Supples’ Pub

Update 7/27: Doh, hybrid owners among others are exempt!

Unfortunately there are some exceptions. The Cummins diesel in the Ram trucks will keep its current 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. Another important exception will be the new Dodge Durango/Chrysler Aspen hybrids which are coming next year. According to a Chrysler spokesman, the hybrid powertrain and battery will not have the lifetime warranty. The battery still gets a 10 year/80,000 mile warranty because they are considered part of the emission control system.

Wow, so this is Chrysler’s attempt at selling the massive overstock at it’s dealers. I’m sure this may help get fence sitters on the lots over some of the more popular cars like 300, Charger, and the forthcoming Challenger - but with generic POS’ like Sebring, Avenger (yech), and the over-compensating Nitro, it’s going to take lot more than a lifetime powertrain warranty to move those suckers.

Edit: So from the perspective of a performance car owner, one might be excited about lifetime powertrain coverage as when you have a high performance car, sometimes things tend to break. CV axles (for those with an IRS, or maybe a high powered FWD setup), spun bearings, tranny problems, etc. The problem with this being a bonus for Dodge’s performance cars (300C, Charger RT, forthcoming Challenger, and all SRT-variants) is that these are locked down tighter than a drum. The rear axle ratio is relatively poor (3.06:1, comparatively GM uses 3.46:1 in the Corvette and GTO), so a performance owner would want to change that out for something better. Computer tuning is very popular on modern cars, especially those with automatic transmissions as you can adjust transmission behavior and performance via the computer. Oops, Dodge has those locked down like your daughter’s virginity. A popular route for those looking for more power in Mopars these days is to drop SRT8 6.1L V8 engine parts into the SRT 5.7L V8. No more warranty there. So in summary, this powertrain warranty has little to no benefit for performance-minded owners. Sure this may help swing Soccer Mom over to the Chrysler Town & Country instead of the Honda Odyssey with its 3 year warranty, but that’s about all it’s got going for them.

Chrysler today leapfrogged every other car maker by extending its powertrain warranty on every new car and truck it sells to the life of the vehicle. The warranty will apply to the entire powertrain including the engine, transmission/transaxle, drive shafts, and axles. The new warranty goes into effect today, July 26, 2007 and applies to all new 2007s that are on the dealer lots as well as 2008 models.

The warranty covers all parts and labor as long as the owner brings the car in to a Chrysler dealer at least once every five years for a free powertrain inspection. Apparently, the only fly in the ointment is that the new warranty applies to the original owner and is not transferable. If the car is sold within the first three years, the warranty reverts to the previous 3 year/36,000 mile coverage for subsequent owners. The press release is after the jump.

Source: BREAKING: Chrysler announces lifetime powertrain warranty! - Autoblog

Edit 2: I rest my case about poor modern Mopar performance upgrading. Taken from the GTO forum, referencing a new article in Hot Rod Magazine:

They test power parts for all three vehicles. Its the September 07 issue. They test FRPP’s FR500 Mustang, 500 hp blower upgrade and every part in the FRPP catalouge. It runs a best 11.87 1/4mile. Then they test parts on a 5.7L Hemi Charger and 6.1 SRT-8 Magnum, getting a 524 rwhp, but it’s not in the 11s yet. And Finally they test Ken Duttweiler’s 2004 GTO. Ported LS6 heads, Magnacharger, full exhaust, borla catback, 122 blower upgrade, alcohol injection, some cams and other bolt on stuff, stock bottom end, and computer management. Putting out over 600 whp and runs 11.60s (non-corrected, corrected it is a 11.28) consistently. Way to go GTO. Beating out all the other tuner cars. Great article with step by step instructions and dynoing after each mod. Seems like all the Hemi guys are having troubles working on the tuning of their cars dude to lockout software courtesy Mercedes Benz.