I am in a quandry here. I want to boost power with some boxes, an intake and exhaust, fix the weak link (Torque converter) etc.. but after reading through all these Mods threads, I keep hearing the same old story.. The factory boys will ding you and cancel your warranty if they find something...

What is up with that? Fix the problems please!!!

I would think DC would be glad to know that most of us think that the Cummins Diesel is the ultimate motorhead toy. Things like exhaust, lock ups, air intakes etc should be no brainers if they improve efficiency and lower EGT temps. So why the us versus them syndrome?

I guess my old hot rod days are coming out.. back in the 60's when Dodge used to sponsor traveling engineering teams who would show up at dealers and show you how to modify your ride to get the best performance on the street or track. OH yeah Baby...

My older brother used to work for Chrysler in Belvidere and had access to all the good parts numbers, so when he ordered his new 69 charger, his ride matched Dick Landy's with all the right springs, light weight parts etc...

I sure wish that Dodge would lighten up and revive the glory days of old... It would sell them a LOT more trucks...

 

The are glad to know, because it makes them more money. Beyond that you're holding your breath. The reason they don't want mods is because they don't want to have to determine whether or not the mod broke the part in question. It is much easier to deny warrenty, or not to mod. If you mod, you are your own warrenty station. Ask your dealer if you can put on certain mods and still have a warrenty, if they say some are OK, then you have a verbal contract(record them saying it if you can). Then, if something breaks, and they try and void your warrenty, pull out your tape. Better yet, get it in writing. Other than that you are taking a risk.

 

Kinda goes back to the old saying...You gotta pay to play.

If you BOMB then you are taking the risk that they will deny your warranty claim. If you're ok with that level of risk then go for it. If not then just wait until the warranty is up.

You could try just using boxes that you can totally remove (like a TST, Edge EZ, etc.). If you take the truck to the dealer just take everything off first. If that is right or wrong is up to you. No one else can be your conscience.

I've had my truck BOMBed from day one...risk that I was willing to accept. It has been back to the dealer for small stuff...nothing big or related to the drivetrain. My dealer has never hesitated to fix everything under warranty...even with visible mods.

Most dealers that I have dealt with don't care about exhaust and intake mods...I think you'd be safe with those first.

But if you start BOMBing you'll never stop...it's a sickness.

 

The dealer can never deny a warranty. If they say that you are SOL, then you make sure to tell them that it is THEIR responsibility to prove to you through engineering analysis that the part in question caused the failure. They can not just outright tell you that your warranty is denied. I have gone to bat with two local dealers on this issue, and all it took was a call from my lawyer to set them straight.

If something fails because of my neglegence than obviously I am at fault, but they are not going to deny something on my vehicle that has no relation to the part in question. I have won before and I will do it again. Most dealers, assume that the customer is ignorant to the laws and assume that you will just take their word as golden. Educate yourself on the law, and then try to have them deny warranty, it's a different story when you know that you are actually protected by the federal government on this issue of warranty denial. Read and become intimately familiar with the Magnuson-Moss Act, I carry a complete copy of the entire law in the glove box of all my vehicles. You should to, and don't be afraid to use it, like I said you are protected from warranty denial.

 

You have to be reasonable. Intake and exhaust mods are the norm these days and 99.9% of the time will not be an issue if a warranty repair is needed. But you can't expect them to fix a thrashed tranny for some moron running stacked modules who lights 'em up at ever light. Since there's no way for the dealer to distinguish the legitimate claims from the abusers they have no choice but to deny them all.

 

in stock form there is no problem with the trans. if you play you should pay. why should we eat the warrantee claims if its not stock power? grandad had one of the 68 hemi cudas, there was no warrantee with it.

 

My dealer sold me my EZ, and will sell me the Juice if I want it. (soon, very soon) They will still honor the warranty, and will do the install if I wanted them to. But thats my dealer, which is in the country, and is staffed by a bunch of good ol' boys. The dealer that is closer to my house would never honor the warranty.

