Question about dealer service with mods

[04CobraOwner]

I purchased the extended service plan when I bought my car, and am due for the 15000 mile service.

the car has been pullied and tuned - will that affect what they do on a 15k service? will they annotate the pulley and immediately void the engine warranty?

I have considered putting back the stock pulley and tune, then taking it in for service, but seems like a lot of work, especially if it is unnecessary...

thoughts?

 

[03yellow]

Is it the ford extended warranty?

Get to know your service writer!

 

[Bluedot_26]

I don't know how the ESP works, but since the 15k service is an oil change and "inspections", wouldn't it just be easier to do it yourself and avoid the risk ?

 

[forcefedcobra]

dont take it in with the pulley and tune unless you are willing to have your warranty voided!

They can make a note if it in their system and you will be screwed if you ever need something serious fixed later no matter what

 

[FireRed04Vert]

dont take it in with the pulley and tune unless you are willing to have your warranty voided!

They can make a note if it in their system and you will be screwed if you ever need something serious fixed later no matter what

very good advice.

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

I would agree...

Do not take it in for anything that involves popping the hood.

 

[forcefedcobra]

trust me on this one. I have had hell trying to get some issues on my car fixed due to simple things like having a k&N and mufflers on the car. I would NEVER take the car to my local dealer or any other with a pulley and tune on it. They already act like you are hiding something when you take a virtually stock car in there so why make it worse.

I finally had to call Ford customer service and throw a fit before I got a dealer that said they would work on the car. Funny thing is when I was younger and didnt know better I took my 98 cobra with a vortech blower on it to the same dealer and they worked on it and they also worked on my 01 lightning (replaced the blower) and it had a chip, full exhaust, and other stuff on it. Ford is just getting cheaper and so are the service centers. If they think there is any chance that Ford will not reimburse them for the warranty work they WILL NOT do anything to fix your car even if it is minor stuff.

Right now I am still waiting to hear back from the dealer 90 miles away to see if they are going to fix the problems I am having or not. The car is now under extended warranty so I might not have as hard of a time getting the extended warranty provider to step up and do what should be done as I did when it was under Ford's full warranty. Ford service sure wasnt wanting to do anything while it was under full warranty. They even tried to intimidate me into thinking I would have to pay for the full cost of the work and when they said the parts to fix it were ordered and wouldnt be there until after my full warranty was up but they would hold the ticket open so it wouldnt cost me I quickly extended the warranty. Needless to say when I took the car back weeks later (after the full warranty expired) they had somehow thrown away the ticket. OOPS! If I had not extended the warranty I would have been out thousands for minor problems and still hadnt had the big issues taken care of.

Be smart about things unless you are willing to drop the dime to fix it yourself!

 

[BelvedereGTX]

Sorry pal You warranty is voided.

 

[04CobraOwner]

"Your warranty is voided"

You should realize that it is silly to make such an absolute statement.

In the first place, it will vary dealership by dealership whether or not they will work on your car with mods. Some of them are understanding mod-geeks themselves.

In the second place, the warranty is voided only if they can prove that the problems you are having are a direct result of the mods you have made. If my electric seats stop working, it can't be attributed to the pulley change, so it is not voided.

Third, what is to stop me from putting the original pulley and tune back? It is my understanding that, since I have not changed the original chip, I can put the tune back and it is undetectible. Is this not the case?

 

[forcefedcobra]

Sorry pal You warranty is voided.

Dont know who you are addressing with this statement?

 

[forcefedcobra]

You should realize that it is silly to make such an absolute statement.

In the first place, it will vary dealership by dealership whether or not they will work on your car with mods. Some of them are understanding mod-geeks themselves.

In the second place, the warranty is voided only if they can prove that the problems you are having are a direct result of the mods you have made. If my electric seats stop working, it can't be attributed to the pulley change, so it is not voided.

Third, what is to stop me from putting the original pulley and tune back? It is my understanding that, since I have not changed the original chip, I can put the tune back and it is undetectible. Is this not the case?

