sigepbiker
Member
It does! The dealership will/should warrant their work and with that, should warrant that it will work with the rest of the truck.
Will lift void warranty?
- Thread starter Hepar
- Start date
It does! The dealership will/should warrant their work and with that, should warrant that it will work with the rest of the truck.
the_fornicator
New member
I just called my dealership as I just picked up a 2018 last week and am sending it in to get some 5100s and springs installed. Based on what they said, your statement is incorrect.
Even if a Toyota dealership installs a lift kit, they will warranty their work but not the part. The warranty on the part is based on the manufacturer warranty.
Moreover, a greater clarification then must be made: once they install the lift kit, they said that regardless of who installs the lift, it could affect your warranty with Toyota. It really depends on what goes wrong as your truck was warrantied with OEM parts -once you go aftermarket, those warranties suddenly have small writing. So, even though the dealership installs the lift, you might have well installed it in your backyard.
As someone stated above, there is no hard "yes" or "no". It just really depends on what fails and what can be proved at the time. Some dealerships are mod friendly and some are not.
Last edited:
EmperorWurm
New member
Are 5100 really considered a lift? i mean they are just shocks....
The 5100s contain several height adjustments via a clip that essentially lifts the end position of the spring/top hat assembly.
EmperorWurm
New member
yes, but it is just a shock, no other components (control arms, spindles etc) are affected from a simple shock replacement.....I wonder if you could argue that the 5100 is not a lift...
BlackWorksInc
New member
I feel like I've answered this question at least a dozen times on the forums in various ways over the years lol.
In regards to factory warranty, here's some things to keep in mind:
-Warranty coverage is dictated by the manufacturer, i.e. Time/Mileage/Component coverage is decided by the manufacturer and they hold the final say on what falls under those guidelines (though, minimum requirements and components are dictated by federal & state regulations)
-The manufacturer has the final say on what is covered by warranty (with the exception of a situation like a legal dispute and/or federal/state investigation where a 3rd party may be involved)
-Dealerships are NOT directly controlled, managed, and/or operated in any way by the manufacturer in the US. Dealerships are essentially a 3rd party "licensed franchise" often operated by a family group and/or corporate group that have a loose relationship with the manufacturer (i.e. access to training, certification, equipment leasing, and support systems). In the US, manufacturers have limited/narrow control/say over how a dealership operates and functions, usually it's based around how a manufacturer pays the dealership for warranty work, provides new vehicles, and services from the manufacturer.
-Which brings up the next point, dealerships perform warranty work under the belief they will be reimbursed by the manufacturer. This is why you may run into situations where a dealership/service writer may say something like "we need to replace something or else we don't get paid" or "we have to do it this was so we get paid." Manufacturers do not usually pay for diagnostic time, that is usually supposed to be the customer's responsibility, but as a general customer service practice a dealership usually "eats" that diagnostic cost as a courtesy (i.e. the technician, service writer, and dealership won't get reimbursed for the hour they spent making a TAS Case, Calling the TAS Hotline, performing the tests an Agent asks them to perform, etc. all to be given an "okay" to replace X part).
-Initial warranty coverage may be decided by a dealership as a result, because they're the ones who have to "prove" to the manufacturer that the repair work performed qualifies for warranty reimbursement. As a result it isn't uncommon to have different dealerships/dealership networks have different answers for what they consider "covered under warranty" because they take on the initial burden of paying for your warranty repair with the hope they will get paid back by the manufacturer, if they don't feel confident that can do that they may reject your warranty claim.
-But, as I said earlier; the manufacturer has final say in what is and what is not covered. You as a consumer have the option of contacting the manufacturer directly through their corporate hotline and disputing a dealer's initial decision if you are unhappy with their determination. (I will often recommend members to do just this if they are having some trouble with the dealership. I and my service writers have even advised customers to do this because we can sometimes run into a situation where if we filed the warranty claim as is, it would likely get rejected and we'd get dinged and end up paying for it; but if the customer complains to Toyota, it might get them to be a bit more lenient and work with us to either approve a repair as a one-time Goodwill through our DSPM or work with us to approve it outright.)
