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Autoweek Issue - 'Warranty Woes' | [ALL THREADS MERGED]

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Old Jul 1, 2004, 04:36 PM
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Auto Week article...Must Read

Moderators: Please delete if this has already been discussed

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=02612566
Old Jul 1, 2004, 04:47 PM
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I smell a lawsuit waiting to happen!
Old Jul 1, 2004, 04:53 PM
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i hate car companies. its funny Dodge will warranty ur car with Mopar parts but they expect you not to race it LOL. I understand the companies take on the issue it just sucks.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 05:08 PM
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I may be in the minority here, but it seems clear to me, that if you're racing your car hard on a track, and blow the clutch, why should mitsu cover it under warrenty? Blowing your clutch on a track is obvious abuse, no matter what the car is marketed for. To me its pretty common sense, if you screw up your car doing things like track days and scca events, it should be up to you to foot the bills. I have a 600 sportbike, there are plenty of non pro race events I can enter it in, and some pro races that the bike could be entered in. I fully expect that if i blow an engine or smoke the clutch racing it for honda not to cover my parts since I was racing it. You can't tell me that the evo is any more race "prepped" than a supersport motorcycle that anyone can walk into a bike store and buy, and that same day go out and race it on a track. Noone who in their right mind owns a bike thinks they can go race it and have whatever breaks on the track covered by warrenty, why should a car be any different? Like i said, i may be in the minority here, but I fully expect that if i ever do race my car in any scca events and I break something, I'd be fully expected to cover it, not my warrenty which is for normal driving of the car.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 05:13 PM
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I hate that they're denying warranty claims en masse, but I also understand that the warranty covers worksmanship, and that the manufacturer shouldn't have to be your personal pit crew.

But it bothers me that they void the entire warranty if they suspect you of racing. And all of this is even before you make a warranty claim.

The manufacturer has to prove that racing caused the damage before they can deny the warranty claim. That's a law, and manufacturers are sidestepping the law. What they're doing is not only illegal, it's immoral. The manufacturer has entered into a contract stating that they will cover worksmanship issues given normal use.

If you auto-x, and blow a clutch, then I understand. But when Mitsubishi starts saying if you've seen the inside of a race track, all bets are off. That's just irresponsible, and doesn't constitute good practise to me.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 05:20 PM
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I would like to know what manufacturers "EXACTLY" consider "NORMAL" use. Seing as they can call abuse going to the track more than "every once in a while"
Old Jul 1, 2004, 05:23 PM
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Ya thats even worse than mitsu.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 05:24 PM
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f mitsu i say spread this everywhere that mitsubishi is a terrible company
Old Jul 1, 2004, 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by nastea
f mitsu i say spread this everywhere that mitsubishi is a terrible company
Well you may feel that way, but you should say that all companys are terrible on this note. THEY ARE ALL in agreement on what mitsu is stating.

the only one that seems to have the most leeway is FORD, and that should be an oxymoron in itself
Old Jul 1, 2004, 07:20 PM
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I think it's fairly simple.... If you dont like the warranty... dont buy the car.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 07:43 PM
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Okay, they have a small argument for the racing issue. I think most people who have complained about warranty problems on this board are talking about "mod" related problems; having huge parts (or all) of the drivetrain warranty voided for mods not directly responsible for the part failure.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 07:50 PM
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So what happens when I buy the '05 MR, while keeping my '03 GSR... I then have two EVOs, and my name shows up in their sinister little "evil" database because I constantly autocross the '03 but use the MR only for commuting... do they feel they can then drop the warranty on my brand new '05 MR as well as the '03 because I'm on some list??

Might be time for me to start thinking about that C6 instead of an MR! Or at least stock up on some more .44mag ammo for "warranty negotiations"!.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 08:03 PM
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If the damage was in fact caused by racing, then I don't see what the big deal is. You play, you pay.

says Subaru spokeswoman Larkin Hill. “We don’t want to punish the person who goes out once in a while and autocrosses—and that shouldn’t cause any problems with the car anyway. However, autocross is considered competition and the warranty does not cover abusive driving or competition. If you’re out there racing every weekend, you can’t expect us to fund it.”
Old Jul 1, 2004, 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by djdaizzy
If the damage was in fact caused by racing, then I don't see what the big deal is. You play, you pay.
But what happens if you go out to your FIRST autox and drive your car like they think it should be (non-agressive) and something breaks. they will deny you warranty b/c they will say you drove (agressivley) or you are a weekend warrior of autoX.

Granted most likely if i mod/race my car i am ready to "pay to play". but im not going to not try for a warranty if i feel that it may be covered.
Old Jul 1, 2004, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by RaleighEVOVIII
But what happens if you go out to your FIRST autox and drive your car like they think it should be (non-agressive) and something breaks. they will deny you warranty b/c they will say you drove (agressivley) or you are a weekend warrior of autoX.

Granted most likely if i mod/race my car i am ready to "pay to play". but im not going to not try for a warranty if i feel that it may be covered.

Come on, don't kid your self. Why would you want to drive normal on a autocross course? You're there to test your driving skills, your car's limit and to win right?

Of course you can try, I was just saying don't get mad if they don't cover it that's all.

Last edited by djdaizzy; Jul 1, 2004 at 08:13 PM.


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