Subaru goes after their Enthusiasts

[merc]

I wonder if ford could attack this site in the same manner.

Click here for full story (http://www.iwsti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27448)

[MarauderMark]

I wonder if ford could attack this site in the same manner.

Click here for full story (http://www.iwsti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27448)
What a bunch of jerko**s.(insert smiliy face with finger here)

[LightningVic]

theres some factory support :shake: I think if I owned a subaru, after seeing that I would pay to have it shipped overseas, attached to a wrecking ball chain, and swung through the office of the president

[Sully008]

That is not cool. :down: But it could be worse. I remember reading somewhere that Mitsubishi was trolling message boards to see who was racing (track, drag, etc..) their EVOs. If they came in for warranty work because something broke, sorry. Denied. I'll see if I can find the article. It was a while ago... Here's hoping Ford isn't quite so "heavy handed".

Edit: I found it...

Evo Owners Decry Warranty Rejections

BY TONY QUIROGA
September 2004

In June, several Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution owners began posting notices on Evo-enthusiast Web sites saying their warranties had been canceled because they'd participated in timed racing events or installed aftermarket goodies on their cars. Owners complain that Mitsubishi used the Internet to dig up the names of these offenders. Owners found out about this when they visited dealers for repairs and were told that their warranties had been restricted because of the two activities.

Typical of all carmakers, Mitsubishi's warranty states that "problems or failures related to racing, alteration, and/or vehicle modifications are not covered conditions." Mitsubishi, meanwhile, denies that it proactively searches in hopes of voiding warranties. Responding to the complaints, the company said, "Mitsubishi does not have any automated Web search system looking for Lancer Evolutions involved in race events."

An Evo owner in Utah told Car and Driver that two weeks after he'd competed in an SCCA Solo II autocross, his car blew two connecting rods, which also ruined the turbocharger in the process. (Solo II racing involves coned courses in parking lots, and speeds rarely exceed 60 mph.) At the dealership, the owner said his warranty was voided even before the engine was examined, an action he said was based on computer information that he had participated in the autocross.

Reached for comment, Mitsubishi product and brand communication manager Janis Little said warranty claims are examined individually and Mitsubishi may deny claims if there is obvious evidence of abuse, modifications, or racing. The restricting or flagging of the warranty does not cancel the entire warranty, although getting warranty repairs done on a flagged car requires the approval of a district parts and service manager who oversees dealer warranty claims. When a warranty claim is questioned, Mitsubishi concedes that it may launch an investigation, which can include online searches for evidence the car was modified or run in a timed competition. The company adds, however, that owners are always given the benefit of the doubt.

The Utah owner got a whopping bill—nearly $8000—that, in his view, didn't qualify as the benefit of the doubt. He claims that Mitsubishi denied his warranty repairs before examining his car and that Mitsubishi's definition of racing is purposely vague. Evo owners stuck with bills for their damaged cars continue to flood Internet posting boards and forums railing about Mitsubishi's draconian measures and the company's lack of support for their broken Evos. Some see irony in the fact that the powerful little car is marketed on its rip-roaring sideways performance, but an owner who drives it in the manner of Gigi Galli could wind up behind a financial eight ball.

The Source (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=29&article_id=8422&page_number=1)

[juno]

Ford probably could, but then they might lose sales of New Marauders. :)
I would like to think that Ford is Flattered by MM net and all the mustang and other forums out there.

[mcb26]

I don't think we have anything to worry about. Nobody at Ford or Mercury knows what a Marauder is. :rolleyes:

[twolow]

Wow.

Nissan is going after www.nissan.com (http://www.nissan.com/) which was owned by a computer repairman named Uzi Nissan (he is Japanese I believe). He by any account has a right to that domain name and he had a website that had nothing to do with cars but he went around the courts fighting because Nissan wanted that domain taken away from him.

His 'Nissan Computers' company was around back when there was no Nissan (back when they were Datsun) so I can't see any way he can be sued.