-Due to the relationship between dealership/dealership networks and the manufacturer it sometime means there's a bit of a "game" to getting stuff taken care of under warranty if it's an odd issue or a questionable coverage situation; it benefits you as a customer to understand not only your rights, but the dealership's & manufacturer's rights as well as possibly their process to have the tools in your arsenal to get the best possible outcome in your favor. It usually comes down to "who's paying who for what," if the dealership can't get paid by the manufacturer for something under warranty they don't want to bother/waste the time and will push that off onto the customer. It's kind of a shitty system we have in the US in that regard...
In regards to aftermarket components and factory warranty coverage, some helpful things to consider:
-Dealership/Dealership Networks may offer non-factory approved/certified modifications/upgrades as sales options or accessory add-ons. These items are often not covered under factory warranty and/or may void warranty on certain components by the factory. Warranty for these items is often handled by the dealership/dealership network and the modification manufacturer (i.e. we work with Magnuson to offer supercharger kits for our vehicles when TRD stopped offering them; we warranty installation of the kit and work with Magnuson for reimbursement on warranty claims regarding their product/parts.)
-In the specific case of modifications such as lift kits and such, a manufacturer may specify that certain modifications outright violate/void warranty of certain components and have procedures that need to be followed to maintain warranty on related components. (i.e. Toyota has documentation stating that any modifications to vehicles that alters right height, tire diameter, and/or position of the MMWR sensor are considered to affect systems such as Pre-Collision, Adaptive Radar Cruise Control, and/or Lane-Keep Assist/Lane-Departure systems, among other systems; they even have procedures for disabling these systems and technically speaking any customer concerns regarding those systems on modified vehicles are to be responded with either offering to disable the system or having the customer return the vehicle to stock configuration before it will be covered under warranty. We also were asked by Toyota many years ago to stop doing the occasional bracket lift or certain types of lifts on Siennas that required Body Mount Chops or frame modifications; Toyota basically said they would view those vehicles essentially as "Salvage Title" due to those modifications possibly affecting many components from their point of view.)
-Any modification you perform to your vehicle that changes it from it's "original configuration" as sold by the manufacturer may affect your warranty (i.e. even taking a new SR5 Tacoma and swapping the grill for a TRD Pro unit, even if you relocate the MMWR sensor to the factory TRD Pro position is technically viewed by Toyota as "significant modification" to the PCS/Radar Cruise Control systems because they have specific software calibrations for the different MMWR Sensors between those trims). As a result the burden of proving that said modification did not directly cause failure of a related component is on the customer (i.e. you may have to pay for diagnostic time and labor that will not be reimbursed to show Toyota that your coilover kit did not cause your wheel bearing to fail prematurely)
-Dealers/Manufacturers have the option (and often exercise said option) to deny warranty coverage/deferring diagnostic fees related to modified vehicles. (I have run into situations where due to an alarm/aftermarket item being tied into the OBDII connector, Toyota has advised me to have the customer "return the vehicle to stock" before they would consider any possible warrantable action regarding an odd electrical issue. In that case we have to charge the customer diagnostic time they will not get reimbursed for and treat the vehicle as out of warranty until we come up with something that could be warrantable.)
-I will also reiterate that any electrical modifications will usually void warranty on very broad systems because of the interconnected nature of systems. (I've run into many oddball issues where cheap LED interior light kits screw with the smart key functionality and Toyota outright told me "have them return the interior to stock before we proceed any further with any form of diagnosis for this vehicle. Or one time someone modified part of a harness they weren't supposed to, now the customer had to replace the entire interior vehicle harness at their cost before Toyota would go further on diagnosing an intermittent issue with a module that may or may not have been related to that harness).
-I don't know many people who have had a whole lot of success "fighting it out" in court with the manufacturer/dealership regarding some bigger warranty issues. It seems like the way the laws have been decided on it gives plenty of leeway for the customer and the manufacturer to end up in a "grey area," judging by a few comments before mine; my suspicions of this being the usual outcome seem warranted.
