Anyone get warranty work after Headers/Tune?

[caverman]

Since the Camaro has been out for a little while now I was wondering if anyone with either a Tune or Headers or both have had any drivetrain warranty work done yet?

Here would be my fear...say I got the car in with a few hundred miles I get it tuned. Then say at 500 or so the clutch failed. I don't want to take it for warranty work and then have them look and say....no go, you have a tune. Even though at that low of mileage it would almost have to be a defect. What about the same scenario but after say 5k miles the clutch went?

I know this isn't a cut and dry answer but I'm curious to hear from those who have done drivetrain warranty work. Were you hassled about the Tune or Headers?

Looking to hear from some real world experiences....not necessarily what would or should happen.

[mr_desmo]

Originally Posted by caverman

Since the Camaro has been out for a little while now I was wondering if anyone with either a Tune or Headers or both have had any drivetrain warranty work done yet?

Here would be my fear...say I got the car in with a few hundred miles I get it tuned. Then say at 500 or so the clutch failed. I don't want to take it for warranty work and then have them look and say....no go, you have a tune. Even though at that low of mileage it would almost have to be a defect. What about the same scenario but after say 5k miles the clutch went?

I know this isn't a cut and dry answer but I'm curious to hear from those who have done drivetrain warranty work. Were you hassled about the Tune or Headers?

Looking to hear from some real world experiences....not necessarily what would or should happen.

Depends of your dealer...having worked for many dealers if they dont want to work for the price of waranty work gm (round 50 bucks an hour) they can say that you have to pay and (around 100 bucks an hour)....which most dealers do.....the best is to talk your dealer into the mods youre doing to know if they are cool about it.

[Apex Paul]

Originally Posted by mr_desmo

Depends of your dealer...

Not exactly. (from an older post I made about warranty issues) The guarantor of the warranty has the burden to prove that the aftermarket part caused the failure.

Some information on Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

It's a long read, but there are answers in there. There is one key part that you MUST know as a consumer and that is that ambiguous statements in a warranty are construed against the drafter of the warranty.

The Act does not require that manufacturers or sellers of consumer products provide written warranties. Instead, the act requires that manufacturers and sellers who do warrant their products to clearly disclose the terms of the warranty so that the consumer understands his or her rights under the warranty. I read that to mean that If you can read, and you have read your warranty and you can't clearly see that your warranty would be voided by making the proposed change, then it cannot be voided by the warrantor. Unless, of course, they can prove that the aftermarket installation caused the failure.

The SEMA Action Network has some great information/tips for you if you have been denied warranty service.

Also from the SEMA Action Network:
"The main point of interest here is that the Act says warranty coverage may not be conditioned upon the use of only the vehicle manufacturer's parts unless the parts are provided free of charge. In other words, use of a non-carmaker product should not void your warranty unless it caused the problem."

I have also read that the law extends to access to OBD.
"Vehicle manufacturers must install systems to alert drivers when an emissions control system is malfunctioning. The electronic systems, called “on-board diagnostics” (OBD), are used to monitor the emissions control system along with a number of other vehicle functions. The law requires that the aftermarket have access to OBD service information in order to repair and service a vehicle, as well as manufacture replacement and specialty aftermarket performance equipment."

I don't know for sure, but I would think by reading that you could argue that electronic information can be considered "performance equipment". I think, again, the warranty writer would have the burden of proving that a change to the electronics is what caused the failure.

Originally Posted by mr_desmo

having worked for many dealers if they dont want to work for the price of waranty work gm (round 50 bucks an hour) they can say that you have to pay and (around 100 bucks an hour)....which most dealers do.....

Exactly, $$$ is a definite reason that a dealer will tell you that your warranty is void. They can't just say that it is voided, they have to prove that the aftermarket change caused the failure. I'd suggest carrying a copy of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act when you go in for service, just in case.

Cornell University Law School - Legal Information Institute

[toehead93]

Most likely the warranty will only become a question if you have a tune and the transmission fails or the engine blows. Then any dealer and GM, and I'm sure you will to, will question if th etune caused the damage.

[CamaroFemme]

And here I have to add the requisite:

There's what your dealer should legally do, and then there's what he MIGHT do. How many people, if their dealer said, "No, I don't have to prove anything caused it," would actually have the money/time to hire a lawyer and fight it?

[jdnick]

Would aftermarket shifter, intake, and/or axle back exhaust void warranty?

[caverman]

Originally Posted by jdnick

Would aftermarket shifter, intake, and/or axle back exhaust void warranty?

Obviously each dealer is going to be different. I wouldn't expect (or at least I hope not) that those mods would cause any drivetrain warranty issues. I plan on doing the same mods right off the bat myself.