Bilstein Damptronic/KW DDC vs. warranty

ntg44 · 07-26-2019, 07:36 AM

Hi everyone,

Not sure if this question has been asked before, but has anyone ever gotten into a warranty coverage dispute for items unrelated to suspension while having Bilstein Damptronic or KW DDC dampers installed? I don't know how compartmentalized the car's computers/software systems are, but in case anyone knows the answer: Could an electronic component of the car, unrelated to the car's suspension, be denied a warranty claim because the dealer would find that you have aftermarket electronic dampers installed that are theoretically communicating with the car's OEM systems?

I'm well aware of Magnuson-Moss, but this isn't really what I'm talking about. Say some engine sensor goes out or causes a hardware part to fail. BMW looks into it, says, "well, you have aftermarket dampers that are communicating with the car's OEM systems" and use this as a blanket to deny coverage on the parts. Normally I'd think this wouldn't be possible, but seeing as some people have even been denied warranty coverage due to coding, which is a separate module from what controls engine software (from my understanding), is this scenario theoretically possible? With passive suspension that would never fly, but I wonder how far they can go once you start swapping electronically controlled parts with aftermarket ones.

I'm getting Bilstein Damptronic installed in a few weeks, and just want to be well informed in case something ever comes up. Thanks in advance.

07-26-2019, 07:36 AM	#1
ntg44 Colonel 2892 Rep 2,147 Posts Drives: R8 4.2 Spyder Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Chicago iTrader: (3)	Bilstein Damptronic/KW DDC vs. warranty Hi everyone, Not sure if this question has been asked before, but has anyone ever gotten into a warranty coverage dispute for items unrelated to suspension while having Bilstein Damptronic or KW DDC dampers installed? I don't know how compartmentalized the car's computers/software systems are, but in case anyone knows the answer: Could an electronic component of the car, unrelated to the car's suspension, be denied a warranty claim because the dealer would find that you have aftermarket electronic dampers installed that are theoretically communicating with the car's OEM systems? I'm well aware of Magnuson-Moss, but this isn't really what I'm talking about. Say some engine sensor goes out or causes a hardware part to fail. BMW looks into it, says, "well, you have aftermarket dampers that are communicating with the car's OEM systems" and use this as a blanket to deny coverage on the parts. Normally I'd think this wouldn't be possible, but seeing as some people have even been denied warranty coverage due to coding, which is a separate module from what controls engine software (from my understanding), is this scenario theoretically possible? With passive suspension that would never fly, but I wonder how far they can go once you start swapping electronically controlled parts with aftermarket ones. I'm getting Bilstein Damptronic installed in a few weeks, and just want to be well informed in case something ever comes up. Thanks in advance.
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