Latest Stg. I Upgrade Info from MOPAR employee

[flashbk2]

Ok this my take...my opinion,only. We all know the law puts burden of proof on dealer to prove part caused failure. While I'm willing to take the risk ...here's what's bothering me no warranty on parts whatsoever.... even crane gives customer a warranty and works with you. I guess if it fails right out of the box since I charged it I'll let credit card company get my money back! I can't believe the law allows that statement to exist. If DC wanted to put defective PCM's in kit we'd all be out the cost of the kit without any way to obtain replacement short of buying another kit.

[Cal Cruzer]

Although I can't say for sure, I would bet that it will actually pass the smog sniffer test, the cats do a great job of scubbing the exhaust, at least on Mustangs. You can do a lot of things to them and still have them pass smog. The problem is that if you get caught on the visual they fail you before you get to the sniffer. Certainly the visual on the turbo upgrade should be easy to pass unless they make it really stand out in some way. I used to always have to swap stock stuff back on my mustang to pass visual every 2 years. No big deal.

My biggest worry is the warranty coverage that they are taking away. When I see cars like Saleen or Roush being sold off showroom floors with full warranty I would expect DC to be able to do the same thing for this minor upgrade. That is the bottom line. The day you go in to the dealership and they turn down your warranty claim on your engine or transmission (and believe me they will, I worked with car dealers for 15 years) it won't seem like such a good deal.

[PTGT Redman]

I don't believe it. Called my dealer to order...they had no idea. Sent him here to check it out as well as Mopar's site. They say I can order it but it'll void the warranty...AND they want 500- to install. I asked what their labor rates were and they said 76/hr. So I asked why it would take 8 hours to install 4 injectors?
They think consumers are so damn stupid...i told them not to order, cause if they put it in they'll blame everything on the upgrade...they didn't even know why Mopar needed our VIN and odo readings...
Why can't Mopar warranty their work? Aren't they are Chrysler performance branch. This makes all their upgrades an unviable option to a lot of people, as I do not want to void the 69000 miles I have left on my warranty for a 20hp boost. I am so f-ckin angry right now I will never buy a Chrysler again...[xx(][xx(]
WTF is up with this:
Mopar Performance Parts are sold "as is," without any warranty whatsoever. Implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, are excluded. The entire risk as to quality and performance of such parts is with the buyer. Should such parts prove defective following their purchase, the buyer and not the manufacturer, distributor or retailer, assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing or repair.

Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep® vehicle and parts warranties are voided if the vehicle or parts are used for competition or if they fail as a result of modification.

ITS MOPAR FOR PETE'S SAKE...IT'S THEIR FRICKIN PERFORMANCE DIVISION...Are they saying their products aren't worth the sh-t they are made of? Or can I only drive my upgraded GT in my driveway?

[Kirby]

I have noticed the level of angst at the SRT-4 website also, it gives me pause that the small details aren't worked out.

Remember; this is the same company that earlier in this model year deleted the rear sway bar, removed one of the horns, and quit putting in the cargo net to save a dime.

We are now driving the FIRST year of a new engine/transmission/auto marriage that most certainly will have quality control sponsored by the initial owners.(You and I.)

(My Eagle Vision transmission exploded after 100,00 miles of tender treatment.... will this transmission last that long with the increased power of the turbocharged engine?)

The question will be asked if these upgrade kits will effect our drivetrain...most certainly they will. How much is the question.
Street racers have already shown us that the torque converter is the weakest link of the Autostick. Axles have already been broken by the powerlaunchers.
I see our GT stage I boosters in various groups:

Those that will be incredibly lucky...never a problem, no matter what.
Those that will be unlucky....Breakage right out of the box.
Those that will trash and get out before the big one hits.
Machine heads that don't care..never wanted a warranty anyway.

No matter who...It is a matter of time to see what happens first. Guys with more testosterone than brains will go up to stage III and add beyond. Time will tell how the dust will settle out on the upgrades. Myself, I think that the owner of the bone stock GT may have challenges unforseen ahead.

[PTGT Redman]

Amen...it's not worth the aggravation.

[PK Cruiser]

quote:Originally posted by PTGT Redman

Amen...it's not worth the aggravation.

I agree...to me it is not right when DC's performance division, a la MOPAR doesn't warranty their products. If I upgrade to these kits, it will be AFTER my warranty is up...unless they fix the "void warranty" issue...I can see (maybe) if it was a true aftermarket products, ie built by a company OTHER than the company that built/designed the car...but not by THE company that builds the car...[xx(][V]

[PTGT Redman]

I still feel the same way, but I apologize if my outburst was not very tasteful

[Dalite]

I wonder if Mopar/DCX would get the subtle hint, if 90+% of the pending orders were cancelled by the consumer, claiming concern over the warranty issue?

