The stories are prevelent with lots of drama even doing this - it's not a simple affair so the bottom line is...ask before you buy, get it all in writing.
Why Dodge Denied $36k in Warranty Coverage for a New Challenger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak. By Tara Hurlin of Hemmings
- Thread starter wemay
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100% the right thing to do.
4WD
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On the other hand - when I plugged in an AFM disable module - they should have extended my warranty … 
If these tuners cover the denied warranty claims using their product then they leave this category. Otherwise they are using their best guess without any engineering analysis except customer feedback it blew up(maybe).
Here's one which used to be well regarded within the BMW community however it doesn't mean that a "He said-She said" situation can't develop between the tuner and the dealer/automaker.
Warranty - Dinan
www.dinancars.com
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Yeah he should've waited for the 2023 demon 170 at factory 1025 HP. The thing does wheelies.
Do you understand how major tuners work? There is substantial engineering in the calibrations that are done to develop tunes for vehicles. There is no guessing....these are not small companies I'm referring to. With that said, yes, there are small tuners that do this much like you say wtih a bit of guess work and road logging/feedback but that's now what I'm talking about...as I said, the clown show is out there for sure. APR actually offers a warranty on top of their basic tunes that covers what the manufacturer will not.
There was a guy on one of the Dodge / Hellcat forums a few years back that had some major internal engine issues, and had his warranty revoked, due to the fact he installed an aftermarket "K&N Air Filter System" on it.
A big stink ensued, and from what I remember, he was left hanging out to dry for the bulk of the repairs. Common sense would dictate when you purchase one of these monsters, leave it alone and just drive it. Screwing around under the hood can cost you plenty if something goes south.
A big stink ensued, and from what I remember, he was left hanging out to dry for the bulk of the repairs. Common sense would dictate when you purchase one of these monsters, leave it alone and just drive it. Screwing around under the hood can cost you plenty if something goes south.
That could end up being famous last words.
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Anyone who buys a used Hellcat needs another type of exam
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Technically per magnusson moss Dodge is supposed to be able to reasonably show the modification caused the problem. Perhaps Dodge could, but the article mentions nothing of it. I am surprised by the number of people here seeming to think that Dodge is immediately in the right.
Of course it doesn't surprise me because no one cares about laws much anymore, and there is hardly a whimper against the fight for right to repair from the DIY car community.
Mag Moss has nothing to do with aftermarket ECU tuning/requirement for Dodge to prove anything. Mag Moss's intent was to prevent Dodge from forcing customers to use only Dodge parts and service to maintain the warranty...so Fram oil filter and M1 meeting Dodge's requirements? Can't impact warranty claims/would have to show it was the cause. Mag Moss is v. misunderstood w/r to aftermarket performance parts.
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That is not how I read the law, but I am not an attorney. Its reasonable to assume that the tune caused the issue, however the simple act of re-flashing the ECU should not automatically end the warranty. The key word in my mind is "warrantor can show". So can they show the tune caused the issue. LIke I said, maybe they can, the article makes no mention simply that the ECU was flashed.
Of course all that really matters is what you can convince a court, if you have the money to get there. I have always viewed factory warranties as not worth the paper there written on anyway. The OEM or dealer will deny what they want to deny.
"The federal minimum standards for full warranties are waived if the warrantor can show that the problem associated with a warranted consumer product was caused by damage while in the possession of the consumer, or by unreasonable use, including a failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
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I didn't click the link, but even if I did its one lawyers opinion. I can read the law myself. Now if you can site a federal case where a ruling on what the text specifically means, I would read or click on that.
I understand what your saying, and that is what happens in the real world. In this case its even likely accurate. Even myself I take my in warranty vehicles to the dealer for service, so I have the little piece of paper that says I did, even though they have screwed even that up a couple times.
My comment is simply that is not what the law says, yet we all accept it because youtube lawyers and the dealers say.
This story gets twisted everytime it's mentioned. The idiotic dealer claimed BS which ultimately had FCA covering it with no further issues.
Dealer level BS is very freqent and these days they don't have last word.
When I had a WRX I dropped it off for a weird engine noise. It was 100% stock and they wasted my time (2 extra hours) because they wanted to see if I had tuned it.
All that was wrong was the intake boot popped off.
Another time with my Camaro the stitching/cover of the wheel was coming undone. initially the claim got denied because they couldn't picture it correctly on their warranty submission app... good thing I watched them do that. I knew I was not going to get a favorable response with how the service guy was photographing the defect.
The tune doesn't end the warranty nor does any other mod but it does allow the manufacturer to deny a specific claim. Your owner's manual should clearly state that performance modifications can cause warranty claim denial. The issue folks want here is you tune your car and the radio stops working....this warranty claim shouldn't be denied and in court this would be easy to show that the radio failure had nothing to do with the aftermarket modification.
Good point, but they can deny engine, transmission, differential/s transfer case, just to name a few parts. Things like power windows, seats, radio etc. they'd have to fix if under the warranty period. So in the case of the $36K engine the owner could/will very well be legally be SOL. Another thing to keep in mind, areas of gray where the owner insists they should be covered, the car sits in the lot waiting on a company rep to come look, then deny the claim. Typically the attitude at the dealership is, it's not my car, and the wait can drag on. I saw that happen a few times in my car sales days.
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I hear what your saying, but maybe your not hearing what I am saying.
Specific to this article - which is all I have to go on. "The warranty claim was rejected after a Stellantis Calibration Engineer ran Powertrain Control Module (PCM) diagnostics and confirmed that the vehicle’s PCM was tampered with and contained non-factory software"
That is not how the law is written at all. For example, if the article said something like "they flashed the ECU to hold the VVT open longer which caused a lean condition, then I would agree with that. But that is not what they wrote, or even what they inferred. They infer the dealer knew the ECU had been flashed and hence warranty was void, without saying or showing anything on how that caused whatever the issue was, which also was not mentioned.