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      09-28-2012, 11:51 PM   #1
UhhItsANT
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H&R Springs & BMW Warranty

If I put H&R Springs on my car does it void the warranty in anyway? Doesn't seem like I'm messing with electronic stuff. Really like the look of it lowered but afraid on it messing with the warranty of the car and the maintenance program.
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      09-29-2012, 09:33 AM   #2
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By law, the only way a dealer can refuse warranty coverage is if they can prove the modification caused the failure. Lowering is the norm with BMWs. I wouldn't worry about it.
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      09-29-2012, 10:27 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic
By law, the only way a dealer can refuse warranty coverage is if they can prove the modification caused the failure. Lowering is the norm with BMWs. I wouldn't worry about it.
So a lot people have it lowered on aftermarket springs or coil overs and BMW still warranty and do maintenance service on it? Because someone told me everytime I bring in I have to revert to stock.
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      09-29-2012, 07:29 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AntBabeee View Post
So a lot people have it lowered on aftermarket springs or coil overs and BMW still warranty and do maintenance service on it? Because someone told me everytime I bring in I have to revert to stock.
I think your squeak/rattle warranty is completely void and maybe some really weird things like engine mounts but the rest of the car is covered.

I could see a dealer trying to claim that the harsh ride caused a problem with your nav system making the screen fail or something but you should be able to argue that out of them instead of going to court. Stock is safe, aftermarket is questionable and up to the service manager that you're dealing with.

Isn't the maintenance like 12k miles? I did the h&r install in about an hour but by the time I hit that I will have coilovers with adjustable camber but I will pull those off for the oil change.
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      09-29-2012, 08:25 PM   #5
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I see it just I don't want the hassle of of having to take it off and put it back on over and over.
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      09-29-2012, 08:47 PM   #6
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Discuss it with your dealer. Some are understanding and some are pricks. Every car I buy gets modified. On my current daily driver ('07 Mustang) I replaced the entire suspension - i.e. springs, dampers, sway bars, wheels/tires, brakes and a bunch of other things including a twin screw roots-type blower running 15 lbs. of boost. I had very few problems during the warranty, but never once did the dealer refuse to repair it. They did try with a faulty brake pressure switch, but the upgraded brakes I installed were OEM from another model. I explained that both models use the same pressure switch so they agreed to repair it.

As I mentioned previously, a lot of dealers recognize that there's a fair number of enthusiasts who like to personalize their cars. A simple spring swap isn't a very drastic mod. It's also not likely to affect the ride all that much. The choice of dampers has far more of an impact on ride (no pun intended).
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      09-29-2012, 10:02 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic View Post
Discuss it with your dealer. Some are understanding and some are pricks. Every car I buy gets modified. On my current daily driver ('07 Mustang) I replaced the entire suspension - i.e. springs, dampers, sway bars, wheels/tires, brakes and a bunch of other things including a twin screw roots-type blower running 15 lbs. of boost. I had very few problems during the warranty, but never once did the dealer refuse to repair it. They did try with a faulty brake pressure switch, but the upgraded brakes I installed were OEM from another model. I explained that both models use the same pressure switch so they agreed to repair it.

As I mentioned previously, a lot of dealers recognize that there's a fair number of enthusiasts who like to personalize their cars. A simple spring swap isn't a very drastic mod. It's also not likely to affect the ride all that much. The choice of dampers has far more of an impact on ride (no pun intended).

So when i talk to the dealer, who exactly would I have to take to, to work it out with first incase i ever do need to bring it in for warranty? Like do they note in the system under my car that they allowed me to spring swap and stuff and not lose warranty.
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      09-29-2012, 10:24 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AntBabeee View Post
So when i talk to the dealer, who exactly would I have to take to, to work it out with first incase i ever do need to bring it in for warranty? Like do they note in the system under my car that they allowed me to spring swap and stuff and not lose warranty.
Just talk to the service manager.
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      09-29-2012, 10:40 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by BavarianFanatic View Post
Just talk to the service manager.
OK, Thanks alot man!
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      09-30-2012, 05:06 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AntBabeee View Post
So when i talk to the dealer, who exactly would I have to take to, to work it out with first incase i ever do need to bring it in for warranty? Like do they note in the system under my car that they allowed me to spring swap and stuff and not lose warranty.
Swapping springs isn't a major modification as has been said.
However, it can still cause a void warranty of the suspension, but not the rest of the car. IOW, I wouldn't worry about maintenance not getting taken care of.

