I have worked for several Bay Area dealers over the years and most service departments and techs take a dim view of chips and other modifications when it comes to warranty repair. Remember that the dealer has to get reimbursement from Ford for any work/parts using a set of labor standards that are based on approved diagnostic routines. Then the causal part has to be identified and the steps used to find the problem have to be recorded on the claim from Ford. If they kick it back, nobody gets paid. In the past I have problems with chips that have burnt PCM's and in most cases the customer has to pay the bill upfront and appeal to the area rep for any help from Ford. I do remember one claim that Ford paid in full. Modifications make it next to impossible to make diagnostic procedures and test equipment effective since they are based on factory parameters and do not see anything else. There is a code now that is set to indicate a chip installation. When getting into engine/trans failure after modifications are done through warranty is a tough row to hoe. These are generally refered to the Ford rep for judgement. I for one accept the fact if I modify I will probably have to pay for repairs. The pressure is really on warranty claims at Ford dealers now and they are really tightnening the restrictions and labor standards,so they are really caught in the middle. Most Gen 1 trucks should be out of warranty by now anyway.
Mark Hebard
NLOC#332 |