Make sure you understand the warranties on the aftermarket parts themselves. What responsibility does the company take in case its product does cause a problem?
Before you buy, don't be afraid to quiz aftermarket makers or suppliers about their customer service and how they handle factory warranty problems. Find out if they'll help you hash out a warranty dispute if necessary.
Good News And, Uh, Other NewsHopefully it's good news to you that simply adding aftermarket parts can't legally void your factory warranty. It's also good news that quality aftermarketers are willing to go to bat for you in a warranty dispute. After all, it's good business for them if you add the parts and mods sooner rather than waiting for years until your factory warranty runs out.
The, uh, other news is that there's obviously still quite a ways to go before all local dealers and warranty service providers understand and accept the reality of the warranty laws. And to be fair, they've certainly had to deal with jerk customers trying to abuse their warranties and get something for nothing too. Dealer service writers have some pretty good war stories of their own. So you can't really blame them for being a bit gun-shy and suspicious.
Still, you may have to stand up and fight for your warranty rights. Just remember, as Gale Banks says, "Never fear, your rights are clear."
Lease LulusA big attraction of leasing a new or near-new 4x4 is that your monthly payments can be much lower than if you buy. But if you plan to modify the truck, carefully read the lease contract's fine print about "Use." For example, item 12 on the back of the GMAC Smartlease Agreement (Lease Agreement 8) says, "You will NOT" and then lists six items. The fifth You will NOT is "change the vehicle without our written consent."
The dealer said that meant we could not modify a leased truck at all. When we pointed out that the contract didn't prohibit changes, just said we needed written permission, the dealer referred us to GMAC's customer service department.
After a long, friendly conversation with a supervisor (we didn't say we were with the magazine), several important points came to light.
1)Leased trucks are expected to be returned in stock condition. That's no surprise. You can't torch off the stock IFS to add a lift on a leased 4x4.
2) There's no list of pre-approved "changes" that are OK under the lease. Each one has to be considered individually.
3) Practically nobody ever asks for written permission to change leased cars or trucks. They just do it and then get one of two surprises when the lease is up:
A)Just like in a leased apartment, anything you bolt onto a leased 4x4 technically becomes the property of the leasing company. That includes a floor-mounted cell phone or a fancy stereo as well as any fender flares, bumpers, etc., you've added.
B) You may be allowed to remove aftermarket parts as long as you don't leave any visible holes or other evidence that the parts were there. If there are holes, you may be charged for their repair even though the leasing company isn't required to actually make the repairs you pay for.
These three items aren't the whole lease story, just a sort of wake-up call. Other leases may handle changes and mods differently. Just be sure you know the whole deal before you sign up.