# Can after market wheels void a new car warranty?



## thefitter (Mar 15, 2007)

Anybody ever heard of warranty issues/repairs being challanged or denied by a company or dealer because you had after market wheels on a vehicle? Such as in the area of brakes, suspension etc,.


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## Llarry (May 17, 2002)

It is conceivable that a mfr could deny a warranty claim based on the customer fitting an aftermarket wheel that put additional stress on brake or suspension components. For instance a wheel with much different offset than the OE wheel.


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## [email protected] (Jun 10, 2003)

In a nutshell, your new car does not have a single warranty; it has many warranties, covering the various systems of your car. At no time (short of a salvaged floor car) is the entire warranty voided. Each system of the car (e.g. engine, transmission, electrical, etc.) is covered separately. The warranty impact of a replacement part is limited to the specific system affected. In fact, your right to use aftermarket parts is federally protected by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)). If a dealer claims that a specific part has voided a portion of your warranty, it is the dealer's responsibility to prove the part was at fault.


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## LS2 MN6 (Feb 8, 2007)

To add to what Gary said, if your aftermarket wheel is the same size (ex 17") and has the same offset (ex 40mm) and you are running tires reasonable for that wheel size then the dealer cannot void any part of your warranty. This is because the car is designed to specs and not to parts, so if you replace a part with another part that meets the spec then they have no choice but to treat the car as if it where unmodified.

I have a lease car now, and I got another set of wheels from the dealer (same size different design), and I asked if I had to keep the old wheels to put back on at the end of the lease. The dealer told me I did not have to since my new wheels where the same spec as the original and since they had the correct logo (in this case Saab's logo) over the hub.


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## philo98 (Nov 25, 2006)

I would call BMW USA and ask them about voiding the warranty. I am looking to change from the standard 16" wheels to 18" wheels when I need new tires. Out of curiousity I went to the BMW Owners Circle website and looked under accessories. Under "Wheels" they list the option to purchase up to 19" wheels for a 2006 325i. This would tell me that you can purchase up to 19" wheels, however then you get into technical terms such as "BMW approved" wheels. Im going to be calling them to clarify and if I get the OK that I can purchase other wheels not through BMW and not void my warranty, I will ask them to send me a copy of this. BMW is asking $5K for the wheels and tires through them and I dont even like the wheels they have to offer. One thing I have noticed that seems to be repaired often on BMW cars are suspension components.


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## i3bargon (Jun 5, 2009)

philo98 said:


> I would call BMW USA and ask them about voiding the warranty. I am looking to change from the standard 16" wheels to 18" wheels when I need new tires. Out of curiousity I went to the BMW Owners Circle website and looked under accessories. Under "Wheels" they list the option to purchase up to 19" wheels for a 2006 325i. This would tell me that you can purchase up to 19" wheels, however then you get into technical terms such as "BMW approved" wheels. Im going to be calling them to clarify and if I get the OK that I can purchase other wheels not through BMW and not void my warranty, I will ask them to send me a copy of this. BMW is asking $5K for the wheels and tires through them and I dont even like the wheels they have to offer. One thing I have noticed that seems to be repaired often on BMW cars are suspension components.


I know I'm responding to a post that's over two years old. At least I used the search button . Did you ever find a resolution to your question. I am in a similar situation. I ordered a 2010 650 which comes with 18 inch wheels. BMW offers a 20 in wheel for 5 grand which looks terrible, so I would like to go with a different set of 20 inch aftermarket rims but I dont want to void the warranty. I'm leasing too, so I assume that I have to return them with the factory tires.

Any advice?

Thanks.


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## RichmannMotorSport.com (Feb 19, 2009)

i3bargon said:


> I know I'm responding to a post that's over two years old. At least I used the search button . Did you ever find a resolution to your question. I am in a similar situation. I ordered a 2010 650 which comes with 18 inch wheels. BMW offers a 20 in wheel for 5 grand which looks terrible, so I would like to go with a different set of 20 inch aftermarket rims but I dont want to void the warranty. I'm leasing too, so I assume that I have to return them with the factory tires.
> 
> Any advice?
> 
> Thanks.


NO, aftermarket wheels DO NOT void any BMW warranty. Just put the stocks back on it when you lease return.

Let me know what style 20 inch you want for your new 2010 650 and can help you.


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## BMW_Matt (Mar 25, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> In a nutshell, your new car does not have a single warranty; it has many warranties, covering the various systems of your car. At no time (short of a salvaged floor car) is the entire warranty voided. Each system of the car (e.g. engine, transmission, electrical, etc.) is covered separately. The warranty impact of a replacement part is limited to the specific system affected. In fact, your right to use aftermarket parts is federally protected by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)). If a dealer claims that a specific part has voided a portion of your warranty, it is the dealer's responsibility to prove the part was at fault.


Didn't read the whole quote, but correct. In another nutshell, you're aftermarket wheels can't void the air conditioning blowing, or a piston rod blowing. The MMWA protects you from a particular item voiding the entire car's warranty, it has to be proven that that aftermarket was direct cause of a failed part


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