 

He's referring to the loose converter (high stall) on the autos. It is a problem because it is way over the max torque "sweet spot" on the engine. The engine peaks at 1600 RPM and the slip is around 2000+rpm. That doesn't make sense to me. Why not stall at 1500rpm? I hate it, and want to upgrade the TC, but it is major work that will void warranty.

 

Is it crown dodge that is close to you that would never honour it...

Ive been there before... they were good to me.

 

Yea, I guess that means you spent some time in Fayetteville too. Sorry to hear that .

If Crown treated you alright, then awesome. On my Durango, Crown tried to tell me that I needed the "whole front end," (basically just the ball joints) to a tune of about $1600. Took it to John Heister: out of the shop for $800 and some change. Another example: Crown sells stock lugnuts for over $6. John Heister in Lillington sells the same thing for just over $4, and because I bought my truck there, they give me the premium pricing, which is just over $3. In the same way, when I walk into John Heister, I know everyone by name, and they know me also. To me, buying this truck was the best buying experience I've had with a dealership. They even bought back my bedliner for full sticker price 2 months later when I LineX'd my bed.

I guess my point is that you make sure to shop around with dealerships. A 20 minute drive can many times save you $ and headaches.

Sorry to hijack the thread.... SO ..... different dealerships will give you different experiences with warranties. Some will go to bat against DC for you, others will just do as they are told. Many times, I think it may have to do with your value as a customer to them. Maybe John Heister is being nice because they know my wife is going to be shopping for a Charger in a year, who knows?

 

Not so good 'ol Crown Dodge. They try there hardest to rip of soldiers coming back with a little change in their pockets. I know them too well. I threatened to report them to the Jag on base and have them put on the "Do Not Use" list at Bragg. Wish I would have known about the other dealer you speak of. They sound great!

 

As i bring this thread back from the grave...

Speaking of good dealers..

Richmond Hill Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada..
Replaced my output speed sensor no questions asked last week no charge and
Columbo Dodge in Woodbridge, Ontario... Replaced my VP44 with a new one no charge or questions asked a few days later..

My warranty has a $100 deductable... i paid nothing...

 

Well said.

I am all for mods. But it is entirely unfair to expect Dodge or any other company to honor a warranty on something that was modified. You can't have your cake and eat it. I'm sure anybody on here who is in busines or provides a product would not want to replace or repair a product that the customer altered and then had a problem with. As stated above it is impossible to distinguish between the "good guys" and "bad guys" so Dodge makes it cut and dry because they have to.

Use your head.

Like your warranty? No Mods

Like your Mods? No Warranty

 

There are some good dealers out there, there really are.

But also remember, they can refuse to work on stuff also. If it looks like mods or something isn't right, they just deny it. Any company can do that. There was one about the cat missing and they wouldn't work on it, or warrentie it. Now how would you show up like that. You jerk the dealer around and all he does is go inside call the feds and state that they have a customer that just violated a federal law. Trust me I wouldn't **** them off for that I dont' think any lawyer would go up against the us government (well win at least )

They also make a living, if DC says no and they do it, they could lose there jobs. Nobody is going to lose or risk there job for soembody else. Like you say you show up and the back quarter pannel is covered in rubber, yeah chances are your lighting them up at stop lights, this and that, can they void it no, but they look under the hood and there's one clean spot where the velcro was, you obviously had something there.....

My dealer has been good, new power steering pump, new this, new that, and I've even forgotten to take the TST off, and they said they will warenty stuff that isn't motor related (melted pistons I"m screwed) But yeah they said it drove nice, was quiet, and al lthat. Gota find a dealer willing to work with you. Also having them work on stuff when your mods are there, helps back your case cause you can say you worked on it before, now you won't, why?

Like I said it's all in the dealer you go to. I do most of my own work so if something blows up, I fix it. (and can tell you I'd forget a lot of the electronics going back on too)