Warranty Coverage Guidelines Associated With Aftermarket Add-on Components

[ResumeSpeed]

Warranty Bulletin No. D-05-17 - July 2005

Purpose:

• To highlight the new vehicle limited Warranty Coverage associated with the installation of aftermarket add-on components.
• To provide cause and effect information on aftermarket add-on components.

Timing: Effective immediately.

Action: The interest in aftermarket components and performance equipment, and its subsequent installation by vehicle owners, has resulted in repair situations that can jeopardize the warranty coverage of the vehicle. A reference sheet, included with this bulletin, has been developed to help identify common add-on components and their potential effect on vehicle component failures. Please ensure that all service and parts personnel have reviewed this document and attached reference sheet and refer to it if they suspect a vehicle component failure may have been the result of an aftermarket add-on component.

Aditional Information:

Refer to Section 3, What’s Not Covered, in the Vehicle Warranty Information Booklet for complete details regarding the installation and use of aftermarket components, highlights of which are listed below:

Certain changes that you make to a vehicle do not, by themselves, void the warranties described in this booklet. Examples of some of these changes are:

• Installing non-DaimlerChrysler Motors Company LLC (“DaimlerChrysler”) parts, components, or equipment (…DaimlerChrysler radio or speed control)

But your warranties do not cover any part that DaimlerChrysler did not supply or is not certified for use on your vehicle. Nor do they cover the costs of any repairs or adjustments that might be caused or needed because of the installation or use of such parts, components, equipment, materials, or additives..

Performance or racing parts are considered to be non-DaimlerChrysler parts. Repairs or adjustments caused by their use are not covered under your warranties.


Racing Not Covered

Your warranties do not cover the costs of repairing damage or conditions caused by racing, nor do they cover the repair of any effects that are found as the result of participating in a racing event.

If the vehicle is believed to be abused due to the installation of add-on component parts or racing activity, all information should be documented and presented to your District Manager for review and possible vehicle component restriction.

If you sell and/or install Mopar Performance parts, refer to the Mopar Performance Catalog for specific warranty coverage regarding Mopar performance parts, some excerpts of which are listed below:


No Parts Warranty

As referenced in all Mopar Performance Catalogs, Mopar Performance parts are sold “as is” unless otherwise noted. This means that the parts sold by Mopar Performance carry no warranty whatsoever...The addition of performance parts does not by itself void a vehicle’s warranty. However, added performance parts (parts not originally supplied on the vehicle from the factory) are not covered by the vehicle’s warranty and any failure that they may cause is also not covered by the vehicle’s warranty.


Typical MODIFICATIONS That May Be Found On DaimlerChrysler Gas and Diesel Vehicles

Boost Controllers
Manual or Electronic which regulate the amount of turbo boost

Turbo Intercooler Sprayer
Manual or Electronic which provide a cooling mist of water spray on to the intercooler.

High Octane Fuel switch
Allows driver to recalibrate the PCM for high octane fuel.

High flow custom air intake systems
Custom air intake systems allow for maximum air flow

High flow custom exhaust systems
Custom exhaust systems allow for maximum exhaust flow reducing backpressure.

Over sized intercoolers
Higher cooling capability for compressed air.

Oversized (higher boost) Turbo larger turbine
Provides more air and high pressure into the combustion chamber.

Cheater (low Cost) Waste Gate actuator spring modifications
Using a heavier or tighter spring delays when the waste gate actuator opens giving more turbo boost.

Nitrous Oxide Kits
Wet or dry systems provide more oxygen allowing more fuel to enter the combustion chamber.

High performance powertrain controllers (PCM) or engine controllers (ECM)
Greatly change engine calibration and performance.

Oversized fuel injectors/fuel rails and regulators
Allowing for more fuel to be delivered into the combustion chambers

Suspension kits / Oversized Wheels / Tires
Lowering and raising kits as well as oversized wheels and tires can greatly affect a vehicles suspension and handling.

Diesel performance enhancing equipment
Makes more power by increasing fuel and boost pressure.


Typical FAILURES That May Be Caused By Aftermarket Modifications:

Burnt pistons
Pistons, rings, and lands showing signs of overheating and burning. In many cases the pistons may be burnt down the side of the piston skirt. In gas engines, a very lean fuel to air mixture will cause this. Also predetonation (spark knock) will show signs of this. In Diesel engines too rich a fuel can result in burnt pistons.

Burnt valves
Mainly exhaust valves will show signs of a very lean fuel mix. This causes unburned fuel to raise combustion temperatures and exhaust temperatures to very unstable levels.

Exhaust melt downs (melted catalyst bricks)/ Cracked manifolds
See burnt valves. Very high exhaust temperatures due to very lean fuel mix levels and unburned fuel entering the exhaust system.

Burnt fuel injectors
See above

Burnt sparkplugs
See above

Blown fuel injector tips
See above

Blown Rod, Main Bearings and Head Gaskets
Caused by over turbo boost or nitrous oxide systems; rods, mains and head gaskets can not handle the extreme pressure put on them by the increased power.