[ckadiddle]

theres some factory support :shake: I think if I owned a subaru, after seeing that I would pay to have it shipped overseas, attached to a wrecking ball chain, and swung through the office of the presidentHow Creative!

What's that? I think I hear Subaru sales falling outside.

Fuji must have some goofball busy googling all day to find web sites for their lawyers to stomp on.

[Blackened300a]

Hey This sort of thing happened to the WWE. When they were the WWF the World Wildlife Foundation sued them for the Intials and they were forced to change it to World Wrestling Entertainment instead of Federation. I have the Issue of Road and Track where that Article About EVO owners being searched on the internet and having their warranty voided. I truly Find that to be Disturbing and Definitly a Reason to Boycott their Product.
As for Subaru. I Think thats a Gag to be honest. I really Think some Disgruntal Board Member Sent that to the Mod to annoy him. I dont think Subaru Would go out of their way to shut down a MessageBoard that Praises Their Product.

[O's Fan Rich]

I wonder if ford could attack this site in the same manner.

Are you kidding? They use this place as an info source for discovering modifications when they reject a warranty.

[Logan]

That's part of the reason why mm.net is run with an iron fist, partially to ensure that Ford has nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for.

[twolow]

That's part of the reason why mm.net is run with an iron fist, partially to ensure that Ford has nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for.
Plus iron is more 'manly' than suede

[Mikeenh]

That's a clear sign that Subaru has put the "Bean Counters" in management. If you have stock in the company.....SELL

[Bluerauder]

I wonder if ford could attack this site in the same manner.

This is a sure sign that Subaru is headed down the proverbial drain .... or that their legal department has way to much time on their hands. :rolleyes: Either way, it is total :bs:

[Petrograde]

This is a sure sign that Subaru is headed down the proverbial drain .... or that their legal department has way to much time on their hands. :rolleyes: Either way, it is total :bs:

I agree,...

I wouldn't own a friggin' Subaru in the first place,.. another reason dosn't hurt.

[BruteForce]

A lot of it has to do with lawyers trying to churn some billable time.

Case in point... I have a client who sells aftermarket auto parts online. He has a site dedicated to just one manufacturer's line: K&N. He chose a domain name that had part of that manufacturer's name in it. He is a recognized jobber with the top 3 national distributors of said line. Sells a fair number of products as well. A third party law firm contacted him on behalf of the manufacturer and threatened a lawsuit for "diluting a registered trademark" if he didn't give up the domain name. After a bunch of arguing back and forth, (He's selling their parts. He is promoting their parts. He is putting $$ in their :censor: pockets) he finally gave in and changed the domain name.

Not 2 months later, same thing happens with another manufacturer regarding another site he runs (Bestop). This time he dug in his heels and they had to come up with some (mostly symbolic) perks like linking to the new domain name from their site, etc. They are still trying to get out of the agreement to this day by claiming he is missing some product images and other niggling details.

It all comes down to a person deciding that a web site is harming the corporate image. Sometimes it turns into a petty personality thing were logic goes out the window.

In the end, the lawyers get paid.

[Alan CMS]

If merchandise is being sold with Ford logos, trademarks or copyrights, then certainly. I read that post and that site was using subaru logos on merchandise sold by that site (shirts, hats, etc.). GM has gone after some of the Buick sites for similar infractions. Again, most of it involved use of logos on merchandise, not on the enthusiast website necessarily. Like it or not, logos are intellectual property protected by the laws of the US and through international treaties. The lawyers simply follow directions from the client auto companies. Think of them as attack dogs that are just obeying a command.

