What Accessories Can You Add Without Voiding Your Jeep’s Extended Warranty?
Investing in a Jeep is a big deal. These vehicles are built for the offroad and as such have features and capabilities designed to handle the toughest offroad terrains. However, Jeeps are not perfect and there are various offroad driving styles to suit each driver. Some offroad adventures necessitate upgrades that ensure your Jeep can handle the job. But what accessories can you add without voiding your Jeep’s extended warranty? Does modifying your Jeep void your warranty?
These are some of the questions we will attempt to answer in this guide so you can confidently proceed to upgrading your Jeep to achieve optimal offroad capabilities.
Key Takeaways
• Upgrading your Jeep or adding accessories will not void your extended warranty.
• However, make it a habit to check with your warranty provider before making any modifications to ensure you are covered.
• Examples of warranty-friendly accessories or upgrades include exterior and cosmetic upgrades, new wheels and tires, or aftermarket lights.
• Learn about the legislation that protects you as a consumer if you wish to perform any modifications on your Jeep or any vehicle without voiding your extended warranty.
Will Upgrading Your Jeep Void the Warranty?
The short answer is no. Simply upgrading your Jeep with aftermarket parts or other modifications will not void your Jeep’s warranty.
However, you must carefully review the terms and fine print of your warranty coverage to ensure you don’t violate any terms stated that could potentially void your warranty or result in a denied claim. These restrictions are put in place to ensure that you won’t damage your Jeep during the modification process, or else you could lose coverage for those damaged components.
Carefully consider this before you choose an upgrade and make sure to choose only professionals to perform the upgrade.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
It is crucial to understand your rights as a consumer, especially when you want to modify or upgrade your Jeep to suit your desired driving experience.
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was passed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 1975. This legislation ensures any consumer has the freedom to upgrade with aftermarket parts and components without being denied of their warranty coverage.
Therefore, this law protects consumer if they wish to upgrade to aftermarket components, as long as it is within the validity period of the warranty coverage. If there is a failure to any covered components, the dealership or warranty provider must correlate the damage to the aftermarket upgrade and the covered item.
If you are denied of a warranty claim simply for making an upgrade, it is crucial to be informed about your rights. This law protects you from such an instance and you can file a case with the Federal Trade Commission.
What Accessories Can You Add Without Voiding Your Jeep’s Extended Warranty?
This guide provides an overview of aftermarket accessories or upgrades you can add to your Jeep, or any other vehicle, without worrying about voiding your Jeep extended warranty.
1. Exterior Upgrades
Any accessories that enhance the Jeep’s exterior or external modifications will not affect your extended warranty. Therefore, you can upgrade your Jeep exterior as long as it does not modify the mechanical system, engine, or transmission.
2. Lights
Upgrading with new and aftermarket lighting systems should not void your Jeep’s extended warranty, especially if there are no major modifications to the electrical system. However, it is recommended to have a professional install these lighting modifications for proper function and avoid damaging the light system.
3. Aerodynamics
Any modifications to your Jeep that make it look or function faster should not impact the extended warranty. For example, adding a spoiler or a front air diffuser will not impact the electrical and internal components of the Jeep. It is only designed to improve the airflow management.
4. Cosmetic Upgrades
Any cosmetic enhancements on your Jeep to suit your preferred styling should not impact your Jeep’s extended warranty, as long as it does not directly impact the vehicle performance.
5. Wheels and Tires
Upgrading your Jeep’s wheels and tires won’t affect your extended warranty, if you want to improve handling and braking. It is especially true with tires, as there are tires specified for specific uses or road conditions, e.g. upgrading to tires for winter or off-roading.
Final Thoughts
Car enthusiasts, especially Jeep owners, want to personalize their driving experience. Car modifications and aftermarket upgrades offer the best way to add a personal touch to your Jeep. But it’s a good practice to check with your manufacturer or warranty provider before making any changes instead of assuming that it won’t affect your extended warranty.
Taking this step ensures you won’t be faced with surprise repair bills and that the covered components will ensure you have protection for your Jeep. It is true when you like taking your Jeep on off-road adventures; you want that protection all the more so you have peace of mind that it can handle any obstacles while maximizing your Jeep’s capabilities.
FAQs
What Jeep upgrades won’t void warranty?
Any upgrades on your Jeep that does not affect the covered parts won’t void the warranty. Even so, there should be an evidence that any modification done on the Jeep directly resulted in its damage.
Can I lift my Jeep without voiding the warranty?
Yes. Lifting your Jeep or other similar modifications won’t void the warranty. However, it is best to double-check with the manufacturer and warranty provider to ensure that you don’t violate your warranty terms on modifying the lift on your Jeep.
Does aftermarket exhaust void a Jeep warranty?
No. Upgrading to an aftermarket exhaust will not void your Jeep warranty. It is illegal for warranty providers to deny your claim on that basis alone, especially if it does not directly cause damage to other components.
Will cold air intake void the warranty?
Upgrading to a cold air intake would not void a Jeep warranty. However, improperly installed cold air intakes that cause damage to the engine could result in repairs or replacement to the engine components to be denied.
Does ECU tuning void warranty?
It varies from one warranty provider to another. However, in most cases, an ECU tuning will not void a warranty, especially on a Jeep, if it does not cause any damage to the vehicle.