no dealer can deny a warranty claim based on the fact you modified a car. it's law. the burden is on them to prove that the modification directly caused the failure.

1/29/2007 7:15:05 PM

a guy asked me today what was that little red car from tokyo drift... i told him it was a lancer. which was quite true.

1/29/2007 7:18:22 PM

^^good point

1/29/2007 7:24:17 PM

^^you and i both know that's the law, but i also know what happens in practice. i've heard of warranty claims being denied for aftermarket wheels for both Evos and E46 BMWs.

1/29/2007 7:56:32 PM

most people don't fight it when they're denied.

alot of dealer service departments are like dealing with insurance companies. they're usually going to just automatically deny your claim up front, and use whatever stupid reason they can find. once you make it clear you're going to pursue it, the tune usually changes.

like i said, the burden is on them to prove the part caused the failure directly. this involves something in writing, proof, etc. 9 times out of 10 once that's demanded they don't push the issue, unless the part really did cause the failure. it's pretty hard for them to deny a warranty claim just because there's aftermarket parts present. you'd be surprised, owners have ALOT more rights than they realize.

i can see aftermarket wheels being legit grounds for denial on some parts.

1/29/2007 8:08:50 PM

i don't want to have it denied if i splatter the t-case or a diff or something, though.

supposedly, mitsu can't detect an ECU flash. a turbo-back exhaust should be pretty easy to return to stock if i have to take it in (although hopefully they wouldn't even care about a big exhaust...that, in and of itself, won't cause anything to break. i mean, you'll generate a little more power/torque, but not enough that they should deny warranty claims. i bet they would, though.)

1/29/2007 8:20:29 PM

they can deny for any exhaust mod before the cat. after the cat they can't.

be careful with ecu flashes. if you ever need to take it in for something unrelated, make SURE they understand not to mess with it. dealers will do updates/flashes routinely if a new one is available whenever cars come in, even if they're in for something totally unrelated.

it really boils down to the risk you're willing to take. obviously, many aftermarket parts DO present the chance for causing a legitimate failure. my point is they can't deny your rear seatbelt latch not working because you have a bigger turbo or whatever.

they still can have a hard time proving parts directly caused a failure when it comes down to it, but then you get into the morale issue of the thing, etc.

[Edited on January 29, 2007 at 8:34 PM. Reason : .]

1/29/2007 8:32:32 PM

Quote :

"they can deny for any exhaust mod before the cat. after the cat they can't."

that's fucking gay. that's just a way for the gov't to strongarm you into staying emissions legal by letting manufacturers police it through the warranties.

i wonder how much i'd gain with just a catback (or how much trouble it is to remove and reinstall the DP and cat/test pipe on these cars)?



i'm not concerned with the "moral issue"...i'm not planning on getting too crazy.

[Edited on January 29, 2007 at 8:42 PM. Reason : asdfasdfas]

1/29/2007 8:41:14 PM

welcome to the newest member of the group.

SoundBoy4




congrats on the new ride!

[Edited on January 30, 2007 at 4:30 PM. Reason : fda]

1/30/2007 4:28:07 PM

sup!

1/30/2007 4:32:11 PM

I wouldn't bother with an ecu. Every car is different and as your car changes, you chip's bin isn't. I'd recommend the ECU+ or the new MAF Translator pro and a gm hotwire blow-thru maf (3-3.5" off an impala or something). The ecu+ (http://www.ecuplus.com) has some pretty slick software and it's plug and play. just unplug it when you goto the dealer. you can also fine tune it to your specific car on a dyno or track.

1/30/2007 9:53:08 PM

*ecu flash

1/30/2007 10:56:48 PM

I just called the Mitsu dealer in WA where I'll be stationed in a couple of months and talked to one of there service guys. He said that he personally lets minor things like intake and exhaust work slide (in terms of warranty work), but that the district service rep is pretty tough on that stuff, so if he's around and sees anything (other than MAYBE a catback), they'll void your warranty.

2/1/2007 5:11:01 PM

i say give it a couple of months then start modding...you really only have to worry about breaking shit when you talk about a surge in power. then its not really mitsu's fault anyway...

2/1/2007 6:13:11 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-04-05-06-Lancer-Evolution-Evo-8-9-JUN-BL-Exhaust-3_W0QQitemZ220077118458QQihZ012QQcategoryZ133195QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

good deal on a reall nice cat-back

2/5/2007 1:36:10 PM

Dude, I know you aren't that intelligent seeing as how you have a kid and all but do you think its prudent to rice up your car right after you just bought it?

