Dealer Trying to Void Warranty

[Deadeye]

I have a 2020 LE, bought in early 2021, adding the RSE Stepsliders in the first few weeks. Early on, had a ton of electrical gremlins that culminated with a corporate jeep team replacing several harnesses, swapping a computer, probably more. My biggest issue though was with the ESS system. A half dozen or so issues in the first couple months with it leaving me with a dead battery. Ultimately, the fix was to swap both batteries at once, from a new vendor. All this was done through warranty. After a couple months without issue, I added a light bar to the aux switch, a ARB twin compressor that is controlled through aux switches, but wired to the battery, and a winch that is connected directly to the battery.

Flash forward to this week. The truck is now on the extended warranty, I have had no other issues until a couple days ago when I got the service ESS system message on my truck, which had been sitting in the driveway for over a week. I continued to drive it, fault went away, drove it again, no fault. Still planned to get it serviced within a week anyway so thought no more of it.

Yesterday, it was completely dead. My jumper pack did get it to start, but it shut off again after a couple minutes. Had to tow it to the dealer. The tech said that the extra connections on the terminal of the battery have voided my entire electrical system warranty and batteries specifically (which had a month left).

I told them to replace the batteries and I'll get the oil service at another dealer. Very disappointed, as this was the good service dealer previously. claiming a electrical warranty is void because of a couple accessories that have been on there for years, usually off, and connected to their aux control system. I was planning on upgrading to the 4xE when available, but all the horror stories of jeep playing warranty games has me reconsidering.

Its a extended warranty i got thrown in for free, so i wasn't really expecting much anyway, and I know if there were a real issue worth fighting, I don't think their stance would pass muster in court, but its just another example of warranty games in the past couple years.

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[rharr]

It's cheaper to find excuses then do work, you don't know that?

My take is these extended warranties are only worth something if you plan to keep the truck bone stock and walk that line. Otherwise you are just handing the warranty service an excuse to deny coverage.

 

[sharpsicle]

Playing a bit of devil's advocate, wired up accessories could absolutely be a potential cause premature battery failure. Not that they are, nobody here will know that one way or the other, but it's very reasonable to think they might be. For me, this is the inherent risk we all take when we wire things like that to the batteries. It's not unreasonable to consider that one reason the batteries might've failed again was due to an issue with one of the wired-in accessories rather than something with Jeep. And just because you've had them for years doesn't mean they're still good as new. Things go bad. So from that standpoint, I can understand their hesitation.

And ESS doesn't cause dead batteries, no matter what you've been told, it's just another casualty of bad batteries. Don't let ESS showing you an error make you think ESS is the error.

That being said, it sounds like a simple issue of parasitic draw and either one or both of the batteries crapping out. I don't blame you for wanting them to cover it, but also keep in mind that you risk exactly this when you begin to modify. It might be the Jeep's fault, it might not, either way there's more in the equation now to consider that a warranty just wouldn't cover. Moving forward I would also recommend a battery tender on any vehicle for those long sit periods to help avoid dead batteries.

The bigger question here is, what is the actual problem? Is it just dead batteries? If so, I think you'd be better served to replace them with some higher-quality batteries than the dealership is going to put in there. We know the OEM batteries are weak links in these trucks, seems silly to me to want to put more of them in.

 

[CreepyJeepy]

Question, why did you need to hook anything directly to the battery. The aux switch pack includes wiring points inside the vehicle and under the hood?

just curious as I do have a few lights that I’ll be adding soon.

To me it’s ’plausible’ that those lights etc wired directly to the battery could introduce an unaccounted for parasitic draw and long term damage batteries?

 

[Mr._Bill]

The Service ESS message was due to the batteries being discharged from not driving it. Usually, it also indicates that the batteries are near replacement time.

Extended Warranties are a Service Contract and not an extension of the factory warranty. They do not cover batteries.

 

[Hootbro]

That is a tough one. Could cut both ways. Like @sharpsicle mentioned, could have been one of the accessories wired up to the battery had a parasitic draw but if the dealership did not confirm that specifically, then it is shitty if they did void your electrical "warranty" without confirming.

 

[Guns_N_Rosaries]

Honestly this is the biggest reason why I never do any aftermarket anything on any vehicle until the warranty is fully out. A lot of them use every excuse they can to not have to honor warranties.

 

[Scott0700]

CreepyJeepy:
I wouldn’t wire a high load through the auxillary switches. Better to wire the load through a relay that is controlled by the auxillary switch.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

Even if a dealer wrongfully voids your warranty, they know the chances of you having the time and money to fight it are very slim.

 

[Rahkmalla]

Question, why did you need to hook anything directly to the battery. The aux switch pack includes wiring points inside the vehicle and under the hood?

because you need to. The wiring to the aux switches are for just that: switches. The main power to a compressor or lightbar still needs power direct from the battery/alternator. only the actual on/off signal wire goes to the aux switches

 

[CreepyJeepy]

because you need to. The wiring to the aux switches are for just that: switches. The main power to a compressor or lightbar still needs power direct from the battery/alternator. only the actual on/off signal wire goes to the aux switches

12v 20A I thought?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

CreepyJeepy:
I wouldn’t wire a high load through the auxillary switches. Better to wire the load through a relay that is controlled by the auxillary switch.

Note his quote below
He wired to the battery, controlled by the aux switch if yo mean the compressor. As far as lights - you can run quite a load on two of the switches because they are fused at 40 amps and use relays. You never actually go through the switch - the switch controls a relay and it's all fused. So there's no reason to not run lights through an aux switch.

All this was done through warranty. After a couple months without issue, I added a light bar to the aux switch, a ARB twin compressor that is controlled through aux switches, but wired to the battery, and a winch that is connected directly to the battery.

. The main power to a compressor or lightbar still needs power direct from the battery/alternator.

You can wire up to a 40 amp load because the aux switch is not just a switch, it powers relays. Two of those are fused at 40 amps.
No reason to not run a light bar that maybe pulls 25 amps or even 30 amps through one of the aux switches. That are not just switches - they control relays and the power for the light bar goes through the aux switch relays.

As long as the load is under 40 amps, say 30-35 tops, you can use one of the 40 amp aux switches because it's really a misnomer that it's only switches - you have relays involved. Nothing at all goes through the switch - it's simply an electronic control for the relays.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

12v 20A I thought?

You can wire some decent lights directly through the "aux switches" - they aren't just switches, they are a set of relays as well. Nothing ever actually goes through any of the switches. All power goes through relays. There's no load through the switches.
I'd not be one bit afraid to run 20 amps through one of the 2 40 amp aux switches - because you aren't running through switches......... you run through relays.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I added a light bar to the aux switch, a ARB twin compressor that is controlled through aux switches, but wired to the battery, and a winch that is connected directly to the battery.

Why is the winch wired directly and not through a switch or solenoid?
If there's a wireless remote control option, it could be drawing power when not in use because it has to be awake to take the wireless remote commands. And of course, the safety aspect.
The compressor should take nothing when not powered on
The light bar should be taking nothing at all when not powered on.

So all I can think of draining power is lack of driving it, lack of long trips- or if the winch has the ability to use a wireless remote.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Question, why did you need to hook anything directly to the battery. The aux switch pack includes wiring points inside the vehicle and under the hood?

just curious as I do have a few lights that I’ll be adding soon.

To me it’s ’plausible’ that those lights etc wired directly to the battery could introduce an unaccounted for parasitic draw and long term damage batteries?

The winch and compressor draw too many amps for the aux switches.

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