Bikeman315
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Threads
- 39
- Messages
- 6,632
- Reaction score
- 2,078
- Location
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Mustang GT/CS
There is no argument and I find your threads very informative. But if everyone called Ford before making a modification there would be no longer even be a Mustang. Mustangs are made to be modified and the enormous aftermarket is proof of that. Look at the Camaro and Challenger. Their aftermarket as a fraction of the Mustang and they are history. Now, of course, that's not the only reason but it is an important one.@Bikeman315 ....I am a bit confused ( not the first nor last time) when you say "What he says is true but a little harsh" - I agree. Then you say take what I say with a grain of salt. HUH? Respectfully to readers be careful what you read into dealer or aftermarket parts dealers statements about modifications. I have too many stories of claim denials to list them but here's some food for thought.
Ford has some TV and youtube adds where they use their drift brakes etc. to smoke their tires in clouds of smoke or they rip around city streets at night smoking tires. Great.
At a meet and greet at a big Ford dealership that specializes in Mustangs, where an area Fred representative was asked to answer questions I was told one answer he gave made some of the guys snap to attention. When referencing the Ford official promotional ads and videos of Mustangs doing smoking donuts and brake drifts he said of course we don't expect you to actually do that. You could damage your car doing that. What?
There is a law suit going on now where Hyundai is allegedly refusing to honor a failed engine of a vehicle sold with a (very expensive) track package. The owner said on a TV news interview that he had followed all recommendations, that his vehicle had only been "tracked" at a track - not with the infamous street takeover crowd and offered his ECM downloads to prove his shift patterns and rpms were within approved limits. So far it looks like Hyundai will not honor his warranty and will not have to.
Regardless of what many believe to be tolerated, regarding modifications, you should read the fine print. That ought to give you some reflection time. ANY time you modify your Mustang outside of what Ford Corporate will approve (for God's sake ask them first) your are warranty gambling.
As for the dealer their word on modifications doesn't mean $hit - if they say Ford will pay for it ( no dealer speaks for Ford Corporate) and I bet if Ford won't pay for it the dealership won't either. There are several interesting videos of Mustang owners who had expensive mods done n- by ford dealers that failed subsequent warranty claims.
If someone wants to argue with this fine, it's a democracy, but I'm just trying to be helpful. I have modified and raced motorcycles, boats and cars and wrenched/built too many engines to count. I have always understood that I burned any warranty when modifying. Protect yourself - want to install some aftermarket headers - take 5 minutes and call Ford Customer Service ..... it could save you thousands.
Now as far as Ford, or any manufacturer for that matter, their warranties are written in invisible ink. Most of the time there is so much room in between the lines that a Mack truck could drive through them. They constantly move the goalposts and what is good today is bad tomorrow. Calling them is pointless. I wouldn't trust anything any one of them would say. I would feel far more comfortable trusting my dealer whom I have an excellent relationship with.
Regardless, modifications are a crapshoot. As you pointed out the moderate ones will not raise an eyebrow, nor should they. Major ones, especially to the drivetrain, can be a cause for concern if your warranty is important to you. In OP's case the filters are the former, the carbon traps, if found, could be the latter.
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