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Transfer Case Warranty Void!

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Old Apr 29, 2004, 04:25 PM
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Transfer Case Warranty Void!

Hi guys,

I've been having a hell of a time with Mitsu in the past week or so. The transfer case went out on my Evo and they do not want to cover it becuase I have aftermarket parts installed. (Who doesn't?) Among all the goodies like aftermarket exhaust I have an Exedy Twin Plate Clutch which the service guy is claiming as the culprit. However, Mitsu Corp just chalks it up to aftermarket in general.

I filed another request this afternoon for them to reconsider their decision becuase I would be seeking legal assistance. Also, that I wanted proof in writing as to which aftermarket part caused the transfer case failure. As far as I am a aware from reading something on this forum, is that if they are going to deny my warranty claim they have to prove which aftermarket part cuased the problem.

Any advice at this point would be invaluable. (Luckily, I have a spare car to drive around while they fudge me over.)

Thanks!
Old Apr 29, 2004, 04:42 PM
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Good luck bro. It amazes me that a company releases such a high performance car, with really only one thing in mind (go fast) and they are such sticklers on warranty.

UNDERSTAND, I don't like it when people take advantage of warranty work... but at the same point, I HATE it when dealers void warranties because of something that has NOTHING to do with the car.
Old Apr 29, 2004, 04:46 PM
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I havent looked into it yet, but whats the typical failure on the tcase? Wonder if its similar to the DSM tcase recall. Would be interesting to see if it comes to that what your legal recourse could be against the dealership for blaming it on you.
Old Apr 29, 2004, 05:20 PM
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with mitsu's past history on transfercases, i'm sure you'd win in court... All it takes is a good lawyer
Old Apr 29, 2004, 05:37 PM
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This is B.S. If this was a court case, Mitsubishi would have to bring in expert witnesses to prove the aftermarket part caused the failure. How can a dealer and red neck service tech just say yup, it was that aftermarket clutch. Warantee void. The process of denying a warantee claim should be much more involved than a verbal yes or no. The service dept should have to write a report and it go through the clain of command to see if there are conflicting opinions whether or not it was a defective part or really a bad aftermarket part. Nowadays, aftermarket companies do a lot of R & D to make sure their parts will work perfectly or they will be out of business in no time. Dealerships and manufacturers should recognize the aftermarket community and work with them to bring us performance parts that will not jeapordize our warantee.
Old Apr 29, 2004, 05:48 PM
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I think you are going to have a hard time getting them to pay since you have a twin plate clutch. Those twin plates can put alot of stress on the drivetrain if they are used aggressively.
Old Apr 29, 2004, 06:14 PM
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I tried buying Gear oil from a local Mitsu dealer recently and got like freaking interrogated

Parts guy: "what do you need it for?"
Me: "What's it matter to you guys? If I break something i'll bring it back here, and you'll make more $"

Parts guy: "What?"
Me: "ok, forget that, can I get that oil?"

Parts guy: "Lemmie talk to the Mitsu senior Tech"

*he leaves then comes back*

Parts guy: "how many miles are on your car?"
Me: "a little over 18,000"

Parts guy: "Our service tech says you don't need it yet"
Me: "That's great... you going to sell me the oil or not?"

Parts guy: "we don't sell our gear oil to customers. The Tech said for you to go buy Mobil 1"

....their freaking idiots. I went to another Mitsu Dealer that knows me, and they told me they’ll have more in on Monday and will hook me up.

(btw, I have 18K miles on my Evo, changed all the drive line fluid to Redline, but I want to change the T-Case oil back to stock)

Last edited by Ultor; Apr 29, 2004 at 06:16 PM.
Old Apr 29, 2004, 06:20 PM
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I had an easy time with Mitsu regarding the t-case warranty. Luckily, the service ***'t. realizes they make money at their dealership and the techs are great. They fixed my tranny the second time with the Cusco in it, because they couldn't prove the clutch did the damage to the syncros. The chances are slim, so they fixed it. The transfer case being busted up is a hard, HARD thing to prove a twin plate clutch didn't do it. I'd say start counting your pennies, Im not siding with them, but you have to ask yourself this, would the stock clutch cause the damage pertaining to the current situation? If you can say with 100% confidence that you believe it isn't related, then go ahead. If you can't, they might be right. Just saying, be confident when you fight, or you'll lose. Best luck to you!
Old Apr 29, 2004, 06:28 PM
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I don't mean to rain on your parade, but your clutch IS the culprit The additional grip of the twin plate - in addition to hard launches - adds a tremendous strain on your transfer case. If you ever got wheel hop, thats probably when it happened.