[Edited on February 5, 2007 at 2:09 PM. Reason : I hate fartpipe evo's.]

2/5/2007 2:08:47 PM

in regards to the "fart-pipe" duke link'd, what other style mufflers available would benefit the evo, other than the straight-thru, perf. core style? or are you just commenting on the exterior styling of the muffler?

another question, is the guy that drives the red evo with tag "4cylHemi" a twwer? I absolutely love that car





[Edited on February 5, 2007 at 4:24 PM. Reason : goddamn those v-band clamps are sick]

2/5/2007 4:16:58 PM

^^i'm not about rice. if the wing wasn't functional, and if the RS was halfway reasonably equipped, and if I thought the resale of it would be as good, I would've bought an RS just to get rid of that huge ass wing.

I don't want a loud exhaust (I actually would prefer it to be as quiet or quieter than stock, but it's tough to get more power without uncorking the exhaust at least some), and if it looks just like stock, then all the better. i'm all about sleepers.

however, as much power as you can gain on this car by simply adding an exhaust, ECU flash, and boost control, I'm having a hard time talking myself out of doing it.

2/5/2007 5:31:28 PM

what about swapping trunk lids to get rid of the spoiler

2/5/2007 5:50:40 PM

well, that's possible, but what from i've read, there is actually a noticeable difference in high speed handling, and since i want to track the car, i think i'll stick with what i've got

not to mention the resale value issues

2/5/2007 6:18:41 PM

true.

2/5/2007 6:51:22 PM

Get another trunk painted to match your car, then learn to quick change to the stupid looking one for track days.

its what i would do. then I could clearly disagree with how it looks and still say "hey its just a lancer" to kids at stoplights.

2/5/2007 7:18:37 PM

i dont know about evos, but usually on turbo cars your biggest restriction will be downpipe, not catback. in fact, im sure you could just get a downpipe and leave the stock catback alone. i had a full 3" turboback on the GTI and people with similar mods and with 3" downpipe and stock or 2.5" catback would get maybe 2-4whp less than me. surely not worth the money.

2/5/2007 7:36:21 PM

hmm, that might be an option. I'm not about to pull the trigger on that particular catback...just posting it because it's a very good deal on a nice piece of gear.

if i were to buy a catback, i'd certainly get a downpipe as well.

2/5/2007 7:49:53 PM

search evo forums, but im pretty sure downpipe will suffice. i was waking up my neighbors on cold mornings with 3" full turboback. in the beginning it was fun, but over time you will get tired.

2/5/2007 7:55:19 PM

eh, i've had 2 cars with full exhausts, and another with a catback.

2/5/2007 8:01:11 PM

something about vws... most GTIs ive seen with nice free flowing exhausts are exceptionally loud at idle.

2/5/2007 8:16:41 PM

^i think the main reason why -- wheel base is very short on GTIs. shorter exhaust=louder exhaust. same reason why civics sound loud with any exhaust.

2/5/2007 8:23:31 PM

ok, finally got a chance to clean mine up after a bunch of rainy days.

2/8/2007 5:58:11 PM

Very nice. I need to clean mine up and get some pics.

2/8/2007 6:39:01 PM

dont spend any money on power. if you want to track it, put the money in suspension. otherwise just be okay with the fact you have a balls fast car.

2/8/2007 6:56:53 PM

^shut up. it needs a full exhaust and more boost.

2/8/2007 9:28:08 PM

so when's the tww evo meet?

2/8/2007 9:46:00 PM

^^no, it doesnt

2/8/2007 10:03:03 PM

Quote :

"dont spend any money on power. if you want to track it, put the money in suspension. otherwise just be okay with the fact you have a balls fast car. "

not even that...just spend the money on seat time.

2/9/2007 2:06:11 AM

Quote :

"no, it doesnt "

stop being a fag yes it does

2/9/2007 2:42:08 AM

of course it doesn't "need" more power. need has nothing to do with anything.

power is a good place to spend money on this car, simply because you can get so much more for so little money. the suspension seems pretty well sorted, so I'm hesitant to mess with it. plus, if i want to return it to stock, it's a lot tougher to yank suspension parts than it is to swap exhausts and yank a boost boost controller.