Do you have the standard sport suspension or the M adaptive?

I have the adaptive on my Msport and am considering installing the M performance springs when they come out. I spoke with my service adviser and he too thinks it would be pretty cool. I stated that since the springs are made by BMW there shouldn't be a warranty issue, he agreed. That's good, because most times it's the dealer service writer and manager that can make the warranty call. If they are on your side, then all is good.

Remember, the Magnusson Moss warranty act protects the consumer regarding non OEM maintenance parts. It doesn't protect the consumer when altering OEM equipment, which is what you're doing when you put springs or dampers on your car that are not OEM spec.
If the manufactures warranty clearly states that non OEM "modifications" WILL alter or void the warranty, the Mag Moss can't protect you from the void.

Many people misinterpret the law, and many still believe that an ECU performance mod can't void the warranty. YES it can and most likely will if it's found.
Springs, exhaust are common mods that don't typically get owners into trouble as they don't directly affect engine and trans function.
If you have after market springs and a damper goes bad, you'll have to take your chances with your service center, but understand that a non OEM spring will clearly show that the suspension has been modified from OEM spec.
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      09-30-2012, 08:46 PM   #11
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If it helps you at all in relation to dampers and springs.. It is extremely common in the racing world to have an over sprung car (too stiff of a spring for too light of a damper) due to the inflexibility of a lot of the rules. This is basically how the H&R's feel on my sport line and it won't really cause any problems for your dampers but they will not last as long. If you expected 60k miles, you can now expect 40k but I would have tossed them by 20k even without mods.

KW v1's are in the $1600 area and while I can't speak for this exact setup because I don't think anybody has enough miles on a F30 yet, I have had KW v3's on another car and they required rebuilds fairly often (like 3-5k miles) and it was just short of $500 each time.
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      09-30-2012, 09:42 PM   #12
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I have sport line non adaptive. I was thinking about the M Performance one, but don't know how much they cost. I'm not tracking the car or anything. I just want to lower the ride and get rid of that gap. Looks too big to me. How much does the M Part lower the car by? Any info on that yet?
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      10-01-2012, 07:00 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AntBabeee View Post
I have sport line non adaptive. I was thinking about the M Performance one, but don't know how much they cost. I'm not tracking the car or anything. I just want to lower the ride and get rid of that gap. Looks too big to me. How much does the M Part lower the car by? Any info on that yet?
IIRC, the sport suspension and the M adaptive both lower the car by 10MM.
The M performance suspension is 10MM lower than that.
So, for a stock suspension, going with the M performance total drop would be 20MM = 51/64 of an inch, almost 1", but I think it'll settle a bit more than that, maybe.
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      10-01-2012, 08:24 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM90 View Post
IIRC, the sport suspension and the M adaptive both lower the car by 10MM.
The M performance suspension is 10MM lower than that.
So, for a stock suspension, going with the M performance total drop would be 20MM = 51/64 of an inch, almost 1", but I think it'll settle a bit more than that, maybe.
ok thanks. If thats the case I'll probably go with H&R Springs, since I want more then a one inch drop...
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      10-02-2012, 11:18 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AntBabeee View Post
ok thanks. If thats the case I'll probably go with H&R Springs, since I want more then a one inch drop...
you probably want the h&r supersport, the sport drop isn't really enough although it clears even parking blocks so the car is still easy to drive.
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      10-02-2012, 03:37 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brian99997 View Post
you probably want the h&r supersport, the sport drop isn't really enough although it clears even parking blocks so the car is still easy to drive.
does the supersport clear parking blocks? haha. its still ok going of small narrow speed bumps in parking lots? going up drive ways and stuff?
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      10-02-2012, 04:45 PM   #17
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Here is a pic of the h&r sport, it was barely noticeable from the sport line suspension other than the ride quality isn't as good and my lap time was arguably the same if not slower on a tight 90 second track.

