“We don’t turn our backs on people” when it comes to warranty returns, said Moroso’s Frank Thibodeau. Even in a case like this, where a customer sent back a pan that had been damaged during racing, “we will try to help, whether we repair it for a small amount of money or sell you a new one at a lower price.”

There’s the fine print. And then there’s reality.

Most product warranties in the performance automotive space are pretty clear when it comes to racing. According to the fine print (these days often found on a company’s website), parts may be warrantied against defects in material and workmanship for anywhere from 90 days to as long as the purchaser owns the vehicle. That warranty will disappear, however, if the product is installed on what companies refer to as “vehicles used for racing or competition purposes.”

The reality, though, can actually be more forgiving.

“Our standard warranty is one year,” said Mike Buca of Design Engineering, Inc. (DEI), Avon Lake, Ohio. “We just took it to two years on our new Gen 3 Titanium & Onyx Turbo Shields. However, we like to work with our customers. We don’t try to be hard-nosed about the warranty. It’s on a one-on-one, case-by-case basis, but we stand behind the stuff.” He pointed out that the thermal protection products DEI makes “are a consumable and only last for so long. So one of the things we’ll look at is how long the customer had it. If a guy calls us and has had a thermal shield on his car for four years, and it’s starting to show its age, that’s not a warranty issue, that’s more a lifespan issue.”

“We always want to help people out. We don’t usually just turn our backs on people,” explained Frank Thibodeau of Moroso Performance Products, Guilford, Connecticut. “Even if it’s an old part, we usually will try to help you out, whether we repair it for a small amount of money or sell you a new one at a lower price.”

“With a race car part or a high-performance part, things happen,” said JC Beattie Jr. of ATI Performance Products, Baltimore, Maryland. “We’re willing to work with people because we have these projects, and we race, too. We are also a family-owned business. We make it all here, and it’s good stuff. Very seldom do you get a flat-out ‘No, too bad’ from us.

“And sometimes we have an answer for you,” Beattie added. “Maybe we’ve heard about this problem before. We know what caused it. So some people are chasing a problem that’s not ours, and we send them in the right direction.”

Reggie Wynn, sales and marketing manager for both Precision Turbo & Engine and Turbonetics, in Crown Point, Indiana, noted that his companies’ products “are engineered and designed for racing. There are even turbos that are made to spec for various drag racing classes. So the beauty of our warranty is, racing doesn’t void it. It’s a one-year, no-fault, no-hassle, one-time, get-out-of-jail-free card.”

All he asks is that “when you call in, be honest. That goes a long way. There have been times I’ve bent over backwards to help out guys who were completely honest with me and said, ‘Hey, I messed this up. Is there anything you can do?’”

Beattie agreed. “Don’t start the process with any manufacturer by saying, ‘Hey, you guys screwed up.’ Being quick with a snap judgment starts everything off on the wrong foot. We’re all human. We all make mistakes, but we try to limit that as best we can.”

Voiding the Warranty

As lenient as these companies can be, there are circumstances where customers do void the product warranties. For example, ATI clearly states on its website that the use of hydraulic fluid instead of red ATF will void the transmission’s warranty. “Hydraulic fluid is not made to get sheared in a torque converter or run at the pressures or the rpm it does,” Beattie said. ATI also uses a lead seal on two pump bolts in its transmissions, “so if the pump bolts were taken out and the transmission came apart, the warranty is voided.”

“Most of the time, when you try to fix it yourself first, that’ll void the warranty,” confirmed Thibodeau. “Contact the manufacturer, or contact the person you bought it from, and get the process started to get the product back.”

“Typically, the issues we run into are when something’s been abused, like a turbo shield that’s been modified or cut,” said Buca. “We occasionally get calls where a guy says, ‘This turbo shield caught fire.’ They’ll send us pictures, and we can see it’s just totally soaked in oil, like there’s a leaking valve cover or oil line. The shield is made of materials that absolutely won’t burn, but if you get fluid on it, that fluid will burn. We can’t control that.”

And then there are the “catastrophic failures that weren’t caused by the product that you’re having the warranty issue with,” noted Thibodeau. “We do get this occasionally where a customer has an engine explosion, and a pan or a dry sump pump will get damaged. That wouldn’t be a warranty situation, even if it was within 90 days of purchase. You’re not going to send the oil pan back and say, ‘A rod went through the side of the pan.’ We didn’t build the motor, so it doesn’t really have anything to do with that side of it.”

Ultimately, no matter the circumstances, honest conversation with the manufacturer is the best way to resolve warranty issues.

“Sometimes, if we’re holding steady that it’s not under warranty, the customer will open up and start to explain what happened, and then life gets a lot easier for everybody,” Beattie said. “Everybody can get educated, and you’re not just pointing the finger. Everybody has to have a little responsibility in this deal. It’s not easy for the manufacturer. We’re not here just collecting money. We’re in the shop making parts, putting things together, sweating over them. We’re out racing with our race cars and guys who we sponsor and work with. We’re never trying to screw somebody. There’s a two-way street on a lot of this.”

SOURCES

ATI Performance Products
atiracing.com

Design Engineering, Inc.
designengineering.com

Moroso Performance Parts
moroso.com

Precision Turbo & Engine
precisionturbo.net

Turbonetics
turboneticsinc.com