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Official Mods and Warranty thread

4K views 63 replies 21 participants last post by  draxxus131 
#1 ·
Hopefully this thread catches on. We all know there is a lot of confusion concerning the simple question "will this void my warranty?". To me it seems as if this question arises in just about EVERY thread started at some point or another. And people start arguing. Lets be honest, a lot of people have a lot of different opinions as to what will and will not cause a dealship to void your warranty, and truthfully it does vary. Some have been lucky, some have been hosed.
I think as a forum we should create sort of a log, if you will, to help people understand and get a GENERAL feel for what the dealer will tolerate.
So I think that we should use this thread NOT TO ARGUE, but to simply state the following:
1. What problems have you taken your vehicle to the dealer for?
2. What were your mods at the time?
3. Did the dealer cover the work under warranty?
4. Did they hassle you about your mods or driving style?
5. Any other relative information such as location of dealer, approx date, etc?

I know everybody has their opinion, but I'm tired of seeing arguments struck up about this topic. Lets try and refrain from anything negative, so we can compile a good amount of ACTUAL experience on the topic. Again, as i stated before, it will vary on dealer, but hopefully this will serve as a general guideline.

Ill start.... Havent had to take it to dealer yet... Lol
 
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#2 ·
Spock calculates the odds of this thread not going bad as...not good.

I've been in for 3 things:

chipping paint on a wheel: no issue.
failed GPS antenna: no issue
failed MT-82: Big issue. Usual stuff, "it's normal", seeing my shift knob as an "aftermarket shifter", etc. Took a month of working up the ladder to get the owner of the dealership on side and then things happened fast. I took him for a ride, he could see I wasn't some assclown and the presence of a 2013 in the lot that didn't make noises like this was a convincer. Ford did finally fix it and the dealer billed Ford for 20+ hours of work + parts.
 
#3 ·
Spock calculates the odds of this thread not going bad as...not good.

I've been in for 3 things:

chipping paint on a wheel: no issue.
failed GPS antenna: no issue
failed MT-82: Big issue. Usual stuff, "it's normal", seeing my shift knob as an "aftermarket shifter", etc. Took a month of working up the ladder to get the owner of the dealership on side and then things happened fast. I took him for a ride, he could see I wasn't some assclown and the presence of a 2013 in the lot that didn't make noises like this was a convincer. Ford did finally fix it and the dealer billed Ford for 20+ hours of work + parts.
Good start. And good information! Lets continue this!
 
#5 ·
Wow, after only a 1000 miles??? Glad they took care of you.
 
#6 ·
I was definitely happier to have the '12 400a leather than the 401a or GT/CS setup as, the ones I saw didn't look like they were going to stand up too well long-term and the way the leather was laid made the seats feel mushier and less supportive. 20 months in and the 400 leather is still looking new, with no maintenance other than vacuuming the french fry crumbs up. I was a little concerned with the durability of components on the interior, as this is a cheap car but, in the main, things are standing up ok. It can be difficult to get warranty service on items like chefron did, as it's pretty easy to claim normal wear a few months out.
 
#7 ·
Yeah i bet. Im pretty happy i dont have Recaros now haha
 
#8 · (Edited)
Car Specs:
Black on Black
2013 5.0 Premium
Factory 3.73s

Visit History:
7/6/2013 12:14pm: Tech & Service Department full. Advised to drop the car off on Monday as it will "probably take a while to figure out."



1. What problems have you taken your vehicle to the dealer for?
Experiencing the GRUNT-CREAK-CHIRP-SQUEAK-NOISE-FROM-THE-FRONT-LOWER-CONTROL-ARM-OVER-BUMPS

2. What were your mods at the time?
Side Scoops
Quarter Window Louvers
GT/CS Spoiler
Home-made Chin Spoiler
Roush Axle-Back Mufflers


3. Did the dealer cover the work under warranty?
TBD

4. Did they hassle you about your mods or driving style?
TBD

5. Any other relative information such as location of dealer, approx date, etc?
Quality Auto Mall , Selling Ford in Rutherford, 55 Route 17, Rutherford, NJ 07070.
Bought the car 3/9/2013



No need to reply with anything like "Keep us posted" or "Thanks". It's all implied an I will update this post with the "Edit" button.
 
#11 ·
I've got a 11' gt 5.0. Been experiencing tranny fluid dripping from bell housing. 6-7 small drops a night on garage floor. Got a appointment on Monday. For them to check it out at the local ford dealer in Huntsville texas. I've got full bolt on's and exhaust. With added gears. And tune. Plus boss intake. Did not mention any of that to them tho. I hope they will cover under warranty. If they will not. I may try and put alot of the factory stuff back on. And try at another dealer. Update back on Tuesday. Fingers crossed
 
#12 ·
Definitely keep us posted!
 
