Akrapovic exhaust

[IHB]

Will installing an Akrapovic exhaust void my warranty?

[Omerta]

no

[IHB]

Really? I thought Dinan was the only approved after market stuff. Not true?

[Omerta]

The only time you will have a warranty issue with an aftermarket part is if it causes an issue that has to be repaired under warranty. Then BMW may place the blame on the aftermarket part. An exhaust is safe in that regards.

[IHB]

Good to know, thanks

[UNNATRAL]

you will love it...I just installed the full EVO....amazing

[Auto]

No it won't.

[KASM3]

Originally Posted by Auto

No it won't.

If you do a CAT Back your PROBABLY OK(depends on dealer) BUT if you do the full EVO, warranty is SHOT! Dont even touch the catalytic converter if you want your warranty.

[signes]

Originally Posted by IHB

Really? I thought Dinan was the only approved after market stuff. Not true?

Nothing Dinan is "approved." Dinan parts come with their own warranty, they are not covered by BMW.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by KASM3

If you do a CAT Back your PROBABLY OK(depends on dealer) BUT if you do the full EVO, warranty is SHOT! Dont even touch the catalytic converter if you want your warranty.

Where are you getting this from? My dealer would say different... if the exhaust causes an issue then it isn't covered, if there is an issue that isn't related to the exhaust there is NO impact on warranty.

[BMRLVR]

No exhaust in itself will cause an engine issue, header back, catback it don't matter.

Some technicians and dealers that don't know any better will try and blame any issue that you have on your exhaust but seriously that is impossible. The only thing you are changing with the exhaust is reducing backpressure. Engines like to run with as little backpressure as possible. Reducing backpressure can not and will not damage your engine in any way shape or form.

The only issue that one may have with an Akrapovic Evo system is needing to have the ECM flashed or running the Akrapovic Delete-R to prevent your check engine light from illuminating due to removal of the primary cats. Personally I chose to have the dealer flash the ECM with the Dinan racing middle exhaust software to prevent my check engine light. Generally Dealers are more friendly to Dinan mods since they install them.

I would say if you have your dealer install the Dinan Software and the Akrapovic exhaust they will not give you any issue with warranty since they did the work for you. Talk to your service advisor and see what he has to say about your intentions, you may be surprised how receptive they are....... If they are not receptive then find a more mod friendly dealer to deal with.

[B R A N D X®]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

Talk to your service adviser and see what he has to say about your intentions, you may be surprised how receptive they are....... If they are not receptive then find a more mod friendly dealer to deal with.

+1

I'm far from an expert in this area, but:

The tech I request at my local dealership's service department has been running a Vishnu piggyback tune on his 335i for three years. Definitely a mod friendly guy. If push comes to shove, I know that whether something is covered under warranty or not won't be up to him, but he also won't be the first to point out any related components/parts that aren't OEM to those above him if there's ever an issue.

Tipping your tech isn't a bad idea either; especially when having work done that doesn't cost you anything. I'm not talking about bribing your tech....just making sure he/she knows your car and knows you appreciate he/she looking after it for you.

An exhaust is something I wouldn't worry about for a second though.

When you start getting into suspension mods, for example, you need to research the cracked sub-frame issues folks had (are having) with the E46 M3.....some of which, I believe, were not covered under warranty due to suspension components not being OEM.

Still, feeling out the manager of the service department is a very good idea. Develop a rapport with them and gauge where they fall regarding mod's that are done correctly, ideally by them, with high-quality, after-market parts.

[MRE90M3]

Akra gt4 exhaust ftw =)

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

No exhaust in itself will cause an engine issue, header back, catback it don't matter.

Some technicians and dealers that don't know any better will try and blame any issue that you have on your exhaust but seriously that is impossible. The only thing you are changing with the exhaust is reducing backpressure. Engines like to run with as little backpressure as possible. Reducing backpressure can not and will not damage your engine in any way shape or form.

The only issue that one may have with an Akrapovic Evo system is needing to have the ECM flashed or running the Akrapovic Delete-R to prevent your check engine light from illuminating due to removal of the primary cats. Personally I chose to have the dealer flash the ECM with the Dinan racing middle exhaust software to prevent my check engine light. Generally Dealers are more friendly to Dinan mods since they install them.

