I want to add exhaust & an air filter to my truck. To my understanding this won't void the warranty but ARE THERE certain kinds of exhaust systems that when installed will void the dodge warranty?

What kind of exhaust system would you recommend? I like the look of the dual exhaust on the right side of the truck. Should I go through Mopar, Flowmaster or something else?

Anyone know how much the dealer charges to install an exhaust system??


Your advice is much appreciated.....

 

There are countless threads on here about cold air intakes (CAI) and Exhaust systems. First and foremost, I think the consensus is that Flowmaster is NOT the way to go cuz they are noisy and annoying. Magnaflow and Borla seem to be the respected choices from most of the experienced members. You can safely change the exhaust from the catalytic converter back to the end of the truck and not worry about smog or warranty issues. There are countless "Cat-Back" systems in kit form available, but clearly, the dealership is NOT where to go to get exhaust work done. Find a performance muffler shop, have them "loose-hang" a couple different mufflers on your truck and pick the one YOU like best. I guess part of the equation is your age, and how much tolerance you have for the droning sound of some of the systems like "Flowmaster". You can see in my signature what my choices were, and I'm extremely happy with the sound and performance of my truck.

As far as CAI systems go, that's a whole other "can of worms", rather than repeat that debate, do a search in the forum for cold air intake or cai,

Good Luck,

Jer

 

I have flowmaster and love the sound, I have the 50 series, not the 40, which is louder.

As for your question..... I asked the dealership when I puchased my truck about exhaust, but not CAI. They say anything behind the converter will not void the warranty, anything before it you better ask them first or pay later.

Since DC makes a CAI for the truck I would have to think that one would not void the warranty, but will also set you back an additional 30-50 dollars over the other brands, which in essance are the same.

 

Just remember, CAI are removable. If you have problem and are concerned about a warrenty issue, just put your OEM intake back on. Who is going to know? Overall, it should not be a problem.

 

There are some older threads on the warranty issue. Basically the Magnuson-Moss Act says (as it relates to vehicles) that a manufacturer can't require it's product or service exclusively or it has to be given free. Also, an aftermarket product can't void the warranty unless that product caused or is related to the cause of the problem. That's where it can start getting gray and some dealers will try to stretch the cause of the problem to include your aftermarket stuff. Just be aware most of those decisions don't initially go your way. You have to know your stuff and argue it out if they're off base.

I agree that I haven't heard of any warranty issues with either cat backs or CAI's, although there is plenty of debate on the value of the CAI's to performance.

 

I have a Borla cat back system which was installed on 9/17/2005. I absolutely love the deep tone my Ram now has. The only complaints I've seen on Borla is that if you aren't heavy in the throttle it isn't much louder than the stock system. However, I didn't want something that was so loud you couldn't hear yourself think. The best way I can describe the sound from a Borla exhaust is the way their website tells it. Imagine going down the road listening to the radio without any bass. Turn the bass up full without increasing the volume and that is what Borla sounds like. I ordered mine from AJUSA.com for $503.00. I had Midas install it for $75. I know there were probably cheaper places to go to have it installed, but Midas warranties their work. There was a slight modification they had to do for the system to fit. It involves the pipe from the catylitic converter to the muffler. They reused the existing pipe and fit it to the pipe for the 2003 Ram. Borla has not updated the kit for the 2005 year yet. I can give you more specifics for this system if you desire. The other reason I chose Borla is I have a friend who runs a Dodge dealer's service center and he told me Borla manufactures the "Mopar" cat back system. Borla's webpage (www.borla.com) has some links in their FAQ for finding info on what to do if the dealer tries to void the warranty. From the way I understand it, it looks like there is no way a cat back system can void the warranty. Hopefully all this rambling helps you out.

 

Heres a link to the Borla FAQ page, and who the hell knew that UPS runs Borla Exhaust? (LMAO) Maybe Dale SHOULD drive the big brown truck!

http://www.borla.com/faqs/

This is interesting reading and may answer your questions completely.

Once again,

Good Luck