Both DCX and Mopar have set the mood for the warranty issue at the front end of this love affair. I don't think it will be a far stretch of the imagination to predict that the number of warranty claims denied due to the presence of the Mopar PCM will be higher than those approved.

That is after surviving the first unknown and getting a Mopar PCM/Injector/Gasket kit where all the components work. That in itself could take a number of tries, based on their own estimation, as stated by their warranty. I had no personal reason to doubt the craftmanship, construction quality or proper operation of a new Mopar Performance part, until reading their own concerns, as stated in their warranty.

With a tuner car that cost $2,500.00 out the door, and a performance add-on costing $25.00, the average customer could afford to play this game and loose; a few times...

Just the process of paying the service department the labor and parts charges on scheduled maintenance to maintain the warranty will probably exceed $2500.00 before the stock warranty period runs out on a bone stock unit.

Keeping that in mind, the process of buying a performance option, just to get the performance you were thinking of when you put the bread down and determined how many crumbs to follow and for how long isn't looking like a great idea.

But for those PT GT owners who are indepently wealthy, and can afford to drop $25K 2 or 3 times a year to establish the bragging rights of having a high-performance PT Cruiser, the deal and warranty that DCX/Mopar is offering is probably a real opportunity.

I waited until late 2001, when the $7K over retail penalty charges on the PT had finally erroded through the $5K mark, $3K mark, $1.5K mark and finally settled at a price that gave the potential buyer the opportunity to begin the bargining at retail price on a 2002 model.

I took the $13K hit for 15 months of driving the 2002 when I traded for the 2003. It was my decision; driven by the love of the car. For the next 5 years, I would be best served to try to get some enjoyment out of it. The perceived reward for customer loyalty is at an all-time low, and with the cost-cutting deletions, the derating of performance provided by the stock PCM and the final blow of being able to purchase the designed performance at the cost of a warranty and a car payment - the red carpet is starting to roll up.

The German parent company won't even have to raid the Chrysler division, or attempt a hostile take over; Chrysler is perfectly qualified to destroy themselves. I hope they are able to do so before the Benz guys spend their pensions; at least they will have some money to spend while winding their watches..

To UniqTwin, my hat is off to you.

To have your job, your quest, your dreams, your finished product become negated by policies that reek of oxygen deprivation due to using company mandated anal-rebreathing apparatus must be a hard jolt to accept and go forward.

I salute the developers, the wrenchers, the programmers and those devoted to "unfixing" current production so it can perform as designed. It is a shame that the finished product comes at such a cost.

The dollar ammount I could overcome.

To make the decision to void my warranty with purchase of the upgrade, taxes both my better judgement and integrity.

It is a matter of personal decision for each to consider. If I participate in an act that promotes the further errosion of ethics, responsibility and/or trust I bear responsibility for eventual complete loss of those and similar ideals.

It may be too late in the game to turn things back around.

Short response: This warranty issue has a massive propensity for insidious morphilation

[UniqTwin]

There are 2 things to address when talking about warranties.

1) The part itself – Mopar Performance Parts are sold “as-is” – this has been a written statement for “x” years, and
2) The effect on the vehicle warranty – Please refer to your Warranty Information booklet (section 3) - (look in the glove box)

3. What’s Not Covered
3.1 Modifications Not Covered
A. Some Modifications Don’t Void the Warranties But Aren’t Covered
Certain changes that you might make to your vehicle do not, by themselves, void the warranties described in this booklet.

Goes on to give examples….

Last sentence states: Performance or racing parts are considered to be aftermarket parts. Repairs or adjustments caused by their use are not covered under your warranties.

Mopar backs it’s products in quality and workmanship. I am sure if you receive a broken/damaged part out of the box it will be replaced.

Additional Note: All of the concerns that I have read in this forum are being taken to management for review. I appreciate all of your feedback.

[PTGT Redman]

Hi uniq.
I don't think the problem is with the parts, it is at a dealer level.
A lot of them are going to refuse to honor any warranty repair if the parts are added, even if they are not the cause of the problem.
That is what is keeping me from doing it. My dealer all but promised to void my warranty without question, for a mod that adds 20hp.
Unethical dealer level policy and greed is what is killing Mopar's efforts, not Mopar itself. $500 for an install...please. Educate dealers. They had no idea about the upgrade...geez, I know more than they do.
Just my take on the matter.
And thanks for the input...I was reading your other comments on some of the other forums. I just feel that DCX is kinda leaving us out to dry...