Dodge Warranty issues/questions

[BillDriscoll]

First off, my 2005 truck is totally stock, with the exception of Staydyne at every tank fill up, a Rino Liner for the bed, and XM Satallite radio.



I was sitting here wondering... . Say I had a truck (2005 7 yr/70000mi warranty) that I had put an chip in for a few thousand miles, and something happens, so it goes in for warranty work. The dealer finds the evidence of a chip and as the story on this forum, voids the warranty... . The whole warranty, as is being told on this board.

So... . what if the person traded that same vehicle into a Dodge dealer for a new vehicle, knowing the salesman would probably jump at the chance to sell a vehicle. Does Dodge go back into the computer and unvoid the warranty in order to sell the used truck or I guess they have to put a big "NO WARRANTY" sign on the front windshield in order to sell the truck. Or maybe they won't take it as a trade in?? Would CARFAX show the voided warranty??



I guess what I'm getting at, once the warranty is voided it shouldn't matter who owns the vehicle, as Dodge is saying they wont assume responsibility anymore... ... .



well... ... ... ... ... . :-{}



BillD



Pensacola Fl

 

[DMcPherson]

very good point, as they do not car what you do to a truck as long as it runs enough for them to resell it. if the vehicle is perminently modified or to an extent of which they can not reverse it they may offer it with no warranty and as a performance deal, for a lot of money. I have seen this, its pretty funny. chrysler is rpetty much a joke on the warranty side, and will deny anything they can.

 

[MoparBob]

This is one of those gray areas that has a lot to do with the dealership as well as DC. I find that the shop has a lot of input as to what will be covered under "some" parts of the warranty. The Cummins engine is covered by Cummins so they make the determination on warranty issues in a lot of the cases. Having owned 5 different chrysler products in the past 10 years, I have seen my local shop cover things under warranty I was sure I was going to have to pay for. On the same note, our local Ford dealership wouldn't even cover a bad window track on a Brand New Ranger (it had only 3500 miles on it). I have found that making friends with my service manager and taking the time to talk with the service writers and show them that I am aproachable and easy to deal with, has made a huge factor in the service I now receive.



Now as far as a programmer voiding the warranty... if the dealership finds traces of a programmer whether you bought the vehicle new or used, that will be grounds for a voided warranty. Our local dealership doesn't always (if at all) put their traded in vehicles on the computer to check for codes. If you request it because you are interested in buying the vehicle, they'll do it on the spot (regardless of brand). I would have them do it on any used vehicle I would be condsidering if I was interested in the warranty. It has been my experience that on a trade in, they only do a quick visual and drive before they make up their mind on what they are going to give for it. Once you have signed the paperwork on the trade, they put that vehicle out on the sales lot ASAP. I worked in a dealership that did actually inspect all their trades, but I know quite a few techs who say their dealerships do very little with anything late model or low mileage. What it all boils down to is this: it all depends on the dealership you are working with and it doesn't matter the circumstances behind the programmer if there was one installed on the vehicle. If they can prove a programmer was on it, NO WARRANTY.

 

[BHolm]

First off, when they void the warranty it goes into the DC computer system to prevent you from shopping dealers to try and get a voided truck worked on. Now that computer system has no idea if/when a truck changes owners until after the fact and the new owners brings the truck in. I would also totally agree that the dealer taking the truck in trade doesn't check for this, EVER. If the truck comes in with performance mods, that is a little different. My salesman told me that they have removed programmers in the past before re-selling trucks, too much liability for them.



This is where it gets interesting though. Just like the original poster questioned, what happens if the programmer/mods are removed before the trade in but after a void has been put on the warranty? If it happens at a Dodge dealer, and the truck supposedly still has warranty left, the dealer will almost certainly represent (unknowingly) the truck as having remaining warranty. So who gets to eat the repairs at this point? If the dealer sold it to me with warranty remaining, he is legally bound to honor that commitment. The next step comes down to the battle between the dealer and DC. I would guess that DC is going to tell the dealer he has to eat it. I suspect the reason would be that the dealer didn't check out the trade thoroughly. Do any of you guys connected with dealers know if there are any requirements of the dealer on trades that have remaining facotry warranty?



