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I'm an attorney who specializes in lemon law and breach of warranty cases. The following is just my, informed, opinion NOT legal advice. It's just some forum chat answering a question. I won't write "I think" to start every sentence, but the following is just what I think:
Most warranties specifically state that modifications to the vehicle void the warranty. Adding aftermarket parts, dealer installed or not, would be a modification that can void the warranty. But the warranty would only be void for the modified system. For example, if you raised the vehicle height, and then the infotainment system stopped working, the dealership would make those repairs under warranty because it's very unlikely that raising the vehicle caused the infotainment system to fail. There would certainly be gray areas. For example, if the air suspension failed the dealership might say the ride height affected the air suspension, or that something got messed up when the rods were being installed (even if it's technically not the same system). I had a case where a dealership installed an aftermarket remote starter on a car that caused computer faults and reoccurring illumination of the Check Engine Light. Even though the dealership installed it, when sued, the manufacturer argued that there was no warranty to breach because the modification voided the warranty.
Also, returning the vehicle to stock configuration won't 'unvoid' the warranty. Maybe your local dealership would look the other way, especially if they did the install and un-install, but if you have a breakdown on the road, another LR dealership might not be so understanding.
Thank you brydup for that information.
Anyone who wants to modify their vehicle should review their warranty and decide about that risk before doing any changes.
When a car dealership does the install they generally stand behind their work. Talk to your dealership if you have warranty concerns.
Our new Defender 1.5 inch lift kit has been a big success.
Sold worldwide, this lift provides excellent ride quality at 1.5 inches based on customer feedback.
Check our website link below:
Just trying to understand what's taking place under the surface: am I correct the air compressor is not doing any additional work, the lift is simply tricking the compressor into inflating the bags an additional amount to get 1.5" lift?
How does it go up additional number of inches for off road mode - over-inflating the bags?
How does it go up additional number of inches for off road mode - over-inflating the bags?
Yes but I don't really think that "over-inflating" is exactlly what I would call it. Think of them as "filling up more" rather than "stretching a balloon". The bags have quite a bit of travel range... you will loose some droop/articulation though. I have some on a disco 5. I put the lift rods on when we have our larger offroad tireset on the vehicle for road driving... if any offroading where tire lift is going to be done, I swap back to stock rods and put it an offroad mode with the preset factory lift/higher air fill. Since the disco and defender share most of that stuff, I imagine that the installation of these rods is almost the same... it takes me less than 10 minutes to change from stock rods to lift rods... or back.
Just trying to understand what's taking place under the surface: am I correct the air compressor is not doing any additional work, the lift is simply tricking the compressor into inflating the bags an additional amount to get 1.5" lift?
How does it go up additional number of inches for off road mode - over-inflating the bags?
The rods replace the original height sensor rods and adjust the sensor's position which signals the system to raise the suspension by an additional 1.5 inches.
The bags will not get overinflated and the compressor works the same by holding pressure as it would at any height.
We only go 1.5 inches because that provides the best overall ride quality based on customer feedback in both on and off road modes.
Yes, you can change these out very easily and in ten minutes with some practice.
Most customers leave them on full time and get an alignment. That's what I recommend because the alignment will allow the tires to sit flat and improve the ride and performance.
Here is a nice Johnson Rods dealer install by Las Vegas.
You can order your Defender to come with Johnson Rods or purchase them and have them installed at any time by the dealer. Johnson Rod 1.5 inch kit 275-60-20 33"
I had my dealer install the Johnson Rods and align the car. It came out great and will upgrade to the 33" K02s once my stock off-road tires get a little more use.