it clears MOST parking blocks, but drive right and you'll be fine. another 10mm isn't that much really, it will hang on more but I can't see how it would be undrivable with this car because of the wheel placement toward the edges of the car (no overhangs like 911's and such)
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      10-02-2012, 06:10 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brian99997 View Post
Here is a pic of the h&r sport, it was barely noticeable from the sport line suspension other than the ride quality isn't as good and my lap time was arguably the same if not slower on a tight 90 second track.

it clears MOST parking blocks, but drive right and you'll be fine. another 10mm isn't that much really, it will hang on more but I can't see how it would be undrivable with this car because of the wheel placement toward the edges of the car (no overhangs like 911's and such)
So you recommend the super sport. I haven't seen anyone with the H&R super sport springs with the stock 18" sport rims. So it's kind of hard to tell how the Super sport looks. I see people with the super sport and 20" rims alot on here it looks as if the rear is touching or is too close to the tires.

So much smaller would the gap in the picture be if they were super sport springs? From what I read the sport and super sport are different by more then 10mm right?
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      10-02-2012, 07:00 PM   #19
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from the h&r site, because I don't honestly know.. it appears you are going 0.3 inches front and rear if you have a sport line. as you can see by that picture, you can easily afford 0.3 inches without touching the fender and this car is "rolled" by the factory already anyway so you can get up into the wheel well without a problem. Personally if I would have known this, I would have purchased the super sport because this is just barely lower than stock.

Model Chassis Year Stage Notes Approx. Front
Lowering Approx. Rear
Lowering Part Number Sug. Retail Photo
Sport Spring 12, w/ sport sus 1.3 0.7 28878-2 $389.00
Sport Spring 12, w/o sport sus 1.5 1.0 28878-2 $389.00
Super Sport Spring 12, w/ sport sus 1.6 1.0 28877-2 $389.00
Super Sport Spring 12, w/o sport sus 1.75 1.3 28877-2 $389.00

Last edited by brian99997; 10-02-2012 at 07:07 PM..
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      10-02-2012, 07:41 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brian99997 View Post
from the h&r site, because I don't honestly know.. it appears you are going 0.3 inches front and rear if you have a sport line. as you can see by that picture, you can easily afford 0.3 inches without touching the fender and this car is "rolled" by the factory already anyway so you can get up into the wheel well without a problem. Personally if I would have known this, I would have purchased the super sport because this is just barely lower than stock.

Model Chassis Year Stage Notes Approx. Front
Lowering Approx. Rear
Lowering Part Number Sug. Retail Photo
Sport Spring 12, w/ sport sus 1.3 0.7 28878-2 $389.00
Sport Spring 12, w/o sport sus 1.5 1.0 28878-2 $389.00
Super Sport Spring 12, w/ sport sus 1.6 1.0 28877-2 $389.00
Super Sport Spring 12, w/o sport sus 1.75 1.3 28877-2 $389.00
Oh thanks a lot... thats nice to know that its rolled already! I was worried about dropping it, and it being to low for tires and I have to get it rolled. Super Sports it is once my car gets here... ordered already and wait seems forever...
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      10-03-2012, 12:23 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brian99997
from the h&r site, because I don't honestly know.. it appears you are going 0.3 inches front and rear if you have a sport line. as you can see by that picture, you can easily afford 0.3 inches without touching the fender and this car is "rolled" by the factory already anyway so you can get up into the wheel well without a problem. Personally if I would have known this, I would have purchased the super sport because this is just barely lower than stock.

Model Chassis Year Stage Notes Approx. Front
Lowering Approx. Rear
Lowering Part Number Sug. Retail Photo
Sport Spring 12, w/ sport sus 1.3 0.7 28878-2 $389.00
Sport Spring 12, w/o sport sus 1.5 1.0 28878-2 $389.00
Super Sport Spring 12, w/ sport sus 1.6 1.0 28877-2 $389.00
Super Sport Spring 12, w/o sport sus 1.75 1.3 28877-2 $389.00
How much did you pay for the instal on the springs?
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      10-03-2012, 10:50 PM   #22
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I did them at the track one day because I have always doubted if springs did anything to help performance. they do not.

This should be 1 hour of labor + alignment.

I did it with a friend, two jacks and about 45 minutes and another 45 minutes to do a string box alignment because I was changing my car every run to find something decent. The key was to remove all of the rear toe and run 1/16th of toe-out in the front.
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