Anyway, if the dealer sells you a truck with warranty, that is what you get or they are screwed for misrepresenting the product. The dealer doesn't have much recourse with DC, what are they going to do? Refuse to sell or work on the vehicles? Ooops, that wont work. I have a feeling that it will be the dealers taking the screwing until they figure out they had better watch certain vehicles a little more closely than others before they offer them for sale, or even take them on trade. Most of they will only have to get burned once.

 

[klenger]

Good questions. Make me think.

The Cummins engine is covered by Cummins ...

I think that Dodge buys the engines from Cummins w/o warranty and Dodge is responsible for the warranty. That's why you can't take it to a Cummins shop for warranty service, but Dodge can.

 

[BillDriscoll]

I guess what I'm getting at is that technically, once the dealer has DC void the warranty, if they are going to take the vehicle in on a trade, they would have to do it knowing there would be no warranty, unless they have more pull and can get DC to delete the voided warranty. I understand DC is the one to ultimally void the warranty, after input and information from the dealer. I also understand DC can fix the problem with a few key strokes in their computer.



What I believe is this: DC would take care of a dealer well before taking care of a customer.



Look at all the people talking about voided warrantys on this forum. Its definitely something I would check into before purchasing a newer truck.



BillD

 

[BHolm]

Dealers do not void warranties. Trust me, it makes them look very bad to customers. Right or wrong, would you buy another truck from the dealer who voided your warranty? Nobody would. DC makes the decision, pure and simple, the dealer is a pawn in the game.



Next issue, there is no way I believe for a second that DC would re-instate a warranty to help a dealer, no way. They will let them twist in the wind before they would do that. You seriously overestimate the dealer factory relationship. It is not as rosy as you might think.



As far as trading in a truck at the dealership where a warranty was voided... . is anybody THAT stupid? I think the most likely scenario is one where the dealer is unaware of the voided warranty. That is how the dealer ends up being the one getting burned.



I think it is pretty simple. If a dealer sells you a truck and says it has a warranty, they have to honor that, period.



If they sold it to you with a warranty and you find out later it was voided, your issue is with the dealer, they will have to take care of you. I do not believe for one second that DC is going to "help" the dealer. That is the part of it I think you have wrong.



Does DC favor its dealers over its customers? Tough call, in a sense the dealer is DC's customer. The dealer buys trucks from DC and sells them to us. The problem for the dealer is that they are the captive audience in all of this. We can go buy elsewhere, the dealer is screwed (again), they have to buy from DC in order to stay in the new Dodge truck business. Getting a major franchise is really tough anymore, dealers can't just jump ship. None of the automakers really give a hoot about us the consumer in the end. Look at how much hassle it is to try and get them to do something like a buy back on some of the crap they sell. The only thing any of them favor anymore is their bottom line$$$.



Now what do you think of Fords idea to eliminate the dealers as middle men and sell through factory outlets? Not that I would want to see a bunch of independant businesses all of the sudden fail, but can you imagine the backlash to the manufacturer if they removed the middle man as a buffer? I suspect that in the end, a situation like that would benefit consumers. It would force the manufacturers to be way more accountable than they are right now. Dealers eat a bunch of crow for the manufacturers in order to make money themselves (customer satisfaction). What would happen if that buffer was removed

 

[amsoilman]

Good questions. Make me think.







I think that Dodge buys the engines from Cummins w/o warranty and Dodge is responsible for the warranty. That's why you can't take it to a Cummins shop for warranty service, but Dodge can.

I agree with klenger on this remark.

Warranties are denied only by the Manufacturer... ... ... ... ... ... PERIOD! They can not be denied simmply by the service writer or anyone who works for the dealership. Sometimes a dealership may tell you your warranty is VOID, when ifact it is not! Don't take it as fact! If a waranty is denied, there are certain things a consumer can do, and one of those things is to prove an aftermarket item did infact cause the problem in question.



There have been several aftermarket companies that have stood behind their products, and went to bat for the customer, and proven the aftermarket item did not cause the problem.



Several years ago, Amsoi Inc. took Chrysler to court on the installation of a by-pass oil filter system on a Chrysler product (before DC) and was proven that the aftermarket by-pass system did not cause the problem they had claimed!



We consumers DO HAVE SOME RIGHTS!



Wayne

amsoilman