How bad is this?

[OrigTXCobra]

I don't have the nerve to pull the trigger and do the "warranty unfriendly" mods, so I have resorted to modding the beater!

I have to say, I am having fun with it. Found some cheap rims on e-bay, so the truck is sporting new shoes! I am actually looking at exhaust, air intake, stereo equip and chips....FOR THE BEATER!!!

The mod bug is definitely in me. So sad. Also way too expensive!

I have to be one of the few that have sunk to this kind of low....

 

[SStupid]

Beater

I had a beater Festiva a few years ago that I modified. Cheap and fun. No worries about warranties or blowing the car up. I figured if the car broke, I would just throw it away. Beater mods rule. :rockon:

 

[Joe King]

warranty..shmorranty

Please don't take this as a flame...b/c its not directed at you personnally...

Here's my take on warranty "paronoia".

First...judging by some of what I have heard..YOU DON'T HAVE A WARRANTY....

Second.....What are you going to do to your car that is going to blow your car up...a chip....a pulley....a KB? All of these mods have been done on a thousand cars with no problems...so why will YOUR car be the 1 in 1000 to blow-up b/c you put a chip in it. UNLIKELY....

If you don't blow the motor...what do you really need the warranty for anyway...to replace a defective glove compartment door...a piece of molding...what?...I brought my car in w/chip & pulley & got the spoiler gasket replaced...if I had to pay I would have bought it & done it myself...BFD

Look...all of you guys are missing the fun of the extra 60-100hp b/c you are thinking you WILL POSSIBLY need a warranty ...that if it would cost Ford over $1000..they would probably void it anyway...& figure you wouldn't sue them.

Bottom line...you gamble every time you get into boost (that there isn't a cop)...so why not take another risk...worse case a motor can be gottin for what $10k...live alittle..

 

[03InThe11s]

:beer: agreed. hehe. i even got the extended warranty. i intended on keeping her stock. that lasted almost a week.

 

[03RedCobra]

Warranty Paranoia ?? I tell you what, I'm glad that I am paranoid of the warranty....I had to have my engine replaced after having the car for only 1700 miles, about 2 months. The Head gasket blew, is what they told me. I think that it may have been something a little bit more involved than that. I think the head gasket blew probably due to the same overheating problem that is causing the "tick" in our engines. And yes, by the way, I have the "tick" in my new engine as well. I bet this engine will go the way of the junkyard as well. By the way.....final bill for the new engine.......$18,732.00 installed. Dang.....I for one am glad that I am "paranoid" !!! Lets figure this one out.......35,000 dollar car + 18,732 dollar engine replacement = one heck of a car payment (if I had modded).

 

[05 Roush]

Re: warranty..shmorranty

Originally posted by Joe King
Please don't take this as a flame...b/c its not directed at you personnally...

Here's my take on warranty "paronoia".

First...judging by some of what I have heard..YOU DON'T HAVE A WARRANTY....

Second.....What are you going to do to your car that is going to blow your car up...a chip....a pulley....a KB? All of these mods have been done on a thousand cars with now problems...so why will YOUR car be the 1 in 1000 to blow-up b/c you put a chip in it. UNLIKELY....

If you don't blow the motor...what do you really need the warranty for anyway...to replace a defective glove compartment door...a piece of molding...what?...I brought my car in w/chip & pulley & got the spoiler gasket replaced...if I had to pay I would have bought it & done it myself...BFD

Look...all of you guys are missing the fun of the extra 60-100hp b/c you are thinking you WILL POSSIBLY need a warranty ...that if it would cost Ford over $1000..they would probably void it anyway...& figure you wouldn't sue them.

Bottom line...you gamble every time you get into boost (that there isn't a cop)...so why not take another risk...worse case a motor can be gottin for what $10k...live alittle..

Well, I don't know about that. We still don't know what the "damage" will be, if any, to the modded 03's. It's still too early to tell. Waiting a couple of years before doing major mods is always a prudent thing. Let everyone else be the experimenters and go through the trials and tribulations first.

Being without the warranty stinks. So far, Ford has paid out over $8000 to the dealers to fix mine, and none of these were related to the engine. Little things add up, like suspension, trim, molding, paint, and other issues they could have from the factory. Heck, I had 3 stereos put in. That alone would have cost a pretty penny to replace the entire system with an aftermarket one. Add up problems like electrical one's and some Cobra owners would wind up paying thousands to fix even the smallest of problems.

Just my .02.:beer:

 

[03InThe11s]

i feel for ya man. yea, having a warranty pays off sometimes. if i have a major problem like that, im probably going to go up to the guy telling me ha cannot warranty my car and slide 5 or 6 $100 bills in his hand. that has a way of changing peoples minds. and its alot cheaper than $18,732. and if that didnt work, id probably cry for a while, suck it up, and build myself a new motor.

 

[SSlayer96]

"id probably cry for a while, suck it up, and build myself a new motor."

I hear ya lol

 

[Joe King]

Sorry to hear it

RedCobra & PlatinumCobra I'm happy you had your warranties

BUT...No way can you say that your situations are...NORMAL...3 stereos...what kind of music are you playing??? Sure over a few thousand cars there will always be few lemons. I bet RedCobra's car was giving problems early on..yes? So of course, only a fool would modify a car that ..ALREADY WAS GIVING PROBLEMS..

My point is...if you have a car with a few thousand miles...with no obvious issues...then....the risk/reward ratio is justifiable.

Have either of you guys been in a modded car...or has ownership been nothing but grief...I feel bad for you ...for me...this has been the most enjoyable car I have ever owned...I get a bulge...everytime I turn the key...

 

[05 Roush]

Re: Sorry to hear it

Originally posted by Joe King
RedCobra & PlatinumCobra I'm happy you had your warranties

BUT...No way can you say that your situations are...NORMAL...3 stereos...what kind of music are you playing???

The problem isn't the repair work or the longevity, it's the workmanship from Ford.

Had 3 rear diff's ordered from SVT from the factory. All were out of spec. Bad rear axleshafts, bad D/S mirror. Etc.

The point is, even if you didn't have the warranty, getting factory parts that are "good" is the real problem. Aftermarket parts, I can understand. But we still have to rely of parts from SVT and quite frankly, these parts are garbage. And if you buy the parts and have someone else put them in for you they're not going to warranty them like the dealer might. It's pretty sad when my dealer has to tear apart brand new rear-ends to check for tolerances.:nonono:

Just my .02.