#13 ·
Well looks like ill be taking mine in for warranty work as well. Came home tonight and realized my pinion seal is leaking... Pretty bad. Gonna call in the morning. They probably gonna deny me because of my suspension mods, but ill keep you all posted. I'll fix it myself this weekend myself if they say no, but its worth a shot to see what they say haha

Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Auto part Mid-size car




Vehicle Car Auto part Mid-size car Family car




Vehicle Car
 
#14 ·
My experiences were mixed.

Mt-82 problem: gears grinded in 2nd and 3rd gears. They replaced both gears and synchros but somehow messed up reverse while fixing it. Had to order parts etc. When I went to drop it off one of the courtesy drivers revved it to redline to hear the Borla exhaust and spun the tires out of the service bay. Dealer manager said the driver claimed he never drove standard before to which I replied then why is he driving a customer vehicle etc. I demanded a new transmission as total downtime for my car was 2 months straight for the transmission. Parts to be ordered etc. Dealer gave me a new one after all that nonsense.

2nd problem was with clutch. One of the springs broke and the dealer said ford would warranty it even though there was minor abuse wear on it. Ford replaces clutch then a week later the dealership calls and says ford isn't warrantying it to which I called ford themselves and saying that the dealer is stiffing me the bill when they shouldn't be replacing parts unless they send them in and get a full confirmation about it being covered. It eventually was out on my extended warranty maintenance package which I'm not to happy about considering the dealership tried everything to not pay for it and stiff me with it. If I had known this would happen I would have had them put an after market clutch in instead of a ****ty stock clutch that isn't good to begin with.
 
#33 ·
My experiences were mixed.

Mt-82 problem: gears grinded in 2nd and 3rd gears. They replaced both gears and synchros but somehow messed up reverse while fixing it. Had to order parts etc. When I went to drop it off one of the courtesy drivers revved it to redline to hear the Borla exhaust and spun the tires out of the service bay. Dealer manager said the driver claimed he never drove standard before to which I replied then why is he driving a customer vehicle etc. I demanded a new transmission as total downtime for my car was 2 months straight for the transmission. Parts to be ordered etc. Dealer gave me a new one after all that nonsense.

2nd problem was with clutch. One of the springs broke and the dealer said ford would warranty it even though there was minor abuse wear on it. Ford replaces clutch then a week later the dealership calls and says ford isn't warrantying it to which I called ford themselves and saying that the dealer is stiffing me the bill when they shouldn't be replacing parts unless they send them in and get a full confirmation about it being covered. It eventually was out on my extended warranty maintenance package which I'm not to happy about considering the dealership tried everything to not pay for it and stiff me with it. If I had known this would happen I would have had them put an after market clutch in instead of a ****ty stock clutch that isn't good to begin with.
You had to sit there and watch a service tech redline your car, and then spin the tires? That guy would be jerked out of the car, taken off the property, and he woulda gotten a good "talkin too"...
 
#15 ·
Just put a whipple on a 2013 premium 5.0. Only 3 miles on her. Still under warranty. Here if you use ford racing products and they were installed by one of our techs and bought through our parts dept., it won't void your warranty. But you pay a lot more for parts and labor isn't very cheap. I'm not sure if this is every dealership considering this is my first one to work for.
 
#16 ·
White03GT said:
Just put a whipple on a 2013 premium 5.0. Only 3 miles on her. Still under warranty. Here if you use ford racing products and they were installed by one of our techs and bought through our parts dept., it won't void your warranty. But you pay a lot more for parts and labor isn't very cheap. I'm not sure if this is every dealership considering this is my first one to work for.
You have a warranty through ford racing, not ford. The factory powertrain warranty is void and replaced with the ford racing powertrain warranty.
 
#17 ·
Exactly.

---------- Post added at 10:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 AM ----------

My experiences were mixed.

Mt-82 problem: gears grinded in 2nd and 3rd gears. They replaced both gears and synchros but somehow messed up reverse while fixing it. Had to order parts etc. When I went to drop it off one of the courtesy drivers revved it to redline to hear the Borla exhaust and spun the tires out of the service bay. Dealer manager said the driver claimed he never drove standard before to which I replied then why is he driving a customer vehicle etc. I demanded a new transmission as total downtime for my car was 2 months straight for the transmission. Parts to be ordered etc. Dealer gave me a new one after all that nonsense.

