Why Dodge Denied $36k in Warranty Coverage for a New Challenger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak. By Tara Hurlin of Hemmings

wemay

wemay

Site Donor 2023
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
17,275
Location
Everglades

Copy & Pasted in case paywall is present.

"After a Challenger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak owner announced that Dodge denied a $36,000 warranty claim for his muscle machine’s blown engine, stating damages were not covered due to a muffler modification, Dodge disclosed further information to answer the public’s questioning. Long story short: making any changes to the vehicle’s Powertrain Control Module will leave a permanent, detectable mark.

When CarScoops reached out to Brennon Vinet, the aforementioned Challenger SRT Hellcat owner, Vinet claimed Dodge denied a full report on the reason why his damages were not covered, so the publication circled back to Dodge for questioning. Dodge began by stating that “tampering with any emission control device could end up causing a denial of coverage depending on what the issue is.” Dodge had valid reason to believe that Vinet’s Hellcat was tuned. But how?

“The warranty claim was rejected after a Stellantis Calibration Engineer ran Powertrain Control Module (PCM) diagnostics and confirmed that the vehicle’s PCM was tampered with and contained non-factory software,” a Dodge spokesperson told CarScoops. “I haven’t seen anything on our end regarding mufflers,” he added.

According to the spokesperson, the Dodge dealership runs a series of diagnostic tests, one of which is a report that reveals whether the car’s Powertrain Control Module (PCM) has been tampered with, for example, if unauthorized software has been installed. Even if the Dodge is flashed back to its factory settings, the car’s PCM sets an internal code, essentially a red flag that tells Dodge that the system has been tampered with. Vinet’s claim was ultimately declined due to PCM and emissions tampering.

It's not uncommon for companies to deny claims over non-factory tuning, among other vehicle modifications. Vinet’s story is a cautionary reminder: tune vehicles under warranty at your own risk."
 
I can understand them denying the warranty 100%. There's no reason Dodge should have to pay for somebody else's tampering.
And yet...their advertisements on TV show the cars at the 1/4 mile starting line and they are lifting the front end off the ground when they take off. :unsure:
 
wemay said:

Copy & Pasted in case paywall is present.

"After a Challenger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak owner announced that Dodge denied a $36,000 warranty claim for his muscle machine’s blown engine, stating damages were not covered due to a muffler modification, Dodge disclosed further information to answer the public’s questioning. Long story short: making any changes to the vehicle’s Powertrain Control Module will leave a permanent, detectable mark.

When CarScoops reached out to Brennon Vinet, the aforementioned Challenger SRT Hellcat owner, Vinet claimed Dodge denied a full report on the reason why his damages were not covered, so the publication circled back to Dodge for questioning. Dodge began by stating that “tampering with any emission control device could end up causing a denial of coverage depending on what the issue is.” Dodge had valid reason to believe that Vinet’s Hellcat was tuned. But how?

“The warranty claim was rejected after a Stellantis Calibration Engineer ran Powertrain Control Module (PCM) diagnostics and confirmed that the vehicle’s PCM was tampered with and contained non-factory software,” a Dodge spokesperson told CarScoops. “I haven’t seen anything on our end regarding mufflers,” he added.

According to the spokesperson, the Dodge dealership runs a series of diagnostic tests, one of which is a report that reveals whether the car’s Powertrain Control Module (PCM) has been tampered with, for example, if unauthorized software has been installed. Even if the Dodge is flashed back to its factory settings, the car’s PCM sets an internal code, essentially a red flag that tells Dodge that the system has been tampered with. Vinet’s claim was ultimately declined due to PCM and emissions tampering.

It's not uncommon for companies to deny claims over non-factory tuning, among other vehicle modifications. Vinet’s story is a cautionary reminder: tune vehicles under warranty at your own risk."
Click to expand...
YES !!!! Go get'em Dodge!!!
 
RooflessVW said:
A lot of people try to pull this stuff.

Years ago a 335i owner tried to get us to warranty his engine. Tried to play the "i dont know what happened i was just driving to church" card.

Not only was it tuned, but the DME recorded something like 13,000 RPM.
Click to expand...
I've heard stories that BMW allows or dealerships on their own accord will flash a car back to stock, sell as CPO, and then use evidence of alleged tampering to deny engine/drivetrains warranty items.
 
demarpaint said:
Anyone who thinks a company isn't going to dive in deep to investigate a warranty claim for that kind of money is either stupid, stoned, or both.
Click to expand...
Seven years ago a dealer was selling an Audi S4 with 11,000 miles on Ebay and that had engine noise. It was listed a few times with no winning bidder, so I ended up making a deal afterward that included two trade-ins I wanted to get rid of. The story was, the previous owner drove it over a curb and cracked the oil pan. LSS it was driven without oil and caused engine damage. The dealer replaced the pan but the damage was done and he didn't want to mess with it any further. It did run and drive but was making noise and the CEL was on. I had it towed home thanks to AAA's 200 mile free tow plan.

A week later after cleaning it up I drove it to the Audi and said the CEL is on and the engine is making a strange noise. They diagnose it and say one cylinder is low on compression and is scuffed. They said they are going to replace the long block for me under warranty but will take a month as the parts have to come from Germany. A month later the work is done at no cost which I understand would have cost around $19,000 if I had to pay for it. No questions were asked as to what happened.
 
atikovi said:
Seven years ago a dealer was selling an Audi S4 with 11,000 miles on Ebay and that had engine noise. It was listed a few times with no winning bidder, so I ended up making a deal afterward that included two trade-ins I wanted to get rid of. The story was, the previous owner drove it over a curb and cracked the oil pan. LSS it was driven without oil and caused engine damage. The dealer replaced the pan but the damage was done and he didn't want to mess with it any further. It did run and drive but was making noise and the CEL was on. I had it towed home thanks to AAA's 200 mile free tow plan.

A week later after cleaning it up I drove it to the Audi and said the CEL is on and the engine is making a strange noise. They diagnose it and say one cylinder is low on compression and is scuffed. They said they are going to replace the long block for me under warranty but will take a month as the parts have to come from Germany. A month later the work is done at no cost which I understand would have cost around $19,000 if I had to pay for it. No questions were asked as to what happened.
Click to expand...
Nice! Sometimes you get lucky!!
 
jeepman3071 said:
The diesel truck tuners are the most hilarious. "I'm gonna delete all the emissions stuff, tune it to 1000hp and then when the engine blows throw the factory tune back on and get the dealer to pay for the engine I can't afford".
Click to expand...
Same ones that are complaining that the 10 spd trans is weak. I am sure it has its own set of problems but its designed for stock and not much (if any) more power
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top