When Chryslerberus announced their new "lifetime warranty" last July, the fine print revealed that the security blanket only covered the vehicle's original owner. It also stated the hot-to-trot SRT models were exempt. Fair enough; these highly-horsed Hemis are likely experience a bit more than "normal" wear and tear. That said, Chrysler seem to be playing Three Card Monte (Find the Lady for our British audience) with that particular rider. The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 sitting on the company's LA Auto Show display stand proudly proclaims its lifetime warrant-age. If you look closely– just below that sticker– there's a line that's so small it looks like a row of dashes. It states "Not available on SRT…" When confronted about this declarative discrepancy, Mr. Lawence Oswald of Chrysler LLC agreed that we'd identified a mysterious automotive anomaly. "That's a good question." So how about a good answer?
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My guess is that Chrysler will push extended service contracts, and barring that, hope the owner’s lifetime is shorter than that of the vehicle’s.
Will the Chinese or Indian company that purchases Chrysler honour the warranties?
The warranty doesn’t really cover anything special anyway just manuf. defects that would show up in the normal warranty period. Plus how many times will someone keep bringing their car in to have the same Chinese part replaced over and over and over again.
Same ol’ s**t different name at the top. They might start turning the company around if Detroit started being honest to customers instead of playing the same games. Trust is probabably the most important part of the car purchase unless it’s cheap enough to negate the risk of buying from a born liar.
Obviously the folks who set up the Chrysler booth at the auto show care less about the fine print than the legal staff who greenlighted it.
If only Chrysler interiors had the lawyers’ attention to detail.
Reminds me of the “lifetime” warranty that Midas used to have on their $29.95 mufflers — it covered the muffler, but not the pipes that were invaribly, inextircably rusted to said muffler. Lots of people left the place spending $100-150 for their “free” muffler.
To elaborate: They’ll get you into their Service Dep’t for a “covered” repair, but they’ll take the opportunity to carefully inspect the vehicle for “non-covered” items that need replaced (most obviously, brakes), and press the hapless customers to have the additional work done “for safety’s sake”.
The dealer’s Service Dept. is usually a lonely place after the warranty period expires – this is a good move on Chrysler’s part…
I’ll back that Midas analogy (their mufflers are decent b/c Midas didn’t make them – but any part that was quality of their workmanship was very poorly constructed). They have very poorly trained mechanics – I wound up giving their welder a welding lesson after watching him botch up welding a new tip on a muffler.
I knew a guy that worked in a Midas shop — he told me that it was the Manager’s duty to sell as many additional services to the Little Old Lady as possible. Many people came in for their “free” muffler, and left with entire new exhaust systems and a brake job (to the tune of $300-400). They always had the “new kid” standing by with a cutting torch, ready to disembowl the underside of Dart Swingers ;-)
Speedy Muffler’s free muffler inspection was often conducted with a large Phillips-head screwdriver. It could probably punch holes through a girder.
Warranty replacement of the lifetime guaranteed $40 muffler excluded clamps. They were wonderful clamps at $10 each plus installation and warranty administration charges. A full set was required because they torched them.
What goes around comes around.
I forgot what I was gonna say when I read the ad for Scarlett Johansson on the side of the screen.
….
Thinking…..
Oh yeah!…. No, it’s gone. I’m ruined!
Damn you, Scarlett Johansson!
“They’ll get you into their Service Dep’t for a “covered” repair, but they’ll take the opportunity to carefully inspect the vehicle for “non-covered” items that need replaced (most obviously, brakes), and press the hapless customers to have the additional work done “for safety’s sake”.”
ALL dealerships do this. Same for Meineke, Pep Boys, Midas, blah, blah. They offer something to get you in (“free” or low cost) and then they try to pad the bill. Every pistonhead knows this. What Mopar is doing is not different from ANY car maker or repair chain. Whether it’s ethical is another matter.
Lifetime warranties scare the hell out of me. I can’t but think that they will hire a hitman on me if I try to file a claim.
That’s a pretty ballsy move by Chrysler LLC. A buddy of mine just bought a Jeep & from my read of the fine print here’s the other “catches”
1) You have to take the car in for a dealer inspection/visit every 2yrs; if you miss one the deal is off
2) Like most powertrain warranties it only covers the mechanical components – not electronics etc.
It still seems like it would make for a pretty good deal – especially if you were picking up a leftover, using it as a low mileage runaround & Chrysler LLC is still around in 10 years
considering the resale of cry-sler vehicles the poor owners of new ones will need to keep them forever to get their money’s worth out of them.
Let’s see here, missed an oil change or did not have the dealer do a scheduled maintenance, then your SOL.
Overheated the engine? see ya.
Towed anything heavier than a box of Kleenex? too bad.
“Of course head gaskets wear out, that is why they are replaceable. ”
Transmission gone out? I guess you should have replaced the fluid more often. How often? Obviously more often than you did.
Spark plug blew out of number 3 cylinder? You must have overtightened it, even though the new head has more metal around number three. Oh, wait, that is Ford’s latest bungle.
Two months ago I purchased a new Dodge Ram 1500. I wrote before on this site the reason is I got the $26,500.00 priced truck for $16,000.00 after $6,000.00 rebate and dealer discounts. The vehicle has the "lifetime" warranty, in which I have read carefully. The owner does have to "check ups" at the dealership every couple of years and a full review before the end of the fifth year of ownership. The warranty also allows Chrysler to utilize reconditioned parts instead of new parts. I read about the warranty prior to purchase. Chrysler knows most people keep their vehicles less than five years, so only a small percentage of owner will go beyond the five year warranty period generally being offered now on many new vehicles. I also would anticipate some kind of resistence from a dealer down the road (I intend to keep the truck for many years and it is not driven very much). But there again, under any warranty plan, whether it be twelve months, thirty six months or longer, dealers have habitually given the customers a bad time. Besides I have a really good business attorney. It may be a marketing gimmick, but I consider it a contract to be adhered to should the need arise to activate the warranty services and Chrysler balks. The truck was over $10K discounted, so it is worth the risk to me. There again, it will intersting to see if Chrysler is in business, in any form, in a few years.
mgrabo, I believe it’s non-transferrable. Original vehicle owner, only.
If there were not already enough reasons not to buy a Chrysler, this one would do it all by itself.
This concept is a signal that the company intends to behave legally rather than ethically. By legally, I mean that they will do what it takes to stay out of jail while pushing as hard and aggressively as they can. They will likely deny claims that are too small for anyone to sue over, make up all sorts of reasons why its your fault, etc…
You’d likely get a better deal from J.G. Wentworth.