Oddball Warranty Debate

[neilbedwell]

I just bought a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular cab short bed W/T with 4.3L engine, automatic trans and 3.73 gears. Occasionally, I tow a small trailer with it (please don't turn this into another "you can't tow anything with a 4.3" argument). I don't ever plan to tow more than about 2500 lbs but after doing some reading on here I see that a transmission cooler might be something I want to add to my truck to make it last longer (it doesn't have a factory cooler, obviously). So, I was talking to a buddy of mine about this and he laughed and said I was crazy. He thinks that I'd be better off to take my chances without it because if I do have a transmission failure and a service manager sees all that aftermarket hardware on there he/she will automatically point the finger at my upgrades as being the source of failure and refuse to fix anything under warranty. He says that the 5 year/100,000 mile warranty will cover it if it breaks and that I am crazy to mess with anything before the warranty is over.

 

I think he is dead wrong, personally, but I have had more than my share of troubles over the years with service managers blaming anything and everything under the sun for little issues that would be cheaper and easier to fix under warranty than to argue over. What say you? Is my buddy just full of crap?

[wavery]

Actually, your buddy is partly right.

 

If you have a trailer hitch on the truck, it will be pretty obvious that you are towing.

 

The better route may be to go into your dealer and ask them what they recommend for towing. They will probably recommend a trans cooler. At that point, you may be better off to have the dealer install it to protect your warranty. You can install one yourself for around $100. I would think that the dealer may ask $300-$400 for the installation. At that point, you will have to measure the "Risk/reward".

 

Part of the value of having the dealer do it is that you will show your "Loyalty". That pulls a lot of weight, down the road, if you have a problem.

 

BTW....... your truck is probably a better towing rig than mine. Your 4.3 with 3.73 gears will deliver as much or more torque to the ground than my 4.8 with 3.23 gears and your rig is lighter than mine.

[dlewis1111]

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm?s...number=19244189

 

GM accessory item from the dealership for 59.88. This will protect that warranty.

[RyanbabZ71]

If you have a trailer hitch on the truck, it will be pretty obvious that you are towing.

 

Why do you say this? I have one on my truck and it has yet to pull a trailer. All you have to do is pull the lab retriever cover I have on it to see the ball hasnt been touched.

 

 

Its that old you know what happens when you assume

[wavery]

The key to having the dealer order and install the cooler is to protect the warranty. That's a great price on the cooler but the dealer will charge retail plus labor. You may get away under $300 (I didn't realize the factory one is so cheap). If you do, it's well worth it.

 

It's an easy install but there are things that can go wrong. It's nice to be able to say, "You guys installed it". if something does go wrong

 

It's a 2-edged sword, when the vehicle is out of warranty you can do what you darn well please to protect your vehicle without being concerned about this sort of stuff.....

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm?s...number=19244189

 

GM accessory item from the dealership for 59.88. This will protect that warranty.

[dlstewart01]

Times have changed. Gm used to be way more lenient on warranties.

 

When I worked in a GM Dealership a few years ago, the old man who owned it also had a Chrysler dealership next door. He would always say, hell boys, I can get more out of GM on a car out of warranty than I can get from Chrysler on a car in warranty.

 

The new GM is not as lenient anymore. Its a shame too.

[Wires]

I had a GM dealership diagnose a bad O2 sensor, but wouldn't warranty it due to my aftermarket exhaust (I was ok with it, after he said it was the O2 throwing the code, I knew that was the one that got wacked installing the headers). But, that is the chance you take.