the easiest parts to put on.

Tower bar in front - ten minutes, tops.
Rear bar, thirty minutes, or an extra ten minutes if you have the shocks out to be changed anyway.

You are doing it right if you do the shocks and springs at the same time, build each strut, then just swap out the whole assembly.

The whole job would be a fun Saturday morning! Finish the job with some anti sway bars and links while the struts are out.

The only thing to watch is you don't pull on the little antilock sensor wires as you work on the hubs, a very expensive mistake.

S

 

risk getting your warranty cancelled or not have to worry about warranty is the question

 

Just because they're Mazdaspeed parts doesn't mean the factory warranty will apply if damage is done to those parts or as a result of those parts.

To the OP, make sure you get an alignment after you make the changes.

 

i was just at the dealership and they said if anything goes wrong with any aftermarket parts installed that the dealership didnt put on there they will void the warranty

 

They can't void your warranty just for putting on aftermarket parts whether they install it or not.

 

if it's genuine mazdaspeed thay can't do jack ****. read the crap that came with the parts.

 

Ike has a very good point - you will absolutely need an alignment after all that is done.

S

Ike - glad to see your Banana is back in action!

 

Let the dealer in stall it that way its coved under warranty

 

even if the dealer succeeds in voiding your warranty, exactly what do you think is the downside.

these are suspension parts. have you seen or heard of even one single spring replaced under warranty. these are very low risk to your warranty.

 

yes but say you install all of the stuff then something happens to your car not just suspension and they are like well you installed this yourself and messed this up in the process we are voiding your warranty.

 

Dealers will tell people all kinds of nonsense and give ignorant people a hard time. Go do a search for Magnusson-Moss and know your rights. While dealers will try to get around it they will usually fold once they realize they have no leg to stand on.

Now if you add something like a turbo you can forget about many warranty repairs because adding HP like that could certainly be argued to cause extra wear and tear on many different parts.

 

alrighty -- I'm still up in the air on which to do when I get the parts, the deciding factor will be how much a dealership would typically charge to do the front and rear tower braces, and to put the MS shocks and springs on?

If they told me $500 or something outrageous or something, I'd rather wait and try for an install party here in DFW or something....

Right now I'm semi kicking myself for paying the extra and getting the 100K extended warrenty... (at the time I was putting MAD miles on my car for work) and now at 24K things have chilled... sad thing is in 6 months depending on if all goes well with the new FI solutions coming around.... I can probably kiss the whole warrenty goodbye, LoL

 

I tend to have to agree -- by that logic you could bring in a greddy turbo, pay them the $81,341,817,810,015 dollars they would want to actually do the work and then it would be covered under warrenty because "they installed it" hehe

no offense, just a thought that popped into my head.

 

A dealership will probably charge you as much in labor as you pay for the top dollar Mazdaspeed parts. Then again a bunch of drunk buddies and you don't know what you might get. Check out the DIY section and go for it yourself. I did my springs by myself so I know every bolt was torqued properly, etc.

 

I would so love to do these mods by myself -- however I live in a hotel for work (dont work FOR the hotel its just where the people I work for like to keep everyone and its free so I dont have access to ramps, jacks, or any kind of tools outside the normal handman tool box.

 

When you recieve the parts read up on the warrenty papers. See if they stated they "MUST" be installed by a Mazda dealer to keep the warrenty they provide. If they dont find some mechanic friends and a 30rack and go nuts hehe. Though as someone stated becareful when uninstalling the orginal hardware dont wanna yank sumthing out by accident.

 

and also where it says that look where it says your warranty wont get cancelled or you will keep your warranty it wont say anything like that it just gives them a reason to make you pay more if your car happens to break

 

Yes they can.

 

Actually they can't. Haven't been able to since the Magnusson-Moss act. You know the one that said they can't void your warranty for not using FORD sparkplugs in a Ford, or MAZDA brand oil filters in your 8.

They have to prove that whatever you installed caused the damage.

 

its not whether the parts caused the damage its if YOU caused the damage while putting the parts on yourself

 

Look at the original post...it states that the dealer can void your warranty wether they install the parts or not.

That's not true.

If anyone damages your car installing anything, you or Jiffy Lube, they are responsible for the damages. I still don't see that voiding your entire warranty. Certainly the damage caused by the installation wouldn't be covered.

But that's not what the post said.

 

if you install some parts and something on your car breaks they can void your warranty

they will say that while installing the parts you damaged this which led to that and its because of this they are voiding your warranty they dont need an actual reason they will find anything to do so to save them some money.

its better to be on the safe side either wait till the warranty is gone before installing or have them install it. and any 3rd party installer will only accept responsibility for the parts they installed nothing more.