do spacers void the warranty?

[OahuHighAltitude]

I just put 1" teraflex spacers and new wheels and tires. I did the front first, then the rear. When i got to the final tire, I noticed that the rear axle seal is leaking ( I also found an exhaust leak). I want to get this fixed under warranty but I dont want to remove the parts that I just installed.

Does adding spacers void the warranty? Should I take the teraflex spacers off before taking it to the dealer? I also changed the wheels and tires, that required wheel adapters that are 2" thick. So I changed 2 things: 1" teraflex suspension spacers, and 2" wheel adapters/spacers. Do I still have a warranty?

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[roaniecowpony]

I'd not be surprised if they were to turn you down on the axle seal leak for warranty. ... or not. But, I'd certainly be prepared for that. On the exhaust, meh. Your mods would not have any effect on that unless they can show some connection to the mod and defect.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

It seems like warranty coverage rule interpretation varies depending on the dealership but for an axle seal leak I would put it all back to stock before taking it in.

 

[6th Floor Mule]

IMHO, a 2” wheel adapter will definitely raise some eyebrows and should be removed.

 

[OahuHighAltitude]

Thats what I expected to hear. Hopefully my stock wheels still fit after I cut the studs to fit the adapters. I'm really not looking forward to undoing the work I just did but also dont want to void my warranty over a leak. I was able to get the extended warranty for free, so i'm not even close to reaching the end of warranty, plus I've had it in for warranty service a few times already and really dont want to cover all future problems myself. I wish I checked for leaks and other problems before doing any modifications.

DO you think I can get by removing just the wheels adapters and leaving the 1" suspension spacers?

 

[dstevens]

Legally the dealer cannot arbitrarily void the warranty for the whole vehicle, but realistically it depends on the dealer and your relationship with them.
If you change something on the vehicle which causes a problem, the dealer has no obligation to warranty the part. In this case increasing the leverage and load on the rear wheel bearing could easily cause the problem.
Exhaust leak should be covered.

 

[Pig-Pen]

Why did you use 2” wheel adapters? Thats pretty big. Are you using wheels made for a different vehicle? Not a good idea. Can wear out your wheel bearings faster iirc. I could definitely see the dealer having an issue with them. Thats putting a lot of leverage on your axles.

1” suspension spacer? That shouldnt be an issue. They likely wouldnt even notice it.

 

[Yawnie'sPapa]

Legally the dealer cannot arbitrarily void the warranty for the whole vehicle, but realistically it depends on the dealer and your relationship with them.
If you change something on the vehicle which causes a problem, the dealer has no obligation to warranty the part. In this case increasing the leverage and load on the rear wheel bearing could easily cause the problem.
Exhaust leak should be covered.

True - but like you suggested, wheel spacers increase the load on this type of axle system. so....... wheel spacers could cause them to deny the axle seal leak.
Wheel spacers could cause denial of death wobble repairs, bearings, seals and other axle parts due to the added stress and throwing the front alignment out of whack.

They are not supposed to deny warranty for totally unrelated parts.

Big wheel spacers are a problem waiting to happen, though.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Thats what I expected to hear. Hopefully my stock wheels still fit after I cut the studs to fit the adapters. I'm really not looking forward to undoing the work I just did but also dont want to void my warranty over a leak. I was able to get the extended warranty for free, so i'm not even close to reaching the end of warranty, plus I've had it in for warranty service a few times already and really dont want to cover all future problems myself. I wish I checked for leaks and other problems before doing any modifications.

DO you think I can get by removing just the wheels adapters and leaving the 1" suspension spacers?

I agree with @Pig-Pen that they probably won't even notice the coil spring spacer. That said, I had a bad locker sensor in my rear axle and the first thing they did was pop my hood and look around with a flashlight. I asked them what they were doing and they said, "look for mouse footprints. If we see any evidence of rodents under the hood we don't cover anything electrical related." Who would have thought that a one time mouse visit could be a "mod" that voids a warranty. Luckily they didn't find any footprints. After the locker sensor repair my axle seal was leaking. I brought it right back. Instead of the obvious rear axle work they just performed, they looked at my Fox shocks and said, "was this Mopar lift installed by a certified Mopar shop?" It was, and after that repair I found a new dealership for future warranty work.

 

[6th Floor Mule]

When I hear “wheel spacer,” I think of wanting a little poke or some extra clearance for an aftermarket lift while keeping stock wheels. When I hear you had to cut your studs to fit a 2” wheel “adapter,“ I think of 6 lug 22x12 Moto Metals. Even if you throw your stockers back on, any chance they flagged your setup on prior visits?

 

[Steph1]

As said, they wouldnt even noticed the teraflex coil spacers. The wheel spacers however have got to go, and not just for your visit at the dealer.

 

[dstevens]

Big wheel spacers are a problem waiting to happen, though.

Now we're getting there. Wheel spacers are never a good idea. A replacement wheel of the correct width and offset is the answer.

 

[OahuHighAltitude]

When I hear “wheel spacer,” I think of wanting a little poke or some extra clearance for an aftermarket lift while keeping stock wheels. When I hear you had to cut your studs to fit a 2” wheel “adapter,“ I think of 6 lug 22x12 Moto Metals. Even if you throw your stockers back on, any chance they flagged your setup on prior visits?

no chance, I just intalled it 2 days ago. If i would have noticed the leaky axle early I would have just called the dealer to schedule a repair, but it was the last wheel.

and yes I could just keep the 1" and put taller tires on my stock wheels. My neighbor offered a great deal on his takeoffs from a new bronco with sasquatch package, so needed adapters for the 6 lug wheels. Its not the first time I've done something stupid to get a good deal. Worst case I'm out the cost of adapters and I can sell the wheels for more than what I paid. BTW, the bronco offset makes the 2" adapters net 1.5" of poke. I'm pretty happy with how it looks and I didnt have any rubbing while off roading, so im pretty happy with it except for discovering a previously existing problem.

 

[Pig-Pen]

When you roll in to the dealership on bronco wheels thats going to be a red huge look at me flag. May as well put a bronco grill on the front lol. Do not go in there with the wheels and spacers on!

 

[OahuHighAltitude]

Thanks everyone for your info and opinion. I have my plan of action and I'll update you on how the dealer handles the warranty repair. I'm leaving the teraflex spacers and putting my stock wheels back on (if I can), then I'm taking it to the dealer for the 2 leaks that I found. If they dont repair it then I get to fix it myself. Sounds like my warranty for the jeep wont be voided even if they dont cover the axle seal, so I'm happy with keeping my warranty even if I have to do one repair myself.

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