I would say if you have your dealer install the Dinan Software and the Akrapovic exhaust they will not give you any issue with warranty since they did the work for you. Talk to your service advisor and see what he has to say about your intentions, you may be surprised how receptive they are....... If they are not receptive then find a more mod friendly dealer to deal with.

Very well explained. Do note the Akrapovic systems are also chosen by BMW to be used on their GT4 platforms.

I have not heard any warranty disputes from those running the Akrapovic systems, most dealers would not give a second look unless a condition or warranty inquiry (highly doubtful) was made regarding exhaust components.

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

No exhaust in itself will cause an engine issue, header back, catback it don't matter.

Some technicians and dealers that don't know any better will try and blame any issue that you have on your exhaust but seriously that is impossible. The only thing you are changing with the exhaust is reducing backpressure. Engines like to run with as little backpressure as possible. Reducing backpressure can not and will not damage your engine in any way shape or form.

in regards to cat-back, my SA told me specifically that the the shop techs arent gonna look under your car to check, "oh its a cat back, he's fine"...they will just see the exhaust and note that in the system "customer has modified exhaust." Then somewhere down the line if your o2 sensors go bad (ive read it was a common issue on this car) they could then blame your cat back exhaust and u pay the cost of repair a few hundred....OR, if u get an engine error, they will say your aftermkt cat back exhaust caused this due to "incorrect backpressure."

i was about to get one installed and then i checked with my SA before and he told me the above so i decided not to do it.

what are your thoughts about this?? im not a mechanic, i have no clue how engines and all that works...i just want more sound with a rear section only..dont care about power gains...but afraid of warrnty issues and getting flagged

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by shift@red

My dealer installed my eisenmann exhaust and didnt say a thing. They are a dinan dealer so they are more used to mods. Ive had exhausts on all my BMWs pretty much and none ever said anything about them.
I do have a story for you. When I had my Cayman S, I had a remus race exhaust on it, which included the mufflers and a test pipe that removed the secondary (dummy) cats. My other cats went bad. My dealer just installed new cats undr warranty and never said a thing about the exhaust.

i dont know...i guess it depends, but my SA informed me that BMW NA is cracking down on mod cars making it a stricter policy for shop foremans to flag modded cars in the system....he told me if the regional director happens to see a modded car on his usual visit, and its not flagged, the SA and techs will get in trouble for not doing their job....so, the foreman will flag your car because he is only doing his job...does he have to tell u about it? NO.....he basically said if i get the modded cat back, just make sure no one finds out about it and dont post videos or pics of it online because they are also trained to go on the internet to search for customer cars that are modified when claiming warranty issues....he told me recently they had a customer who has a remus cat back come in for an oil change and they flagged his car with "modified exhaust." didnt bother to look under for xpipes or whatever else...just saw the tips and it was done.

AND, even if you do go to a dealer that supposedly is "mod-friendly" if there ever is sucha thing, what's to say that the person or foreman who didnt care before is still there? what if he moved or transferred out? whatever and thats the day ur car decided it needed to come in?? and there's a new guy?? what if this guy flags ur car on that one unlucky day?? or u came in on your guy's day off? im mean shoot, im so confused u know....

so, is it worth it to keep removing the mufflers and reinstalling the oem everytime before u go in for service?? im debating this right now......=(

[ES_TRADER]

i once had a K&N filter on my 330ci and H&R springs...a different dealer than my current one, started typing stuff on the screen when i came in....i looked over his shoulder and sure enough, he was noting..."customer has modified suspension, customer has modified engine intake" BUSTED! they basically want to avoid paying for any warranty work if possible....then the burden of proof will remain on me to prove that it wanst those mods that caused the issue...then i gotta hire attorneys, engineers, etc..and go fight it out in court...oh god....dont get me wrong, i REALLY REALLY want this exhaust...not sure how to get around it...maybe wait till warranty is over...but then by then, car is old, and it would just be a beater

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by shift@red

I would make sure they know its only an axle back then. Have them install it so they know...i guess thats all you really can do.

hmmm interesting...do u think the dealer will install a non-bmw part?? is this typical?? i just might try that

[Bob MG]

In south africa BMW have officially approved Akrapovic on all models.

