Being denied warranty work because of an H-pipe.

[cactus_kid]

Once the OM goes all digital, people gonna get mad. Even though most never open them or don't know where it's at.

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[1958cyclist]

I agree. Run it as far up the tree as you have to...BS!

 

[TorqueMan]

Some clarification on a few points.

You don't immediately go to court if you have a warranty dispute. Your warranty document states that Ford participates in the BBB Auto Line dispute resolution program. That's where you would go first. Court would be a last resort. Most auto manufacturers do not deny warranty claims willy-nilly, because the Magnuson-Moss Act makes manufacturers who are found to be in violation liable for stiff fines. If a consumer has a good case they can also recover all court and attorney fees too. There are a number of attorneys (Steve Lehto is one--he has a pretty good YouTube channel where he talks about these issues) who specialize in these cases and they sometimes work on contingency. The upshot is if a warranty claim is denied it's a pretty good bet the manufacturer has already studied the situation pretty carefully.

Warranty claim denials usually make sense: Ford should not be responsible for any aftermarket parts, or damage to covered parts caused by the use or installation of aftermarket parts. If using an aftermarket part causes a part covered by warranty to fail Ford should not be responsible. If you install something in a way that results in damage to a covered part Ford should not be responsible. If you break something while installing an aftermarket part Ford should not be responsible.

I know a lot of folks like to DIY bolt-ons, but if your car is still under warranty it may be worth the installation costs to have a pro do it, that way you have some recourse in cases like this.

 

[stangman09]

I installed a Corsa double H-pipe on 10/13 and on 10/17 I got a message saying exhaust selection not available. Did a little searching around and come to find out that the wire harness for the passenger side exhaust actuator sits right below a pinch weld and the rubbing causes the wire to fray and therefore disable active exhaust.

Took the car to the dealership this morning and my service advisor was familiar with the issue, turns out it’s somewhat common with active exhaust cars, poorly engineered design. Get a call back from my advisor saying that the shop foreman is denying warranty because I have a modified exhaust. Even though this is an issue with cars that don’t have modified exhausts and the H-pipe has only been on the car for one week and around 200 miles. $508 bill and this is a $38 part.

I understand that yes I did modify the car, but a mid pipe being the cause for warranty work denial is ridiculous imho. I left a message with the service manager and hopefully we can work to get this resolved. It just makes me leery of what other repairs they will deny me because of a mid pipe.

Do you have an exhaust clip? would love to hear it.

 

[TomOz]

I had a similar thing happen with my GT /H-pipe.
The install went well and had no issuesfor maybe 6 months, but I had some condensation dripping on startup from the exhaust joints.

Took it to a different exhaust shop and they put exhaust sealant on it and reassembled. One week later the exhaust was stuck in open mode and kept on blowing fuses.

When the exhaust shop put the exhaust back on, they didn't push it far enough forward on the drivers side (that's passenger side for you up north).
Took it back to them and they realigned the exhaust and fixed up the wiring, no questions. It's been working fine like this for over 8 months.

I know that if I took it to Ford, they would have stung me.

 

[OzMustang S550]

Do you have an exhaust clip? would love to hear it.

 

[K4fxd]

Damn talk about driving on the wrong side of the road... not to mention shifting with the wrong hand.......

 

[ICU812]

Damn talk about driving on the wrong side of the road... not to mention shifting with the wrong hand.......

As a kid, I'd do the shifting while my dad drove. This was fun as a kid, but very helpful when we go on a trip across the pond. as I used my left hand to shift from the pass. seat as a kid while dad drove.

 

[Evolvd]

I spent 3 years in England and 4 in Japan, you get accustomed to it pretty quickly. The pedals are in the same position and the gear pattern is the same. Only thing that really messes with ya is the blinker and wiper arms are swapped. You can tell when a driver is new to RHD cars when the do what we called the “wiper wave” at an intersection

 

[ICU812]

I spent 3 years in England and 4 in Japan, you get accustomed to it pretty quickly. The pedals are in the same position and the gear pattern is the same. Only thing that really messes with ya is the blinker and wiper arms are swapped. You can tell when a driver is new to RHD cars when the do what we called the “wiper wave” at an intersection

lol.
I hated when my daily was a column shift and my fun car floor shift.
Get in the week end fun car, and reach for the shifter that isn't there. good times.

 

[TorqueMan]

lol.
I hated when my daily was a column shift and my fun car floor shift.
Get in the week end fun car, and reach for the shifter that isn't there. good times.

I can't tell you how many times after getting in my wife's Escape I've stomped the floor looking for a clutch pedal. The only thing worse is going down the stairs and you think there's one more step, but there isn't.

 

[Fishtales]

Obviously you have never worked as a mechanic. They get paid by the job. If the book says 2 hrs that is what you get, even if it takes you 20 hrs.

or if it takes 20 min...

 

[Fishtales]

Geez…. How many times does it need to be said and reiterated… the exhaust has been modified by the OP. BOOM, instant warranty denial because the Active Exhaust components (such as the wiring harness) are part of the exhaust/emissions warranty coverage.

Do any of you who keep harping that the warranty denial is “BS, goes against Mag. Act, Dealer this or that, call Ford to make a claim, blah, blah, blah” even READ through your Owners Manual regarding what is and is not covered under warranty? Any modification of a component beyond its “As Built” by Ford can result in a warranty denial, period. It’s printed as plain as day within the “what is not covered”.

Regardless of the AE harnesses chafing or melting being a known issue (because it’s been discussed on here many times), the fact is - the midpipe, which is part of the exhaust/emissions system, which the AE components are a part of too - was not only R&R’d by the OP, but the As Built factory pipe has been replaced by an aftermarket unit. The aftermarket unit is not and will never be covered under any Ford Warranty and goes without saying that any component upstream OR downstream of it can be denied for warranty work because the exhaust IS modified.

He can call Ford Corp and make all the hoopla he wants - in the end, the exhaust was modified, which by Ford Warranty provisions and legal mumbo jumbo is the basis for the warranty denial.

Note to future readers with AE:
Do yourself a favor, check to make sure the AE harnesses are not damaged before performing any exhaust upgrades, Also if doing any exhaust work, disconnect the AE harnesses before attempting any exhaust R&R, even if just upgrading the mid pipe. The problem with the AE harnesses is 1) they’re too short and 2) they’re too close to the exhaust and susceptible to premature deterioration.

I understand the position but come on...
Any qualified tech should have checked records and quickly diagnose the issue.
$500 is insane for this work. Talk about not even kissing you.
10 years and getting fooked over like this says - go to the mat on this one, get another firm to do your work and in the end if you don't prevail - buy the Chevy next time.
Personally I can't understand car mechanics that fook people based on technicalities. I had a local mechanic change the cabin filter (did it several times myself, takes 10 min even if both hands were chopped off) on a Toyota and the prick charged 2H saying thats what the book says. Lost my entire family and anyone that would listen to me for 2 years for service. Pay the bill, take em to the mat, move on and learn your lesson. Don't do business with people that treat you this way.

 

[Fishtales]

You can install a supercharger and still get the warranty? Does not compute.....

 

[HoosierDaddy]

You can install a supercharger and still get the warranty? Does not compute.....

Not sure who you were asking but a supercharger wouldn't kill the warranty on unrelated parts. Twist a drive shaft: you're on your own. Touch screen stops working: warranty still covers.

But humans are human. A nice tech might decide something is covered when the manufacturer would disagree and vice versa.

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