Features of your GTR will VOID WARRANTY
 

So like hundreds of others, when you get your GTR the first thing you'll want to do is unleash Godzilla.

Take it down to the Track, go around a few times, see what the car is really made of, do a couple 0-60 times as well as some drag. All the while having a Great Time.


Wrong.


Hidden within the pages of the 'GTR Overview-Review' From Nissan, in the "Warranty/Maintenance" section is a list of things that you would asume are normal but infact, will Void your Warranty.

things such as...


"Turning off your VDC"

"Launch control"

"Racing"

"Modifications, including Reprograming or replacing/adding chips to any of the onboard computers"

"Failure to have required Performance Optimization Services Performed"

and...

"running the summer tires at or below -4 degrees"



So Naturally, after i heard this. I thought, well i just wont do it often, and i wont make it obvious, no one will ever find out or know.


Wrong.


Nissan has already countered this type of thinking. Installed in the car is a box recording all activities and sequences performed by the Car. It records ever action and every press of every button. It even knows where you are. IE The Japanese GTR's will automatically go into Track mode when they drive onto a track. The GPS will pin them at that location and the car responds.


So again, i thought, well ill just get around it by just removing or getting some geek to mess with the box.


Wrong. Again.


Unfourtunatly the Box is extremely secure and sensitive. If it is removed and/or senses it has been Tampered with, the Warranty is Void.


I dont see a way around this. and If some of you do, im sure nissan has already got it covered. This might just mean M3 for me.

Well, I really don't see anything that you've written that is different from what other car companies claim. The main difference is that the launch control can void your warrantly...however I still have yet to see any specific literature that states this directly. I would imagine that if this is stated, it would have a qualifier statement such as "excessive use of" or something similar.

In fact, I would agree that a manufacturer shouldn't be liable of warranty repairs for the car if it is used as you described above. That's just part of what us modifiers (or racers) risk when we change (or race) the vehicle...it's not as though the entire car will be void of warranty if you mod, but contingent parts would be void. (i.e. if you put on aftermarket exhaust on and later your windshield wiper motor breaks, that will be under warranty although anything associated with the exhaust will be void)

As far as the ECU or "chip" as you stated, this is associated with multiple aspects of the car, but more specifically with the engine...so again, the manufacturer shouldn't be held liable for damage that could be associated with ECU modifications.

As far as "racing" goes...again, the car (at least the JDM version) recognizes tracks and automatically lifts the speed governor that's in place. They know that many GTR buyers intend to go to the track, hence these options were included with the car. I don't think (I could be wrong here) that just taking your car to the track for a track day voids the warranty, but competition driving in timed events could and should void the warranty. This would also go for your potential M3.

Fact of the matter is, if you want to modify, plan on losing at least a portion of your warranty...not just for the GTR but for any car.

As far as BMW goes, unless you use Dinan to mod, you can kiss most of your warranty goodbye (and Dinan prices are ridiculous).

Such is life, you've got to pay to play.

Federal law (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act) prohibits the manufacturer from voiding your warranty on account of aftermarket upgrades unless they can prove the part that failed was due to the direct result of the said aftermarket parts. Of course its more technical than that. It's just rediculous that NIssan would include a launch control feature and penalize you for using it.

camaro, why are so many of your posts so negative?

you've toned it down a bit, but what do you have against this car?

also as for launch control, it is illegal in the US for manufacturers to sell cars with options that will void their warranty, hence the launch control on e46 m3's in the us being reduced from (i think) 4500 rpm to 2500

i don't understand what you're trying to do on here

Thanks for pointing out the Magnuson-Moss warranty act.

As far as the launch control goes, I still have yet to see any literature from Nissan that shows that it voids the warranty...:)

Me either. But I can imagine Nissan voiding warranties b/c someone was using launch control too often (they may consider it abuse?).