~
I think that's all I can really think of in regards to guidelines/things to keep in mind when it comes to warranty and modifications. I didn't bother with aftermarket warranties because they're more or less an insurance scam it seems like and operate on different metrics (I don't even think they're legally considered a "warranty" and seen more as an insurance policy?). These are also based around my personal experience and the experience of people in the industry I trust; with the majority of it being around the Service Technician/Parts Department side of things, I have chatted with one or two DSPMs over the years; but not really in depth about warranty stuff; so if there are persons who have better experience of things on the clerical/corporate side of things please feel free to correct/enlighten me on anything I may have gotten wrong or misrepresented!
In regards to factory warranty, here's some things to keep in mind:
-Warranty coverage is dictated by the manufacturer, i.e. Time/Mileage/Component coverage is decided by the manufacturer and they hold the final say on what falls under those guidelines (though, minimum requirements and components are dictated by federal & state regulations)
-The manufacturer has the final say on what is covered by warranty (with the exception of a situation like a legal dispute and/or federal/state investigation where a 3rd party may be involved)
-Dealerships are NOT directly controlled, managed, and/or operated in any way by the manufacturer in the US. Dealerships are essentially a 3rd party "licensed franchise" often operated by a family group and/or corporate group that have a loose relationship with the manufacturer (i.e. access to training, certification, equipment leasing, and support systems). In the US, manufacturers have limited/narrow control/say over how a dealership operates and functions, usually it's based around how a manufacturer pays the dealership for warranty work, provides new vehicles, and services from the manufacturer.
-Which brings up the next point, dealerships perform warranty work under the belief they will be reimbursed by the manufacturer. This is why you may run into situations where a dealership/service writer may say something like "we need to replace something or else we don't get paid" or "we have to do it this was so we get paid." Manufacturers do not usually pay for diagnostic time, that is usually supposed to be the customer's responsibility, but as a general customer service practice a dealership usually "eats" that diagnostic cost as a courtesy (i.e. the technician, service writer, and dealership won't get reimbursed for the hour they spent making a TAS Case, Calling the TAS Hotline, performing the tests an Agent asks them to perform, etc. all to be given an "okay" to replace X part).
-Initial warranty coverage may be decided by a dealership as a result, because they're the ones who have to "prove" to the manufacturer that the repair work performed qualifies for warranty reimbursement. As a result it isn't uncommon to have different dealerships/dealership networks have different answers for what they consider "covered under warranty" because they take on the initial burden of paying for your warranty repair with the hope they will get paid back by the manufacturer, if they don't feel confident that can do that they may reject your warranty claim.
-But, as I said earlier; the manufacturer has final say in what is and what is not covered. You as a consumer have the option of contacting the manufacturer directly through their corporate hotline and disputing a dealer's initial decision if you are unhappy with their determination. (I will often recommend members to do just this if they are having some trouble with the dealership. I and my service writers have even advised customers to do this because we can sometimes run into a situation where if we filed the warranty claim as is, it would likely get rejected and we'd get dinged and end up paying for it; but if the customer complains to Toyota, it might get them to be a bit more lenient and work with us to either approve a repair as a one-time Goodwill through our DSPM or work with us to approve it outright.)
-Due to the relationship between dealership/dealership networks and the manufacturer it sometime means there's a bit of a "game" to getting stuff taken care of under warranty if it's an odd issue or a questionable coverage situation; it benefits you as a customer to understand not only your rights, but the dealership's & manufacturer's rights as well as possibly their process to have the tools in your arsenal to get the best possible outcome in your favor. It usually comes down to "who's paying who for what," if the dealership can't get paid by the manufacturer for something under warranty they don't want to bother/waste the time and will push that off onto the customer. It's kind of a shitty system we have in the US in that regard...
In regards to aftermarket components and factory warranty coverage, some helpful things to consider:
-Dealership/Dealership Networks may offer non-factory approved/certified modifications/upgrades as sales options or accessory add-ons. These items are often not covered under factory warranty and/or may void warranty on certain components by the factory. Warranty for these items is often handled by the dealership/dealership network and the modification manufacturer (i.e. we work with Magnuson to offer supercharger kits for our vehicles when TRD stopped offering them; we warranty installation of the kit and work with Magnuson for reimbursement on warranty claims regarding their product/parts.)
