twain luan

Hello,i Was Told By Mb Dealer Mechanics,by Changing A K&n Air Filters On My 2003 C-240 Could Void Fact Warranty?is This True? Needs Help On This Issue.thanks All Members If You Have The Answers.....

AMG///Merc

I seriously doubt that they can void your warranty for having a K&N filter. Air filters are considered a maintenance part, like engine oil and oil filters, and by law Mercedes Benz is required to allow you to chose whichever parts you want, just so long as they meet certain standards. From what I understand, it's something like an anti-monopoly law...

Also, bear in mind that your warranty is not a "gift", as some dealerships will try to have you believe. When the dealership repairs something under warranty, they are not doing you a "favor" either. They were OBLIGATED to fix it! Remember that the warranty is part of the product, and that you paid for a warranty when you bought the car, so they just can't arbitraily take it away from you on a whim. There are certain rights and laws under the Magnusson-Moss warranty act that protect you from anyone trying to do just that sort of thing. Read your warranty information booklet, and see what that has to say about air filter replacement. Even if a K & N air filter does NOT meet MB's specifications, the dealership would still have to prove that the failure being repaired was caused by the use of the air filter. They absolutely positively CANNOT just come out and say that your warranty is null and void. If they keep trying to tell you so, politely ask them for the phone number for their regional service director, as you would like to speak with him or her about it. They'll change their tune pretty quickly after that...

SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) are also doing allot to bind the manufacturers to their warranty agreements, so hopefully in the near future, we won't be hearing this kind of bs...

Best regards,
Matt

Chappy

Interesting thread here too...

https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c55-amg-w203/96069-went-service-1st-thing-they-checked-pulley.html

MBZFAN55

I'm an auto parts distributor and I can tell you with accuracy that Matt is absolutely correct. No new car manufacturer can mandate the usage of "their" parts only. Period.

twain luan

Hello I Asked Again At Mb Sandiego,the Tech Told Me The K&n Filters Has Oil In It And The Mass Air Flow Sensor On The C-240 Could Create A Problem,oil Accumulates On The Airflow Sensor Could Cause It To Break Down.electronic........then Mb Have Reason To Justify?stock Does Not Used Oil Filters.twain

Fast55

Possible, but only if you seriously over oil the filter. If the MAF isn't covered in oil, I don't think they could deny warranty, and that's the only thing they might be able to claim.

nukblazi

If you pull apart your intake you will see it is covered in grim and oil and dirt anyway.

You would SERIOUSLY need to over oil it to damage the MAS. K&N filters come with explicit instructions, mind those and you will not go wrong.

Zeppelin

I'm surprised the C240 would use a Mass Airflow Sensor. The C320 and C32 do not.

Ted Baldwin

.........this is I think is important for people that mod their cars. I have encountered various aspects of this issue in my own personal experience, since I seem to be unable to just leave my car alone without addtional mods. Basically, although this an M&M law that is supposed to protect you, in real life your dealers interpretation of events is what carries the day. This is essentially the gist of it. Yes, your dealer is required to show that the mod actually caused the problem, but the level of proof required is very low. All they need to do, is to show a plausible coonection between the mod and the problem. I have come to learn that concept of proof requires has various levels, and what matters is what traditionally the courts have used in the past as a sufficient level of proof. So go on an mod your car, but you are probably SOL with an unfriendly dealer.

Ted

awiner

Read more about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act here:

Pay special attention to members Drew's post on this issue. I think he explains some good points.

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class-w208/1222-k-n-filters-55amg-pros-cons.html

nukblazi

I nearly was hosed on my broken pinion gear. The dealer said the super sticky Toyo RA-1s were "too sticky" and Toyo Tires were not supported by MB, and the tires are what caused my pinion gear to fail. All I said when faced with the blame was that I would have a lawyer look into the M&M laws regarding the issue.

Sometimes all you need is to say "Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act" in a sentence to get your way. Even though they knew I autocrossed, they replaced my front control arms and bushings when the bushings failed too.

vraa

Tires being too sticky?!

Man, that's the best line I've ever heard from a dealer!

nukblazi

Yup... I took a second, laughed a little and said, "Com'on guys. You're kidding."

OneFastZ

I'd laugh my *** off if a dealer told me that. Hell.. I'm laughing at it just thinking about it.

AMG///Merc

In that ultimately, whether or not you are going to run into difficulty with any warranty is most likely going to be determined by your relationship with your dealer. That's part of the reason why I have always been sure to maintain a good relationship with them. If you're not changing your own oil, bring it to the dealership so that they get the business. Become a "good customer" so to speak. I know this is borderline *** kissing, but bring in doughnuts on occasion. Be polite and agreeable... It's the little things sometimes...

Remember that it is up to the technician and service advisor/manager to even note that the car has been modified. What MB doesn't know, won't hurt them. Most manufacturers allow a certain amount of "good will warranty", meaning that cars that are either out of warranty, or it's a repair normally not covered by warranty is warrantied anyway to maintain customer/dealer "good will". I know from personal experience (As a former service manager) that the "good customers" are ALWAYS the ones who get the good will warranties.

If you have a modified car that has a failure that is most likely not related to the modifications, and if you have a good relationship with them, you won't have any problems. Push comes to shove you can bring the M & M act into it, but most likely you won't even need to go that far...


Best regards,
Matt


p.s.) Note that most service customers are real a-holes, and if you're a "good customer", you'll stand out that much more...