Ok, so Im going to be looking into doing some mods to my tow rig/daily driver, just to make it more fun.. as if it wasnt fun enough already.. Im thinking about doing the quadzilla towing box, some gauges and tow mirrors. I know that the dealer will probably void the warranty, but do boxes have a tendency to make these trucks less reliable? Scott
Other than the fact that it's just one more complicated gadget to go wrong, not really. I've been running mine for something like 1.5+ years and no complaints. I (and others) did have a "crank no start" issue with the first version of "The Edge" I ran (1.4?) but it was no big deal and was fixed for free within a few months with a new version (1.64?). Basically I would turn the key and it would just turn over like a gasser with the coil wire off, turn the key off and wait 10 seconds or so for the whole system to power down, turn the key again and it would crank. Some others have had other problems including "stalling" on rare occasions (that may or may not have been due to the box). But all in all, it's does not seriously impact reliability as long as you don't go too far for your engine, trans, or other parts of your drive train... On an otherwise stock DMax that is generally regarded as +75-90 hp and +150-200 ft/lbs (roughly) before the Allison starts slipping (mostly OD clutches and converter clutch) for running unloaded, and about half that for towing before the stock exhaust causes high EGT. With upgrade converter, shift kit, and 4" free flow exhaust, those numbers can easily be increased by 50% safely. Disclaimer: This is "common wisdom" that I am repeating because I happen to agree with and it seems accurate based on my experience. However, "your mileage may vary"...
Neither towing mirrors or guages should effect your warranty at all. I do not know what kind of power a quadzilla box makes but the engine should be fine if it's not above 70-80HP or so. Just watch the stock clutch when loaded. Pias from Bell Turbo has an '02 Dodge HO 6 spd and says with his Edge Comp box on level 4 or 5 (100-120HP) he can spin the clutch right off the flywheel at 1800RPM's if he wanted to.
I should clarify, I know the gauges wont void the warranty, and i know the tow mirrors won't either. My main concern is the box.. Im looking at doing the quadzilla 65 hp "towing" module box... I guess I could always adopt the "You are you own warranty station" mentality.... Or just hope nothing goes wrong.. Scott
I don't know about the rest of the country but out here in Oregon (lane county to be more specific) we just haven't had that much problem warranty wise. Hell you can buy a brand new ctd and finance chip and injectors right into the bill. I did have one customer who had problems, the dealer even red flagged his VIN. He had it towed to Lithia Dodge and they looked past the chip and fixed the problem. Had nothing to do with the chip. Even in other parts of the country it is against the law to void a warranty unless they can prove it was the chips fault. If anybody needs more info on this I can get the name of the act passed by congress. It slips me at this point. Mike www.DunksPerformance.com
I know what law you are talking about....and it is basically meant to keep a dealer from say... voiding your warranty on a blown speaker because there are larger than stock tires on the vehicle. Far as I know there is no law that can prevent them from voiding the warranty on a failed injection pump if the vehicle has a chip, the IP was directly effected by the aftermarket part. But...I hope I'm incorrect.
Unfortunately, you are correct, sorta. The law, as written and passed, is really to stop them from voiding your warranty because you put a WIX filter or some other after market part, even better quality, on instead of a DC/GM/FMC part. That is it's spirit and stated intent. But the wording basically prevents them from voiding the warranty for *any* after market part, even performance enhancing or otherwise non-stock spec, unless they can prove cause and effect. Problem is, nothing is really clear, and they can claim anything they like, and it's basically up to you to prove them wrong in court. Most of the time, that will be hard to do if say, you put a "chip" on and injectors go out, injector pump goes out, trans fails, rod starts knocking, or pretty much anything drive train related, because you increased power substantially over what the factory designed. Did the chip do it, or not? They can easily make a claim that the two are related, can you prove it wasn’t? So using a chip, and getting caught, means you are your warranty station for anything in the drive train. Depending on the details, you *MIGHT* (and I can't say MIGHT large enough!) be able to make a case that it was unrelated, but good luck, you'll need it. Even if you do win, 3 years or more when it gets to trial after the big bucks corp lawyers get through filing stalling motions, the time and hassle are probably not worth the $3k trans build or $2k injector fiasco. And on top of that, you still have a flagged warranty/VIN that means EVERYTHING is going to be denied if there is even the most tenuous connection to that chip. Even if they loose on some part of the very few that make it to court or settle (and they will likely wear you down, settling 2-3 years later to keep it out of court and put a gag order on you) the numbers are still in their favor over all. You simply can't win that fight, even if you win the case. You would have a better chance of coming out ahead by taking your lawyer retainer and playing Vegas. Of course, them claiming your radio went out due to the chip is a different scenario entirely, but who cares? That's chump change compared to drive train warranty issues. So, my suggestion is "suck it up" and deal with it. Wait till the warranty lapses to install the chip, or accept that you are sacrificing the warranty. You could be just as ethically and morally bankrupt as the big corps we all hate and despise by trying to hide the fact that you are using a chip when the engine blows. But frankly, I am tired of hearing about those people who *ABUSE* the warranty system in that way. People like that are no better than thieves and all the rest who feel entitled to force others to absorb the costs of their mistakes and the repercussions of their decisions. All that said, I made my "chip" easily removable for visits to the dealer to avoid *their* potential abuse of the warranty. If I loose the injectors, which are a known problem in a small percentage of DMax trucks and are a big enough concern that GM increased the warranty to 200k on my truck, then darn straight I'll let them replace them under warranty. The chipped trucks show no greater incidence of failure than the non-chipped as far as I've seen. And GM has been known to void warranties on injectors because you installed additional fuel filtration up stream with a lift pump to try to save them! DC and FMC have done the same thing. But if I smoke the tranny, and I do keep the power turned down quite a bit to help prevent that till I can get it built, then that is MY fault and my problem. Period. If there is a reasonable chance the chip was at fault, I'll take responsibility for my choices… I hope that makes sense…
