Modding vs preserving warranty?

[ThatSickRIp]

I ordered my 4r, waited for 2 months, once it got to the dealer (Longo Toyota) they installed the lift kit and wheels/tires and they put it in the contract as a line item which is covered 100%

Awesome to know. Did they stock the lift, or did you order that as well when you ordered the 4Runner so it would be ready to go?

Sponsored

 

[ysv85]

Awesome to know. Did they stock the lift, or did you order that as well when you ordered the 4Runner so it would be ready to go?

Longo Toyota (so cal) has a custom shop within the dealer (626 customs). They hook up most of their tacomas, tundras, 4runners, land cruiser and Sequoias. All I said was I wanted lifted with method wheels and baja bosses and they installed it as soon as my vehicle arrived. I drove off the lot with it looking sexy af lol.... Now what i have added on my behalf is another story

 

[Nodak]

just so others know, installing 3rd party parts and a line item on your contract, that is warranty work by the dealer, not toyota itself.

so calling toyota corporate will get you no where when things go south when trying to get warranty work from the dealer since they are not actually sanctioned parts by toyota.

just to make it clear for those that dont know

 

[RSPNDCO]

I got the extended 8 year 100,000 mile warranty through the dealership and it covers up to a 6” lift. I only got a 3.5” lift through a reputable shop the dealer themselves use. I am covered. Not sure who would contact corporate for any warranty work but usually you take it to your local dealership for warranty work. Modifying doesn’t void entire warranty. Failures are case by case and they can challenge mods causing failures. But it isn’t a blanket operation. If wheel bearings prematurely wear because you are running 12 wide rims with -50 offset then you probably won’t be covered but if you lift it and get a coolant leak, you will most likely have it covered. If you lift it, get it done well and understand that certain components need added maintenance and there are increased chances that parts may fail. It is part of modification. Be about the life or watch from behind a screen. Often you need to pay to play. FYI, Hawaii is exploding with 6” lifts with the 6th gen.

 

[Nodak]

I got the extended 8 year 100,000 mile warranty through the dealership and it covers up to a 6” lift. I only got a 3.5” lift through a reputable shop the dealer themselves use. I am covered. Not sure who would contact corporate for any warranty work but usually you take it to your local dealership for warranty work. Modifying doesn’t void entire warranty. Failures are case by case and they can challenge mods causing failures. But it isn’t a blanket operation. If wheel bearings prematurely wear because you are running 12 wide rims with -50 offset then you probably won’t be covered but if you lift it and get a coolant leak, you will most likely have it covered. If you lift it, get it done well and understand that certain components need added maintenance and there are increased chances that parts may fail. It is part of modification. Be about the life or watch from behind a screen. Often you need to pay to play. FYI, Hawaii is exploding with 6” lifts with the 6th gen.

the issue is the warranty is thru the dealer not toyota financial. so if the dealer says its not warrantied, who do you call above them to dispute it with? with a toyota extended warranty if you have a road block with the dealer, you have a recourse eithe thru the regional office or thru toyota financial (who issues the extended warranty)

you have paths to resolve your issue, with a dealer warranty usually the dealer is the final say so unless its a 3rd party warranty then you can call that 3rd party company to maybe resolve the issue.

all i was pointing out was that dealer warranties go thru a different avenue on trying to get a claim under warranty vs toyota extended warranties.

i am not say one is better than anothe, just making sure people know the process that you may have to go thru.

most people think a dealer warranty is a toyota extended warranty and they are not. dealers selling extended warranties (thru 3rd party companies) make a bigger profit off them than going thru toyota financial (for those that dont jack up the profit margin by 4000% so to speak)

good example of toyota extended warranty gouging is when they try to sell a 10/125 for like over $3000, thats probably close to $1000 profit margin at minimum

i think the most $$$ plan is like $2100-2200 customer price.

 

[soulsea]

Fwiw my truck is heavily modded https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/2026-4runner-trd-pro-wescott-designs-build.10334/ with leveling lift, wheel spacers, bigger tires, roof rack, front bumper, winch, and several light bars going in to the aux switches and I just took it in today for service and to fix several outstanding issues including the squeaky brake tsb and a bunch of rattles mostly coming from the front of the car. I was worried that they were going to use the mods to deny me warranty work. As in saying that the tires/spacers/lift kit contributed to the brake issue and/or that the accessory installation contributed to the rattling from the front of the car. No such problem. They are doing the full brake replacement and under hood insulator replacement (that's where the rattling was coming from) and covered everything under warranty.

As always all this is very dealer dependent. I've learned over the years to have a conversation about this stuff with the service advisor before taking the car in. Some dealers are asshats and will try to charge you for everything, others like mine try to get as much as is reasonable under warranty. Now if you slap a tune on the thing or start swapping engine parts and your engine eats it then almost no dealer will be able to help you.

