First-timer, Upgrade advice.

Congratulations man, and good luck with the modifications. I can tell you that as far as the exhaust part of the warranty goes, having a different exhaust installed voids the EXHAUST part of the warranty, not any other part of the warranty, unless it is determined that the cause of you cars problem was contributed to by the exhuast. At least that's what the dealership told me. I have dynomax race magnums on my stang and i am looking to get a pypes O/R x pipe soon. I especially like these options since they are very affordable for a 20 year old college student on a major budget. Hope this helps.

whats your location?

for $1000....JLT intake and a SCT XCALII tuner. Although, there have been warranty debates about this. You CAN install these items yourself.

You should have about $400 left over...maybe more if you buy used. I would suggest a set of shorty headers..next suggest would be a catback.

Now, if you are not worried about gas mileage.....a set of 4.10 gears in the rear....and the jlt intake and tune....screw the exhaust and appearance mods (for now)

i disagree about the shorty headers. if you can justify 5 hp for $300, then go for it. i can find many better ways to spend my $300 than shorty headers. if you are going to purchase headers, look into the JBA cat4ward headers, as i believe they are equal lenthg (or at least moreso than the other shorties). longtube headers are the way to go for power gains, but it does get pricey, and you will need a new h/x pipe to connect the exhaust to the headers.

a gear install will probably run you over $500-600 for a dealership to perform (including the gear price). the CAI/tuner is a great option, but again, there may be warranty hurdles to cross if/when you need something warranteed. a good CAI/tune can run anywhere from $500-700. more if you get a custom dyno tune.

lowering the car will help the appearance tremendously, but depending on which kit you buy, can get expensive. you may need camber bolts/adjustable panhard bar/etc just to properly align the car after the lowering.

the main thing here for you is to talk to the dealership service manager and see what the policy is on aftermarket parts installed by his dealership. many will honor warranty if the parts are installed at that dealership.

I intend to do a Ford Racing X pipe in August and call it good for awhile.

Dreadnaught said:

I appreciate your guys's suggestions, I live in PA.

Allcarfan, I like the performance over looks (for now) idea - however I'm extremely hesitant putting anything on my future stang myself. I'd rather pay extra for the dealership to do it.

Bigcat, after googling what a header was (yeah I'm that inept), I like the idea. The gist I get is I add performance, as well as a lil more sound (correct me if I'm wrong). JBA Cat4ward Short Headers 1 5/8 409 stainless steel is what you are talking about? If so that's rougly $650 plus another $600 for dealer installment (was that the gear installment you were talking about in your previous post)?

It's hard for me since I know so little about cars - now - to ignore superficial upgrades such as scoops, etc - but I'm sure in the long run I'll appreciate performance over looks initially.

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i dont know about the install cost of the short headers. it could not be more than a few hours labor, as it is basically a stock replacement part. my install reference was for the gears only.

the CAI is simply a few clamps and bolts. ANYONE can do it. dont pay someone to install this for you. the tune is simply a plug-in and then push some buttons. whatever mods you decide to do, i am SURE that someone here can walk you through step by step. check out the write up thread (at the top of the page in the sticky threads) and see if any of the write ups changes your mind about installing a CAI or other mod yourself. hope that helps.

adj86 said:

Congratulations man, and good luck with the modifications. I can tell you that as far as the exhaust part of the warranty goes, having a different exhaust installed voids the EXHAUST part of the warranty, not any other part of the warranty, unless it is determined that the cause of you cars problem was contributed to by the exhuast. At least that's what the dealership told me. I have dynomax race magnums on my stang and i am looking to get a pypes O/R x pipe soon. I especially like these options since they are very affordable for a 20 year old college student on a major budget. Hope this helps.

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Your dealership, is full of and is just using this. as a scare tactic..I've personally spoken with, 2 of Ford's field service engineers, concerning warranty issues.. who btw, Ford sends to investigate warranty claims.. Here's what both engineers quoated.. No dealership can void a factory warranty, for just installing an aftermarket part..In addition, the field service engineer, must prove within a reasonable doubt, that the aftermarket part or parts, was directly responsible for the factory part, in question to fail, before legally voiding a factory warranty..In other words, the dealership must go through, and request that a field service engineer, be brought in to conduct an investigation, concerning the warranty claim..That is according to Ford proceedure and policy..Therefore, don't allow this dealership, to intimidate you..If you feel, the dealership is un-reasonable and un-willing to work with you..Find another dealership, there's no reason why you or anybody else, should put up with this kind of crap..Even dealerships, have to follow, proper proceedure..In fact, I'll even post Ford's warranty policy..

