Warranty Service Denied - Options?

[slaughterj]

Took my car in due to the service engine light being on last week (had someone else diagnose and turn it off, now they say they can't determine what it was, so I have to wait for it come back on again, even though I have the code), and also brought to their attention:
1. a hole in my softtop and bad rear latches on the top (first evident this weekend, softtop not used by prior owner, only been using it for 3 months myself, and mostly it just sits in the trunk, did get a half-deployment driving down the highway due to the fact the rear latches wouldn't properly grip around the posts)
2. the Yellowing Sidesills (someone else had this repaired by them apparently after a lot of ********, and they said they would only repair it once to that person)

Now that I've been denied service, what options do I have to make them do it, is there a # at DC/Chrysler/Dodge that I can call?

 

[Janni]

John,
Who are you taking the car to? We have some Viper friendly dealers that we recommend - even though the drive may be a little further- most of hte time its worth it.

Tom Sessions may be coming to the barbeque this weekend - we can get his take on your car at that time, too.

 

[ACELLR8]

I had some warranty issues too and extremely bad service with a local dealership (Brenner Motors Inc. In Harrisburg PA). I called Chrystler Cutomer Service / Relations at 1-800-992-1997. They were pretty helpful in me getting my warranty issue straightened out. Also you could call Chrystler Service Contract assistance at 1-800-521-9922 if you have the extended service contract.
Good luck getting your issue resolved, I personally have learned that when dealing with the dealerships and warranty companies persistance is the key.
Ed

 

[slaughterj]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Janni:
John,
Who are you taking the car to? We have some Viper friendly dealers that we recommend - even though the drive may be a little further- most of hte time its worth it.

Tom Sessions may be coming to the barbeque this weekend - we can get his take on your car at that time, too.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'll see you guys this weekend and we can chat about that.

Thanks everyone (posters, emailers, and private message senders) for the input!

 

[luc]

Don't take no from a dealer for an answer.

Dealers often time don't like to do waranty work due to the fact that the manufacturer paid them less than the "normal/ripp-off" labour rate.
Also on parts they cannot make the same mark-up.
Try another dealer and he don't even have to be a Dodge dealer.
I am serious here,I am in the process of having both sills (even if only one was yellowing) REPLACED,not repainted by my Jeep dealer.

The reason I choose to go to them is simply because I have been doing business with them for over 10 years and I trust them.
On top of that, they are going tot give me the sills to install,like that i am sure that it will been done correctly and with care.

My friend,the service Manager told me that any DC dealers can do waranty work on ANY DC brands,as long that they don't need some specific and/or special tools for it.

Any comments from Viper/Dodge dealers on the board?
Luc.

 

[Viperrick]

Vipurtom, was your car bone stock with no additional aftermarket parts? Only decals and a rollbar? Any internal mods like heads, roller rockers etc.?

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Just some words of wisdom for those of you that have had warranty issues:

First, I would recommend NOT coming on a public forum and announcing that you did your damage at what will be looked upon as a "racing" event. This reason alone can void your warranty.

Second, know who you are dealing with. If you have damaged your Viper, then ONLY take to a dealership that has a good enough relationship with DC, the Zone and the VCA. This gives you the best chance of getting the repair handled in a fashion that will please you the most.

Third, do not mention the word LAWYER on a public site such as this one. Once you do that, DC and it's employees are not ALLOWED to assist you any ANY fashion.

What you need to remember:

We all love running our Viper's hard. Many of us enjoy the benefits of the track. But it is clearly stated in your warranty information that you VOID your warranty if you track the car (this is standard language for all cars). For years we have had a great relationship with Dodge, which has allowed us to receive "privileged" consideration on warranty issues. But because some insist on trying to run a race program, with a factory warranty in place, we are falling harder and harder under the microscope.

That said, I did not even mention the fact that any modification to a vehicle also VOIDS the warranty. It all comes down to the judgment of the parties handling the issue. If you go in with a hard stance, you might make an enemy you didn't count on. Remember, if they give you warranty service that you are receiving a gift, so treat it as such. Now I am not saying to not touch your Viper's, but I am simply giving you a heads up that depending on who you speak to ill determine if you are in violation of the warranty.

Follow these rules of thumb:

Join the VCA, if anyone will get special consideration it is VCA members. If you modify or track your Viper, either make sure there is no evidence of it, or make sure you have your Viper serviced at a Dealer who has traditionally gotten the job done. Lastly, never mention racing, modifications in the same breath as warranty;in most of those cases you will lose. If you follow these guidelines you should have a wonderful ownership experience.

 

[slaughterj]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jwwiii:
Slaughterj;

You did say your Viper was a 98' but you didn't mention if you had the extended warranty. If not, were you denied because of the service problem you described, or because the warranty had expired?

