Horror stories drift back like cannon smoke from the front lines of the 4x4 warranty wars. Some of them sound like war crimes; some are only aggravating; others are legendary. There's the refusal to fix automatic door locks under warranty because the truck had an aftermarket turbo. Tranny warranty repair refused because the suspension was lifted. An aftermarket performance chip blamed for a radio failure. We've even heard tales of warranties not being honored because of any aftermarket modification whatsoever. You've probably heard of, or experienced, similar battles.
And just like legends, tales of warranty-war atrocities can bring tears to your eyes and put a lump in your throat, but they may also make the real truth hard to see.
So what is the real deal with 4x4 factory warranties? Why do so many buyers of new and still-under-warranty trucks wait-often years-until their warranties expire before performing the mods they've wanted from the moment they bought their rigs? Is that really necessary? Can lifting your truck's suspension legitimately void the warranty on your tranny or engine? For that matter, does adding an aftermarket turbo or performance PROM chip necessarily kill your engine or drivetrain warranty?
"Never Fear, Your Rights Are Clear"That's a quote from Gale Banks, owner and founder of Gale Banks Engineering, maker of aftermarket turbos and drivetrain performance products. Because some of his products nearly double a stock engines' torque, Banks has had to deal firsthand with new-truck warranty issues from time to time during his 41 years in business.
Banks points out that the Magnuson-Moss Consumer Protection act is very clear: The mere act of adding an aftermarket part such as a turbo cannot legally void your factory warranty. Not even the part of the warranty that covers your engine.
In some cases, your whole warranty can be voided if you tamper with or disconnect the odometer. Hypertech's tech supervisor Sean White echoes the same certainty.
However, your warranty does not cover any damage or failure caused by an aftermarket part or modification. That makes sense, right? If you put a supercharger on your new engine and blow out the head gaskets, you can't expect the dealer to replace them under warranty. If you lift the suspension and run the U-joints at extreme angles that munch them, you can't expect new ones for free.
But if your electric door locks go south, you can't legally be denied warranty coverage just because you have a turbo on the engine. That concept should make sense too, but Banks says such ridiculous stories are common. Why? For one thing, individual dealer service departments have lots of freedom in warranty-or-not decisions. And service writers may not be as informed as they should be about how warranties work when aftermarket parts are involved. It may be easier for them to just say no-and pass the problem upstairs-than to risk the wrath of a wrong choice. That's why it's important for you to know your rights and be prepared to insist upon them.
Another factor in warranty confusion is the vague and misleading language in factory warranty statements. Whether by design or default, warranties often give the impression that any and all mods are forbidden unless they're performed by the dealer before you take delivery of the truck.
Lease and sales contracts make matters worse. General Motors Acceptance Corporation's (GMAC's) Smart Buy (a purchase contract) Smartlease (a lease contract) and American Honda Finance Corporation's lease contract all specifically prohibit changing, altering, or modifying a vehicle "without written consent." Significantly, Chrysler's lease agreement contains no such chilling verbiage. See the "Lease LuLus" sidebar elsewhere in this article for more on this.