imlach

Interesting chat with the dealer today. Don't know how true it all is, but worth mentioning.

Basically, I was thinking about SS spots - he didn't recommend it and said they would invalidate the warranty COMPLETELY. Why? Allegedly, there have been a few fires and Suabru are now more keen to send inspectors to look at warranty claims. As soon as they saw the SS lights, they declared the warranty null & void.

Dealer said that Subaru were tightning up on claims, and anything that was fitted and not approved would cause the warranty to be void. Dealer admitted that it was probably because their sales are being hit by SS sales, and this is their only way to try to stop that.

Dealer said he'd fit the SS lights for me, but warranty would be void......as I've heard that the SS lights come with heavy duty wiring, could it not be the individual botched installations which cause fires (allegedly), and if the dealer fits it and it causes a fire, would he not be liable?

Intriguing........

Richard

JohnS

iTrader: (1)

I haven't heard of any Imprezas catching fire, nor anyeon having any troubles with these lights being fitted.

I can't imagine anyone wiring them up wrongly as the lights wouldn't work, and probably blow the fuse in the supplied relay.

I've checked the wires after having the lights running for 30 minutes of so, and they weren't any warmer than the rest of the wiring in the engine bay.

alistair

If in doubt fit PIAA's from Prodrive.

TonyNesta

Hmmm.....Cynic mode on......
Sounds like scaremongering to me.......!
I'd like to see real evidence of this. Surely if this were happening, we'd all have heard about it by now ? I can't believe that Scoobysport would be selling equipment that causes cars to catch fire!

OLI H

Richard,

err, which dealer were you talking with please.

Oli.

imlach

Yep - well aware it is scaremongering, but the dealer *admitted* it was probably because Prodrive are probably losing sales to SS bigtime. He said the warranty is the ONLY thing Prodrive can fight back with really, and Subaru can protect this by ensuring their inspectors reject warranty claims on cars with non-Prodrive mods.

He said it was only a recent thing. For the sake of saving 100 quid, scaremongereing or not, I'd rather keep my warranty intact.

Rob

Did I hear someone say "restrictive practice"?

Any lawyers out there like to give us the lowdown on the legality of this potential threat to Scooby-owners' freedom, and Peter's profits?

Rob. (not a Scooby Sport owner yet, but would like the option in the future)

Lee

This may well be another "dodgy dealer" thing !

A dealer I spoke to regarding mods/warranties said..

"Subaru didn't win JD Power No.1 for nothing..fitting a different backbox aint gonna change the warranty"

BUT at one point when I was enquiring about fitting a stereo to mine (company car) I ended up being told "Nah..wiring invalidates the warranty cos it's electrical.."..I spoke to someone more helpful in the end and got round it !

I guess the difference here is that a backbox could not possibly damage the engine (unless it was blocked!) but wiring can result in fires if bodged.

But if you claimed on the warranty cos a door fell off I think Subaru would be hard pushed to invalidate your warranty cos of a pair of lights !

AndyG

What's this got to do with the warranty anyway? If your car is damaged by fire, obviously you claim on your insurance (and not the Subaru warranty).

Andy

imlach

As regards insurance paying out for electrical fires - watch out on this one!

Friend had a fire on his car when it was in the garage being repaired. Insurance company would not pay out as his insurance stated he was only covered for fires NOT caused by electrical faults!!!!

CHECK YOUR POLICIES!!!!!!!!!!!

As it happened, the dealer tried to wriggle out as well saying it wasn't their fault it caught fire and just happened when in the dealership.

WORRYING.........

dsmith

I can second that.

Part of the wiring loom in a friends 405 caught fire and damged another section of the loom. The insurance would only pay out for the part that was damged by the fire not the part that caused the fire.

Pete Croney

Interesting that dealers are resorting to such tactics. Is Scoobysport really hurting them that badly?

Imlach, Please call me and let me know which dealer this was, as I would like to speak to them.

Scoobysport supply Cibie light kits to many Subaru dealers, all of whom prefer fitting these to the PIAA's as the job is much easier... and they don't droop.

Due to the way they are made, it is not possible for either the PIAA or Cibie light kits to set the vehicle on fire. Both kits do not draw more than a couple of milliamps from the existing wiring and both are fused between the power supply and the relay.

If a car had caught fire, I'm sure I would have had a phone call!!!

One last point... if fitting a non Subaru supplied electrical product invalidates the warranty, what about the pre 99 cars that now have alarms fitted?

Craig H

Petes hit the nail on the head - I think you are hurting Subarus sales on light etc. Go to a Scooby track day - count how many have got PIAAs compared to Cibies and how many have SS exhausts/filters compared to full PP (price difference I know - but from what I can gather the SS combo gives more performance anyway)
Subaru seem very fragile about losing sales - obviously Prodrive is a great marketing ploy - but the SS bits are at the very least on a par for quality. It's a shame they can't supply Prodrive with all the right bits, so we can get them, fully warranted, without getting completely shafted by a) the dealers prces in the first place, and b) the attitude you get if you have fitted non prodrive bits.
My local-ish dealer (Lavender Hill) seems to get sneered at by other (more pro-Prodrive?) dealers - but they're completely cool about the changes done to my car - even commentating on how much better the SS bits seem to fit compared to Prodrives - and how much more reasonable they are (price wise)
When are Subaru going to stop being a pain in the ****?

Yex

I'll back Pete as well on this subject.

If "tampering" with the electrics causes your warranty to be invalidated surely this must effect all of those cars that now contain upgraded stereo systems.

Sorry to go off on a slight tangent but I have been offerred a brand new Sony head set and 10 disk system fitted by a professional dealer and with 1 years theft cover for a fraction over £300.

Does anyone think this will invalidate my warranty ?

Yex

John H-S

If the SS lights ( which I hope to fit soon) cause a fire then why not sue SS. The warranty issue is irrelevant.

Hello SS - whats your reaction to this?

BTW - Insurance never covers the part that caused the damage only the resulting damage. But - different insurers will have different views on what is the 'part' - Is it the whole wiring loom or merely one relay, for example?