Alan

[Rider90]

That is not cool. :down: But it could be worse. I remember reading somewhere that Mitsubishi was trolling message boards to see who was racing (track, drag, etc..) their EVOs. If they came in for warranty work because something broke, sorry. Denied.
FoMoCo HAS done this folks. I've only heard of it on Dieselstop. Since the 6.0L has been so problematic, people modify it and create more problems, but when things break they undo the mods and show up at the dealer. This is why I freaked out that one time a while ago, this is no theory, and there is absolutely no reason why Ford should not do this. It is a great idea and can save a lot of money if they can get the poster that has shared the area he lives in, then the vehicle can be pin pointed with pictures, descriptions of mods, pictures of mods, etc... Which is ALOT of posters nowadays. Good luck out there.

[Sully008]

FoMoCo HAS done this folks. I've only heard of it on Dieselstop. Since the 6.0L has been so problematic, people modify it and create more problems, but when things break they undo the mods and show up at the dealer. This is why I freaked out that one time a while ago, this is no theory, and there is absolutely no reason why Ford should not do this. It is a great idea and can save a lot of money if they can get the poster that has shared the area he lives in, then the vehicle can be pin pointed with pictures, descriptions of mods, pictures of mods, etc... Which is ALOT of posters nowadays. Good luck out there.

I've also heard stories of Ford denying warranty claims. My friend is a Ford tech and he's worked on diesels that had a chip installed and something went wrong. Basically, they didn't warranty the truck's engine and the owner had to foot the bill. I guess we should be careful out there...

[ctrcbob]

Glad my 03 MM 300A is bone stock, except for the Flowmaster Mufflers that were on it when I purchased it used. Because it was a Certified Used Car, from a Ford Dealer, I also have an extended Warranty on the engine and transmission. I don't drive it hard, so I don't expect any problems with it.

As for Subaru, it sounds like how Harley Davidson goes after people and business that sell things with their logo, without paying them big bucks. In addition, H-D also goes after shops that have the word "Hog" in their name. A Hog is a Harley and you better not use that name. I've only heard of two places that had the work "Hog" in their name.

The first is a motorcycle shop that had the name long before Harley copywrited the name, back when Harley did not want people to call Harleys Hogs.

The second is a Used Car Lot in my area, "Hog Heaven" that has nothing to do with motorcycles. Got the name because the owner raises pigs (hogs).

Once these companies sue, it costs you a lot of money to defend yourself.

Another example. In the area where I used to live, (Rochester NY), the popular name for a Hambuger is a "Ground Round" or just plain a "Ground". They have been called Grounds as long as I can remember and before. At least 70 years. Well, when the National Restaurant Chain "The Ground Round" opened up, a small neighborhood restaurant called "Jims Ground Round" was sued, and told to get rid of the name. Jims was fighting it, but the costs were too much for a small place like that, so Jims Ground Round changed their name to "Jim & Ralphs". Well the National Restaurant Chain "The Ground Round" got their due. They went backrupt and out of business. Jim and Ralphs is still going strong, selling the best Grounds in the Rochester area. (My mouth is watering right now, but I'll have some when I go up there for a visit in October).

[DEFYANT]

So, what will mercurymarauder.net be remade into?

Dear Mr. Automaker,

This is BS! These sites are maintained and frequented by enthusiests (sp?). We are your fans! Of course I know this is a private site with no ties to FMCo. We promote your company and products FREE of charge. I see this as the auto industries way of trying to rid itself of a major cash cow; The Enthusiest!

Don't sell a hi performance car and then tell me not to drive it the way you design and market it.

That said, I am reasonable enough to know that if I blow something in my drive line as a result of the modification I made to your product, the warranty is not going to cover me. But dont blame a bad power window motor on my supercharger.

Thanks

[Warpath]

Rumor has it a Cobra owner posted about putting a blower on his Cobra and broke some pistons. He boasted about putting back to stock and taking it into the dealer. The problem was that he put is build number (i.e. #1234 of 8000) in his sig. SVT traced that number back to his VIN and denied his claim. I've heard that through other people and didn't read it first hand. So, I don't know how true it is.


Anticybersquatting
I don't think that word is in the dictionary. I wonder whether this whole post was an April Fools Joke.