Don't race your EVOs and brag about it online...

[dd74]

Car and Driver reports that Mitsubishi EVO drivers who have raced their cars on the track, have had their warranties revoked by Mitsubishi. How did the company find out? One driver in Utah figures the company got onto the EVO web board and took note of the owners who have claimed to put hot laps on their cars, and with that, cancelled their warranty. Mitsu denies such action, but does say racing their cars voids the warranty, akin to many auto manufacturers.

IMO this is suspect indeed, especially since the car is touted with all the items (turbo engine, AWD, Brembo brakes, etc) that make it "race-worthy." Maybe the company doesn't believe their cars are up to the task.

Or maybe the turbo engine, AWD and big brakes are truly a sales gimmick that does intend itself to be used quite the way they are advertised. Could this be a forecast for other companies to void warranties, i.e. Porsche, Ferrari, Cadillac, etc. -- all of whom have high performance automobiles.

If I piloted those companies (including Mitsubishi), possibly the way to go about this is start a true grassroots racing program for drivers who want to mix it up on the track. That way, with some guidance, the company could both bolster and stand behind its product as a machine worthy of the mechanical abuse that is racing. Of course, that would work only if the machinery were engineered for such purposes from the beginning.

Hmmm...

[Zeke]

A similar story to the Autoweek one?

[Adam]

What if for a few extra dollars, they offered a specific "Track Warranty" at dealer level? If you read the fine print on most manufacturer's warranties (including Porsche's), you'll see a clause that reads something like "excluding timed or competitive motorsport events in a competitive setting" or some other BS.

Porsche are still having problems with their PCCB systems and Ferrari were just flatly denying warranty claims on Enzo & 360 Challenge Stradale ceramic braking systems. I seem to remember that people were looking at $6k just for brake pads on an Enzo and I recently read in evo that UK owners of GT3s etc were looking at almost £27,000 to rectify the PCCB issues!

[84porsche]

I don't get Autoweek but I would think that is false advertising if the manufacturer encourages track driving and when owners actually do that they void the warranty. I think they the manufacturer should be grateful that these people are racing on the track and not on the street. I am not one to encourage more lawsuits as we have enough but Mitsubishi needs to take a better stand on their product and support it either way. I honestly would like to see some numbers of what it would cost them to fix these few cars with blown engines etc from track driving. Besides don't most cars have rev limiters do prevent them from blowing the engine. If the car on the other hand was modified, that would acceptable criteria to void the warranty.

[dd74]

Originally posted by Zeke
A similar story to the Autoweek one?

Don't know the Autoweek one. But I bet it's making the round in automotive journalism world.

For the record, I'm not interested in the EVO. But I am interested in the precedent this could mean for "sporting driving."

[dd74]

Originally posted by 84porsche
I don't get Autoweek but I would think that is false advertising if the manufacturer encourages track driving and when owners actually do that they void the warranty. I think they the manufacturer should be grateful that these people are racing on the track and not on the street. I am not one to encourage more lawsuits as we have enough but Mitsubishi needs to take a better stand on their product and support it either way. I honestly would like to see some numbers of what it would cost them to fix these few cars with blown engines etc from track driving. Besides don't most cars have rev limiters do prevent them from blowing the engine. If the car on the other hand was modified, that would acceptable criteria to void the warranty.

The story mentioned that the guy in Utah blew two connecting rods and "ruined" the turbocharger. It cost US $8,000 to repair.

As far as false advertising: well, if you're a lawyer, welcome to the class action lawsuit of the 21st century. Almost every car manufacturer has television commercials with their cars completing astounding feats of driving. If a WRX isn't four-wheel drifting through a soil-laden corner, Chevy pickups are falling off the back of a car carrier, doing 360s and roaring off to the hills. Try that on your own, and if you don't wreck, chances are you'll break the car, and then what? I would say "WTF! The car's made for this. So how come it didn't hold itself together at redline?"

Yes, you're correct: in a way it is false advertising - someone needs to freeze the frame in which the "small print" could appear on one of these commercials detailing the dos and don'ts of the commercial. Otherwise, like they say with Iraq - you break it, you own it.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by 84porsche
...I would think that is false advertising if the manufacturer encourages track driving and when owners actually do that they void the warranty...

Jeep routinely refuses claims when Jeeps are damaged in offroad driving. This is a major discussion point on Jeep forums, since the advertising rarely shows them on road.

[dd74]

Originally posted by techweenie
Jeep routinely refuses claims when Jeeps are damaged in offroad driving. This is a major discussion point on Jeep forums, since the advertising rarely shows them on road.

Exactly!

"Professionally driven on a closed circuit." (sic) is routinely used in commercials with cars driven on the track or raced around on the street.

"Modified for track or rally use." should also be used for cars like the EVO and others; unless such verbiage is already there and I missed it...

[Don 944 LA]

Well, I used to have a Ford Ranger 4x4 extended cab 4-door...

Anyway, had the 100,000 / 5 year warranty.. went through trannys, heads, radiators, clutch slave cylinders and a whole slew of other things.
I used to leave it at the dealer totally covered in MUD ( 1/2 inch thick ).. They would fix everything under warranty and give me a rental car during the repair time..

They finally cut it short when I made them replace the Catalytic Converter at 89,500 miles (cuz they said it was bad) and california law requires them to warranty the cats to 90,000 miles... they replaced it but red-flagged my VIN number.

So about 5 months later, I have the rear differental pin bust and the axles moved in (dropping the c-clip) and then the axles moved out WITH THE TIRES... so, I see my tires fly past me with axles attached as the car is doing 360's on the freeway....

Luckily noone was hurt.
Ford refused to cover the repair because they said that I had modified the vehicle.
The only thing that I had done from previous problems was that I installed a snorkel on the roof for the intake.. What the hell an intake has to do with the rear end is beyond me.

Anyway, thats my 2 cents on the topic..

Here's some pics of the alleged abuse :::

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by techweenie
Jeep routinely refuses claims when Jeeps are damaged in offroad driving. This is a major discussion point on Jeep forums, since the advertising rarely shows them on road.

Jeep sends me a magazine showing them running on trails and touting the Jamboree!! Arrg.

[epbrown]

Originally posted by Adam Chaplin
Porsche are still having problems with their PCCB systems and Ferrari were just flatly denying warranty claims on Enzo & 360 Challenge Stradale ceramic braking systems. I seem to remember that people were looking at $6k just for brake pads on an Enzo and I recently read in evo that UK owners of GT3s etc were looking at almost £27,000 to rectify the PCCB issues!

I hadn't heard about Ferrari's problems with ceramics, but the issue of GT Purely Porsche with a 997 on the cover has a detailed article on the Porsche problems, along with a likely epxlanation of why it's happening. The cost of these braking systems is outrageous, even for supercars!

The kicker is the reviews of the 997 all mention that the PCCB system is available as an option, with no mention of it's problems. Guess the journos don't want to get on the outs with Porsche.

Emanuel