Finally, there's the confusion caused by some extended warranty contracts. These are designed to take over when your original factory warranty runs out. However, at least one huge provider of extended warranties, Wynn's Product Warranty Program, specifically excludes "Vehicles modified from the manufacturer's original specifications." As an example, Wynn's contract excludes trucks with snowplows.
Between all the warranties and lease agreements, there's enough legal fine print to keep a thousand lawyers busy for years. However, Banks keeps honing in on the primary issue: the factory warranty language outlined in every new 4x4 owner's manual. If you read it carefully, you'll see that despite the scary language, what they really say is that damage caused by aftermarket parts or modifications is all that's not covered.
Who Has the Burden of Proof?Furthermore, Banks points out that the damage must not only be directly caused by the aftermarket part or mod, but the burden of proof is on the dealer service department, not the truck owner. That means it's up to the dealer to prove the part or mod caused the damage; it's not up to you to prove it didn't.
That sounds good: You don't have to prove anything; they do. But it's easy to understand how dicey that can get. Say you've modified your engine to make more power and suddenly your tranny has a problem. Technically, the dealer or warranty service provider can't refuse to cover the repair unless it can prove the tranny failure was actually caused by the increased power. But prove it how? And to whom? And how long does the palaver go on while your 4x4 sits unfixed?
Every 4x4 manufacturer has a formal procedure to follow if you disagree with the local dealer's warranty decision. The exact process may vary among specific 4x4 makers, but basically you'd appeal a decision to a local supervisor, then to a regional customer service rep, then to his or her supervisor and so on up the line. Hypertech's White points out that the disagreement-resolution line extends all the way to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Washington (877/FTC-HELP). Yikes! Makes you tired just to think about it, doesn't it?
Let The After Marketer Go To Bat For YouDon't despair. Banks has another great piece of advice. The first call you should make when you encounter a warranty problem is to the maker of the aftermarket part that's triggering the refusal. Chances are good they've heard of the same problem before and already know the best way to respond. Banks says that you should make that call before authorizing any warranty repairs which may cost you money. Both Banks and White assured us that when their products are involved, their customer service techs will go so far as to call up a local dealer and hash the problem out on your behalf.
As an example, Banks' techs know how to talk through tranny diagnostic procedures with local dealer service techs to determine if the failure is really torque related (due to the turbo's added power). If it is, you can't expect coverage. But what if the failure turns out not to be torque related, but due to, say, a weak internal part with a history of failure? Banks' people know how to ferret out the truth. But would you know?
As a first step in any warranty dispute, Hypertech's White urges getting the dealer or service provider to put in writing the exact reason for the warranty denial. Sometimes that request alone will convince a balky service department to go ahead and do the right thing. If they still won't cover the repair, you'll have the clear hard copy statement you'll need to send to the aftermarketer and to use in your appeals process.
Go With QualityIf you plan to put aftermarket parts or mods on your new truck, it makes good common sense to choose parts that are thoroughly and expertly designed, developed, and tested.