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Warranty issues with aftermarket wheels?

flipflp

Autocross Newbie
Location
PNW
Car(s)
'16 Golf R DSG
VW tools will not recognize any hardware changes done to the vehicle. Only the dealer can report it to VW.

^This. Aside from software found through scans the dealer has to acknowledge an aftermarket part and determine if it effected the failure/issue.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
VW tools will not recognize any hardware changes done to the vehicle. Only the dealer can report it to VW.

Right and then it's up to VW to deny the warranty repair isn't it? Does the dealer have the power to deny the warranty outside of TD1 warranty denials? If yes then I'm very grateful to have a mod promoting dealer.
 

vj123

Autocross Newbie
Location
The Detroit
Car(s)
19 & 16 GTI - sold
Right and then it's up to VW to deny the warranty repair isn't it? Does the dealer have the power to deny the warranty outside of TD1 warranty denials? If yes then I'm very grateful to have a mod promoting dealer.

Dealers cannot deny warranty but some of them are really picky about working on vehicles with mods because VW is the one who reimburses every dollar spent on warranty work.
 

todd92

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
NJ
Pretty sure the only wheel warranty issue would be on cars like this:

 

Mk_GTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Hellinois
Car(s)
2018 Golf R
Match the aspect ratio, offset, wheel/tire weight to the OEM wheel/tire and there should be no warranty issues.
 

flipflp

Autocross Newbie
Location
PNW
Car(s)
'16 Golf R DSG
Match the aspect ratio, offset, wheel/tire weight to the OEM wheel/tire and there should be no warranty issues.

So the OEM wheels and tires then? :p

That's thinking about this way too hard. You can put different tires and wheels on your car. Under no circumstances should you put the *wrong* wheels and tires on your car, so as long as what you do is safe it's fine.

For example, if Tire Rack, Discount Tire, Les Schwab, Tire Kingdom, etc. recommends it for your application, then it's a verified safe fit.

I also found a post from Audi USA on this topic:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/show...d-warranty?p=12874918&viewfull=1#post12874918
 

Mk_GTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Hellinois
Car(s)
2018 Golf R
So the OEM wheels and tires then? :p

That's thinking about this way too hard. You can put different tires and wheels on your car. Under no circumstances should you put the *wrong* wheels and tires on your car, so as long as what you do is safe it's fine.

Well, if the OP wants to really play it safe warranty-wise... ;)
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
Replacing your factory wheels with aftermarket wheels only effects you being able to warranty your wheels.

Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to read the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act over again.
That is completely incorrect. The MM warranty Act only applies to substantially similar replacement parts.


Accordingly, if your replacement wheel is very close in size, weight and offset to an OE wheel, then you shouldn't have any problems. However, if the specs are different, then you might be facing an uphill battle - although I doubt that the dealer would notice or care unless it was extreme.


That said, a BMW dealer tried to give me a hard time about my winter wheels and a suspension issue. I ended opening up a case with corporate and submitted docs showing that the specs were identical (to within a couple of ounces and one mm) before the dealer was told to fix the issue.
 

Al_in_Philly

Autocross Newbie
Location
Philadelphia USA
That is completely incorrect. The MM warranty Act only applies to substantially similar replacement parts.


Accordingly, if your replacement wheel is very close in size, weight and offset to an OE wheel, then you shouldn't have any problems. However, if the specs are different, then you might be facing an uphill battle - although I doubt that the dealer would notice or care unless it was extreme.


That said, a BMW dealer tried to give me a hard time about my winter wheels and a suspension issue. I ended opening up a case with corporate and submitted docs showing that the specs were identical (to within a couple of ounces and one mm) before the dealer was told to fix the issue.


Dealers also know that if they give you any sort of major hassle over a tickey-tackey mod like similar sized aftermarket wheels, not only have they forever lost you as a future customer, but also every one of your friends who you'll bitch about it to, and in this day of the Internet, everyone who reads your various social media postings. It's in their best interest to let modest mods go unless they likely had a real chance of causing a failure in another part, or unless they come up in a required ECU check (which happens with reflashed tunes). They want you back, both for your next car as well as for your future service needs.
 
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