It doesn't take long to be out of warranty considering how few miles are usually on a Viper in three years time. I bet most of us owners probably have 12k or less on the odometer at three years out. I was just curious. The "out of warranty" thing just sneaks up on us. I think I will buy the extended warranty after reading your post just in case.

Good luck getting everything handled!

Jim Wallace

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yep, still under original warranty, doesn't expire until Nov. As for low miles, the car had under 5k miles when I got it 3 1/2 months ago (with an unused softtop, not even stored in the trunk), and now have 13.5k miles on it

 

[Mike Brunton]

Steve,

Dodge can absolutely NOT void your warranty due to installing aftermarket parts. They CAN deny warranty coverage if it can be reasonably determined that the aftermarket parts caused or contributed to the failure.

Case in point: You install K&N's and smooth tubes, then your transmission goes kaboom. It's covered. If you install a totally new engine (Levin supercharger for example) and you start to have corrosion on your gas cap - that is covered.

However, if you swap your rear gears, then blow a tranny, it could be denied, depending on the dealer - although MOST reasonable dealers would warranty it. If you install roller rockers and then drop a valve, it would almost certainly NOT be covered, unless your dealer is a real nice guy.

The bottom line is, Dodge CANNOT deny your entire warranty based on mods - they can only deny warranty coverage if the damage was caused by the mods you made, or there is a likelyhood of that.

 

[NCVCA]

Scott- Don't want to take comments out of context, but a warranty is not a "gift" - especially when you purchased an extended one for additional $$. Now if your asking for repair replacement of a track damaged item I see your point - it's a great gift indeed.

I hope John can find a reasonable intermediary at least for the top. Since the top hasn't been used at the track at all...

Other than that I agree completely!!!!

AND I would love to talk to Luc about maybe buying those old sills!

 

[dblankenbaker]

To paraphrase Steve:

"Racing voids your warranty" (read your warranty... it's true)

With that in mind, if you break something on the track ("driving school" or not)...

1) Do not come to a public forum and say you were on the track when it broke!

2) ONLY TAKE YOUR CAR TO A VCA FRIENDLY DEALER FOR WARRANTY SERVICE!!

3) If for some reason the dealer has problems with your claim, talk to your VCA Regional President, and have them talk to the Zone (DC), and National (VCA) Officers. You will be surprised what can happen quietly behind the scenes. If you **** up and mention the word LAWYER, Chrysler will throw a lawyer at you and any chance for help is gone!!!

When Steve said "modification to a vehicle also VOIDS the warranty" he meant exactly what Mike said: If you crack open your engine, you void your engine warranty. However, things like this have also been fixed quietly behind the scenes because the owners followed rules 1, 2, and 3.

 

[jwwiii]

Slaughterj;

You did say your Viper was a 98' but you didn't mention if you had the extended warranty. If not, were you denied because of the service problem you described, or because the warranty had expired?

It doesn't take long to be out of warranty considering how few miles are usually on a Viper in three years time. I bet most of us owners probably have 12k or less on the odometer at three years out. I was just curious. The "out of warranty" thing just sneaks up on us. I think I will buy the extended warranty after reading your post just in case.

Good luck getting everything handled!

Jim Wallace

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Will these actions cause you to void your warranty? That is at the discretion of the first- Dealer, second-zone rep, third DC. If the dealer want to be a ****, they can simply tell the Zone rep that there was a mod to the car. You then may be flagged in the system. It can and has happened that easy.

To AVOID any problems, GO TO A FRIENDLY DEALERSHIP, MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ZONE REP, AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE A VCA MEMBER.

If you do those things, you will then in most cases avoid the problems that many have faced.

There have been instances when the VCA has served as a mediator and made many things go away. The point is, if you have any questions read your warranty book and will is pretty clear as to what you can and can't do. If you interpret it to mean something else, then so be it. I have been in the middle of many of these cases. Some things can not be said, but what can be said is listed above in caps. I apologize to any that see it different, but I was only trying to help those who will go through issues in the future.

And yes, any vehicle that is tracked in the US could void a warranty. Will it, that depends on many things. But if you read your coverage, it should be clear. And whoever said that modifications can only void a warranty if done to the engine internally, I wish that was the case, but I have seen Vetts, Nissans and Vipers get Black flagged because of changes as slight as an exhaust. Again, it all comes down to the Dealer, then the Zone and finally DC. A zone rep having a bad day, or a dealer that is mad because you purchased from someone else can make this a nightmare.

Please read what I said previously as a guide, not the LAW. If you can follow it, it will serve your ownership experience with a much better chance of success.