quick question.... when lets say in the future my rx8 gets its mods... like turbo etc... would i have to find an independent mechanic for tune ups? or Can i still go to Mazda dealerships for service? Thanks! Don't know much about mods so I just wanted to think ahead of time.

 

You can go to a Mazda dealership, but don't expect a lot of warranty repairs to be covered if you put FI on your car. Mild mods will probably be ok (CAI, exhaust) although it depends on the dealer. But if you know that and just want them to tune it, and are willing to pay, sure they can do it, but you'll pay more than you need to. Dealerships are notoriously expensive.

 

I was thinking how the dealership service would react to the regular maintenace service like every 7,500miles i believe.

 

I agree with Omicron dealer most of the time won't cover you warranty if you have mod on the car, such as lowering it , and for the 7500 mil service is a rip off all they do is change your engine oil and rotate the tires, at lease that what Nissan does where I you to work at

 

From what I gather, a lot of the Mazda dealers have crappy service departments. So if you're looking into doing a lot of heavy tuning, you probably should find an independent service shop that has lots of experience with rotarys.

 

So the 7500miles service is change oil and rotate tires? Heh I hope they don't charge much for that.

 

Coulda sworn awhile back someone posted the only part you can change on a RX8 with out voiding the warranty completely is the Intake. I think we can say for certain if you Turbo your car your warranty is completely gone.

 

You can't void a warranty, they can only deny claims.

 

Alright guys I'm going out on a limb here...So I hope someone backs me up on this....From what I understand in America...No mods will void your warrenty...Due to a law passed a few years ago...I'll have the name of the law by tonight....According to the law...The only way any modifcations can void a warrenty is if it can be directly responsiable for damage's done to the car...For instance if you put an exhuaust on and your radiator goes out...they have to be able to prove the exhaust caused the radiator failure otherwise your covered....I'll have the name of the law later tonight for those who are interested....This comes from an entire local forum of racers...and several mechanics....who have been in this position...

 

Try the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. Here's a link:

http://www.impalaclub.com/naisso/magmoss.htm

Also, it doesn't guarantee that certain dealers won't refuse to work on your car if it is modified.

 

they would stil work on your car but most of the time the dealer won't have too much experience with mod car, I think you are better off finding a good repair shop that know Rotary Engine working on it.

 

I've heard of Ford dealers refusing to even connect their computers to a car because it had a chip. Their excuse was that it would damage their computer. It would be amusing to see what a dealer would do if you came in with an aftermarket turbo and the whole shebang.

 

Also keep in mind, your NADA value of your car applys only if it is stock and unmodified. As soon as you modifiy your car it reduces your NADA value to zero. (In the eyes of a bank that is) You might want to keep that in mind also.

 

I believe it is highly dependent on the dealer and service department. I had my FD's turbos--along with a brand new clutch-- replaced under warranty, even after having a boost controller and other mods installed. I only have the dealer perform oil changes and simple things. But when it comes to the engine tune ups or installations....i take it to a rotary tuner.

With the 8, it will get the typical mods--intake, exhaust, etc--so the dealer can still service it without me worrying about some mechanic accidentally screwing up my boost and fuel settings.

santino