Premature or repeated suspension failures
Lowering and raising kits as well as oversized wheels and tires completely change the geometry of the vehicle putting large amounts of pressure on drivetrain and suspension components, especially wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rods, and bushings.

Diesel fuel injection pump
Look for seizure or cracks in the pump. Diesel power enhancing devices can also result in premature automatic transmission failures.

Repeated overheating
All of the above.

Transmission, Clutch, Driveshaft or Axle Damage
High turbo boost, Nitrous Oxide systems increasing power levels beyond tolerance.

[chasb]

I have MOPAR CAI and will soon have Magnaflow exhaust system

I am pretty sure that these are not issues, re: the warranty.

The CAI did come with the standard MOPAR non warranty disclaimer, but there isnt much that could go wrong with it anyway.

I guess if you put a blower or NOS on there it;s obvious you are racing, but aI domnt think the mere edxistence of these things voids the warranty does it?

[Northern Rider]

Thanks for the bulletin reprint, RS.

No surprises there (for me, anyways).

Seems like they are saying that drivetrain failures on cars with NOS or non-factory Turbo add ons or mods probably won't get warranty claims approved.

Nor will brake or suspension problems, if the suspension is lowere and/or wheels are oversized.

[chasb]

Originally Posted by Northern Rider

Thanks for the bulletin reprint, RS.

No surprises there (for me, anyways).

Seems like they are saying that drivetrain failures on cars with NOS or non-factory Turbo add ons or mods probably won't get warranty claims approved.

Nor will brake or suspension problems, if the suspension is lowere and/or wheels are oversized.

they mea larger than 20" since the srt8 has 20's?

[yoonie]

Originally Posted by chasb

they mea larger than 20" since the srt8 has 20's?

The SRT also has a slightly different suspension, so I don't think that applies. In addition, they talk about the weight, which differs from wheel to wheel regardless of size. There's also the matter of width, and what kind of profile tires you have, since that also affects how much vibration and such are transferred to the bearings and other suspension components.

[jconnolly1119]

Originally Posted by chasb

I have MOPAR CAI and will soon have Magnaflow exhaust system

I am pretty sure that these are not issues, re: the warranty.

The CAI did come with the standard MOPAR non warranty disclaimer, but there isnt much that could go wrong with it anyway.

I guess if you put a blower or NOS on there it;s obvious you are racing, but aI domnt think the mere edxistence of these things voids the warranty does it?

As long as you don't do anything to lean out your mix, you should be fine. If anything the magnaflows should help with engine life, since you're reducing backpressure. Headers(due to the increased under hood temps) are probably a litlle iffy, and NOS or blowers are a no go. Show up at the dealership with a NOS setup or a supercharger and they're just gonna laugh at you

[chasb]

Originally Posted by jconnolly1119

As long as you don't do anything to lean out your mix, you should be fine. If anything the magnaflows should help with engine life, since you're reducing backpressure. Headers(due to the increased under hood temps) are probably a litlle iffy, and NOS or blowers are a no go. Show up at the dealership with a NOS setup or a supercharger and they're just gonna laugh at you

on the Stage I jet chip I have, at least until after my first oil change

[jconnolly1119]

Originally Posted by chasb

on the Stage I jet chip I have, at least until after my first oil change

this is obviously the bad thing about doing the chip. Jetchip has printed out the full disclaimer about how adding on aftermarket parts can only void your warranty if the service department can prove that the addition of the part caused the problem or failure. Trust me on this one.......if you show up at the dealership with the chip installed----and a problem of course----the service deparment WILL blame the problem or failure on whatever is not a stock(OEM) part. Best advice I can give anyone interested in adding aftermarket performance parts................get to know and become freinds with your service manager

[Rebel78]

Brings up some interesting things with aftermarket wheels that I never thought of. I would think it would be really tough to show a cause and effect of an aftermarket wheel causing a failure.

Most of it is common sense really. Nitrous, blowers, turbos, chips, slamming it on the ground (suspension is voided), will void your warranty. With CAI, exhaust, cosmetic mods, etc., you should be fine.

[glhs837]

Originally Posted by ResumeSpeed

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Turbo Intercooler Sprayer
Manual or Electronic which provide a cooling mist of water spray on to the intercooler.

High Octane Fuel switch
Allows driver to recalibrate the PCM for high octane fuel.

High performance powertrain controllers (PCM) or engine controllers (ECM)
Greatly change engine calibration and performance.

Oversized fuel injectors/fuel rails and regulators
Allowing for more fuel to be delivered into the combustion chambers

Ha, this is the Mopar Peformance Stage 2 and 3 upgrades kits for the SRT-4, right from the catalog

And no, I don't expect I have a warranty left, so dont call me a hypocrite

But I do find it funny that the SRT-4 wrote 3/4 of this list, and the turbodiesel guys the rest. And the real problem is that improperly used, this list is a hall pass fro dealers to screw over customers.

Of course, it's incubent upon customers to know enough to intellligently discuss their mods and know what could or could not be caused by them.