Yeah, wow, seems like every post I make here (what, 2 out of 3 so far) is asking for help with the WRX.

But here goes. Today, I start up the WRX and it's belching white smoke out of the tailpipe. From my automotive knowledge, i can collect this...black smoke = running rich, not too much of an imminent problem beyond fouled spark plugs and unsightly stains on your bumper. white smoke = running lean, which means you're about to be screwed in a big way, or an internal oil leak, which means you already are.

I called my local subaru dealer and asked to speak to service. When I talked to the ASM, he was, ah, not too nice to me to begin with. Then, he asked if I had aftermarket parts installed. I told him, "yeah, exhaust, up-pipe, downpipe with one cat, and short ram intake." At this point, he becomes even more caustic, and says, "well, you know your warrantee is voided. We won't do any warrantee work on the car." I informed him that I knew of my rights, and that I'd be perfectly happy to pay for all of the work out of my pocket if it could be traced to the parts I put on the car; however, I didn't appreciate being railroaded to begin with, and that he had no right to void my warrantee without even looking at my car because of the Magnusson/Moss act. Of course, then he started to become downright nasty, but acquiesced to at least look at the car and then determine whether it was warrantee work or not. I have an appointment for monday (I have a feeling I could have gotten in earlier, had I just bent over and taken it...)

Any advice from others in a similar situation?

Thanks...

 

I don't mean to sound harsh or insulting, but you did actually get the treatment you deserve. You did change the car's drivetrain well beyond the terms of the warranty, and the odds are quite good that they can officially void your warrantee. When you do such extensive mods to your car, you have to accept the fact that you're throwing away your 36k drivetrain warranty -- that's just part of the deal. I've heard this argument before, that if they can't trace the problem to your aftermarket parts then it is still covered -- frankly, that's crap. An engine is a system, and all the parts interact. Super-hot EGT caused by the uppipe or fueling issues caused by a confused ECU can cause failures throughout the engine, from the turbo to the head and cam gaskets. There's no way that they won't be able to find a connection between your problem and the changes that you have made.

Your mistake was in approaching the dealer, the last people you should be talking to about servicing a modded car. You can probably find a shop in town that will do work for you and not freak out to SOA about your mods, but it is the dealers *job* to do so.

 

actually, bro, I haven't done anything to the drivetrain...no aftermarket clutch, dogbox, or anything like that.

but I have a feeling that's not what you were talking about. seriously, though, thanks for the reply, but that "argument" technically isn't crap, it's the law. There's a post with a link to its actual verbiage a few pages back in this forum. It's the same act that killed Ferrari when they required their own oil to be used in the car for the warrantee to be valid--a manufacturer can't require the use of their own part when it must be replaced on a regular basis unless it's supplied free of charge; and a manufacturer can't void a warrantee unless the failure can be traced DIRECTLY to an aftermarket part.

Like I said, if they can prove it's a traceable failure, which it probably is, then I have no problem paying. I just don't want this guy coming at me right off the bat saying, "Yeah, we're going to screw you." I know it's a dealer's job to be a stickler for warrantee work, but it's not their job to rip me off. I have a Subaru dealer on the other side of the state that I get most of my work done at, and they told me on the phone, "I think we could get it looked at under warrantee." Unfortunately, I don't have the time to drive WRX 225 miles and stay overnight, nor the inclination to do so with a car that's billowing white smoke.

I wasn't really asking for help understanding my rights...I'm doing pretty well with that on my own. I was asking for suggestions in dealing with this guy, as well as some ideas as to what the hell might be going wrong with my car. I figure, hey, there's got to be a couple thousand EJ owners on this board along with a few techs, there must be someone who's had the same problem I'm having.

Thanks anyway, though.

 

You misread my post in several ways. The 36k drivetrain warranty does include the engine as well, not just the gearbox... anything that drives the car is included. Furthermore, regardless of the Moss act, if you've done something really nasty such as blown a piston or burned your rings (white smoke, not black smoke?) there's no way to NOT associate that type of serious failure with either excessive engine abuse (racing) and your modified parts, or a failure on your part to do proper maintenence (obviously unlikely). Any car dealer for any brand of car can void your engine warranty for those reasons alone, regardless of whether they can trace that back to a specific part failure.

The dealer you talked to certainly jumped the gun before seeing the car, but you also can't accuse him of trying to rip you off when (as you admit) the engine failure may very well be your fault. I'm just trying to be a realist about this -- when any of us change our cars out of factory spec, we're eventually going to have to eat the cost of the increased wear and tear on the car. That's why a friend of mine with an STI is building a Porsche 944 as a purpose-built rally car, and leaving his $33k investment in the garage.

 

I have heard stories of guys having white smoke problems after installing new exhaust components. How new is the exhaust? Sometimes, the mandrel bending process can leave a lubricant inside the exhaust pipes that burns off when you start the car. If yours is a new exhaust this could be the problem, otherwise I can't help ya.

 

33K investment??....


Ah........


no.


Sorry.

 

Try making sense next time, it will be more interesting!

 

woah, ok, post derailed here. I can feel the love.

anyway, had WRX towed to a different dealer because theres no way i'm giving my business, warrantee or no, to a guy who treats me like an a$$hole. Man, i wish I could have seen his face when the tow truck pulled up and hauled my car away. Sorry, buddy, no $ for you.

they're doin the work on the car but calling me to ask for verification and telling me what it's going to cost before each step. I don't think they've even considered that I'm going to see what I can get covered under warrantee. So far they've disassembled my exhaust system and found oil in the exhaust just before the turbo...they don't know what it's from yet. it could be a blown gasket or seal in the turbo, it could be a blown ring, or it could be anything in between. I haven't been to the dealer in person yet, but I'm going tomorrow, and I'm going to ask them how exactly the problem with the car is traceable to the aftermarket parts when they don't even know what the problem is.

I know SOA is ****e on warrantees and likes to shaft even owners of stock cars by claiming "owner abuse". That's why I'm not going to buy another subaru. I love my WRX but I wish I had known that before. I've worked on Mustangs for years and Ford has always gone to great lengths to honor my warrantee even when mild work has been done to the car. Subaru...hasn't.

I'll keep y'all posted.

 

haha, you can't say **** even when you spell it different.

Can I say ****zu? It's a legitimate breed of dog...

 

haha, guess not.

 

Sorry, my bad. Let me clarify.

Just responding to the last line in your responce. I never really thought as my WRX depreciating daily driver as an "investment".

Hope that clears it up for ya.



-K

 

Just want to add one thing about the whole drivetrain statement. If you do modifcation to your engine... you are putting additional stress on the drivetrain, hence it can be traced in that way.

 

Ah, now I see. It is true, no car can be considered an actual investment (if you mean something that might gain value over time), but think of it this way: when he is racing his 944, which he built for $6800, he's risking a lot less than if he was driving his $33k WRX, and certainly risking a lot less than he would modifying the STI to non-streetable status (straight pipe, no glass etc.)

 

Actually, this was my mistake -- I meant to say POWERtrain, which includes both engine and drivetrain. THAT is what is covered under the 36k warranty.