In today’s modern age of performance vehicles, it is a very well-known fact that aftermarket modifications can greatly enhance the performance of your vehicle. However, in doing so you may be unknowingly voiding your manufacturer’s factory warranty. In speaking with all customers, suppliers, and dealerships on a regular basis, I believe this is perhaps the biggest grey area to linger over our industry, and certainly one of the most misunderstood topics when it comes to modifying performance vehicles.
Firstly, let’s revisit exactly what our manufacturer warranty is. A manufacturer warranty is setup by the manufacturer at the time of purchase to protect the consumer from a potentially faulty product or good/s, and a guarantee will be made from the manufacturer that their product will perform defect free for a certain period of time assuming certain conditions are met. Assuming these conditions are met, the onus is upon the manufacturer to rectify any issues that may occur during the warranty period.
All sounds simple enough, right?
Where things become tricky in the world of performance vehicles and aftermarket modifications, is that technically, most aftermarket modifications are in some way, modifying the original product beyond the point where the manufacturer still retains liability to warrant their product. Why? Because simply, the product is no longer the same product originally tested by the manufacturer, or sold to you.
What makes things even more confusing is that whilst it is very common practice for dealerships to tell you that the fitment of ANY aftermarket components or servicing your vehicle anywhere other than the dealership will immediately void your warranty, this is simply not true. The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association outlines that your statutory rights determine that, should a failure occur, the onus is actually upon the dealer / manufacturer to prove that aftermarket part has caused the failure – not the other way around.
Clear as mud?
Totally confused?
Don’t worry – you are not alone.
Here at East Coast Customs, we have developed our own in house Performance Warranty Program, designed to take all the risk, confusion, and conjecture out of the modification process and offer our customers 100% peace of mind. After years of extensive experience in modifying performance vehicles, and working hand in hand with dealerships and manufacturers, our limited driveline warranty program has been developed to guarantee years of stress free motoring, with an assurance that should a problem develop with your vehicle, regardless of said modifications, that you are going to be covered.
The East Coast Customs Performance Warranty Program, provides you with an additional warranty protection coverage, up to $10 000, for up to 3 years / 90 000kms, or until the balance of your manufacturer warranty runs out, to repair any parts or componentry that may have failed as a result of an East Coast Customs fitted modification or upgrade. This warranty program goes hand in hand with your manufacturer program, and should your manufacturer deny a warranty claim on the basis of one of our modifications, you can rest assured that your vehicle will be sufficiently covered by our program.
So what exactly is covered by the East Coast Customs Performance Warranty Program?
- ENGINE AND VALVE TRAIN COMPONENTRY including the engine block, crankshaft, pisons, piston rings, crankshaft and camshaft bearings, cylinders, camshaft, valve springs, and connecting rods.
- GEARBOX AND TRANSMISSION including all internal lubricated parts.
- DRIVESHAFT AND UNIVERSAL JOINTS only
- DIFFERENTIAL internal lubricated parts only.
For more information, or for terms and conditions, please feel free to contact us anytime.