 

[Nodak]

Fwiw my truck is heavily modded https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/2026-4runner-trd-pro-wescott-designs-build.10334/ with leveling lift, wheel spacers, bigger tires, roof rack, front bumper, winch, and several light bars going in to the aux switches and I just took it in today for service and to fix several outstanding issues including the squeaky brake tsb and a bunch of rattles mostly coming from the front of the car. I was worried that they were going to use the mods to deny me warranty work. As in saying that the tires/spacers/lift kit contributed to the brake issue and/or that the accessory installation contributed to the rattling from the front of the car. No such problem. They are doing the full brake replacement and under hood insulator replacement (that's where the rattling was coming from) and covered everything under warranty.

As always all this is very dealer dependent. I've learned over the years to have a conversation about this stuff with the service advisor before taking the car in. Some dealers are asshats and will try to charge you for everything, others like mine try to get as much as is reasonable under warranty. Now if you slap a tune on the thing or start swapping engine parts and your engine eats it then almost no dealer will be able to help you.

yeah the dealer lottery is fickle, find a good one and keep a good relationship with them, saves a lot of hassle in the long run

my service managers i have know for years going on decades to the point they know i hate tire rotation questions and dont do air filter inspections without my consent (they charge you $7 for just telling you "you need to change you air filter/cabin filter")

the computer automatically adds this line item unless you specifically deny it before hand. they got me once.

 

[ThatSickRIp]

Fwiw my truck is heavily modded https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/2026-4runner-trd-pro-wescott-designs-build.10334/ with leveling lift, wheel spacers, bigger tires, roof rack, front bumper, winch, and several light bars going in to the aux switches and I just took it in today for service and to fix several outstanding issues including the squeaky brake tsb and a bunch of rattles mostly coming from the front of the car. I was worried that they were going to use the mods to deny me warranty work. As in saying that the tires/spacers/lift kit contributed to the brake issue and/or that the accessory installation contributed to the rattling from the front of the car. No such problem. They are doing the full brake replacement and under hood insulator replacement (that's where the rattling was coming from) and covered everything under warranty.

As always all this is very dealer dependent. I've learned over the years to have a conversation about this stuff with the service advisor before taking the car in. Some dealers are asshats and will try to charge you for everything, others like mine try to get as much as is reasonable under warranty. Now if you slap a tune on the thing or start swapping engine parts and your engine eats it then almost no dealer will be able to help you.

Good info, thanks!

Gorgeous build by the way. Mines black too (SR5 though) but that is a great visualization of what certain mods will look like for my reference. Luckily, my horrible garage door opening (75" weatherstrip, 76" frame) will tame how much I can do since the 4R wont fit if I do too much. Much of anything really lol

 

[ysv85]

Fwiw my truck is heavily modded https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/2026-4runner-trd-pro-wescott-designs-build.10334/ with leveling lift, wheel spacers, bigger tires, roof rack, front bumper, winch, and several light bars going in to the aux switches and I just took it in today for service and to fix several outstanding issues including the squeaky brake tsb and a bunch of rattles mostly coming from the front of the car. I was worried that they were going to use the mods to deny me warranty work. As in saying that the tires/spacers/lift kit contributed to the brake issue and/or that the accessory installation contributed to the rattling from the front of the car. No such problem. They are doing the full brake replacement and under hood insulator replacement (that's where the rattling was coming from) and covered everything under warranty.

As always all this is very dealer dependent. I've learned over the years to have a conversation about this stuff with the service advisor before taking the car in. Some dealers are asshats and will try to charge you for everything, others like mine try to get as much as is reasonable under warranty. Now if you slap a tune on the thing or start swapping engine parts and your engine eats it then almost no dealer will be able to help you.

Is your beaut tuned?

 

[ThatSickRIp]

Pulled the 4R in the garage to get some measurements for current heights.

Top of factory rails to entrance is right at 4.75", so Im rounding down to be safe and using a 4" allowance.

Need to finalize decision on roof rack and tire size now and figure the height additions so I stay within the allowance.

I was pretty set on the Wescott lo pro rack, which by research here and online, will maintain the current height allowance since its the same height as the factory rails. That will leave space to figure out which tire size I want to go with.

The rational side of me is saying to get a regular roof rack that might add more capacity for future and will be more of an asset on family trips and adventures, and keep tire size and just get some good ATs since the 4R will already go wherever I intend to take it.

The irrational side of me is saying go Wescott lo pro rack, and max out the tire size to make it look more aggressive since I already know I cant swing a lift and still fit in the garage, so thats the only "lift" it will ever get.

 

[soulsea]

Is your beaut tuned?

It is not ... I feel the truck has enough power for the way I use it as a daily and for off roading.

The only thing I'm pondering is a Pedal Commander cause I'd like more throttle response settings. I had it on a 2nd gen Raptor and it was really useful, especially in off roading conditions. I haven't seen anyone here discuss it tho.

 

[ysv85]

It is not ... I feel the truck has enough power for the way I use it as a daily and for off roading.

The only thing I'm pondering is a Pedal Commander cause I'd like more throttle response settings. I had it on a 2nd gen Raptor and it was really useful, especially in off roading conditions. I haven't seen anyone here discuss it tho.

I am debating between the OTT and the pedal commander/pedal monster brother

Sponsored