Aftermarket coilovers and warranty repairs

[Ugene]

Just an FYI: any suspension modification may result in Tesla not covering warranty repairs of seemingly unrelated suspension components.

I took my 2018 M3P to repair/replace wheel bearing (that developed a typical failing sound as I was told) and the manager told me that this can't be covered as a warranty repair because I had aftermarket coilovers (MPP Sport). They deflected my question how shocks and springs can contribute to wheel bearing problems and said that any suspension modification voids warranty on any suspension component. That happened at Seattle Sodo Tesla SC. I also asked if putting a non-Tesla wheel would void suspension warranty and the guy first said Yes, then switched to Unsure, and then backed off to Probably Not; judge yourself how ridiculous it sounds.
Note that previously, when my upper control arms started squeaking, Tesla SC in Bellevue WA covered the work under warranty with no problem. But that is something that has a service bulletin on.

***

I still am not sorry I put aftermarket coilovers

 

[Kimmi]

Not legal in the US. See this; Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA)

 

[Ren.OG]

I'm holding off on installing my coilover set for specifically this reason.
Waiting for it to either get bad enough to fix or a recall notice.

 

[tm1v2]

@Ugene Thanks for sharing this experience. I have coilovers on order, and honestly this is what I expect. I am/was hoping Tesla would be nicer about it, but I'm going into this assuming that I'll have to pay for any suspension issues aside from recalls and maybe common problems with an applicable service bulletin. If Tesla were to cover anything more than that I'd consider it a welcome bonus.

I don't think I'll regret my coilovers either! "You have to pay to play" as the saying goes, if you don't want to pay to fix it, don't mod it. (Now if an automaker were to, for example, deny drivetrain coverage because of aftermarket street-focused suspension parts, that I would fight tooth and nail. I don't think that'll be an issue though.)

@Kimmi you're not wrong, but I think getting any automaker to strictly follow the MMWA is easier said than done. I believe most would deny coverage in this scenario (unless there's an applicable recall or maybe a service bulletin). It's most likely not worth the time/money/stress to fight it, and the eventual outcome would be far from certain, e.g. if you lowered the car or made it very stiff (not saying the OP did either) they might be able to produce evidence showing added stress on the wheel bearings. And no matter the outcome, if you fight an automaker hard over this you'd end up with a really bad relationship with them should you need warranty coverage of more expensive non-suspension stuff (like the drivetrain).

If this exact scenario were to happen to me after I put on my coilovers, I would certainly ask nicely for warranty coverage of the wheel bearing, but I wouldn't fight for it or argue much if they denied it.

 

[Mash]

Wheel bearings can break sooner due to different suspension setup. Its the price. With 350$ price of bearing you can add 20% chance of it into account and it would still worth upgrading suspension to MPP.

M3 is beyond the time when it will get those kind of recalls. Low chance. I wouldn't wait.

 

[eglove]

I stretched my ABS sensors during my EIbach lowering spring install and had to take it in, they wouldn't cover it under warranty, but the springs were the causal part for the failure so /shrug

 

[gearchruncher]

With 350$ price of bearing

Neighbor had to replace his wheel bearing- it was only $105 from Tesla, brand new. (For the part- we did the labor, it's easy,)

 

[Mash]

Neighbor had to replace his wheel bearing- it was only $105 from Tesla, brand new. (For the part- we did the labor, it's easy,)

It's mostly labor cost, yes.

 

[goin2drt]

Not legal in the US. See this; Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA)

Everyone always loves to quote this but the fact of the matter it is up to “you” the buyer to prove this fact that his SUSPENSION modification did not effect a SUSPENSION component. Good luck fighting, winning AND getting not only your repair bill money but all the time, effort and lawyer fees paid for when fighting a HUGE corporation.

I modify most of my cars and going in you just know this is part of the game. There will be zero consistency between dealer to dealer. Best bet is try to find one that is mod friendly, make friends and hope for the best but quoting, leveraging and trying to use the act above is futile.

 

[WAalseT]

Everyone always loves to quote this but the fact of the matter it is up to “you” the buyer to prove this fact that his SUSPENSION modification did not effect a SUSPENSION component. Good luck fighting, winning AND getting not only your repair bill money but all the time, effort and lawyer fees paid for when fighting a HUGE corporation.

I modify most of my cars and going in you just know this is part of the game. There will be zero consistency between dealer to dealer. Best bet is try to find one that is mod friendly, make friends and hope for the best but quoting, leveraging and trying to use the act above is futile.

This seems to contradict MMWA as generally understood - from the link you shared: “Furthermore, a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect to occur in the original product.”

The onus is on the dealer/mfg to prove that the mod caused the defect. Always good to get the denial in writing in case you want to challenge the denial.

 

[goin2drt]

This seems to contradict MMWA as generally understood - from the link you shared: “Furthermore, a manufacturer can only deny warranty coverage if it can demonstrate that a non-original equipment part or related service caused a defect to occur in the original product.”

The onus is on the dealer/mfg to prove that the mod caused the defect. Always good to get the denial in writing in case you want to challenge the denial.

Yeah sadly it doesn't work that way. They simply deny the claim. You the owner have to start the process of getting them to fix UNDER warranty. You have to prove that their denial falls under the act. THEN the dealer will have to file the paperwork to prove that your mod caused the issue, hence the battle begins that I was mentioning is not worth the time and the money.. Until you file they don't need anything other than their professional OPINION that is caused the fault.

Again people think this ACT is some savior. Give it a try. Trust me the dealer doesn't have to do ANYTHING other than just say "we deny the warranty claim" You can either pay to have it fixed or take your car and start the process of fighting them to fix it under warranty all the work is on the owner not the dealer.