My transfer case grenaded on a 7k rpm launch with the twin plate... I just bent over and paid for it all. Good luck to you bro.
Old Apr 29, 2004, 07:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Ultor
I tried buying Gear oil from a local Mitsu dealer recently and got like freaking interrogated

... <SNIP>

....their freaking idiots. I went to another Mitsu Dealer that knows me, and they told me they’ll have more in on Monday and will hook me up.

(btw, I have 18K miles on my Evo, changed all the drive line fluid to Redline, but I want to change the T-Case oil back to stock)
I had the same situation when I went into the dealer to inquire about manual transmission fluid and the power steering fluid, because they only list "mitsubishi approved power steering fluid" I wanted to know what standard is that so I can get a Redline replacement, with only 2000km on my car and I consider it broken in, I wanted to change all the fluids to synthetic.. they were like "you only have 2000km on the car, you don't need to change anything" and I was like "are you going to tell me or not?" and they admit they had no clue what standard it is.. they get it from mitsubishi and just use it..

so I think we know more about the cars then they do

-joe
Old Apr 29, 2004, 11:02 PM
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Originally Posted by evov8
Hi guys,

I've been having a hell of a time with Mitsu in the past week or so. The transfer case went out on my Evo and they do not want to cover it becuase I have aftermarket parts installed. (Who doesn't?) Among all the goodies like aftermarket exhaust I have an Exedy Twin Plate Clutch which the service guy is claiming as the culprit. However, Mitsu Corp just chalks it up to aftermarket in general.

I filed another request this afternoon for them to reconsider their decision becuase I would be seeking legal assistance. Also, that I wanted proof in writing as to which aftermarket part caused the transfer case failure. As far as I am a aware from reading something on this forum, is that if they are going to deny my warranty claim they have to prove which aftermarket part cuased the problem.

Any advice at this point would be invaluable. (Luckily, I have a spare car to drive around while they fudge me over.)

Thanks!
I have been thinking about putting in a twin plate sice I got the EVO. I asked around with several service managers and this is what I was told. Im not saying I agree but here it is........Mitsubishi had Centerforce design the clutch and they claim that part of its function is to protect the drivetrain. In other words its designed to give before any damage happens to the drivetrain. Putting in a after market clutch exceeds this tolerance so when the drivetrain is dammaged they void the warranty. Also, the Mitsubishi mechanics are all certified to work on different parts of the car (brakes, engine, drivetrain) so if a mechanic was certified on drivetrains the court would recognize him as a expert witness. I would get a lawyer to write a letter (cost you $150-$200) it has worked for me in the past. (With a Eclipse I had) Their attitude will probably change when they see the letter head..........
Old Apr 30, 2004, 04:34 AM
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just stop abusing the car
i wonder why ppl just spend the money on clutch
not saving up to upgrade all the tranny parts
if you dont have the money to do it once save it up
upgrade parts by parts will always mess up the car
Old Apr 30, 2004, 06:16 AM
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Question

Originally Posted by Ultor
I tried buying Gear oil from a local Mitsu dealer recently and got like freaking interrogated

Parts guy: "what do you need it for?"
Me: "What's it matter to you guys? If I break something i'll bring it back here, and you'll make more $"

Parts guy: "What?"
Me: "ok, forget that, can I get that oil?"

Parts guy: "Lemmie talk to the Mitsu senior Tech"

*he leaves then comes back*

Parts guy: "how many miles are on your car?"
Me: "a little over 18,000"

Parts guy: "Our service tech says you don't need it yet"
Me: "That's great... you going to sell me the oil or not?"

Parts guy: "we don't sell our gear oil to customers. The Tech said for you to go buy Mobil 1"

....their freaking idiots. I went to another Mitsu Dealer that knows me, and they told me they’ll have more in on Monday and will hook me up.

(btw, I have 18K miles on my Evo, changed all the drive line fluid to Redline, but I want to change the T-Case oil back to stock)

.. just curious.. why are you going back to stock tcase oil? i changed all to redline at 1000 miles, and have 1500 on her now.
Old Apr 30, 2004, 06:49 AM
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I would have to say that you should be out of luck. Looks like your signature includes a manual boost controller, along with the clutch...... what the hell did you expect?

Sure if you ad a catback exhaust, you should not have your warranty voided, but all the stuff you have adds a good bit of horsepower....... you are probably putting down 300hp at the wheels....up from the standard 225-230....
Old Apr 30, 2004, 07:08 AM
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just so you all know...when my car was stock...i went through 2 t-cases and now I am on my third. The second t-case went the next day after it was installed. These Mitsu techs have NO idea what they are talking about.


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