colladacool

hey all,

i have an x-pipe installed so far. What other mods can i do to the exhaust without voiding my warranty. I would love for the car to get louder and be able to hear every crackle and burble.

My friend said he removed the 2 cats on the bottom of the car (saying they are califnroia cats) and changed the mufflers and welded it all together, does what he did void the warranty? (he says it doesn't but i'm not so sure - it does sounds amazing tho)

lmk your thoughts.
thanks

mplsbrian

Everything you mod with non-genuine Audi parts will void that portion of your factory warranty. Warranty is not a single all-encompassing thing that is either "void or not void."

If you remove the cats and subsequently experience an exhaust valve or or O2 sensor failure, or even upstream failures like engine problems that could be linked to inadequate exhaust system backpressure, then it is reasonable to believe that your warranty will not cover those repairs or problem diagnosis.

On the other hand, if you remove the cats and subsequently experience a problem with your trunk lid hinge, it is reasonable to believe that that issue will be covered, because no reasonable mechanic would agree that those two things could be related. (Important note: Audi doesn't have to prove that the things are related, just that the could be. Rather, they can just deny your claim, and then the burden of proof is on you the claimant to prove that they definitely aren't related and oftentimes proving this requires taking the car manufacturer to court.)

Put simply: if you perform substantial modifications to your exhaust system such as a cat delete or x-pipe, both of which affect exhaust temps, backpressure, and flow, do not expect Audi to cover any repairs to your exhaust system at all (or any related components that the exhaust could directly affect) under warranty. You could probably get away with changing out the exhaust tips, but that's about it. Audi has no incentive or reason to pay for repairs to modified cars and they will go to great lengths to not spend a penny more than they have to under the law -- which is that your warranty is designed to cover factory-original equipment.

Mr.Meme Yo Girl

Very well said. And just to add in, the two cylindrical pieces under the car are not in fact cats. They're resonators. So shouldn't really effect emissions inspection per say. My car has a custom straight pipe (so no mufflers and resonators, just the OEM cats), I took it to Audi for my NY State Inspection and passed without any issues. I'm sure they notated in their system that I had aftermarket mods for future warranty purposes but they didn't bring it up to me nor did it effect me from passing an emission test. But like mplsbrian said, they cant really peg an X pipe mod at fault if say your radio stops working. But if it causes an issue with the engine, then it may cause them to possibly deny.

colladacool

Thanks guys.
I might as well get a full exhaust system now since i've messed with some of it by putting an x-pipe on.
I'll upload vids once it's all on.