I just bought a new Chevy Equinox and want to install the D3 in it. However, the salesperson at the dealership told me that by doing so would void the warranty. Is this true? If so, that's a little disappointing as I was excited to do this right away. However, I don't want to have my 36,000 mi warranty voided so I'll wait if necessary. Does anyone have any insight on this matter?
Read the warranty.
I just bought a new Chevy Equinox and want to install the D3 in it. However, the salesperson at the dealership told me that by doing so would void the warranty. Is this true? If so, that's a little disappointing as I was excited to do this right away. However, I don't want to have my 36,000 mi warranty voided so I'll wait if necessary. Does anyone have any insight on this matter?
It is illegal (in the state of NJ anyway) for the maufacturer to void your warranty for having aftermarket equipment installed in your car, unless they can prove that whatever problem you have is being caused by that equipment. Of course, your audio system warranty will be void because the speakers are not designed to handle the output of the unit (older cars mainly). However, no other warranty shall be void for putting a radio in as it should will not affect powertain, suspension, SRS systems, and other electrical components.
i agree with djhellfire. he is right. but being that i work for dealerships and know how they operate, i'll tell you that if they already started telling you that stuff, then they are going to give you a hard time if you do have problems down the road. you may want to inquire with other nearby dealerships on their policies and use someone for service that is not an asshole. good luck
Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson-Moss_Warranty_Act
And to add to what Misfit said, That dealership is probably going to give you a hard time with warranty service REGARDLESS if you install anything in the vehicle or not. It just sounds like a very bad attitude and customer unfriendly thing to say.
Read the warranty.
Thanks for the insightful reply. 
For the rest of you who replied in this thread, thank you very much for the info! I was just interested to get some feedback from all of you as I continue to investigate this issue. The dealer that I bought my vehicle from is most likely not the one I would use should I need to bring it in for service. I plan to contact a couple of other dealerships (to get their perspective on the issue) as well as talking directly with someone from GM.
Once again, thanks for the info!
It is illegal (in the state of NJ anyway) for the maufacturer to void your warranty for having aftermarket equipment installed in your car, unless they can prove that whatever problem you have is being caused by that equipment. Of course, your audio system warranty will be void because the speakers are not designed to handle the output of the unit (older cars mainly). However, no other warranty shall be void for putting a radio in as it should will not affect powertain, suspension, SRS systems, and other electrical components.
That is exactly what I thought which is why I was surprised by the salesperson's comments. I don't think he really knew what he was talking about; however, obviously I need to research this more before taking the D3 plunge. Thanks again -
Read the warranty.Thanks for the insightful reply.
For the rest of you who replied in this thread, thank you very much for the info! I was just interested to get some feedback from all of you as I continue to investigate this issue. The dealer that I bought my vehicle from is most likely not the one I would use should I need to bring it in for service. I plan to contact a couple of other dealerships (to get their perspective on the issue) as well as talking directly with someone from GM.
Once again, thanks for the info!
What? If you read the warranty, it tells you what is and is not covered, and what actions will result in voiding it, regardless of what some sales rep tells you.
The only warranty they can void you is on the sound system, damage speakers or damage OEM amps if you damage this using the aftermarket head unit they can VOID the warranty only for those parts.
Example: If you add bigger wheels to your car, you can void your POWER TRAIN WARRANTY (Engine, transmition, Axles etc) but not your other stuff like peeling paint, damage power windows etc.
The dealer will try to void the complete warranty but I have seen persons fight for it and they only VOID certain things. In your case if you blow up the speaker and go to the dealer for warranty with the aftermarket headunit they won't fix it. Sound system have nothing to do with the rest of the car.
If you add racing graphics to your car and paint starts to peel off you might VOID the paint warranty, but that doesn't mean if the engines is damage they won't fix it, they have too.
It's not exactly the same as a plain old aftermarket stereo. Since the D3 hooks into the VSS system as well as the veverse signal wire, it's not just affecting the speakers/factory amps.
It's not exactly the same as a plain old aftermarket stereo. Since the D3 hooks into the VSS system as well as the veverse signal wire, it's not just affecting the speakers/factory amps.
Yeah, but 9 times out of 10, the dealer won't know that.