mcgarvey

A note from Kurt. This is a good thread full of good advise. Please keep this on topic. Thank you mcgarvey for this information.

I've read countless threads on here regarding warranty issues, people being told that their problem isn't covered, that they caused it, and lots of other complaints. I'm a delaership service technician and I know how this business works- I wanted to dispel a few myths and give my best advice to those who have a problem on their car that's still warrantied.

The most common complaint on here seems to be that Mitsu denied your warranty claim because of aftermarket equipment installed on your car, like an exhaust, intake, whatever. They can do this but only under certain conditions, and THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HAVING YOUR WARRANTY VOIDED. I shall explain. If you install an exhaust system and one of your hangers breaks, and you attempt to have the dealer fix it, they won't. It's your fault because you installed a part that was likely heavier and put additional stress on the hangers. Here's a different scenario though. You install an exhaust, intake, adjustable cam gear, turbo, and whatever other crazy power increasing mods you can think of, and take your car in because it's overheating. Again, you're out of luck- you brought it upon yourself. However, if they tell you your warranty is "void" they are lying. If you brought the same car in with a sticky heater blend door, they still have to fix it, because your modifications do not directly affect the part being warrantied.

If you need warranty work performed, I highly reccommend reinstalling all of your factory parts. Though they cannot tell you to get lost unless the failed component was directly affected by your aftermarket parts, it prevents the issue from ever coming up. An axle-back exhaust or something like that is a pretty mild mod that's no big deal, and nothing to worry about. Believe it or not, the mitsu dealer wants you to come in for warranty repairs! They make money doing warranty work, and so do the techs (though not nearly as much as customer-pay work). Also, lack of service records is NOT a valid reason to deny your warranty claim. However, sludge buildup in the valve cover caused by lack of oil changing is a valid reason to not cover your blown engine. So is failure to replace your timing belt that ended up snapping. If they ask to see receipts or something, they are BSing you and you simply need to stand your ground.

Unfortunately, the service department management tends to judge you based on looks alone. If you're a young kid they figure you beat on your car and mess it up with poorly done mods, and they don't want to be bothered with you. They will be more than happy to help you if you at least act like you might be willing to become a regular customer. If they think they can make money off of you in the future they even have the discretion to cover things either in full or part after the warranty has expired. It never hurts to ask, just be professional and polite.

Another thing I've seen on this board is people noticing a problem, taking it in during the warranty period only to be told that there is nothing wrong. I know that you know your car very well- you sit in it for possibly hours a day and even a minute change will get you very worried. The techs at the dealership see hundreds of cars a day, some of which are total pieces of crap. They may not notice that something is wrong, and they will write on the repair order "no problem found." This is ok! Don't get upset. If the problem continues after a few weeks or something, take it in again. Don't be annoying or rude, just act like you are genuinely concerned about something. They may tell you they can't find anything wrong for a second time. The key here is to get the problem documented. That way, when the noise you heard gets worse after your warranty has expired, they still have to cover it. If it was documented during the warranty period and the part finally fails after you're no longer covered, they still fix it for free.

OK, now onto dealing with the dealership after your warranty is gone. For starters, if you take your car there for the regularly scheduled services instead of going to an indy shop or doing the work yourself, they will love you and be more willing to help you out. However, that's not the most cost effective way of doing it- they'll recommend things like fuel injector flushes induction system cleanings that are not ever actually needed. If you have a problem that is unusual for a car of its mileage or age- ie., a noisy strut mount at 45,000 miles or something along those lines-- it doesn't hurt to ask if they can help you pay for the repair. Even though your basic warranty coverage is gone, everyone knows a strut mount shouldn't fail so soon and it probably wasn't your fault. Service managers have a certain allowance called "after warranty assistance" that may cover part of your repair- but you will most likely have to ask for help. In many cases they will be willing to pay for the parts if you cover the labor.

Also, if you are paying out of pocket for any repair that costs more than maybe $500-600, you should always say something like "I really can't afford to have it fixed unless you can apply some kind of discount." The service writers are almost always allowed to discount your repair by 10% just because you asked. This of course does not apply to regular maintenance or small jobs. 10% is not much but it is something. So always ask, and be very polite about it.

