Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act

[Jellygladiator]

Why is no one talking about this anymore when it comes to our Jeeps?
I Get so tired of dealerships saying you void warranty if you don’t use mopar

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[WXman]

Because there's so much misinformation about that law on the internet. People make it sound like that Act is a silver bullet that magically allows the owner to modify their vehicle and do whatever they want to it with warranty protection being automatic. Truth is, that is simply not the case.

FCA is a multi-billion-dollar corporation. The average individual does not want to fight them in the court of law. "They have to prove your mod caused your failure." Well, that means YOU have to prove that it didn't. They have the money and resources to make your life a living hell in the court room, and in a lot of cases they will do just that.

Most of the time, customizing your Jeep goes just fine and there are no worries. But a person should never go into it assuming there is no chance it could come back to bite them. I've been there and done that. I had a faulty driveshaft repair denied because the dealership technician saw "scrapes on the skid plates" and all of those parts were factory parts! I've gone back and forth with Jeep on the phone. I've waited for weeks on a resolution. It's not always a bowl of cherries.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Why is no one talking about this anymore when it comes to our Jeeps?
I Get so tired of dealerships saying you void warranty if you don’t use mopar

Here is the bottom line on warranties:

Jeep Dealer can refuse to work on your Jeep if you have done ANY MOD that does not use Jeep Components. So you roll in with an engine miss and you got 37's on your Jeep on a set of bead lock wheels. Jeep dealer can just say no. As for the dealer having to provide you with a written reason that is ONLY if they accept you Jeep in to be worked on under warranty, the way they get around that is to stop it at the door and just say no.

TIP: If the Jeep dealer is a 5 Star dealer, they are the ones most likely to turn you away (unless you know someone there that can get you in).

 

[Slapping_Rabbits]

Wow i had no idea about this! Its really messed up! What the hell is wrong with them?!

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Wow i had no idea about this! Its really messed up! What the hell is wrong with them?!

My TJ (the one in my Sig Pic) had a fuel injector fail in wide-open mode, dumping fuel into the #6 cyl burning up my cat converter. The Jeep has was <2 years old and about 10 k mi at the time. Emissions come with a 100k mi warranty, but the dealer refused to provide warranty service because: "it is too highly modified for our mechs to work on". This came from the dealer and FROM the Zone Manager and what was to highly modified? Tube front fenders and custom slider rocker guards. I asked for it in writing and the Zone Mgr said not a requirement, even under the MM Act, which ONLY applies to vehicles in our shop being worked on, we are basing our decision upon the way your Jeep looks and it's other than Chrysler-Jeep approved modifications...

Cost me $750 to buy a new cat system and install it myself...

The Mag Moss Act is just that, nothing but an ACT, not worth the paper it's written on!

 

[RedTRex]

Wow - you guys have run into some butt-hole service guys. Guess around here when 98% of Jeeps are modded they have no choice?

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Wow - you guys have run into some butt-hole service guys. Guess around here when 98% of Jeeps are modded they have no choice?

It is up to the dealer and this dealer told me I had not bought it there to which I replied: and I am not going to buy one here either with your attitude and I lived there 6 more years and bought 2 Jeeps from other dealers.

Jeeps, Corvettes, Ford Superduty, 3 things in common...if you buy one, chances are you will buy another etc etc. NOT every dealer understands that. Many dealers depend upon a one sale many many times from different people. Jay, my sales guy who has been there for 20 plus years and knocks down $200k per year + and is from Pakistan makes his money from REPEAT business and referrals.

Here is how Jay sells me a Jeep in less than 5 min:

Hey Jay, need to buy another Jeep?

Great, off the lot or an order?

Order

He spins in his chair and pulls out a folder with my name on it, looks at it for a min, the says: You get F&F below invoice pricing - all incentives, military, USAA, wow you get a good deal.

Yea and I am now Tread Lightly, for an additional 1% below invoice.

Great, will add it!

We order at his desk, no deposit, he will call me when it comes in.

Total time on Jeep stuff less than 15 min, total time in the office about 30 min, talking about his son at UT studying Engineering just general how the family stuff.

He has one hellva HOOK: Did you get a good deal on your last car or truck? YEA! ok, same deal! 5 min close.

A lot of dealers are there to RAPE you and do not give a damn if you ever come back.