You are correct 100% In my case my local dealer could have voided my warranty on either car but didnt and they actually stated the same thing as you did. "There was no link between any performance mods and the failure of the part being replaced. That was in years past and they dont seem so happy to complete the work on a car like they used to. In my case with my 03 I called no less than a 1/2 dozen dealers in the state. Some told me that they didnt have the ability to work on the car and others told me to contact an SVT dealer. Funny considering there is no such thing anymore and secondly one of my issues is problems with the early production heads and two of the dealers sell a ton of mach 1's and lincoln products all of which have very similar if not exactly the same dual cam heads. When I talked to Ford the customer service lady confirmed that two of the dealers that said they could not work on the car actually DID have the ability to work on the car. Needless to say customer service will be contacting them.

 

[BelvedereGTX]

Dont know who you are addressing with this statement?

Oh, the thread starter

 

[showme cobra]

thank god i dont have any probs with the dealers around here that you guys are running into elsewhere :beer:

 

[03SoCalCobra]

Dealer Dealer Dealer.

Look for a performance oriented dealership- one that advertises performance parts sales, aka Downs Ford, or that sells modded cars like Saleen's; also consult the local SVTOA clubs; some dealerships actually sponser the clubs, ad if not the members will usually know what dealers are more customer service oriented.

I've taken mine in with everything but a parachute strapped to the bumper and never heard so much as a slight pause (nor did I mention any of the mods). None of the warrenty work was never related to any of the mods; they've been nothing but overly helpful 100% of the time, both with the 03 Cobra and the 99 Cobra. I do know that same dealership has denied warrenty work on another 03 that was flatbedded in with a grenaded block; but it had all the mods in the book, SLICKS and still had the shoe polish numbers on the window from the track; that's totally understandible.

But if you're bringing your car in for unrelated service, like the seat belt tensioner, the carpet recall, ect.. and it's modded and they give you sh*t, print out a copy of the Magnisson Moss warrenty act for them and ask for your car back ASAP and find another dealer.

 

[BelvedereGTX]

You should realize that it is silly to make such an absolute statement.

In the first place, it will vary dealership by dealership whether or not they will work on your car with mods. Some of them are understanding mod-geeks themselves.

In the second place, the warranty is voided only if they can prove that the problems you are having are a direct result of the mods you have made. If my electric seats stop working, it can't be attributed to the pulley change, so it is not voided.

Third, what is to stop me from putting the original pulley and tune back? It is my understanding that, since I have not changed the original chip, I can put the tune back and it is undetectible. Is this not the case?

Obviously you dont know crap then. You are a tool bag if you think you can fool the dealership by putting your stock crap back on your car if you blow your engine. Do some searches before talking smack. Everyone knows that if something major happens to your car a svt rep will come to dealer and find out if the car has been reprogrammed and also there is a factory seal that you already broke on your pulley. Yet another dumb young toolbag talkin smack. Good luck to you if something happens to your engine and YOU expect something to be done.

 

[CobraBob]

You should realize that it is silly to make such an absolute statement.

In the first place, it will vary dealership by dealership whether or not they will work on your car with mods. Some of them are understanding mod-geeks themselves.

In the second place, the warranty is voided only if they can prove that the problems you are having are a direct result of the mods you have made. If my electric seats stop working, it can't be attributed to the pulley change, so it is not voided.

Third, what is to stop me from putting the original pulley and tune back? It is my understanding that, since I have not changed the original chip, I can put the tune back and it is undetectible. Is this not the case?

Some of what you say is right, while others things you are saying are wrong.

1. Yes, some dealers are more mod friendly than others. But the bottom line is that if a Ford regional rep gets involved then the mods could be an issue regardless of what the dealer says. Unless, of course, the dealer wants to pay out of their own pocket. Ford will not reimburse a repair if their regional rep gives the work a thumbs down. I am going through this very thing with my Infiniti dealer. The dealer wants to cover my wheels (finish is peeling) but the regional rep is not cooperating. So even though the dealer would like to take care of me, the Infiniti rep can shut the door on me.

