Will my powertrain warrenty be voided if I install aftermarket clutch?

[TopRacer]

Will my powertrain warrenty be voided if I install aftermarket clutch?

i was just wondering because most of the aftermarket clutches have heavy or xtream duty pressure plates and i thought that Ford might say, "this pressure plate grips the transmission to hard and that is what caused the transmission to fail" or some BS like that...

 

[03SonicSnake]

Anything that is considered a "wear" item like brakes or clutch or oil, or oil filter or air filter the dealer can't say anything about. They won't replace your clutch under warranty because it's a wear item therefor if they don't furnish it for you, they can't tell you anything about an aftermarket clutch, or what kind you get. This is what I was told.

Many people had that debate about air filters, but if the factory one goes bad or gets dirty, will the dealership just "give" you another one? Hell no. They won't fix it under warranty without money coming out of your pocket. And we all know dealerships charge WAY to damn much to do anything.

 

[Road Racin']

I’m not sure that’s actually true. I agree they won’t give you wear items, but if don’t change your oil it will void your warranty. If you don’t run a recommend grade and weight of oil, and you have a problem, it will void your warranty. If you run with a dirty or no filter and have a problem, it will void the warranty. With the clutch, if you put a heavy duty pucked race clutch and bang gears and hurt the tranny, they wouldn’t warranty that. Heck, knowing dealers, even if you change the shifter handle they still wouldn’t warranty the tranny

 

[bender460]

Unless they supply me the oil and filter I can use any brands or grades that I choose and they will honor the warranty. Thats why they recomend 5w-20. If they insisted 5w-20 they would HAVE to supply it for free.The clutch on the other hand I would consider after market unless it is a ford part and any thing breaking that is directly caused by the aftermarket clutch will not be warranty. Thats just me though

 

[Road Racin']

what if you use Crisco cooking oil?? Where do they draw the line?? I've heard that they have declined claims based on things like non factory spec.... What i f you run a heavy weight oil and it's too thick to lubercate and the motor fails?? Should this be the dealerships fault?? I don't think so.

 

[CobraBob]

Originally posted by Road Racin'
I’m not sure that’s actually true. I agree they won’t give you wear items, but if don’t change your oil it will void your warranty. If you don’t run a recommend grade and weight of oil, and you have a problem, it will void your warranty. If you run with a dirty or no filter and have a problem, it will void the warranty. With the clutch, if you put a heavy duty pucked race clutch and bang gears and hurt the tranny, they wouldn’t warranty that. Heck, knowing dealers, even if you change the shifter handle they still wouldn’t warranty the tranny

Be careful not to generalize that certain mods "will void the warranty". You can change your own oil with your own log and you should be okay. You can run another weight and you should be okay unless it is not recommended for your car. Changing your shift handle is very unlikely to affect your warranty. Same goes for an aftermarket shifter. And installing a heavy duty clutch and ending up with a tranny issue isn't going to necessarily void your warranty. A lot depends on the dealer himself. Some (I believe the minority) will look to void your powertrain with any mod while others genuinely try to insure that the mod did, indeed, contribute directly to the part failure. I would just be careful not to generalize this stuff. Sometimes we paint a picture of all dealers being out there to nail us. And that just isn't the case.

 

[Road Racin']

That’s true. I was a bit general, but it really is a case by case basis. I've seen powertrain warranties voided because if aftermarket wheels and tires. And I've seen aftermarket supercharged engines replaced under warranty. Basically, don't forget your service writer at Christmas. He can become your best friend, or your worst enemy.

 

[CobraBob]

Originally posted by Road Racin'
That’s true. I was a bit general, but it really is a case by case basis. I've seen powertrain warranties voided because if aftermarket wheels and tires. And I've seen aftermarket supercharged engines replaced under warranty. Basically, don't forget your service writer at Christmas. He can become your best friend, or your worst enemy.

I will definitely put my service writer on my Christmas list. Gotta keep them folks happy!
:lol1: