Warranty Void if Removed or Using Non OEM Products with Equipment

Does one of the train companies use such labels?

I read the article, and can understand making it illegal for just a purpose of saying you have to use brand "x" parts (like for cars), but I can see it from a standpoint of a company not wanting to need to perform warranty work on something a consumer messed with and possibly breaks via their own hand in the process.  I'm thinking along the lines of something that has "no user serviceable parts inside".

If I (or an average user) open up a television set, I feel I have subjected the item to risk of damage, and the manufacturer should not be responsible at that point.  Just an example.  Of course most stuff like that is not repaired these days anyway, just throw it in the landfill and buy another one.

-Dave

Amen to this.

It helps also to read the Magnuson-Moss warranty act:

https://www.mlmlaw.com/library...ranties/undermag.htm

A company can void your warranty if they prove what you did caused the failure.  So if you open your computer to upgrade the video card and in turn damage the motherboard and it subsequently fails, the warranty can be voided.  However say you replace the video card, everything is great, and the power supply fails at not fault of yours, then the warranty must be honored.

Also I was not suggesting any O gauge manufacturer did or did not have this type label or warranty statement, simply making consumers aware of our rights.  As these items creep higher and higher in value and with the issues many have seen for item failures quickly after purchase, it's good to know what your options and rights are.

You are absolutely correct.   I usually do modifications to vehicles right after I buy them, so I am well aware of the Magnuson-Moss Act.

Example, I installed a Vortech S1 supercharger on my then new '96 Impala SS in early 1997...well within the warranty time frame.

Had an issue where the overflow bottle would plug and cause cooling issues.   It was fully covered under warranty.

My service advisor didn't even blink at the shiny hardware attached to the motor other than to say "that's awesome.

Now then, if I lunched some rocker arms or sent a piston thru the hood as a result of too much boost, not enough ignition retard, that's on me, no warranty.

As you said, the failure of a component under warranty has to be related to the aftermarket parts you installed for them to deny warranty.   Installing a custom exhaust doesn't void my warranty if the power seat motor goes out....as an example.

Lots of words. If I get some of the foregoing:

"Stickers" notwithstanding - if I had put some non-FCA parts on my Challenger within the warranty period, then had a problem with that area of the car, I would not have expected them to honor the warranty in that area. Why should they? They warrantied the FCA product, not the XYZ product. How could they and why should they? If you want to mess with your product using outside vendors, or definitely your own handiwork, within the factory warranty period, and get a failure, then I don't have a lot of sympathy. None, really.

(Having to send something in for a repair, when you know what and where the issue is, and could just open the hood and fix it, is a painful side-effect of warranties.) 

I did have non-original wheels, manual shift lever and 1" lowering springs put on my R/T - all Mopar parts installed by the dealer. That's  the way to modify a warrantied item, or just wait.

If I understand the thrust of all the previous stuff. 

I think one of the targets of these letters is Tesla Motors, who is still are stating on the new Model 3 that they require they do certain maintenance (not free) in order to maintain the warranty.  But it is mostly electronics companies with the labels that state removing or damaging the label voids the warranty.  I think the Sony Playstation was one of the mentioned products.

Having spent over 46 years in the imported auto parts world both at the aftermarket and new car dealer levels (prior to retirement 6 years ago) i'm very familiar with the issue of non- OEM parts and warranties. Back in the late 1960's Mercedes paid a significant fine because their dealers would not sell parts to independent repair shops claiming only factory authorized M-B dealers could repair the cars. In the mid 1970's a Rolls Royce dealer in CT would not sell a power steering hose to a retail customer claiming it was a safety related item to only be installed at a RR dealership (for a total cost of about $2,000 parts and labor). Long and short of it was that at that time RR used GM Saginaw power steering units, the hose was the same as a similar model year Cadillac and Buick Electra 225 and cost the customer less than $100 at the GM dealership i sent him to. He was so pleased that he gave me a case of Maker's Mark as a reward for helping him.

Now back to trains before this gets zapped as irrelevant. Tonight is the regular Thursday train group meeting.  We'll be pulling the remaining LW and a KW out of service and replacing them and the previously 2 retired LW's with 2 180PH's.

EscapeRocks posted:

You are absolutely correct.   I usually do modifications to vehicles right after I buy them, so I am well aware of the Magnuson-Moss Act.

Example, I installed a Vortech S1 supercharger on my then new '96 Impala SS in early 1997...well within the warranty time frame.

Had an issue where the overflow bottle would plug and cause cooling issues.   It was fully covered under warranty.

My service advisor didn't even blink at the shiny hardware attached to the motor other than to say "that's awesome.

Now then, if I lunched some rocker arms or sent a piston thru the hood as a result of too much boost, not enough ignition retard, that's on me, no warranty.

As you said, the failure of a component under warranty has to be related to the aftermarket parts you installed for them to deny warranty.   Installing a custom exhaust doesn't void my warranty if the power seat motor goes out....as an example.

Well Put.

Some manufacturers say it this way.  Use our parts, etc. If you have a failure related to parts that were not ours, we may not cover that warranty for those components or related failures.  Example, you use a third party rebuilt turbo on a million dollar diesel and well, it craps, spits chunks into the valve train which breaks valves and junks pistons etc.  Fires can be caused etc.  The company will request the failed parts.  If they are not OEM or Approved, many times they will not honor at least some portion of the warranty.  If the parts are not provided for investigation, same thing, maybe no $$.

There can also be such a thing as "goodwill $$" which is a different pot of gold that is sometimes used to smooth such situations.

See it all the time every day.  In fact, One of my standard lines is something like I  understand your customer may well do this anyway, but you need to be aware and remind them that this action is a mis-application or what ever and that if a failure is due to the non OEM parts, or mis-application, they will risk warranty being voided. No I am not a lawyer and I don't have to deal with that part of it.

Lord knows we cause ourselves enough problems, we don't need any help!