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This is a really interesting thread and I guess it applies to all cars, not ZL1s specifically. With all of the different experiences people have shared, I guess it kind of depends on your luck when it comes to modifications and warranties. I personally have not seen, either first hand or even second hand, a warranty get completely voided. Usually, the worst I have seen is that I bring my modified car in for repair and they just nicely come back to me after assessing the issue and tell me that they cannot cover it because of a certain modification and that if I want it repaired, it will cost me x amount to get done...that's it. If I need something fixed under warranty that is not related, they just go ahead and fix it. I guess every manufacturer is different...and every tech/dealer/manager is different. Chevrolet back in the day, never gave me a hassle (maybe things have changed). The larger Toyota dealerships never bother me about anything. Dodge just asked questions, but eventually they fixed what they could and helped with what they "could not cover".
I remember with my Corvette, I had a 5 year extended. At the time I did not really understand warranties and how they worked. I was always having issues with weatherstrip leaks and leaking stock shocks. I went through maybe 10-12 sets of each during my 5 year warranty period. Never got questioned about my headers or the two large NOS bottles in the trunk or lack of Cats attached to my flowmasters. Actually one time I came in and they were doing an inspection on the car because that dealer was just really good and they found that both of my valve covers were leaking (I knew about it, but did not get a chance to fix it on my own)...they offered to fix it for me free of charge. Several of my friends were not as lucky and I learned really quick how lucky I was. These days, I try not to mess with warrantied cars, dealers overall just don't want to do warranty work in general. I was told by one of the techs (offsite, of course) that warranty work is not paid back to the dealers at a 100% rate anymore...is that correct?? Meaning if a service job costed say $1000.00 if a customer paid out of pocket. That same job if it was warrantied would only get the dealer $700.00 (just making up a number, I have no idea what the rates are, just that I was told it was less than full value) when paid by GM back to the dealer to cover the warranty. Not sure how that works either. So, as I was advised, it makes the dealer more "strict" about what they are willing to cover.
On the flip side (I was advised), some dealers, especially larger ones, will try to cover what they can to give a picture of "good customer service" pretty much banking on that when the warranty is over, the customer will have confidence in the service department and bring the car in for work for years to come...and eventually buy another new vehicle from the same dealer. Kind of what manufacturers do with that two year service included deal with a new car purchase. It lets the Dealership give the Service department a chance to impress you and when it's over, hopefully you will keep coming back and pay for service. Many people on this Forum are good at working on their own cars, but the average consumer is not and they will need someone they can trust to work on their vehicle....which these days is hard to find.
I am not really planning alot early for my ZL1. The only thing that has crossed my mind is possibly some lowering springs. Sorry, I know alot of people on this forum are not into that, but that front fender is sitting just a little high for my tastes. I guess after SEMA this year my wish list might grow, but I will try to resist until the warranty is gone. It will be a funny conversation when my dealer tries to sell me the extended warranty...do you want to extend to 5 or 7 years...only if you let me mod the car...lol
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