VOIDED Factory Warranty after taking it through mud

[jtimbrook]

As per FCA’s cross-platform warranty, good luck with your fight it’s dead before it begins...

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[Kevin_D]

...the people that blew up their rear at the track were butthurt.

I would certainly think so!

 

[Caraholic]

This thread is hot;

This is seriously not a good look especially in an enthusiast forum. Wow......

Edit: hate to see this stuff there are risks to off roading- to bad the dealer was so immediately inflexible

 

[Rollcast]

I haven't read the whole thread so it may have been addressed, but I'd like to know the experience level of the OP. Honestly, the video and the first post make it seem like a buck novice offroader who thought, "Now that I have a jeep, I'm invincible."

 

[riggsdr]

My 2¢:
Is mud damage covered by warranty? No, even OP doesn't claim that.
So why did the first dealer flag his VIN?
Because he pulled the mud-covered truck out without getting it fixed, maybe in a bit of a huff.
Dealer's not stupid; figures OP is gonna run it through a car wash and pull a fast one on another dealer.
Uploads pics to FCA intranet: Bam, restricted warranty.
Lesson: don't take dirty laundry (or Jeep) to a stranger. For all they know, you're the sneaky one.

 

[redrider]

1000%

Every time I’ve had a problem, getting stuck or fkn something up, it’s been in mud. Mud is a massive PIA. Learned that lesson at 19 years old on a $6k Jeep. Not at 40 on a $50k Jeep.

Don’t understand the appeal of mudding.

It is what children do. Growing up usually entails the use of common sense based upon experience.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Good news is, now you have all the freedom to throw in a 392 and Dana 60s on 42s!

 

[George D.]

Only getting one side of the story here, need Paul Harvey on this one. Just because a truck has mud tires doesn't mean you can drive it through the Everglades and expect the manufacture to fix what broke afterwards. I think you need to get FCA and the two dealerships on a conference call.

I'm wondering why the truck wasn't brought back to the dealership where it was purchased first?

 

[George D.]

I think whether or not the OP did something that isn't covered over warranty or not isn't really the issue. I think the question really is at what point should an entire vehicle warranty be nullified?

Does the installation of aftermarket parts nullify the entire vehicle warranty? If I changed out some part and it caused an issue with my engine, then months later I have an issue with my headlights no longer working, should my headlights not be covered because of that prior incident?

Unfortunately, I feel like incidents like this are where it proves that honesty doesn't really pay off in some scenarios. The OP could have towed it home, cleaned the ever living piss out of it, then had it towed to the dealer and I bet we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Did anything in regards to the vehicle situation change with that? No, but the OP would have been deceiving the dealer about the nature of the issue.

I'm a bit surprised an entire vehicle warranty can be taken away by a single tech at a single dealership with no input from FCA? The dealer sells and services these vehicles, the warranty is not through them, it is through FCA. Giving that level of power to a service technicians discretion seems extreme. They should be able to deny or approve specific repairs based on what they see and find but FCA should be the ones with the power to effectively cancel a warranty. Maybe that's what happened here, I don't know.

Merely based on the pictures, I hardly think enough abuse was done to warrant the OP's warranty from being canceled. In then end, even with all the repairs the original dealer wanted to do, we are not really talking about that much money. It's not like the engine was destroyed (to the tune of about 12K to replace) or some other major components.

Anyway, seems excessive to me unless there is something being left out of the story here.

IT is for this reason that any mod (Have done many) that I make that has the potential to not be covered under warranty, is installed at the dealership I bought it from. I know of people that had lifts and re gearing done and being told it was not covered due to third party. The dealer price will be higher but in the long run, maybe not.

 

[PDiddy]

Spend the money on a really good detail, trade it in. Start fresh. Some greedy dealer will overlook anything to get you in a new vehicle. Hey it’s got a clean Carfax. Sold

Actually, this may be your best bet. Be done with it.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I haven't read the whole thread so it may have been addressed, but I'd like to know the experience level of the OP. Honestly, the video and the first post make it seem like a buck novice offroader who thought, "Now that I have a jeep, I'm invincible."

Seems about right and all to common. People buy Jeep's throw steel bumpers on the front and rear, lift them and put larger tires on and automatically now you think your driving a tank. Although a lot of that stuff will help you keep the damage level down in minor fender benders, smart off-roading, when it comes to mud slinging all bets are off. They're no good techniques that will help you other than slow and steady, going fast and slinging mud all over is a recipe for disaster.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Actually, this may be your best bet. Be done with it.

Well the thing has to be working to do this. If there's a code any dealer will read it super easily.

 

[hjdca]

The video looks like he was going fast through a little mud puddle. The mud puddle is a joke, no problem for a Jeep. The JT can easily go through that all day long without damage. It seems to me that the damage was caused by the speed used to go back and forth in the little mud puddle. Just one of those unlucky times when the speed was enough to get mud on top of the engine. I would not be so hard on the OP, I can feel his frustration. Less speed and nothing would have happened. Mud on top of the roof is also an indication of a lot of speed.

Many of us consider ourselves knowledgeable 4wheelers and this would not happen to us, but, it seems to me that the OP just pushed the envelop a little bit, and got really unlucky. No way he should have his whole warranty revoked.

Here are some pics of a some mudding I did Pre-Covid in the rain, about 1 year ago. I had to gun it a few times to clear out the tires and you can see there was one time where I had to hit the mud a little hard and it splashed up on the hood, but, only a few drops made it into the top of the engine bay. Probably 5 miles an hour faster and the engine bay would have had much more than a few drops of mud on it.

 

[CMac]

Food for thought: all you guys that have your tops popped when the passing t-storm rolls thru....and your radio/electronics/etc get soaked by rain... no more warranty for you...that's considered neglect/abuse/stupidity...

Results may/will not be covered by warranty...

 

[Riccochet]

The video looks like he was going fast through a little mud puddle. The mud puddle is a joke, no problem for a Jeep. The JT can easily go through that all day long without damage. It seems to me that the damage was caused by the speed used to go back and forth in the little mud puddle. Just one of those unlucky times when the speed was enough to get mud on top of the engine. I would not be so hard on the OP, I can feel his frustration. Less speed and nothing would have happened.
Many of us consider ourselves knowledgeable 4wheelers and this would not happen to us, but, it seems to me that the OP just pushed the envelop a little bit, and got really unlucky. No way he should have his whole warranty revoked.

The problem is that when that soupy mess is forced in to places it shouldn't be. That grit gets jammed in to electrical connections causing the seals to fail. There are magnetic and metallic heavies in that mud as well which can cause shorts. There's simply no way to warranty that kind of damage unless the entire electrical system was taken apart, cleaned and sealed back up. It's a liability the dealer and manufacturer are not willing to take.

Everything being electrical on modern vehicles the potential for gremlins is almost guaranteed.

Think of it like this. Your smart phone is most likely IP68 certified water resistant. You can dunk your phone in water and it'll be fine. Now go pressure wash your phone. Let me know how that works out.

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