I just wanted to put this stuff out there to see if i'm losing it or not...

When i purchased my Evo, i was under the impression that it was a tuner car. That was the picture that Mitsubishi had painted for me via the brochures, web site and commercials. I'll leave 2F2F alone, esp. since I bought my car before it came out. In short, I thought I was buying a tuner car, and I decided to buy a new car becuase of the attraction of having a warranty.

When I bought the car, the dealership included 2 free oil changes. I really don't mind changing the oil myself, and I have a lot more confidence that the job was done right and completly if I do it myself. I called the dealership to order a Mitsu filter, and the parts rep told me that it would void the warranty if I changed it myself. I just wanted the oil changed before I took it on a short trip, and thought if I let them do it, then it won't matter. So I let the dealership change the oil and expressed my concern and irritation politely and briefly to the service people.

I went home and looked through the warranty book (which in itself is a 50+ page document) and the only thing i could find was that the warranty didnt cover contaminated fluids, non-10W30 Synthetic, and that all maintainence was the responsability of the owner. I had been changing my own oil on my Porsche for about the last 3 years prior to that and the P-car dealership had "Porsche recommends Mobil 1" brochures, so I had been using Mobil 1. An Evo can't be that much different right? I more or less put what I thought was one bad phone call with an ignorant rep out of my mind.

I brought it in for the second oil change today (If I've got it i might as well use it, right?), and I went to the parts department and asked if they were ever gonna be able to sell Ralliart tuning parts, specifically like intakes, echausts, etc. The rep (i belive it to be a different person than i talked to over the phone; i had met the first guy during the first oil change) proceeded to tell me that doing absolutly anything to the vehicle voided the warranty. I asked about "anything" and he said that mitsubishi was being very strict on warranty issues. Another technician then came in and he said that not only would installing aftermarket wheels void the warranty, but "taking the wheels off the car" would void the warranty, too. That really set me off, but I'm a calm and controlled person, and I like to think before I say anything that could burn a bridge or cause reprocussions. It did make me want to ask why Mitsu included a spare, jack, and lug wrench though. They said that I should call the service department before doing anything to the car. I replied, "I think i'll just call mitsubishi" because i was starting to doubt the veracity of the information i was getting from this dealership.

Well, I went home, broke out my warranty book and thought, It's time to cover-to-cover this thing. Well, I did find a clause that said something to the effect of 'any modification to body, engine, or otehr parts voids the warranty.' It was like on the 6th page. When I read that coverall-no-mod paragraph, i was nearly heartbroken.

I was under the impression that I was buying a tuner car, and Mitsubishis marketing and sales implied that this car was built for this. I asked about the warranty, and got the standard response. I don't think that the dealership can claim that they didn't see the car or me in this light -- that would not be factual after the discussions I had with their salesman.

I really like the car and I enjoy driving it. I wouldn't expect mitsubishi to warranty parts that they didnt put on the car, but I would expect them to warranty their parts that are currently on the car. If i add an ECU upgrade and a shock goes out, i would expect it to be warrantied. The warranty book implies that anything voids everything, and to top that off, I am upset with what i have heard from the dealership.

Essentially, I feel that the car was properly represented and the sale was smooth. I also feel that Mitsubishis warranty was misrepresented at the time of sale to the point that if it had been presented properly I would have made a choice other than to buy it. To add insult to injury, I feel that the dealership is trying to add to what is in the warranty book.

Because of how the warranty was misrepresented and what I have heard from the dealership, I am considering taking my issues up with mitsubishi, possibly to the point where I ask them to take the car back & payoff the loan, or honor what they implied to me at the time of sale and through advertising.

What I would like to know is:


1. Am I insane? Am I making this out to be more than it is?
2. Is there anybody else that has similar feelings or experiences?
3. Is this a mitsubishi issue or a dealer issue?
4. Has anybody called mitsubishi to inspect the terms and extent of warranty coverage?


Just as a side note, I purchased my Evo at a dealership in a city about 30 mi away, but both that one and the dealership mentioned above are owned by the same company. If you call service or parts, you don't get the individual dealership, you get the company's hotline; i have been dealing with the same dealer all along. Also, my friend has purchased an STi and his dealership told him that if he does anything to the car, he should bring it back and they'd dyno it. What's the deal with Mitsubishi?

 

read magnuson moss act

 

Your dealership is full of ****ing idiots. Find another.

