Second thoughts...

[bryanthomas]

Hey guys, I don't know how many of you have read the thread in the garage asking about people's problems with their cars, but I'm having second thoughts all together about supercharging this beast. I mean, a couple of people have had their trannies replaced on a N/A modded car... modded with bolts on parts! So if I opt to get the blower and my transmission fails because it is a piece of Ford s%@, and not because of the extra load then where do I stand? I'm caught with my pants down. I mean don't get me wrong I really would like to get a Trilogy, but if my dealer isn't going to honor my warrenty if something non-blower related happens to the powertrain then why take the risk? Isn't there some kind of act/law that protects cars guys from things like that? I remember seeing it posted several times on the S2000 forums, and it basically stated that it has to be proven that the modification caused the problem for the warrenty to be void.

Basically: I would love to supercharge my Marauder but I don't want a cylinder to grenade or my tranny to crap out because Ford can't build a car right, and THEN have the dealer void my warrenty simply b/c it has a blower.

Can I get some reassurance from my fellow gearheads? :o

[cyclone03]

Being in GA., you need to hook up with Team Ford.
The Marauder Owners in that area should jump in here any minute.

[Mike M]

If you are that afraid...DON'T DO IT!

To think that you won't have some type of failure in the future isn't logical. Assume the engine will blow up as well as the rear and the trans at some point and go from there...otherwise DON"T DO IT!

[SergntMac]

The federal law is the Magnuson-Moss Act. It has some teeth in some areas, but overall, it's not much help...IMHO.

If you put a supercharger on your MM and the radio falls out of the dash, the M-M Act will protect you. However, add a supercharger of any design on a Marauder, and your powertrain warranty ceases. There is no area of the powertrain that will not be affected by supercharging, or, NOS.

Adding more power automatically escalates the wear and tear index. Things will wear out sooner, period. Milder mods, such as a custom tune, UD pulleys, torque converter and rear gears should not pose any serious problems, but you never know.

Once Ford says no to you, you're done. You can take your claim higher up the consumer complaint ladder, but while you do, no one but you will fix your car.

Modding has it's risks, gamble as you will. But, don't expect F-L/M to underwrite your automotive experiments and entertainment. They will take responsibility for flaws in their design and assembly, but asking them to cover your back in mods is unreasonable...IMHO. Carry on, gents.

[RF Overlord]

^^^what Mac said, exactly^^^

...and what Mike Mielnicki said, too

If you get a tune, or a set of U/D pulleys, and your transmission fails, it would be a stretch if the dealer blamed the failure on your pulleys...or your K&N filter...but start doing major mods, and you can basically kiss your warranty goodbye.

The way I looked at it when I started modding The Blackbird was that if something's gonna fail, whether it's in warranty and denied or it's past warranty, I'll end up paying for it anyway so why not have the fun now?

[bigslim]

If you are that afraid...DON'T DO IT!

To think that you won't have some type of failure in the future isn't logical. Assume the engine will blow up as well as the rear and the trans at some point and go from there...otherwise DON"T DO IT!
You can't assume that your engine will blow up. I am sure with a safe tune and not overly abusing your car the engine will live a long life.

[O's Fan Rich]

Hey guys, I don't know how many of you have read the thread in the garage asking about people's problems with their cars, but I'm having second thoughts all together about supercharging this beast. I mean, a couple of people have had their trannies replaced on a N/A modded car... modded with bolts on parts! So if I opt to get the blower and my transmission fails because it is a piece of Ford s%@, and not because of the extra load then where do I stand? I'm caught with my pants down. I mean don't get me wrong I really would like to get a Trilogy, but if my dealer isn't going to honor my warrenty if something non-blower related happens to the powertrain then why take the risk? Isn't there some kind of act/law that protects cars guys from things like that? I remember seeing it posted several times on the S2000 forums, and it basically stated that it has to be proven that the modification caused the problem for the warrenty to be void.

Basically: I would love to supercharge my Marauder but I don't want a cylinder to grenade or my tranny to crap out because Ford can't build a car right, and THEN have the dealer void my warrenty simply b/c it has a blower.

Can I get some reassurance from my fellow gearheads? :o


Yep... sucks don't it?
Got a spare car just in case? Heck you never know what will blow.
I've gone as far as I can with mods while the car is still my company car. Next month, it's MY car!:banana2: Then, I'll go further... if the tranny, motor rear, what ever goes it's my bill not my company's. That's my only worry.
I also have a garage/shop I vcan put her into until she is healed, and I have another ride to use. So, I'm in fair shape.

[Tallboy]

If you are that afraid...DON'T DO IT!

To think that you won't have some type of failure in the future isn't logical. Assume the engine will blow up as well as the rear and the trans at some point and go from there...otherwise DON"T DO IT!

Best advice yet. I knew I threw my warranty out the window the day I strapped the blower on.

Screw the warranty. Life's too short.

[stevengerard]

did the same thing in the 60s and 70s, everytime a guy brought a car in on a Monday morning the first thing the dealer did was poor water on the windows and you could make out the outline of the class and number that was painted with shoe polish - no warrenty. It does suck but makes sense. I feel for you. Some people have the resources or the attitude not to care others don't. You are no less of a Marauder person for not jumping on the S/C NOS train.