Yup, just like other car companies would if you brought in your car that had signs of "abuse".

as I said they can't sell stock equipment that will void the warranty, it's illegal in the US, hence the reduction of the launch point from euro models on other cars (bmw m3) in europe it's different, here stock equipment cannot void warranty with any usage

omg you should see my M3 forum posts!!!!



here is my moto. before i give my hard earned money for something, i need to know its worth it.


and since im not exactly going to be talking to the GTR engineers.... i talk to enthuisiasts!!!!


i LOVE this car. as i love many other cars... :D


I just need to know the opinions and thoughts of those who love this car as much as i do... please excuse the negative nature of certain posts of mine, im just testing how the car holds up in conversation. I criticize something or come down hard so that i know im not just another fan boy praising anything in the name. I dont just go on beliving everything i hear or read without testing it.


plus, i dont want someone to bring something like this up when i own the car, and not be able to answer them. :smilie_th

well camaro, i'll take it back, you're fair I just wasn't sure, you're an active member, so props to you

i'll see you out there, thanks for adding to the site

best,

rmatt

thanks rmatt :smilie_th

Here is an old 'BMW & Driver :D ' article I'm sure you all seen:


2009 Nissan GT-R Ownership Myths Dispelled - Car News

There’s no speed limiter, the tires won’t wear out in 3000 miles, and Nissan even picks up some of the service costs.


April 2008



You’ve likely already read the various rumors flying around the Internet about the GT-R’s steep ownership costs; that it has a speed limiter unless you’re at a Nissan-approved track; and that tires can only be replaced four at a time. We heard these things, too, courtesy of a tire supplier to GT-R, so we called up Nissan and got to the bottom of it. Most of the gloom-and-doom hype is unfounded. See below for our questions and Nissan’s responses.

Rumor 1: Nissan’s GPS will only allow full-speed operation in the U.S. at Nissan-approved tracks.

There is no speed limiter on the U.S. spec GT-R unless you count the rev limiter.

Rumor 2: Once a vehicle has been run an approved track, it must be subjected to a post-track safety inspection at a Nissan dealer (brake fluid, suspension, tires, drivetrain, other checks), at an estimated cost of $1,000. Otherwise the warranty is voided.

It is a very good idea to inspect a car of the GT-R’s potential after spending time on a track to verify that everything is still within specifications and not worn. We are investigating offering this type of post-track inspection service to GT-R owners in the U.S. in order to provide the type of customer service some GT-R owners will want. Track use will not void the warranty. However, the warranty will not cover repairs required due to misuse, including operation in violation of applicable laws or racing.

Rumor 3: The vehicle is set up from the factory with suspension settings for track use, with very high negative camber in the front and substantial toe-in at the rear. If the car is driven on the street with the factory settings the tires will only last 3000–5000 miles, and inner tire wear in the front will be substantial within 1000 miles. The settings may be changed from factory settings for street use prior to delivery, however.

The normal front camber setting is just over 1 degree negative. There is a small amount of flexibility in the setting, so if a customer wants to maximize tire wear they can request slightly less negative camber. The rear toe setting is between 1 and 2 mm total toe-in. While these settings are more aggressive than most cars, they are not extreme. The car provides amazing performance and you wouldn’t expect it to behave like a typical car. Driving style and road surfaces will greatly affect tire life, so it is very difficult to estimate. However, the tread life of some of our test tires has exceeded 10,000 miles in typical street driving. Of course, track usage will definitely diminish tire life.

Rumor 4: The brakes are some type of ceramic composite, and a brake job will cost upwards of $3000.

The GT-R brakes use conventional materials. The brakes have full-floating two-piece rotors. The outer rotor is cast iron and the hub or hat is aluminum. The pads are also conventional materials. They are large Brembos—15-inch rotors front and rear, six-piston calipers front and four-piston rear—so they won’t be inexpensive, but they provide phenomenal stopping performance. We don’t expect a 500-hp engine to cost the same as a 300-hp engine, so we wouldn’t expect 500–hp brakes to cost the same as 300-hp brakes. We don’t have final pricing on the parts yet so we can’t say for certain how much they’ll cost.

thanks for the info ultima, makes a lot of sense

To add to the black box being secure, I believe that cobb tuning's access port does not leave a foot print in the stock ecu that it was ever installed or uninstalled when taken in for service. Cobb has made the ecu not track you when the access port is installed either.

Also these warranty voids aren't hidden, they are the first thing in the manual after the table of contents.

