more warranty woe's

[hihosilver2k]

I'll try to make this short and to the point because I am pissed off!
My dealer denied my warranty claim on the driveability concerns related to my engine because of the following:

1. Modified air intake (Airaid)
2. evidence of chip install (superchips)
3. Aftermarket "racing" muffler, yes that is what they called it! (magnaflow)
4. Evidence of racing! (they found an empty bottle of 104+ in my truck)

What kind of B.S. is going on with Ford?
They say the are not voiding my powertrain warranty at this time just denying the repair because of aftermarket parts. They say that if I have it fixed by them, even though they don't even know what caused the one plug to get oil fouled, at my expense ( est. $1500.00) that they will not void the warranty. I guess that is until next time I have a problem!
They say that if I want to fight it, I have to pay for the teardown and proove the damage wasn't caused by mods.
They even went as far to say that if they wanted to they could call the E.P.A. and I could get fined no more than $10,000.00 per day for having a non-approved exhaust!

I'm calling B.S. on this crap!

I told them to install fresh plugs and give it back! If I have to pay I'm giving my $ to someone else!

Sorry such a long post but I am venting to people who I think can understand my problem.
Someone tell me I'm not the only one with this kind of prob.

BTW, the dealer say's our trucks are not meant to be raced, they are collectors items and they are voiding warraties left and right for proof of racing!

One upset Tigger

 

[SVT375]

did you have the chip and airraid installed when it went to the dealer??

 

[svtruck]

Well, the EPA thing is total B.S. Did you leave the air intake and chip in when you took it in for service? I hope not! This is exactly why I am not modding until my warranty is up.

 

[svtruck]

ALso, go to SEMA's website and research warranty information as it pertains to aftermarket equipment. That is always a good starting place.

 

[Guest]

Take off all mods. I have been saying this for a few months now.
Now that they voided your engine warranty file a complaint with the FTC(federal trade commision).

https://rn.ftc.gov/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

They are in violation of the Magnusson-Moss Act anytime they void a warranty with no proof. They didn't prove the mods you had installed at the time you brought it to the dealer caused the failure. They cannot prove you had a chip in the pcm even if the pcm is scratched. This is not to say that the mods you have couldn't have caused a problem with the engine. I am saying they must prove that you caused failure before voiding the warranty. Ford is getting away with too much and we must stop them, please file a complaint with the FTC. Thanks.

 

[Black SVT in KC]

Hey easterisland,

Just curious what is up with your truck in your signature... do you have a shell on the back or is it a photoshopped image? Could you post a bigger picture... I would like to see it if it has a shell on it, just curious how it looks. Later

 

[Guest]

1" rear drop.

This one is with out the 1" rear drop.

 

[Kerrdogg]

First of all, always try and remove any noticeable additions to your vehicle. For some reason I don't understand dealership service personel get a little nutty when they see modifications done. I have seen techs run to the service manager to tell him about a particular mod done to a car while it is sitting in their service bay, it is usually this same tech found complaining about the lack of work a day later while he is sitting in an empty bay on his ***.

I work at the dealership where my engine is being exchanged and I have received some flack over it from the two or three people that act in the way described above (every dealership has at least one or two). I have been nice and told them to mind thier own business and when that doen't work I out argue them, should have gone to law school I guess. BTW the L brochure is a great piece of reading, shows the truck on a ROAD COURSE and SMOKING the tires, alos quotes 1/4 MILE TIMES, how would they know how fast it was unless they raced it?

Now to the problems at hand.

1. Modified air intake (Airaid)

Should have removed it as it stick out like a sore thumb. Remember this in the future.

2. evidence of chip install (superchips)

Hard to get around and Ford is telling the dealers to look for this. Had a friend just get the 3rd degree about this issue in regards to his 01 F350SD Powerstroke, he played dumb and got by. One way around this is an extra computer (not cheap) or if you bought the truck used plead ignorance.

3. Aftermarket "racing" muffler, yes that is what they called it! (magnaflow).

ARRGH, it's a cat back, who cares? Show them the Motorsport catalog and all the "Cat backs" listed.

4. Evidence of racing! (they found an empty bottle of 104+ in my truck).

No proof of anything. Tell them it sounded like it was pinging so you thought it would be better to be safe than sorry.


I would run away from this dealership, sounds like complete asses. Spend so time talking with the service personel at another dealership, find a advisior that doesn't have his head up his ***. Print off as much as you can find about your problem from this site and others. Approach them with a what can we do attitude not a demanding one and it always helps to be thankful to the tech if you know what I mean $$$ but only if they fix the problem. I always come back and thank people for their work and tip them after I am sure I am happy with the results. Remeber with Ford's Oasis system any dealership you go to will be able to see what the last dealership did to your truck and what the cause of concern was. If I am not mistaken it takes about 8 months to clear from Oasis.

 

[hihosilver2k]

Good news!

Well I told Wray Ford to put it all back together, with new plugs, after the intercooler replacement, I told them they were not getting my $ for a teardown and repair the problem that they refuse to cover under warranty.
What do you know, it runs better than ever!
Maybe it just needed new plugs all along, what the hell do they know!
Back on the road, and happy about it!
Tigger

 

[blown99]

I had a 97 F-150 that had a K@N open air filter on it, that was it at the time. I had a check engine light come on. I scanned it, found it was bank one sensor one, O2 sensor code. I brought it to the dealer and they refused to replace the sensor because I had a K@N filter on it. They babbled all types of BS to me over the phone, They must of had no idea that I am an ASE master certified tech, and I work at a dealer myself (Not a Ford dealer). I couldn't win though, I went ape $#!* on them, did a nice burnout as I left, spent the $40 dollars and cured the problem. Now I am worried about them voiding the warranty on the L in the event I blow a motor. I bought mine used, Who is to say that I had the chip installed, or was it the previous owner. They will probably deny my warranty any way. Any lawyers on this board that could give us some info in fighting at the dealer level?