Think I Threw a Rod....

[outdoorphotog]

Best bet is to call Ford hotline and beg for free shit. This has worked for me a few times calling Honda of America but it cant hurt.

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[Vitis805]

You're overestimating how much effort Ford has to put into this.

They apparently did a full tear-down on the engine. To do all that and then just say "mods did it" beggars belief.

Who knows though. I'm just along for the ride.

 

[VAMike]

They apparently did a full tear-down on the engine. To do all that and then just say "mods did it" beggars belief.

Who knows though. I'm just along for the ride.

Why would they provide more information than they need to?

 

[Vitis805]

Why would they provide more information than they need to?

Because he payed for that information?

 

[dtech]

They apparently did a full tear-down on the engine. To do all that and then just say "mods did it" beggars belief.

Who knows though. I'm just along for the ride.
[/QUOTE]

I assumed that was what the hole in the bottom of the engine was all about, a quick and easy way to achieve a visual check that the innards were turned to a humpty dumpty jumble of chunks, shards and shreds.

If the OP paid for the tear down - which might be the case, then yes I would agree he'd be entitled to a more detailed explanation - but he may just have chosen to only pass along Ford's reason for denial.

Someone further upstream in the thread posted the warranty page that clearly states performance modifications void Ford's warranty and that speaks volumes as to who has the upper hand in the matter.

 

[Vitis805]

If the OP paid for the tear down - which might be the case, then yes I would agree he'd be entitled to a more detailed explanation - but he may just have chosen to only pass along Ford's reason for denial.

Ford had to authorize with OP for the tear-down (which was a couple grand if I recall). If it was found to be a fault of Ford, OP wouldn't have to pay for the tear-down or the repairs. Since it was found to be a fault of the mods, OP has to pay for the tear-down. I don't know about you, but if I have to pay a couple thousand for a tear-down I want to know what my mods did exactly so I know better for my next engine. That's just me though.

I agree that we may never know everything. That disclosure is all up to OP.

 

[Trigganometry]

They apparently did a full tear-down on the engine. To do all that and then just say "mods did it" beggars belief.

Who knows though. I'm just along for the ride.

You’re assuming quite a bit here. Who tore down the engine and inspected the components? Was it a service tech or a factory engineering team? If it was a tech then it’s an opinion, no science or design experience in order to make this assumption. There was a hole in the bottom of the motor. Ok, what happened before the hole appeared? ??‍ Is what you get for an answer! If an oil pump failed can’t see how any mod would make that occur other then a defective part. Then it’s anyone’s guess what happens next. So I would continue to get to the bottom of how did you arrive at your conclusion of failure.

 

[dtech]

Ford had to authorize with OP for the tear-down (which was a couple grand if I recall). If it was found to be a fault of Ford, OP wouldn't have to pay for the tear-down or the repairs. Since it was found to be a fault of the mods, OP has to pay for the tear-down. I don't know about you, but if I have to pay a couple thousand for a tear-down I want to know what my mods did exactly so I know better for my next engine. That's just me though.

I agree that we may never know everything. That disclosure is all up to OP.

OP has a warranty from the tune supplier, if submitting a claim for warranty coverage the info from a tear down is likely necessary.

 

[VAMike]

Because he payed for that information?

I forgot that part. Yeah, I'd probably want more in that case, but I'd also be clear on what kind of deliverable I'd get before authorizing the charge.

 

[Obijack]

Some of us might just think it's stupid to waste the court's time with something that's ridiculous. Armchair lawyers who want to tune are convinced that the magnuson-moss act gives them coverage for anything they feel like doing to their vehicle, but it just doesn't. It's easy to cherry pick bits and pieces that support the idea, and ignore other bits and pieces and precedents. Sure, the act says that the manufacturer can't void a warranty for third party parts. More specifically, it can't require branded parts, but it can require parts to meet certain requirements. (Must operate at certain voltage, maintain certain pressure, etc. It's hard to argue successfully that something specifically intended to run the engine at levels outside the manufacturer spec complies with the manufacturer spec.) It also says that the manufacturer can add exclusions and limitations (like, "don't modify the engine") and also specifically excludes "unreasonable use". If Ford sells an engine that's designed to operate within certain parameters and you decide you want to operate it under different parameters even though Ford said they wouldn't cover that and it breaks, that's reasonable? People are also overestimating the burden of proof the manufacturer needs to show here--you'd better have a counterargument about why an engine pushed beyond its intended operational limits blew up that's more credible than "I don't want to believe that my modifications had an effect".

Maybe you'll believe someone who sells tunes? https://www.stage3motorsports.com/Stage-3s-Stance-Tuning-Your-Vehicles-Warranty.html

MM is federal law. Need to plead $75,000.01 in damages to get into federal court. Most states have adopted a version of the MM however.

 

[TBR17]

Yeah, I sure love that new Tacoloradatier 150!

Remember 20 years ago when they did this?

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/nissan/frontier/2001/2001-nissan-frontier-sc/?galleryimageid=1327211

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Remember 20 years ago when they did this?

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/nissan/frontier/2001/2001-nissan-frontier-sc/?galleryimageid=1327211

Well, that doesn’t look anything like Ford’s bright yellow Ranger Edge with the upper and lower grilles swapped around. Not at all.

 

[TBR17]

Well, that doesn’t look anything like Ford’s bright yellow Ranger Edge with the upper and lower grilles swapped around. Not at all.

Silly you would even bring that up. Not by a long shot. And that dawg of a supercharged V6. I think they offered a factory Rockford Fosgate sound system though which was HOT.

 

[dtech]

Ford had to authorize with OP for the tear-down (which was a couple grand if I recall). If it was found to be a fault of Ford, OP wouldn't have to pay for the tear-down or the repairs. Since it was found to be a fault of the mods, OP has to pay for the tear-down. I don't know about you, but if I have to pay a couple thousand for a tear-down I want to know what my mods did exactly so I know better for my next engine. That's just me though.

I agree that we may never know everything. That disclosure is all up to OP.

Usually like an autopsy - pictures taken and if necessary failed parts sent to Ford for analysis, someone posted a warranty flow chart upstream in the thread, Ford has the right to deny warranty based on the presence of mods, owner has the right to request tear down of the engine and takes the gamble that the teardown will show - conclusively - that the failure was caused by something other than the mods, if the root cause cannot be determined to be other than the mods then the claim is denied.
I'm sure occasionally a stock engine fails while in warranty and Ford keeps records of the cause and in this case one has little choice but to rely on their honesty in the proceedings. OP likely has pictures of the teardown.
Since the tuner supplier was following this thread, the OP may be wise to keep some info confidential.

 

[jsphlynch]

black and white from the warranty guide. theres no mincing words there, Ford is very clear on their stance

Yes, very clear. And nowhere in there does it say that installing a tune will itself invalidate the warranty.

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