[Zack]

Best advice yet. I knew I threw my warranty out the window the day I strapped the blower on.

Screw the warranty. Life's too short.

Awesome! 890

[SergntMac]

Some people have the resources or the attitude not to care others don't. You are no less of a Marauder person for not jumping on the S/C NOS train. I agree. This is why I bought a second Marauder as a daily driver. I just love these cars, and I have no plans to mod my #3, despite Zack's constant jabbing. I enjoy my stock and slow MM as much as my fast one.

[Hotrauder]

Best advice yet. I knew I threw my warranty out the window the day I strapped the blower on.

Screw the warranty. Life's too short.

Everyone's situation is different and only you can make a decision you are comfortable with. I have a life time warrentee, my lifetime and I have no idea when it expires but I know for sure that when it does so do I. I am not willing to let FMC tell me how to live my life while I am here. I service my car with vigilence, treat it with respect, drive it with enthusiasm and restraint when necessary and have the best tune money can buy. Beyond that there are no guarentees and none expected. I purchased this car to enjoy and every mod has increased my pleasure. I will continue to mod where I want and how I want and I will till I fall over for good. Thanks and good luck. Dennis

[Mike M]

Hey Hotrauder....your only 3 years old....you have plenty of time left.

"Everyone's situation is different and only you can make a decision you are comfortable with. I have a life time warrentee, my lifetime and I have no idea when it expires but I know for sure that when it does so do I."

[ckadiddle]

I plan for now to do mild mods and wait till I get close to the end of my extended warranty period and car payments. Then I'll get that blower installed and aske that it be tuned to the conservative side of the spectrum. I know that someone else is always going to be faster than I am, but I'll suprise the heck out of ninety percent of the rest of them out there.

[grampaws]

They will take responsibility for flaws in their design and assembly, but asking them to cover your back in mods is unreasonable...IMHO. Carry on, gents.[/quote]

I have two intake manifolds from my 97GM and several discussions with dealers and that don't support this statement..As I see it I will probably get stuck
with the bill anyways..Mod it ..if you blow it up and then put in better parts
make it better..More power more stress on components more money!
everyone has to pick their comfort level!

[Warpath]

...Basically: I would love to supercharge my Marauder but I don't want a cylinder to grenade or my tranny to crap out because Ford can't build a car right, and THEN have the dealer void my warrenty simply b/c it has a blower.

Can I get some reassurance from my fellow gearheads? :o

"I've doubled the horsepower of my engine and now my tranny fell apart. Boy, Ford sucks!" :rolleyes:

I read threads like this all the time. OEMs design their components to operate under stock conditions. You change those conditions, you change the outcome. As stated above, if you're gonna play, expect to pay.

[Paul T. Casey]

I wouldn't sweat parts failing anyway. Everyone posts when something goes wrong, but think about it, in the big picture, how many trannys are failing, how many blown engines, etc. I've got 122+K, 262 timeslips, 100's of burnouts and nary a failure.

[FordNut]

If you are that afraid...DON'T DO IT!

To think that you won't have some type of failure in the future isn't logical. Assume the engine will blow up as well as the rear and the trans at some point and go from there...otherwise DON"T DO IT!
I agree... Because SOMETHING WILL BREAK. If you can't afford to fix it out of your own pocket, don't modify it.

[jimlam56]

My plan is to stay "stock" until my warranty expires in 14k miles or 10/06. The exception is my reversible SCT tune.
Then it's Turbo or Blower, and who knows what else?
Enjoy your car, life is short.

[Ross]

You can't assume that your engine will blow up. I am sure with a safe tune and not overly abusing your car the engine will live a long life.

I disagree with this. See my posts in the past few months about my engine self destructing with only a few bolt on mods. After that experience, I learned how fragile these engines really are.

[grampaws]

I would tend to agree with bigslim..sticking with safe mods IE Cold air intakes, Throttle bodies exhaust and improved tuning..and conservative
driving style should maintain the integrity of your powertrain..
Unfortunately defects will arise,there are no sure fire ways of preventing
breakdowns...

[Breadfan]

I wouldn't sweat parts failing anyway. Everyone posts when something goes wrong, but think about it, in the big picture, how many trannys are failing, how many blown engines, etc. I've got 122+K, 262 timeslips, 100's of burnouts and nary a failure.

True, it stands to reason you will definitely see threads "MY TRANNY BLEW UP" or "MY ENGINE DIED" much more than you'll see some like:

"Made a pass at the track, nothing broke!"

or

"Drove home from work today, my car didn't throw a rod!"

or

"I hit boost and didn't shred my transmissions input shaft!"

or

"A bird crapped on my paint and it ISN'T discolored!"

or

"I had my windows open and didn't hear any creaks from the hood latch"

I could go on, :)

But basically, if you compare the number of good threads to bad, you won't see an accurate picture of reliability...

Still, adding power adds more chance for failures.