Hello!
First post here. I just got a '06 RS 3.0 this past week. I traded in my gas hog Ford. I couldn't be happier! One upgrade I do want to do is add a cold air intake. In order for me not to void my warranty do I have to let Scion/Toyota put the TRD intake on for me? What would keep me from voiding my warranty?

 

No, if you put it on yourself, it will not void the warranty. I just think you might have to get an approved intake... Good question.

 

i have a knock off intake and it should not void your warntee

 

CHPRBOX8
Did Toyota/Scion tell you this? My understanding is that it has to be a TRD intake, something that is approved and installed by toyota.

 

no they did not tell me this but my car has been in for service and they have not said anything to me about it

 

Non-Scion parts are just something they can hassle you over, but as others have pointed out in other threads, they really can't deny you service unless they can prove the part in question caused the problem. Some people just want all their bases covered, which makes sense, while others just don't care.

What some people do is if anything goes wrong, they just swap the original parts back in before they return it to the dealer to look at.

 

from what the parts guy said at the local dealership, any sort of aftermarket product won't void the whole warranty for the car. only for the parts affected.

 

titojanboy and Philthy
Good points, that sounds about right. This is off this thread topic but is there a good product out to protect my front bumper and body kit from rocks and chips? I though 3M made a product?

 

3M makes a paint protection film...I've seen it being installed and it takes a lot of squeegee-ing (sp?) to get the bubbles out and make it look nice...I'd personally have it professionally done.

There is a hood protector for the xA. I have it, bought it from TRDSparks.com (cheapest place I could find it) for about $53 shipped. Installs in 20 seconds and easy to take off when you wash your car too, but it's only for the hood. I haven't seen a full nose mask that will accomodate the RS3's lip kit.

 

go look at http://www.colgancustom.com/ that's where i bought my bra and i love it.

 

I got the Scion xA branded one, and it seems like really nice quality. The fit is really snug and haven't noticed any issues yet. Others have mentioned bras can hurt your car with scuffs. You'll need to make sure it stays clean every so often. I usually wash my car once a week or every two weeks and make sure the bra is clean when I do it. I don't plan on using it in the winter, however, I would think ice, salts, and snow would probably be an issue as the hood heats up and causes it all to melt and run down into the bra as I'm driving.

 

I remove my xA's hood protector when I wash my car. It only takes a minute at most for complete removal/reinstallation. I use glass cleaner and a shop towel to clean it...bugs come right off.

My dad had a van with a full nose mask (aka bra) and he never took it off--when we went to get rid of it, the bra had roughed the paint up really bad. Plus, the bra had become very tight and hard to remove, I'm guessing because it was never taken off and had expanded and shrunk due to water exposure.

 

since it's the topic.... how good an upgrade is the cold air intake? what is the best brand? does a few added hp make a considerable difference when you've only got 108 to start with?

 

^^ anyone?

 

I'd like know too, I've heard people claim 15hp gain to only 3 or 4 hp gain. I've been thinking about CAI even more lately now that the xA and xB1 have been discontinued. I'm worried that maybe they will stop making/selling them now that our cars are no longer being sold and I don't want to miss out on having one if they are worth it. If there is a significant performance boost than I'd buy one, don't really care looks or the noise it makes.

 

~5hp gain on a car with around 100hp is 5%.

I would think that cars with lower hp, its more worthwhile to do.

 

is there any specific brand that is best?

 

get the K&N CAI less bends comparted to the other injen and the cheaper injen clones

 

on my car i noticed very little difference in hp.. even if you do pick up the 5 hp which is better then nothing.. it wont be noticeable, unless you drive it in the higher rpm's all the time, which is more do-able with a manual.. the thing i have noticed is the sound is makes.. which i like anyways.. i got mine for dealer pricing, so it wasnt to much of a waste.. and im sure with other mods along the way you will see a difference.. like exhaust.. dont expect to be the fastest xa/xb on the road cause of your CAI.. i always say "my car isnt made to go fast, its slow, but its made to look good doing it"