Exhaust Cutout = Voided Warranty?
04-30-2004, 10:55 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Southwest VA
Posts: 530
Exhaust Cutout = Voided Warranty?
Yes, I like to make long posts but some of you may get a laugh out of my venture with the warranty company 
Cliff Notes : A Cutout shouldn't void an extended warranty on my vehicle, should it?
---
I got in touch with my Service Advisor today to ask him about the Cutout I have sitting in my room right now and if it would void anything on the warranty once it was installed. He gave me a # to contact my warranty writer directly so they could give me a "clear answer".
My logic would say that since it's being place on the exhaust system... which isn't covered by the warranty anyways, then they couldn't give me any grief over the part. But... apparently to the CSR's for the company, they have a harder time understanding that
The first CSR I was in touch with didn't understand what I meant by a Cutout. I tried to explain to her what it's function was all the time while I was hunting my contract #. I figured they would be able to give me an answer on something like that without looking at my contract first. She said "Hold on and let me check" placing me on hold. She ended up releasing my call and placing me back in the waiting line as I was previously, that sort of irritated me but it gave me time to run out to the car and get the contract out of the glovebox.
5 minutes later the next CSR picks up my call and goes through the same greeting as the previous one did. I gave him the contract # and asked the same question. He then told me that I needed to get in touch with CostGuard *this was the # my Advisor had given me in the first place*. He was nice enough to give me the correct # and transfer me.
Approx. 5 more min pass and a new CSR takes my call. I gave him the contract # up front and asked the same question. He said that he really wasn't sure if it would be an issue or not but he would put me in touch with someone that could help me out.
Approx another 5 min wait later the last CSR gets to me. I went through the same intro with contract # and name etc etc. He didn't seem to know what a Cutout was but after a while we both agreed exhaust 'definately' wasn't covered by warranty... BUT he said that it would be considered an engine modification? I was like WTF, I sort of laughed and told him it's placed in the I-pipe and is past the cat's, manifolds and such so I didn't see how it could be considered a mod to the motor itself. He thought on it for a second and said that he will verify for me if it would affect the contract in any way. At least he didn't transfer/release me again BUT I sat on hold for exactly 10 minutes before I hung up. I mean how hard is it really for them to find an answer for a question as simple as that?!
From my understanding... I can mod the car but at my own risk. Say I put header's on it... that would possibly void any work around the motor itself and even then for something internally such as a lifter, rotating assembly etc etc they would have to prove the header's in some way had an effect on whatever part failed. Same goes for suspension mod's... I have the car lowered, they can't void the warranty because of that. I suppose another example would be putting an entirely new motor in the car... they couldn't void warranty work on the A/C system or the Power Windows if they were to fail, correct? At least that's what I've gathered from reading material from SEMA and logical thinking.
Sorry again for the long post but I'm still sort of baffled by how the CSR's handled the whole thing haha.
Cliff Notes : A Cutout shouldn't void an extended warranty on my vehicle, should it?
---
I got in touch with my Service Advisor today to ask him about the Cutout I have sitting in my room right now and if it would void anything on the warranty once it was installed. He gave me a # to contact my warranty writer directly so they could give me a "clear answer".
My logic would say that since it's being place on the exhaust system... which isn't covered by the warranty anyways, then they couldn't give me any grief over the part. But... apparently to the CSR's for the company, they have a harder time understanding that
The first CSR I was in touch with didn't understand what I meant by a Cutout. I tried to explain to her what it's function was all the time while I was hunting my contract #. I figured they would be able to give me an answer on something like that without looking at my contract first. She said "Hold on and let me check" placing me on hold. She ended up releasing my call and placing me back in the waiting line as I was previously, that sort of irritated me but it gave me time to run out to the car and get the contract out of the glovebox.
5 minutes later the next CSR picks up my call and goes through the same greeting as the previous one did. I gave him the contract # and asked the same question. He then told me that I needed to get in touch with CostGuard *this was the # my Advisor had given me in the first place*. He was nice enough to give me the correct # and transfer me.
Approx. 5 more min pass and a new CSR takes my call. I gave him the contract # up front and asked the same question. He said that he really wasn't sure if it would be an issue or not but he would put me in touch with someone that could help me out.
Approx another 5 min wait later the last CSR gets to me. I went through the same intro with contract # and name etc etc. He didn't seem to know what a Cutout was but after a while we both agreed exhaust 'definately' wasn't covered by warranty... BUT he said that it would be considered an engine modification? I was like WTF, I sort of laughed and told him it's placed in the I-pipe and is past the cat's, manifolds and such so I didn't see how it could be considered a mod to the motor itself. He thought on it for a second and said that he will verify for me if it would affect the contract in any way. At least he didn't transfer/release me again BUT I sat on hold for exactly 10 minutes before I hung up. I mean how hard is it really for them to find an answer for a question as simple as that?!
From my understanding... I can mod the car but at my own risk. Say I put header's on it... that would possibly void any work around the motor itself and even then for something internally such as a lifter, rotating assembly etc etc they would have to prove the header's in some way had an effect on whatever part failed. Same goes for suspension mod's... I have the car lowered, they can't void the warranty because of that. I suppose another example would be putting an entirely new motor in the car... they couldn't void warranty work on the A/C system or the Power Windows if they were to fail, correct? At least that's what I've gathered from reading material from SEMA and logical thinking.
Sorry again for the long post but I'm still sort of baffled by how the CSR's handled the whole thing haha.
04-30-2004, 11:28 PM
#3
Registered User
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 425
WHo are you having do the work? At the dealership I work for we'll warranty just about anything even with mods. The only time it really doesn't happen is if it is a high dollar item and the warranty company sends out an inspector to look over the car.
04-30-2004, 11:40 PM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Southwest VA
Posts: 530
Originally posted by snksknr94
WHo are you having do the work? At the dealership I work for we'll warranty just about anything even with mods. The only time it really doesn't happen is if it is a high dollar item and the warranty company sends out an inspector to look over the car.
WHo are you having do the work? At the dealership I work for we'll warranty just about anything even with mods. The only time it really doesn't happen is if it is a high dollar item and the warranty company sends out an inspector to look over the car.
I'm taking the car back in this Thursday for a problem I'm having with the tranny... it pops out of R quite often and sometimes pretty violently
The gear grinds like hell when you're on an incline and not feathering the clutch in and out to baby the car backwards.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
carguyshu
Parts For Sale
20
01-22-2017 11:19 AM
PFYC
Supporting Vendor Group Purchases and Sales
0
05-21-2015 01:04 PM
Skull Leader
Car Audio and Electronics
12
08-10-2002 11:01 AM