-In the specific case of modifications such as lift kits and such, a manufacturer may specify that certain modifications outright violate/void warranty of certain components and have procedures that need to be followed to maintain warranty on related components. (i.e. Toyota has documentation stating that any modifications to vehicles that alters right height, tire diameter, and/or position of the MMWR sensor are considered to affect systems such as Pre-Collision, Adaptive Radar Cruise Control, and/or Lane-Keep Assist/Lane-Departure systems, among other systems; they even have procedures for disabling these systems and technically speaking any customer concerns regarding those systems on modified vehicles are to be responded with either offering to disable the system or having the customer return the vehicle to stock configuration before it will be covered under warranty. We also were asked by Toyota many years ago to stop doing the occasional bracket lift or certain types of lifts on Siennas that required Body Mount Chops or frame modifications; Toyota basically said they would view those vehicles essentially as "Salvage Title" due to those modifications possibly affecting many components from their point of view.)
-Any modification you perform to your vehicle that changes it from it's "original configuration" as sold by the manufacturer may affect your warranty (i.e. even taking a new SR5 Tacoma and swapping the grill for a TRD Pro unit, even if you relocate the MMWR sensor to the factory TRD Pro position is technically viewed by Toyota as "significant modification" to the PCS/Radar Cruise Control systems because they have specific software calibrations for the different MMWR Sensors between those trims). As a result the burden of proving that said modification did not directly cause failure of a related component is on the customer (i.e. you may have to pay for diagnostic time and labor that will not be reimbursed to show Toyota that your coilover kit did not cause your wheel bearing to fail prematurely)
-Dealers/Manufacturers have the option (and often exercise said option) to deny warranty coverage/deferring diagnostic fees related to modified vehicles. (I have run into situations where due to an alarm/aftermarket item being tied into the OBDII connector, Toyota has advised me to have the customer "return the vehicle to stock" before they would consider any possible warrantable action regarding an odd electrical issue. In that case we have to charge the customer diagnostic time they will not get reimbursed for and treat the vehicle as out of warranty until we come up with something that could be warrantable.)
-I will also reiterate that any electrical modifications will usually void warranty on very broad systems because of the interconnected nature of systems. (I've run into many oddball issues where cheap LED interior light kits screw with the smart key functionality and Toyota outright told me "have them return the interior to stock before we proceed any further with any form of diagnosis for this vehicle. Or one time someone modified part of a harness they weren't supposed to, now the customer had to replace the entire interior vehicle harness at their cost before Toyota would go further on diagnosing an intermittent issue with a module that may or may not have been related to that harness).
-I don't know many people who have had a whole lot of success "fighting it out" in court with the manufacturer/dealership regarding some bigger warranty issues. It seems like the way the laws have been decided on it gives plenty of leeway for the customer and the manufacturer to end up in a "grey area," judging by a few comments before mine; my suspicions of this being the usual outcome seem warranted.
~
I think that's all I can really think of in regards to guidelines/things to keep in mind when it comes to warranty and modifications. I didn't bother with aftermarket warranties because they're more or less an insurance scam it seems like and operate on different metrics (I don't even think they're legally considered a "warranty" and seen more as an insurance policy?). These are also based around my personal experience and the experience of people in the industry I trust; with the majority of it being around the Service Technician/Parts Department side of things, I have chatted with one or two DSPMs over the years; but not really in depth about warranty stuff; so if there are persons who have better experience of things on the clerical/corporate side of things please feel free to correct/enlighten me on anything I may have gotten wrong or misrepresented!
fastcars1971
New member
It will most definatley void the warranty
Just had an experience with Toyota warranty department and a lift. Had a 4x4 failure as a result of a broken actuator. Toyota pulled the lift card saying they won’t fix it because in their experience the lift causes it. It’s with Toyota HQ, so there wasn’t any leeway to argue with the dealer. Dealer tech had no comment on the lift causing any issues.
So, in short, yes, you’re rolling the dice with a lift. But without a lift, you have as much clearance as a Subaru Outback.
So, in short, yes, you’re rolling the dice with a lift. But without a lift, you have as much clearance as a Subaru Outback.
