Should You Payoff Your Car Before You Mod?

"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind) 11/22/2016 at 10:39 • Filed to: Questions

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I’ve been seeing a lot of brand new cars going from stock to modified within weeks of them hitting the market. Whether they are GTIs, STs, or every new truck and Jeep it seems as if more people are buying cars for their potential ability rather than their initial ability. Do you build the car you love today because driving happy is worth it, or do you pay down the principle and wait for the warranty to expire before turning a new car into a project car?

E92M3 > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:47

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I bought a car that doesn’t need mods to avoid the temptation. It’s a good package to begin with. It didn’t stop me from buying a different set of wheels though.

S65 > E92M3 11/22/2016 at 10:48

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What wheels

CB > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:48

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Probably, because until then, it isn’t actually your car.

BorkBorkBjork > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:49

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Really depends on whether you are counting on the resale value of the vehicle for any future financial decisions. If you are going to keep the car for a while, then it doesn’t matter, so mod it. If you are planning on buying the latest and greatest in a few years, keep it stock.

Mercedes Streeter > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:50

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I modified Tucker less than a week after I signed the lease (non-permanent mods)...Then once the lease ended and they gave me the car (MBFS tried their hardest not to get my car back) I performed more permanent mods.

Phil is going to stay mostly stock outside of minor cosmetic changes, he’s perfect just the way he is!

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:51

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IMO I wouldn’t mod anything that was still under warranty. Case and point the Honda recall . Imagine if you’d installed a turbo on it all ready. I’d imagine that could, potentially, cause you some problems. Or if it wasn’t a recall and yours was just a lemon. It’d be a much harder case to fight if it’s modified.

For a lien. I wouldn’t mod it before it’s paid off, unless I could afford to pay it all of at once. Seems kind of stupid to sink money into something you haven’t out right bought yet.

vondon302 > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:53

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Just picked up a new fost and had the dealer install frpp exhaust and mountune xp 275 kit. Rolled it all into the loan cause borrowing money is cheap right now. These mods are all warrantied by Ford and no charge for install! Now if they weren’t factory warrenty I probably would have waited but I really wanted to try some dealer installed mods. Its the late 60s all over again.

Full write up coming soon.

crowmolly > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:53

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I won’t mod until after all the warranties are over.

The last thing I want to do is give a dealer more ammo to give me shit about a claim.

K&N air filter? That’s totally what cost you your turbo!

Yes, there are laws and such to protect you, but that doesn’t stop a hassle.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:54

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I think whether or not that’s a good idea depends on what someone’s goals are and the ratio of their annual income to the purchase price of their car. Some people think about things like that while others pursue mods with little regard for voided warranties or money. Personally, I’d rather save up for a purpose-built sports car than dump money I won’t get back into something inferior to make it comparable.

E92M3 > S65 11/22/2016 at 10:54

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Just some 2nd hand Avant Garde’s.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 10:55

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Depends on the “mod.” I had stickier tires, better brake pads and lines, and upgraded fluids before the first payment on my BRZ and would recommend that to anyone. Throwing a monstrous turbo on to see how much boost it will hold? Yeah, no.

lone_liberal > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:03

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Personally I would definitely wait until after the warranty expired. I’d probably be willing to mod after that but before it was paid off. I think it was even more common to modify new cars back when I was young because malaise cars pretty much ran like shit until you got in there and fixed them.

Old Red Wagon > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:05

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I’ve had my GTI just shy of a year and I’ve performed some mods on it already. I haven’t done anything to void the warranty though. New wheels/tires, lowering springs, cat back, cold air intake, short shifter, and shift knob.

E90M3 > E92M3 11/22/2016 at 11:08

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Is your car stock apart from the wheels? I was going to mod mine once I got it paid off, probably just an exhaust and some wheels, but instead I upgraded my second car. Then I got laid off, so the exhaust is on hold.

Textured Soy Protein > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:12

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I bought an out-of-warranty used car with a loan and threw a bunch of mods on it. I’m planning to keep it for a good long while so I’m not worried about putting the mods on it before it’s fully paid for.

E90M3 > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:16

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This has so far been the only mod I’ve done to my car. Because of the uncertainly of the oil field, I decided to pay it off before I modded it, I’m probably just going to put an exhaust on it. I haven’t had a chance to mod it as I lost my job, paying it off was one of the smartest things I did.

Quadradeuce > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:17

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I don’t mess with anything until the warranty expires (assuming we’re talking mechanical mods, not aesthetic).

Speed > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:23

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The only reason I would buy a new/newish car is because of the warranty. The security of knowing someone else gets to turn the wrenches if expensive stuff shits the sheets is nice. That said, the newest car I’ve ever owned was already 10 years old.

I could make exceptions though. If I went out and picked up a 5th gen 1LE with some warranty left on it, I’d consider some bolt ons since they’re dead reliable and likely won’t break. If it did, they’re easy and cheap to fix.

Arrivederci > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 11/22/2016 at 11:37

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Agree - I haven’t paid off my BRZ yet (because 0% financing, woot), but have modded it quite a lot. The only ones that may cause a warranty squabble would be the header and tune.

Dasupersprint2 > E92M3 11/22/2016 at 11:46

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They’re invisible wheels? I don’t see them

theloudmouth > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 11:57

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Basically yes, though there are exceptions to every rule. For instance subframe bushings or reinforcements on BMW’s, while technically a “mod” they’re more for correction of an issue.

E92M3 > E90M3 11/22/2016 at 12:12

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Yes, well...besides pads I swap in for trackdays. I would probably do a M performance exhaust if one popped up locally for a good price. Other than that I don’t think the car needs anything else.

Justin Hughes > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 11/22/2016 at 12:41

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Right there with you (ok, not before the first payment but I’ve caught up to you). Nearly all of my mods are 100% reversible, even though I’ve had the car for nearly 3 years now. I’m out of the general warranty and approaching the end of the powertrain warranty, but I doubt I’ll do much after that. I really like the car in its current state.

wiffleballtony > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 12:49

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I wouldn’t do anything to void the warranty.

bhtooefr > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 14:17

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Most likely, the one mod that I’d do to my Prius would happen after it’s paid off - better dampers.

The Miata... Frankly, I would’ve upgraded the headlights before paying it off, had I gotten around to it. (The stock NB1 headlights are dire.)

BigBlock440 > crowmolly 11/22/2016 at 15:05

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K&N air filter? That’s totally what cost you your turbo!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

That’s not a completely unfair statement...

Khalbali > Wobbles the Mind 11/22/2016 at 15:09

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I bought a 2008 mx5 over a 2016 partially to avoid this dilemma. The NC also has a 10 year head start on the aftermarket and as sacrilegious as it is to most miatards, being 6'2" 225 I prefer the biggest fattest miata over the purer ones, and its still one of the lightest cars out there.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Wobbles the Mind 12/20/2016 at 10:06

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The first question when I brought my WRX in for the engine knocking was, “what mods do you have installed?”

When I answered that there were no mods installed, the tech immediately relaxed and said it would be no problem fixing the car under warranty.