N10S

 

noworld,

Very nicely written...first, you are not insane. I agree 100% with everything you've written. I've heard so many different things about how dealers allow different things; DEALER to DEALER. Doesn't make much sense that one dealer would actually SELL after-market products, and another will void your warranty for chaning the oil filter!

I think you're the first person in this forum to present a very known issue in a manner that, I think, will get things accomplished. I would suggest doing what you're doing, and if you need any help, I'm sure there'll be more than enough people willing to cover your back. Please; be sure to let everyone know how things are going...

 

It's my understanding that Mitsu Corp. will not honor your warranty but specific dealerships will. Rule of thumb.... get it in writing from the service department.

 

it sounds like that paragraph in the documentation may be illegal in its self. I believe the LAW states they have to honor their waranty unless they can PROVE the aftermarket part is what caused the problem.

 

correct mangnuson moss act. Take the dealership a copy of it.

 

All these stories I've been seeing are making me want to wait before I start with the engine mods just so mitsu has nothing to say if something goes out. (clutch, etc) Incidentaly, I see you from so.Va, where's your dealership so I can avoid it.

 

As long as you know that it should be covered by warantee, I think you should NOT stress out about it. If you keep dumping your clucth at 5500-6500 RPM and fry your clutch, you know dang right that 95% you are not getting it replaced, even if you had the car for only a month. But if you change the intake and blow a head gasket, you know it is covered.

WW Evo- MBC,RMR DP, AEM intake, 4000mi- ZERO Problems with my car!!! (and I get on that beast all the way to 6500RPM through 4 gear at 20psi tapering to 18-19psi every chance I get since I got it 4 months ago!!!)

STi

 

Please just DO THIS. No one else ever follows through with their claims of actually writing Mitsubishi, so please actually do it.

 

I work at a Mitsu dealer in Baltimore, MD. First things first, i do believe the issue you are having is with the dealer personnell. There is no reason that doing your own oil change would void your warranty. The only thing mitsubishi wants to see are proofs of maintenence, i.e. oil filter/oil reciepts. If you have proof that the maintenance is being done, they have no grounds to stand on. And yes, mitsubishi is very strict on the warranties for this vehicle, however, changing the wheels would only adversely affect the warranty on related components such as suspension, wheel bearings, etc. Best bet when it comes to warranty claims is to make sure what you put on can be taken right back off if you need to visit a dealer. We cant void what we dont see. If you have any warranty questions, you can feel free to PM me if you need.

 

Must be dealer to dealer, I took my car into Mitsu for my Pit Pass service with all the mods listed below except the cams and my service manager told me he'd cover any warranty issues no problem. The guy was really cool, used to run an 11 second DSM. Even offered to help out with advice if I wanted it.

 

I had an hour long talk with my local Service Mgr. He understands my desire to mod the car, and to do 99% of the work on it myself - oil changes included. He also understands that I'm 36 years old, have built several high hp cars in the past, and that I have a pretty good understanding of how cars work.

That being said, I understand he can only do so much for a warranty claim, he is not going to warranty a blown engine if I run nitrous, and he has a job to do for Mitsu. We now have an understanding. I told him I wouldn't bring him a bogus claim and try to hide things, and he would work with me on any issue that may come up. I'm going to a hi-perf driving school with his parts guy, for crying out loud. I'm a man of my word and I expect (hope) he is too. Little things like having them change the tranny, diff, and rear end oil so they can check for potential problems can go a long way.

noworld, I would find another dealer pronto. There is no way taking the tires off of the car will void any warranty unless you don't torque the lugs back down to the proper spec, and then try to get the dealer to replace them for nothing. All of this is probably helped by the fact I haven't had any problems with my car (knock on wood).

 

I work at a Mitsu dealer in RI- The service Mgr. can say all he wants about covering a car with mods, but if it comes down to Mitsu rejecting the claim and having the regional rep make a visit to make a decision, you will be screwed. It is not uncommon for Mitsu to have one of their guys check out an expensive claim before authorizing it. If you find a cool service manager that will put in a claim for your car with mods on it, just pray that Mitsu doesn't send their own guy to check it out when they are halfway done and say that theywon't cover it. Best bet is to take anything off the car that you can.

Taking tires off- go ahead that is okay.
Change your own oil-keep reciepts

 

question to you The Gig, so does mitsu think that the Magnuson moss act doesn't apply to them? is mitsu special and not have to comply with goverment rules and regulations? if so why didn't mitu have their evo here earlier, and why even bother with emissions since they're so powerful?