AC Schnitzer was the approved aftermarket parts, hence the special edition M3 with all the ACS bits and previously a M Coupe Schnitzer edition marketed by BMW SA

Finally they have seen the light

I wonder if BMW internationally will go with an approval from factory. It would certainly help

[BMRLVR]

Originally Posted by richpuer

in regards to cat-back, my SA told me specifically that the the shop techs arent gonna look under your car to check, "oh its a cat back, he's fine"...they will just see the exhaust and note that in the system "customer has modified exhaust." Then somewhere down the line if your o2 sensors go bad (ive read it was a common issue on this car) they could then blame your cat back exhaust and u pay the cost of repair a few hundred....OR, if u get an engine error, they will say your aftermkt cat back exhaust caused this due to "incorrect backpressure."

i was about to get one installed and then i checked with my SA before and he told me the above so i decided not to do it.

what are your thoughts about this?? im not a mechanic, i have no clue how engines and all that works...i just want more sound with a rear section only..dont care about power gains...but afraid of warrnty issues and getting flagged

Your SA is not correct. I am a Mechanic/Technician and I can tell you that incorrect backpressure is a term thrown around by people who don't know any better. Lowering backpressure on an internal combustion engine is a desirable and beneficial thing and will not cause O2 sensors to fail.

The pre-cat O2 sensors in our M3's are heated wideband sensors. These sensors generate voltage based on a chemical reaction using air from the atmosphere and exhaust gas reacting on a Zirconia membrane. The voltage generated tells the ECM what the exhaust gas mixture is. The voltage range of an O2 sensor is 0.2V-0.8V with ideal mixture being ~0.45V (stoichiometric or 14.7-1). The post-cat O2 sensors do the same thing except their only purpose is to show the ECM that the catalytic convertors are doing their job. The post-cat O2 sensor voltage is compared to the pre-cat O2 sensor voltage. Once the cat reaches the light off point (316C/600F) and starts cleaning the exhaust gas the ECM wants to see and average voltage on the post-cat O2 sensor of 0.45V to show that the cats are doing their job and that the reaction is taking place efficiently, regardless of the pre-cat O2 sensor voltage. As the efficiency of your cats decrease over time the oxygen content in the exhaust gas stream after the cats decreases therefore the voltage drops below the 0.45V happy medium and a code is thrown.

The only possible way I could see reduced restriction/backpressure causing an O2 sensor issue is due to the Exhaust Gas Temperatures are lower at the sensor than needed to effectively operate (Sensors need to be at 316C or 600F to work properly). Since our cars use heated O2 sensors not to mention they are extremely close to the engine this will never be an issue no matter which exhaust you install (cat back or full exhaust). In our cars probably 90% of all the restriction/backpressure in the exhaust system is in the primary and secondary catalytic convertors, not in the rear muffler. If the muffler was a big source of restriction/backpressure, you would make lots of power by changing it but since HP gains with an aftermarket rear muffler are small that tells you it has little effect on restriction/backpressure. Since there are relatively large gains to be had from changing/removing cats, this confirms the restriction/backpressure in the system is mainly in the cats.

Finally since BMW now has a rear rear muffler of it's own for sale that is pretty much the final confirmation that changing a rear muffler has virtually no effect on the engine/performance other than increased sound.

The long and short of this all is if you experience a premature failure of an O2 sensor it is due to a defect, leaded fuel, silicone contamination, or anti-freeze/coolant entering the combustion chamber, not you putting a muffler on the car.

My advice to you is use a different SA/Dealer because your current one is feeding you a line.

[CominAtYaBich]

akra is tooo nice, super pricey but worth it

[Kyoshi71]

Originally Posted by gthal

Where are you getting this from? My dealer would say different... if the exhaust causes an issue then it isn't covered, if there is an issue that isn't related to the exhaust there is NO impact on warranty.

Exactly Right.