Repeat customer + make your big money on the VOLUME + Hold Back = REPEAT customer!

The Ancira Family, LEGAL Mexican immigrants started out selling used cars, today, the family is worth over a Billion dollars and owns FAC, Ford, GM, Nissan, and a major RV dealership across Texas and growing.

When we ordered our first Jeep, got a call form Ancira himself, asked us to stop by and wanted to meet us. At most dealerships, you are lucky if you meet the sales manager, almost never the GM and NEVER the owner!

 

[Blown7]

And to show how they can follow the letter of the warrantee of the owners manual regarding service.

On our Hellcat engine vehicles whether a Hellcat, Demon or Trackhawk (I have a Trackhawk) it plainly states that every six (6) months you will change the engine oil and filter with the specified Pennsoil 0-5W at $10 dollars a quart (8 quart oil sump)=$80 dollars for oil alone
Whether you have 6000 miles or 0 miles...

A few Hellcat owner have been denied new engines from FCA because they didn't follow the owners manual...

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

I’ve been down this road with VW. When the 1.9LTDi-PD engine was released it have a very specific oil spec, 505.01, and the documentation clearly stated that failure to use said oil would result in a lack of warranty coverage. Imagine my horror when I went to my dealer to buy it and got told oh we don’t stock it because that vehicle isn’t for sale in this state. Sufficing to say it was found but I could never get an answer as to why the oil and how you could prove I didn’t use it.

 

[bgenlvtex]

In a nutshell:

The nanny state big Government is NEVER your friend.

The manufacturer will warranty what it wants to, at their discretion.

If you want to lawyer up and sue them into submission, you better have more money than a multi-national corporation (you don't)

If you are going to mod your vehicle it is best to wait a little while just to be sure it is not a steaming POS right out of the gate.

 

[TTEChris]

I've had such crap luck with local dealerships even updating the radio and performing well documented software updates(On our JL's).
One dealer flat out told me they wouldn't update the radio on my Wife's JL that was cutting out and randomly making a loud popping noise because of modifications, none of which had anything to do with factory electronics. Another told us our clutch pedal was creaking(at the pedal assembly inside the Jeep) due to the larger wheels/tires. They also wouldn't perform the software update that re-calibrates the electronic PS pump for those that shipped from the factory with the wrong configuration unless we returned it back to stock. The last dealer kept the Jeep for almost two weeks only to tell us they wouldn't fix it....

I'm one that will usually fix/replace issues myself, but I don't have the capability to perform any of the software updates. If I didn't have such a love for Wranglers/Gladiators I would never touch another FCA product under warranty. I feel bad for those that have always dreamed about owning a Jeep and have to go through what we did on their first try. Fortunately my love came from owning several JK's all of which never had to visit a dealership.

 

[Jellygladiator]

One reason I went from a manual jku to auto gladiator, you read all over the place about JOG yet dealerships never heard of it but when my rear locker went out under a lifetime warranty miles from the dealership I bought it from, the “local” dealer said no since I could not find one oil change receipt!
My home dealership was hot and told me they’d get this worked out. Eventually they did at no cost to me. So when local dealerships see I drove 6 hours to another state to by my gladiator we all know why.
Im surprised how much this thread has taken off, I’d love to hear from a dealership on this.

 

[Blown7]

There is lots of resons for a dealership to not want to do warrantee work ..first it has a timelimit for labor..if it isn't simple the dealership and mechanic will loose money.

Sometimes it's simpler for the service department to refuse the work under any excuse than to get involved and loose money.

 

[Hootbro]

Magnuson Moss Warranty Act is not the White Knight a lot of internet armchair lawyers think it is. FTC has purview over the act but they do not have a team a lawyers or agents that are going to act on your behalf at the individual level. That is why you have to bring a lawsuit in Federal Civil Court on your dime to enforce it. As previously mentioned FCA has lawyers in spades already paid for to not make it worth the effort financially to bring a lawsuit.

Unfortunately, the dealership is the conduit between corporate and the consumer making claim. They are the ones that are going to be 90% in control in how a warranty claim is going to play out. Start verbally throwing or threatening the MMWA around and they are going to shutdown on you.

 

[Jellygladiator]

Anyone ever have a wiper motor go out and have it voided because they put in different wipers

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