Will basic modifications void the showroom warranty

[Vishnu Ramankutty]

I'm seeking expert advice on enhancing my off road driving experience. Currently, I own a 2023 Fortuner and have been participating in newbie drives with Carnity. While I find these experiences enjoyable, I personally believes there may be some adjustments necessary to enhance the convenience and elevate my performance for upcoming advanced drives. Currently I’m always worried on descending hills because of the ground clearance. Here's a list of basic alterations which comes on my mind, though I'm unsure of their importance:

• Skid Plate
• Lift kit for improved ground clearance

 

Furthermore, I'm concerned about the impact these changes might have on my showroom warranty. I've only had the vehicle for four months. If I had discovered this off-road driving pleasure  earlier, I would have chosen a more capable 4X4 vehicle with superior ground clearance from the outset.

[Frederic]

49 minutes ago, Vishnu Ramankutty said:

I'm seeking expert advice on enhancing my off road driving experience. Currently, I own a 2023 Fortuner and have been participating in newbie drives with Carnity. While I find these experiences enjoyable, I personally believes there may be some adjustments necessary to enhance the convenience and elevate my performance for upcoming advanced drives. Currently I’m always worried on descending hills because of the ground clearance. Here's a list of basic alterations which comes on my mind, though I'm unsure of their importance:

• Skid Plate
• Lift kit for improved ground clearance

 

Furthermore, I'm concerned about the impact these changes might have on my showroom warranty. I've only had the vehicle for four months. If I had discovered this off-road driving pleasure  earlier, I would have chosen a more capable 4X4 vehicle with superior ground clearance from the outset.

Hey @Vishnu Ramankutty

You’ve brought up a good topic here, and my reply below is based on other new model fortuners I’ve seen performing in the desert.

The NO1 weak point on these cars is the massive front bumper, similar to the Montero Sport. And it will be the first part that receives damage eventually. Adding a front bash plate underneath the stock bumper will help but won’t give you a permanent solution. That brings us to the following options:

1) Replacing the front bumper with different design bumper. This is a possibility but not cheap. 

2) Lift kit. Will give you a bit more extra clearance which will help saving the stock bumper. You can combine this with a bash plate.

3) Trimming stock bumper. Is possible on the Montero Sport, see @Abhilash Kottakkalhis mod. Not sure if same works on your car.

I would advise you to approach a couple of shops (can’t name them here but you can ask other off-roaders on your drive) and check with them what your options are. 

 

[DP1011]

and  I also let 2 experienced Fortuner owners also add their experience:) @Sunil Mathew @FERNANDO SYRIO

[FERNANDO SYRIO]

I my case with my Fortuner is happening exactly as @Fredericmentioned: My front bumper is already damaged due to the steps in the drives. I will analyze better the alternative of lift kit. At least to minimize the risk.

[Abhilash Kottakkal]

 @Vishnu RamankuttyI saw the damage on your car it was a small  but definitely it will go high.. i had skirts on the bumbers which look very good but @Frederic@Vanessa8580 they told me desert is gonna take it on my first drive and ofcorse it happened. And on the second night drive I lost the stock bumbers also..I would suggest doing some trimming if you are serious and want to go forward to the next levels from my experience with just 4 drives now...the thing is that if you don't do trimmings now you may loose the entire bumper. I am lucky I made the decision to trim and only has a small tear on the stock bumber...

[Abhilash Kottakkal]

 @Vishnu Ramankutty  I can send you the pictures of the damages at different stages if you send me whatsapp on 0501002814 so you will get an understanding on what might happen...

[Sunil Mathew]

@Vishnu Ramankutty   @DP1011- WRT the query  about voiding warranty, i cannot be much of a help, because i drive a 2014 model, and warranty was never a concern when modifying the car. I believe @Waqas Parvez drives a Prado which is under warranty and he has upgraded his suspensions and done other mods. probably Waqas can shed some light on how Al Futtaim views his mods. 

For my car, which is a TRD version, the first thing i did was to strip those 2 low lying plastic lips on both front and rear bumpers. I have further trimmed the front main bumper to be higher than the wheel centre. attached photo may offer some clarity. Skid plate, UCA, suspension - done as additional mods, which are required to enjoy this hobby safely and with piece of mind for a fortuner. If you plan to trim the bumper or upgrade suspensions with extra lift, do it along with or  BEFORE you install skid plate, so that skid plate front level matches the cut bumper.

As a separate pointer - I also carry a spare air filter with me and change after each drive, and get both filters cleaned every 2 weeks. Since i dont have a snorkel , the filter gets choked soon, and i can feel the engine slightly hunting/ rough idling after higher level drives. So you might want to give this a thought too. My whatspp - 0559498749 in case you want to have a detailed chat

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Sunil Mathew

[Vishnu Ramankutty]

@Frederic @DP1011 @Abhilash Kottakkal @Sunil Mathew @FERNANDO SYRIO

Thank you everyone for the clear explanations. My main concern is whether making any of these changes will void my warranty. I spoke to the service expert at Al-Futtaim, but their response wasn't clear. They didn't confirm whether I have the green light to go with this, nor did they mention if my warranty would be voided if any changes are made. 

 

Thanks, @Abhilash Kottakkal and @Sunil Mathew, for sharing the contact numbers. I'll be reaching out soon.

 

[Theo09]

@Vishnu Ramankutty unfortunately I cant help with the warranty part of your concerns... which is a very valid point! Would say its best to get this in writing some how as a verbal conversation might backfire should issues arise later (hopefully not)! If I remember correctly you have the V6 4L Fortuner? 

I drive a Prado, however had similar concerns when I started my journey with Carnity regarding basic modification and would share the following: after fitting a front skid plate and doing a bumper trim (after giving it a few knocks during my newbie drives) did help solve my problem with the front bumper ground clearance issue and more importantly gave me the confidence when faced with steeper departure or approach angles when climbing and descending. 

Best advice I got from the Forum/ Seniors is to drive my car stock for as long as I can, before investing in modifications which might be unnecessary and or would later regret. 

And to comment on your last sentence: Remember its a Toyota it can go anywhere!  

 

[Vishnu Ramankutty]

@Theo09 That's really a boost in confidence. 💪 Thanks Dear.