One final thing: Dealership service departments are retail establishments in which all of the technicians are essentially salespeople who are paid on commission. That's right- we don't get paid by the hour just for being there! If a car comes and we fail to spot any needed service or repairs to sell on it, we don't go home with much money at the end of the week. This is why it seems every time you take the car to the dealer (or any mechanic for that matter), they give you a list of problems. That said, I've hardly ever met a tech who isn't honest about it. If I write down that your car needs something, it really does. It's the service advisors who add on the fuel injector cleaning and oil flushes- they get paid on commission too. I'm not saying you should ever ignore a problem the tech spotted, but you should become informed about what is real and what is not. And just for the record, fuel injector cleanings and engine flushes are pure BS. Another popular one is the throttle body cleaning service- this is worth doing every 75,000 miles or so but certainly no more. BE INFORMED and you will not get less than your money's worth. If you want to maintain and repair the car yourself- great! If you want someone else who is competent and knows your make and model, then take it to the dealership and be prepared to pay. We all know that competence is both rare and expensive these days.

Markley02

I have a question.... Lets say the only aftermarket part on the car is the clutch.

It is determined that the trans or transfer case is bad. They order the new transfer case and start the install and notice the clutch. Will they continue the install and you will wind up with a huge bill????

Jeffroevoix

I have a question also? I spoke to two dealerships last week about my brakes. The paint is bubbling up and peeling. Niether of the dealerships would do anything about the brakes saying It's not thier fault, and Mitsubishi will not let them fix my brakes under warranty. Is any of this true? My car is bone stock, just the way I bought it from the same dealership.

mcgarvey

That reminds me. In a case like this where you have complained numerous times to your dealership about an issue that should be covered under warranty but they refuse, you don't need to play the lawyer card just yet. Every auto manufacturer has a number of "zone managers" who handle issues at a regional level, below corporate but above the individual dealership. Each zone has its own FTS (Field Technical Support) personnel and warranty management whose job it is to evaluate an "iffy" situation. I suggest you get in touch with the zone manager for your area and politely explain the situation. This often gets results. You could always try a different Mitsu dealer first, of course. We often replace factory alloy wheels with peeling clearcoat under warranty-- you should receive new calipers as well, assuming you didn't damage them with chemicals.

On the clutch question- don't count on it being covered, unless it's an aftermarket replacement that isn't up-rated. If you're running something that is up-rated over stock, the clutch engages much more harshly which is of course no good for the transmission. By installing it, you knew the risk you were taking and if ever there were a good case for an aftermarket installation directly affecting a failed component, this would be it.

malves85

iTrader: (3)

Great info! Thanks for the write up.
Quick question for ya
How do dealers react if you come in for warranty work but purchased your car from another dealer out of state?

Pirana

iTrader: (43)

Very informative, thanks! Now if I could get my armrest replaced under warranty, would be nice, hehehe.

Kurt

iTrader: (1)

That is not a problem. I will give you an example. I purchased my Mazda in Pennsylvania which is where I live. Since I work in Maryland, I take my car to Maryland Dealership just because it is more conveniet. I have never had a problem. It really doesn't matter where you buy bought your car from, any dealer will do warranty work on it.

yitzac1990

iTrader: (16)

I also have a question:

lets say my service manager tells me that even just adding an intake will completely void any warranties affecting the powertrain. what should i do or say? should i still keep it on if i ever need to bring it back for regular maintenance? lets say i want to bring it to them for an oil change, should i take the intake off, even though there is nothing wrong with the car?

mcgarvey

They don't care one bit, they still get reimbursed from corporate just the same.



If he said that he's lying to you, and he knows it. Don't worry about the intake, just leave it on. No one will say anything, and don't worry, the mechanic won't make some kind of note on your records indicating that you had the intake.

Just don't go asking to get your intake vacuum leak or fouled MAF sensor fixed under warranty-- that's your fault because of the intake! Other than that, you're good.

sblvro

iTrader: (2)

can we put a sticky as to the phone numbers of mitsubishi reps so there will direct communication to them instead of thru dealers if you already have a case/reference number?

yitzac1990

iTrader: (16)

thanks so much! thats what I needed to hear, and i assume the same goes for an aftermarket muffler?

apex IX

good syuff, thanks for the info

MisterStrike

iTrader: (1)

This is great to hear. I was just told last week that because I needed aftermarket camber bolts for the pulling issue that my entire warranty was now voided and he said that came straight from Mitsubishi Corporate and I haven't even installed them yet! Sometimes I am amazed at what the dealers come up with.

09lancerGTS

i have a question i took my 2009 lancer gts in because it stoped going into first gear and would grind going into second down shifting i took it in and they said that its not covered under warranty and the car only has 4567 km on it what should i do ?
like are the trannys in 2009 lancers **** or something?

nj_08_gts

iTrader: (1)

Did you ask WHY it wasn't covered? I've heard of them not doing warranty work on transmissions due to abuse. If you're not abusing it, I'd go back and explain the situation.