2nd problem was with clutch. One of the springs broke and the dealer said ford would warranty it even though there was minor abuse wear on it. Ford replaces clutch then a week later the dealership calls and says ford isn't warrantying it to which I called ford themselves and saying that the dealer is stiffing me the bill when they shouldn't be replacing parts unless they send them in and get a full confirmation about it being covered. It eventually was out on my extended warranty maintenance package which I'm not to happy about considering the dealership tried everything to not pay for it and stiff me with it. If I had known this would happen I would have had them put an after market clutch in instead of a ****ty stock clutch that isn't good to begin with.
That hurts man. Id be pissed. What were your mods at the time?

---------- Post added at 10:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:18 AM ----------

Ps. Heading up to the dealer now for my pinion seal. They said they can do it today. They dont know about the mods yet though so we shall see haha. I went ahead and ordered the $10 seal online last night incase they tell me no. Wanted to make sure it's here before the weekend.
 
#18 ·
One should definitely read the bumf that comes with the FRPP warranty. It's amazingly inclusive. It is ANYTHING in the powertrain that fails due to the tune is potentially warrantable. That's as good as the factory warranty in this regard and unmatched by any aftermarket company's warranty. Not #8 only, not engine only, etc.

Plus, there is no mention of any effect on your standard powertrain warranty of 5/50 so, that remains in effect after the 3 year B2B runs out.

Reality is, if your car makes it to 3 years without issue it's going to go another 2 unless you bust it, pretty much. We all know waranty is a marketing tool and 99% of people never use it. Some, like me though, are happy it was there to lean on with a trans rebuild on the docket at 3000 miles.
 
#19 ·
Date of service: July 9th, 2013
Milage: 7,800
Dealership: Jerrys Ford, Leesburg, VA

Service: Went in for a leaking pinion seal (see pics above)

Performance Mods: Roush ABS, Steeda ultralite springs, koni str.t dampeners, MM camber plates, j&m panhard bar, bmr lcas and brackets, barton 2-post.

Outcome: I thought they were going to tell me im SOL because of the suspension mods. But they didnt say a word. Not only did they bend over backwards to get it done the same day i called, but didn't even question the repair or mods. Awesome experience. Very pleased with my dealer so far.
 
#21 ·
Yes. Your warranty is through Ford. Not through the dealer. You can take it to any certified Ford dealership. Just keep in mind that USUALLY the dealer you bought it from will take the best care of you. Given thats not always the case though.
 
#22 ·
Yeah I called them to set an appointment and the guy didn't have any clue what he was talking about and pissed me off , and first I called the dealer and went through 3 people asking to set an appointment and kept getting put on hold and it was 3 pm on a Friday , and then finally after 3 people got a random guys voice message who never called me back, so already want a different dealer
 
#23 ·
What are you taking it in for?
 
#25 ·
Gotcha. Well keep us posted!
 
#27 ·
Well got the call back today from ford. It seems that my oil pump in tranny broke. They have already orderd part and will be ready on this coming up Tuesday. After no mention to them about any mods done to the vehical. They haven't asked me about it either. It was coverd under the drive train warranty. Cost me $100 for the warranty deductible. That's it. I just hope they do not catch on in the meantime.
 
#28 ·
Warranty deductible?? Ive never heard of them charging that. Especially under the drive train warranty.
 
#32 ·
Agreed. Id go to another dealer.
 
#35 ·
Screw that. Id tell the guy he better fix my s*** for free now, or else im going the manager, telling him he tried to bribe me, and getting his a$$ fired lmao.
 
#36 ·
1.) Mine has been in for the plastic screen on the base console screen starting to crack (the base console, not the navigation premium screen).

Fixed with no issues, they did not care that it obviously had exhaust work.

2.)SCT tuner wiped my PCM (long write up here )
Dealer restored stock settings the first time, and I was warned that if I came back with the same issue, Ford wasn't gonna pay to fix it.
 
#37 ·
Wow, glad they took care of you, and were nice enough to give a warning . I remember reading that thread.
 
#38 ·
Yep, and the SCT tuner managed to wipe it again after that (I'm a slow learner sometimes...) I *****ed to SCT about it and SCT actually restored the stock config under that warranty instead. No issues since then, but it's something to stay aware of.
 
#40 ·
update from earlier post... was told car would be ready at 5 and arrived at that time to find out car wasn't ready .. 30 mins later car comes out and no oil change or plastic console piece replacement had to wait another hour and a half just to change oil and still no plastic console piece replacement debating if I should return to that same ford dealership
 
#41 ·
Id be complaining. Did they even call you to let you know they were running behind??
 
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