2. Ford does not have to prove that an issue is related to a mod before voiding your warranty. They only have to show that there is a relationship and probable cause. There have been plenty of cases here to back that up. Oh sure, you could sue the dealer/Ford, but who has the money to do that. That is the real world. The bottom line is that you mod at your own risk. No one should be foolish enough to think that a warranty cannot be voided due to motor mods like a pulley, tune, ported blower, cam, etc.

3. Returning your motor to "stock" doesn't mean you won't get caught. There are tell-tale signs the dealer/region rep look for. The bottom line is that there is no guarantee that you'll get by without getting snagged, no matter how hard you try. Do all dealers check for mods? No. Can they? Yes.

Again, mod at your own risk! That's the bottom line.

 

[04CobraOwner]

Such helpful information from 03silversvt

03silversvt - Thank you for the intellectual discourse on the subject. Corresponding with someone of your obvious mental power is stimulating and exhilarating. Your poetic use of the words "toolbag" and "crap" speak volumes of both your education and your upbringing. And the way you support your arguments, not with facts or references, but with things that "everyone knows" highlights your obvious experience in deliberation. However, all that being said, I am not sure I want to take mechanical advice from someone who refers to "talking smack" not once, but twice in his post.

Oh - and is it "tool bag" or "toolbag"? You wrote both, and I would like to get the official spelling for use in the future. And, by the way, I hear it isn't just an SVT rep, but they send the FBI and Sherlock Holmes too.

Peace.

 

[04CobraOwner]

Such helpful information from CobraBob

Cobrabob - thank you for the information - you are obviously well informed. I definitely agree with the "mod at your own risk" statement. It's that way with everything, from televisions to computers to cars. Of course, the point is moot for me, as I sold my cobra yesterday. I'm still crying at the sound of the borla stingers driving off into the distance, with someone else behind the wheel.

Peace.

 

[forcefedcobra]

Sorry you sold your car my friend. I have thought about the same with mine. Too many problems and nobody seeming to have the desire to solve them. However I got a call today that the dealership the Ford customer service rep sent me to has found that the heads need replaced and so does the TOB. THANK THE LORD! He informed me that he is calling the extended warranty provider and is trying to get approval to fix the problems and will be calling me back as soon as it has recieved the green light. He was very apologetic about things taking a while and informed me that if all goes well I will have my car back the first of next week. I told him he could have it for a month as long as the car was fixed. Top notch guy!

Before this thread started going south I think the point being made was like our wise friend Bob said. Mod at your own risk and be ready to suffer the consequences. Each dealer is different and on top of that each dealer can change when new people come in. In the case of mine I have taken heavily modded cars in without having a problem and then when I have a car that isnt I go through hell trying to get them to do what is right. Everyone knows early production 03 heads are crap no matter if the car was modded or not. Still they didnt want to do what was right. In my case I have found a dealer that does work for the customer and for that reason I will be purchasing any future cars from them being as their quality service has made me a loyal customer!

 

[BelvedereGTX]

03silversvt - Thank you for the intellectual discourse on the subject. Corresponding with someone of your obvious mental power is stimulating and exhilarating. Your poetic use of the words "toolbag" and "crap" speak volumes of both your education and your upbringing. And the way you support your arguments, not with facts or references, but with things that "everyone knows" highlights your obvious experience in deliberation. However, all that being said, I am not sure I want to take mechanical advice from someone who refers to "talking smack" not once, but twice in his post.

Oh - and is it "tool bag" or "toolbag"? You wrote both, and I would like to get the official spelling for use in the future. And, by the way, I hear it isn't just an SVT rep, but they send the FBI and Sherlock Holmes too.

Peace.

Hey man you drew first blood with your response to me. I agree with you on how i responded to your statement, it was far fetched with my name calling. I was heated and should not have used the names in reference to you. After all I guess we cleared things up on modding and returning to stock. I only used references because it would be easier to see for yourself in the way I described. I would hate to have someone see the comments you posted about modding your engine and not having a problem getting it fixed under warranty. When in reality it would be a sad day for someone that could not afford a new engine because someone said it is possible to return it to stock before they brought it in.