[Edited on February 9, 2007 at 7:34 AM. Reason : asdfasd]

2/9/2007 7:13:14 AM

Duke, if your IQ dropped any lower we'd have to stick you in a pot and water you every 3 weeks. Do not mod a car like the evo until you've driven it at the limit hard.

And no, driving like an ass on the street isn't "the limit."

I think you'll find that once you start tracking an evo, you actually don't have the money to reliably mod it.

2/9/2007 9:32:55 AM

i think the greatest thing about evo is 300+awhp with $2k worth of mods.

there is nothing wrong with wanting more power, especially since evo are so cheap to mod.

maybe his priorities are not to track the living shit out of the car. he has a kid, maybe he doesnt care about giving $500 for new tires every 2 track sessions or every few months.

goes back to that old argument....what do we consider cheap and fun. for some of you guys spending $350-400 per weekend on track time is a well spent money. others may not care about it.

2/9/2007 12:22:20 PM

Yea I understand. I'm being a dick for no reason.

Just be careful. Don't end up like the hundreds who wrap their evo's around tree's and poles. There's a reason our insurance is so high.

2/9/2007 1:25:04 PM

who said he's going to track it every day?

shit you dont need to buy a 1000cc super bike or a gsxr 750 or 600 for that matter. rarely anyone can push them to the limits at the track.

it's all about having fun.

who would buy a brand new evo just to beat the shit outta it on the track? sounds like u have lots of money to throw away, or ur reall dumb.

2/9/2007 1:53:49 PM

Not just to track silly

But to track it before modding it

2/9/2007 2:32:39 PM

talk about insurance.....m3 is raping me in the ass with a 15" state farm insurance dick.

$740/6 months on a '96 car.



i dont even want to know what evo would run...probably over 1k

[Edited on February 9, 2007 at 3:14 PM. Reason : f]

2/9/2007 3:13:54 PM

Quote :

"who would buy a brand new evo just to beat the shit outta it on the track? sounds like u have lots of money to throw away, or ur reall dumb"

considering there are two people on this forum that bought evos and track them...i'd say there are quite a few people that do that.

2/9/2007 3:20:23 PM

Weird, my insurance is only about $360/6 months (98 M3 Sedan, $320/6 months for 5 series), and I've got multiple suspensions for all sorts of things on my record, currently at 4 points (maybe more, had a court case yesterday, haven't heard from lawyer yet). I've gotten quotes for all sorts of junk, including an EVO, none were more than $500/6 months. EVO was higher than a Z06 (which was cheaper than a regular C5), as well as a 911, which was also cheaper than both.

Side notes;
On the M3, sedan vs. coupe did NOT make a difference, cheapest car I've ever insured is a Saab 900 Turbo SE @ $260/6 months, most I've paid for insurance was during a license suspension at $1600/6 months. Coverage has always been 1mil/person/accident through Allstate, I've also got my condo insured through them, and my sister's listed under my policy also.
Ahmet

2/9/2007 4:38:33 PM

^yeah im shoping for insurance for some time now. they are killing me. i got 4 points also, one ticket and one illegal radar detector ticket.

[Edited on February 9, 2007 at 4:46 PM. Reason : /]

2/9/2007 4:44:14 PM

.

[Edited on February 9, 2007 at 4:45 PM. Reason : double post]

2/9/2007 4:44:57 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y6lIaGZA4w&mode=related&search=

2/12/2007 4:16:39 PM

man, it's been a long time since i've driven anything that delivered power to the front wheels (thank God), and had blocked from my memory the quirky traits of such vehicles--particularly those that make at least a moderately high level of power. i got a little hamfisted with the Evo today and abruptly stomped the loud pedal with the car in a tight left turn (prob at least 1/2 turn of wheel deflection). the resulting torque steer snatched the wheel right out of my hands for a second.

2/16/2007 10:45:47 PM

so does anyone think that the Buschur Stage 1 (3" TBE, MBC, boost gauge and pod, drop in filter, ECU flast) for $1350 can be beated for the price (without going with no-name stuff that may or may not fit well, will be difficult to do a mail-in flash for, etc)?

those are pretty much the mods I want to do...I just wonder if anyone else has a similar package for less money that's just as good.

you can also get the Stage 1 Buschur package sans air filter for $1270, then put your own BMC or something in there for the same results (which is probably what I'd actually do).

2/20/2007 11:43:17 AM