Ford warranty policy

Here's that article, concerning the warranty policy.. For those of you, who may be interested.. I found this thread on the The Mustang Source Forum, that goes into furthur detail about the factory warranty issues.. its an article written by Joe Bradley, who is manager of Ford's Warranty Analysis Department..I'll have to copy and paste the entire interview, due to my browser won't allow me to, include a hyperlink.. sorry for such the long post..
Modifying Warranty Awareness Know that when you modify your vehicle, you may also be affecting warranty coverage
Editor's Note:
A recent article in the SVT Enthusiast discussed the pros and cons of changing engine drive pulleys to help enhance power and performance. The story noted that one of the drawbacks to such an aftermarket modification is the possible effect it would have on the owner's New Vehicle Limited Warranty. When SVT's own Tom Scarpello read the story, he felt that the whole vehicle modification vs. warranty issue is one that deserves a little more than a cursory explanation, especially to performance-savvy SVT vehicle owners. So he asked Joe Bradley, the Manager of Ford's Warranty Analysis department, to add a little perspective on how certain vehicle modifications can affect the service life of some factory parts or systems, and how that may subsequently affect the factory vehicle warranty. The following is Joe's report.

By Joe Bradley

As you might expect from the company that formed SVT, the Ford Motor Company has many employees who are true performance enthusiasts -- folks who love and care for their personal high-performance vehicles as much as or more than the next guy or gal. Many of us, in fact, are true "weekend warriors" who can be found at the local drag strip or road course on Saturdays and Sundays, and tinkering under the hood during weekday evenings getting ready for the next event. As automotive enthusiasts, we certainly can appreciate performance machinery.

That said, as Ford employees we all want to do the right thing for our customers as well as for the Ford Motor Company. That is precisely why it is important to have a concise, easy-to-understand policy with regard to Ford warranty administration. For vehicles that are not modified, the Ford warranty policy is clear – the company backs its products within the guidelines of the new vehicle limited warranty, which is designed to protect the customer from defects in factory workmanship and/or material.

However, in the case of vehicles that have been modified, one needs to understand that the modifications may affect warranty coverage. This is simply because any damage or failure of new vehicle components or systems that was caused by modifications to the vehicle are not defects in "factory supplied" workmanship or material.

To illustrate this point, let's consider a small sample of vehicle modifications and see how they might affect factory components or systems: When it comes to changing the factory engine drive pulleys, there are some powertrain system and component concerns that deserve consideration. One would be any electrical and/or charging system problems that arise because of reduced alternator operating speed caused by the installation of underdrive pulleys. After all, the performance and serviceability of many system components are based on certain design parameters that include operating speed. The same goes for problems stemming from higher cooling system temperatures because of reduced water pump flow caused by the installation of underdrive pulleys. Increased underhood temperatures caused by owner-induced changes to a factory design-specification part can have a detrimental effect on any number of powertrain components or systems – some that may have long-range implications. And things can get even more serious when supercharger pulley changes are made, including head gasket leaks and piston and connecting rod failures. Also possible is piston damage due to detonation from improper air/fuel and timing modifications.

The installation of any non-factory forced induction system can also cause problems. Base engines modified with aftermarket superchargers, turbochargers or nitrous oxide injection systems may indeed bring about some power gains, but they can cause piston, connecting rod and/or crankshaft failures as well.

Other parts of a vehicle's factory-spec drivetrain are also susceptible to damage when engine torque and horsepower is increased. Performance chips or other power-enhancing devices increase torque loads on the driveline and can force failure of the transmission and/or rear axle. The latter problem can be especially true when owners switch to wider tires or racing slicks in an effort to increase traction. Even non "go-fast" aftermarket accessories such as remote starters, alarms, supplementary gauges and audio equipment can cause electrical system service problems if they are installed incorrectly or have improper connections.

When it comes to fairly evaluating the possibility of a warranty denial, there's one simple rule of thumb to follow: Although the installation of non-Ford parts and aftermarket modifications, by themselves, will not void the Ford New Vehicle Limited Warranty, failures that result from these parts and/or modifications may result in a denial of warranty coverage for such failures or damage.

The bottom line is, Ford Motor Company wants each of its owners to enjoy their product to the fullest extent – and that includes performance vehicles. But dealer service technicians have seen, and continue to see, that modifications may cause the original design to fail. The addition of aftermarket parts is a risk that each and every vehicle owner must evaluate for themselves. All that's needed is a reasonable dose of common sense. When and if you modify your vehicle, please consider whether the modification may cause another component to fail – and if it does, recognize that warranty coverage for that failure or damage will likely be denied.



Here is the way I see it.

1) From a strictly legal stand point it "can" void your warrantee on most drivetrain components.

2) Ford has laywers on staff, so in a legal exquisite feeling release of liquid waste product match you are going to lose. Legal or not, fair or not, the legal clout Ford could bring to bear will put the burden of proof on you.

