After market items and new truck warranty

[Tx_Atty]

I was reading the limited warranty linked to by powerboatr and found the section disclaiming responsibility to damage related to after market parts. This should answer a lot of the "will a custom exhaust void my warranty" questions. My reading of this document leads me to the answer that no, it will not void your warranty. Instead, if Ford determines the after market product caused the damage, they do not have to fix it under warranty. Refusing a particular repair and outright voiding are two very different things. They will have to prove it caused it but then you will have to force the issue when they initially say no. The onus will be on the truck owner at first to force the issue.

from the warranty document:

Damage Caused by Alteration or Modification
The New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover any damage caused by:
• alterations or modifications of the vehicle, including the body, chassis, or
components, after the vehicle leaves the control of Ford Motor Company
• tampering with the vehicle, tampering with the emissions systems or with
the other parts that affect these systems (for example, but not limited to
exhaust and intake systems)
• the installation or use of a non-Ford Motor Company part (other than a
certified emissions part) or any part (Ford or non-Ford) designed for
off-road use only installed after the vehicle leaves the control of Ford
Motor Company, if the installed part fails or causes a Ford part to fail. Examples include, but are not limited to lift kits, oversized tires, roll bars,
cellular phones, alarm systems, automatic starting systems and
performance-enhancing powertrain components

 

[powerboatr]

automatic starting systems and

that bugs me
auto start ??? maybe one worn out a starter???

 

[dpantazis]

automatic starting systems and
that bugs me auto start ??? maybe one worn out a starter???

PB: Aftermarket autostart systems tie into the PCM and the brains of the truck. It's actually pretty involved. If you have put one of the FMC ones in your truck, it is pretty much plug and play.

Tx_Atty- For the record, could you 'clarify' your statements or perhaps reinforce them a little bit more?

People report that their warranty is 'voided' by the dealer's service departments because of aftermarket parts. This does not seem to make any sense. How can a warranty be 'voided?' Can you clarify?

Your analogy about exhaust systems leaves me a little bit mystified, or perhaps i am too obtuse for this. Maybe you can comment on these scenarios-

1. If I put an aftermarket exhaust (does not have to be performance enhancing, and I KEEP the catalytic converter installed for simplicity), and have problems with say the A/C or power windows. There is no rubber band strong enough to tie the two together for them to deny my warranty coverege.

2. If I put on same aftermarket exhaust. At 80,000 miles, I blow the turbo and make a mess of my engine. Dealer has to prove that the exhaust system caused the turbo failure in order for them to deny repairs covered under warantee? Wow what a pissing contenst on that one! How does one prove to the dealer that the exhaust did not cause the turbo to fail? In my mind, lawyers and expert witnesses.. really?

thanks

dennis

 

[rgdillon]

automatic starting systems and

that bugs me
auto start ??? maybe one worn out a starter???

And don't overlook the dreadful engine blowing "cellular phone"

"I'm sorry Sir - we can't fix your EBP valve and will be voiding your warranty due to the installed cell phone."



Ron

 

[ranger boy]

To be completely honest I don't understand what the huge freakin' deal about helping us is, it's not like some of their parts cost that much to make their rep a lot better.

 

[Tx_Atty]

Dennis, you hit the problem exactly. I didnt go into that originally just because it is pretty involved but I'll try to put it in shorter terms.

All of the following has to be qualified that every scenario is different according to particular facts.

If some dealer has "voided" a warranty because of the presence of after market products they are more likely than not violating the express warranty provisions as quoted above. The big problem here is that they can initially do whatever they damn well please and dont have any repercussions until someone calls them on it.

That being said, yes you better be prepared to make the decision about whether it is worth the expense (both money and time) to fight them. You may well get things straight simply by showing the text of the Ford Limited warranty and they might back down. There is no end to the degree of where they will blink. Maybe a letter from a lawyer, maybe not until you file a deceptive trade practices act, maybe not until you actually try that case and win.

Both of your examples really yield the same result. Initially, you do not have to prove anything. The onus is on the dealer to prove the modification caused the damage thereby justifying their denial. If they can show it caused it (or appears to have), you would then bare the burden of disproving it.

Let me clarify one other point here too - they cannot simply void your warranty due to after market items (in general that is, there may be some instances where they can). Meaning, they cannot say "oh, you put a chrome extension on your tail pipe, your warranty no longer exists". Rather, under the terms of their own statement, they can deny liability for a given repair if they can show causation. Ignorance of the difference on the part of the service department probably explains conflicting use of terms.

The big obstacle here is that the dealer will want to "inspect" the truck with their techs and at their shop in order to determine true cause. This is where a lawyer comes in handy. Dont be fooled for a second what will happen if you allow them to take your truck into the dark recesses of THEIR shop, with THEIR techs to determine whether or not THEY should pay for a repair away from prying watchful eyes. If you allow that to happen you are sunk. They have no incentive to say, "yep, its our fault, its covered".

The bottom line is that the consumer is at a significant disadvantage - you need the lawyer and independent mechanics that have impeccable credentials. That says nothing about the time involved and the fact that your truck will be unavailable to you during this period. You wouldnt want to drive another 5 feet for fear they say it had some effect and tainted the evidence.

The good news? In Texas, and many other states, deceptive trade practice acts cover warranty issues, allow for trebling of damages (including rental cars) for knowing violations by seller, and many attorneys would likely take it on contingency - you lose, you dont pay.

My first line of defense would be to have the Ford warranty language on hand when a dealer tries to argue. You might get lucky and avoid it all once they read it.