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Question??

I read car forums and see a lot of mods to cars like engines,suspensions etc on brand new cars. how does this affect warranties, and insurances claim etc.

I would think adding turbos and heads to std blocks would cancel warranties and altering suspensions would cause insurance companies to reject claim.

Also seeing people alter the lighting to brighter lights of tinting the headlight glass wouldnt this cause state inspection woes.

After market trim etc should also cause insurance problems unless it was noted on the policy

Reply to
Tom
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Pretty much cancels them.

Not necessarily. Anything can be insured.

Some state have no inspection. Police are often lax in going after minor modifications.

I'm curious as to your age. Have you ever been to a Cruise Night? Growing up in the 50s, we did that sort of thing all the time. Most of us could not afford brand new car, but we all did some modifications. Some of the adults that had a few bucks, did the same thing to brand new cars.

What was important was having a custom, personalized car. Lowering the rear was very common. Back then tinkering with the engine was much easier without the electronics and pollution Much of the chrome trim was removed lights were modified. Easy was putting a Buick tail lens on your '55 Chevy, etc.

At some point, people had more money and little interest in a real custom. They though going to the dealer and picking out options was the only way.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Yes i have been to cruise nights, one about 2 blocks from my house and i am 75 Never said i had a problem with mods just with the results etc. my parts store back in the day was a junk yard cars were much simpler then, i have no problem with trim etc but with inspections, and warranty. Just curious about it.

Reply to
Tom

Texas has yearly vehicle inspection with major cities also requiring smog testing. Vehicles must have a stock appearance and pass smog tests - during inspection. In between inspections it's at the discretion of the police. Not too many mods to be seen here.

Reply to
Paul in Houston TX

We shopped at the same store.

When I lived in PA, inspection was a joke. You had a few shops that always found something wrong to make an extra $5, shops that never found anything wrong (take the money and here's your sticker) and outright scams that said they found big problems. In between were a few honest shops.. Since many of my old cars would not legitimately pass inspection, I knew where to go.

Here in CT, you do have emissions, but no safety inspection on most cars. If the police stop you and find blatant problems, you will get a ticket. Seems like tinted windows is the big one.

I never heard of an insurance problem after an accident because of modifications.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

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