3) The Magnasun-Moss act ( the one every preformance adder quotes) was originally written to prevent manufactures from voiding the warrantee on your car if you chose to use NON-Manufactures consumable parts like: Oil, Filters, Brakes, shocks, etc... It was NEVER written or intended to cover parts that are installed primarly to increass hp and torque. I doubt that the law would hold up in court when the components were installed mainly to add HP.

4) Look at it this way:

Lets say you break somthing in the Transmission after installing the tune. The Ford lawyer asks: Does this device add HP and Torque to the engine? To avoid purjury you answer "Yes"... You just lost the case....

5) However, if you have a good dealer who does preformance mods you probably have nothing to worry about. A Tune is not all that major of a modification and unless it is done incorrectly, I doubt any resonable person would think it would be responsible for breaking somthing...

Now, if you sho up at the dealer with DOT Drag radials and numers written on the windows,..... well... You are on your own....

heck, not only did I still have numbers on the window, I still had my helmet in the back seat! LOL!

Each dealership is different... The dealership I go to is amazingly cool with my mods... Like I said the service writer goes to get the car's milage and says "Why do you have a helmet in your car" wink.. wink..

The dealership went on to replace my TPS for free even though my Zex kit was still spliced into the TPS wire! But on the other hand one guy posted that his dealership gave him a hard time about the popping front noise... tried to blame it on his aftermarket muffler! LOL!

I was at a car show this summer.. Got to talking to a guy who worked for Chrysler as a Factory Rep... his sole job was to look at warranty claims... We were talking about me using Nitrous... He had seen numerous cars that had blown motors that he knew were the result of a power adder that had since been removed but said since there was no way he could actually prove that it was the cause the failure so they fixed it...

I agree though that tuner is a pretty safe bet....Notice that he basically said that Ford follows low (Magnuson-Moss Act) in regard to warranty process. If you did something that broke the car, and they can prove it, you are on your own. As you should be. If they can't prove it, or you didn't do anything, it is covered.

Also, the Magnuson-Moss Act is a WARRANTY act. Not just a "consumables" act. There is a lot in there regarding consumables (mainly because dealers were doing the "if you don't have use change the oil at xyz intervals with our oil/filter/etc, then your warranty is void!" kind of crap), but it also goes into general warranty protection. Including modifications.

And yes, Ford DOES have a lot of lawyers. There is also provisions in the act that force things to arbitration instead of the courts too.
I have had the service department scrupulously search to find the tune on our car and they cannot find it with ANY of the 3 types of scanners they use to update the computer or reflash with.
As in every time this issue comes up we find again that the results are highly subjective to the dealership at which you service your vehicle and at what lengths if any that they are willing to help you when it is or isn't a FORD problem. As scrming has posted we have the same luck with the dealer we use, they always are there to help. But 9 miles away at another dealer they would laugh and say "We have seen your wife tear the crap out of that car at the dragstrip, no way will we replace anything unless it is a recall or TSB. Even with that you will only get one chance."
Both dealers know we race and spray but one is proud to claim that they sold us the car and do warranty work. This isn't to say that if we spit parts out of the oil pan that they would help me get a new engine but they might chance it, and if the Ford inspector showed up the worst case scenario I would have to pay them for what they have already done. Fair gamble IMO.

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Thanks man i appreciate the info. That clears some stuff up. I'm getting ready to move back to college, so i think i'll just try them.

Dreadnaught said:

So the bottomline is this no matter what the dealership says -

1.) Putting aftermarket parts on your stang does NOT void the car's warranty, unless they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the aforementioned aftermarket part was directly the cause of the car's malfunction.

Am I correct in saying this Red?

Most dealerships are of course in it for the money, so I don't doubt them taking advantage of a mechanically inept person - bewildering them with technical words until they are numb and buy into the belief that their aftermarket part caused the problem. In which case I can only ask, anyone know of any good books or websites for "Car mechanics for dummies"?

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According to Ford policy, and from a legal standpoint..Yes, you are correct..Read the policy, that I posted..And it clearly states, that Ford cannot void a factory warranty, for just installing an aftermarket part on your vehicle..However, I didn't say beyond a reasonable doubt..I said, within a reasonable doubt..But, again, if you should have any doubt or concerns..Just read over the Policy, that I posted..

adj86 said:

Thanks man i appreciate the info. That clears some stuff up. I'm getting ready to move back to college, so i think i'll just try them.

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No problem, were all here to help..

wont Boss stangs be out in 2007?

the boss is supposed to be out in 07 as an 08 model

So if he can afford it, just get a 08 Boss when he gets one.

I agree you should get an intake and tuner... Use the left over money and get an exhaust (flowmasters or SLP loudmouths) and or steeda underdrive pullies.