I dont think something wrong will happen to the engine or the tranny..
I am buying the car to enjoy it and have fun, I dont give a dam about stupid dealer that want to void waranttee because i was using the launch control :smilieth

I will just have fun as much as i can..:D

Seeing as LC is computerized abuse of the car and pretty much the same as side stepping the clutch on a MT car I can see why NNA wants to protect its crown jewel (despite they don't transport it like on). I believe most car companies don't want you to turn the TC off.

I believe that the tranny is $15,000 so I want mine to last a while.

agree on that..
i just dont like driving the car and having in mind that someone is following me and watching my A** if i void the warrantee.. i just want to enjoy it, and offcourse not abuse it:smilie_th

I am going to use the cobb accessport which is suppose to disable the "black box" in the GT-R but not leave any evidence that it was there when taken in for service.

Are you serious? can we do that? where can i buy one?

Beta testing for the US models is underway. JDM testing was successful.
Here's the blog to keep you updated:
http://blogs.cobbtuning.com/


You'll be able to purchase the accessports here:
http://www.cobbtuning.com/

I have the accessport for my current car and it's awesome. I expect the same for the GTR.

I would be so pissed if they voided my warrantee over something tha was not clear in teh first place. I really don't think they could do that.

I don't care what Nissan says! When I get the GTR its my car and I'll do whatever I want with it.

They are still testing the accessport for USDM cars.

Here is a video of Cobb's JDM GT-R and the exhaust note is incredible, it will be a whole lot cheaper than other tuners to get a better sound as it is only high flow cats and a cat back exhaust. They leave the stock exhaust tips which will keep a sleeper look (as much as a GT-R can be a sleeper). :smilie_th



Hard to argue with over 500 whp with very little in upgrades.

thanks for posting the movie, it does sound awesome

Thanks catapult5 for the info.
isnt Mine's Japan coming up with ECU upgrades and Cat-back kit?!

I was going to go with Mine's too but found that mines is going to be far more expensive especially since mines want you to have their exhaust pipes which are not cheap. Since Cobb is out of the US it will be much easier and cheaper to get parts. No over nighting parts from Japan necessary.:smilie_th

Also Cobb is developing coil over conversion kit for the suspension that will allow change but will not make you lose ability to change the suspension from the three modes (you do with Mine's full suspension) all of this at a far cheaper price than the $9,000 full suspension swap from Mine's. Remember that if you lose the suspension switch you also lose launch control.:smilieth
Cobb Suspension

I'm not sure that the ECU tunes are so different but the gains Cobb has gotten are impressive and since I want to go with just one tuner Cobb coil over swap won me over (as did that exhaust note):D

The only difference from any other performance car, in terms of what you just listed, is that turning of the VDC will void warrarnty. "Racing" as opposed to controlled lapping at a track ALWAYS voids your warranty unless you have a purpose-built-by-factory race car.

Also, I believe that turning off the VDC does NOT void your warranty altogether, if it did they would not put the option front and center. However any damage done to your car due to you turning off your VDC and then sliding into a wall or spinning the wheels off their axles is definetly not covered.

As far as launch control, the popular method is unnofficial and was never officially recognized by nissan as far as I know. What they are talking about is most likely the act of holding the brakes and reving your engine to redicuous RPMs while in D (like you would in a video game or a drag-car). I would think that this could severely damage your rotors, pads, axles, all the mechanics of the awd system, etc etc. The unofficial launch control effectively uses the computerized system to make sure that power does not go to the wheels while revving with the brake fully depressed.

Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

Well I talked to the GT-R tech (3rd best Nissan tech in the US from what I understand) at my dealer yesterday and hinted at what would happen with the VDC off. He actually acknowledged launch control and said what we all knew, that too many launches will void the warranty. He also spoke of the black box and said that he didn't do the reading of it, he had to send it to Nissan for the full diagnostic. So, he doesn't have anything to do with voided warranties, Nissan does that.

Why does anyone need to launch the GTR? Unless you're doing 1/4 mile drag times! I mean, why not just floor it when youre ready...with AWD, there should'nt be much loss of traction from a stop:smilie_th

Well I will have to do it maybe just once or twice just to feel what it is like but I really want to protect the 17k transmission. I understand that there is only a few tenth tenths of a second to 60 lost when using all R mode compared to LC.

big brother is watching