Warranty dont cover T-Bar Crank

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Yep, "can" is the word ... it's not like I've done the math on it or anything, but I can see a dealer nixing some warranty items because of it.

Don't get me wrong tho ... I'd LOVE a set of 35's! With the right setup, like Cognito or Fox shocks and limiter straps, a lot of that stress is absorbed at the shock and won't damage the next part in line.

[H3less]

So Aflax, how much did you crank the bars? I know I want to level the front end when it comes time. It seems there are plenty of you that have done it with no issues, what's the dealer's responce to that one?

[aflax24]

All I did was crank 2 turns and put on my 35s. I started getting a popping after a couple months, which dealer claims is from the TBars. The dealer (Bob Moore Hummer in OKC) put the 35's on for me and I cranked the bars. When I brought it in, they dropped the bars and said the noise went away then they went ahead and cranked them back up and gave me the car back to go on my way.

It seems to me that if the dealer can sell new H3's with lift kits and perfomance tunes under warranty that lt shouldnt be a problem to fix the problem that came from 2 turns of the bars?

[NEOCON1]

never ever admit to anything

[H3less]

Originally Posted by NEOCON1

never ever admit to anything

Good point

Are most dealers techs good enough to spot something like a crank on the t bars, or is it tough to tell with out measureing and stepping back and taking a good look from the side comparing it to another non lifted?

[aflax24]

No Sh1t...Too late for that...At least I learned my lesson...

Except for this incident, the dealer has been awesome. So I really should not be complaining too much.

[hummerabia]

Originally Posted by H3less

Good point

Are most dealers techs good enough to spot something like a crank on the t bars, or is it tough to tell with out measureing and stepping back and taking a good look from the side comparing it to another non lifted?

Not in this neck of the woods They just think the raised appearance is due to fitting 33's GMC dealer even did the alignment on warranty after I done mine a couple of turns

[usetosellhummer]

F5 always the hard line with you and I understand it and love it. I come from real world Hummer sales, Management, and service. I have way too many stories to tell of mods including turbos that have been repaired under service warrenty. Bottom line. Customer service and as long as you don't go so far out of bounds it is major it should and will be covered. And if the dealer did pull that on me i would trade it. (has not happend yet)
Sold 4.5 million dollars of Hummer products
Demos: 03 H1, 98 H1, 03,04 H2
Owned 06 H3
Lovin my 07 H3

[Crash ?]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Let's face reality. GM, or any other manufacturer, warranties the vehicle as it is when it leaves the factory, .

Interesting.. So GM should only be liable to fix it if I'd left the right side adjusted a inch and half lower than the left.. Just like it was when I picked it up from the dealer..

BTW.. A walked around the dealer lot the other day while waiting on a service.. Over half of the H3s on the lot were lopsided by half an inch or more.. Most of them were lower on the right rather than the left.. Or maybe the left was just higher than the right..

Originally Posted by Crash ?

Interesting.. So GM should only be liable to fix it if I'd left the right side adjusted a inch and half lower than the left.. Just like it was when I picked it up from the dealer..

BTW.. A walked around the dealer lot the other day while waiting on a service.. Over half of the H3s on the lot were lopsided by half an inch or more.. Most of them were lower on the right rather than the left.. Or maybe the left was just higher than the right..

Mmmm, asphalt parking lots are rarely level too....

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Originally Posted by Crash ©

Interesting.. So GM should only be liable to fix it if I'd left the right side adjusted a inch and half lower than the left.. Just like it was when I picked it up from the dealer..

BTW.. A walked around the dealer lot the other day while waiting on a service.. Over half of the H3s on the lot were lopsided by half an inch or more.. Most of them were lower on the right rather than the left.. Or maybe the left was just higher than the right..

It's really about the specs. Whether there were quality control issues at the factory or something settled during transport, GM is responsible for delivering trucks that meet their specs (mechanical, dimensional, longevity, reliability, etc). If not, GM has to bring the vehicle back to spec under warranty. Likewise, they can hold you to the same specs when you request warranty work after a mod.

The Magnusson-Moss act (passed in 1975) prevents manufacturers from voiding your entire warranty when you install equivalent aftermarket parts. However, if the parts aren't "equivalent" or damaged related systems, they can still deny coverage on that system.

[H3.007]

What kind of noise or damage was supposedly caused by the T-bar crank? And was it properly aligned after the adjustment?

As far as adjustment elading to an accident, if it passes inspection, I do not see how such customization can become a liability. If it passes DOT code, where is the issue? If they start arguing that perspective, I'll start arguing that the sheer ugliness of the FJ caused me to run over said driver - and I wash my hands of the incident. But then again, as long as you are on private property and the accident happens, the cops are not even willing to fine the perpetrator. I found that out the hard way. Unreal.

[BigBill]

I think GM has superbly marketed their line of SUVs and has burned quite an impression into the market that Hummer is a superior, rugged and capable off-road vehicle. When you compare the clientele of Hummer buyers to luxury vehicle buyers, there should be a high expectation that the vehicle will be used for more than grocery transport and Saturday night debauchery with the lady types.

If aflax24 needs to crank his T-bars so he can successfully run core samples of the Earth to scientist in Antarctica, there should be a level of professional understanding by GM to do what it takes to keep his truck running.[/quote]

[BigBill]

I think GM has superbly marketed their line of SUVs and has burned quite an impression into the market that Hummer is a superior, rugged and capable off-road vehicle. When you compare the clientele of Hummer buyers to luxury vehicle buyers, there should be a high expectation that the vehicle will be used for more than grocery transport and Saturday night debauchery with the lady types.

If aflax24 needs to crank his T-bars so he can successfully run core samples of the Earth to scientist in Antarctica, there should be a level of professional understanding by GM to do what it takes to keep his truck running.[/quote]

[waynesoffroad]

Over the past 20 years I have owned over 15 new vehicles and all of them were lifted. I have never had any problems with work being covered under warrenty. Even with my F-350 with a 10" lift and 38's. The dealers in my area are even selling new vehicles with lifts already installed on them. That's BS!

[subunix]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Let me make it clear to all, I only mean the front end noise. I do not mean shocks, knuckles, steering, prop shaft, etc., so long as it is just a one or two inch raise of the front end.
If someone raises the front end one or two inches, and a thousand miles later a shock collapses, GM should warranty the item. However, adding more possible stress to a bushing or weld joint....Not too sure.

Oh, and here I will really stretch it, but something that is coming to all of us with the 2008 vehicles.
Scenario....
You crank up the front end two inches, you rear end someone, or have a head on, the H3 goes up and over and causes great bodily harm. Smart attorney, with a great investigator (and I know some fantastic ones that took early outs from GM/Ford and Chrysler in the past few years), who finds the front end was raised by the owner; thus making one hell of a great case for an attorney. Even if the accident was the other persons fault, their, or their relatives attorney could make a case that they would not have had as much damage if the vehicle was at stock height.

In the future, it might be more of a case, since on these high rise vehicles, a device is installed in the front to help prevent the vehicle from going up and over.

we put in a new bar in the front bumper to deal with that issue

[subunix]

Originally Posted by NEOCON1

never ever admit to anything

[H3.007]

Originally Posted by Crash ?

Interesting.. So GM should only be liable to fix it if I'd left the right side adjusted a inch and half lower than the left.. Just like it was when I picked it up from the dealer..

BTW.. A walked around the dealer lot the other day while waiting on a service.. Over half of the H3s on the lot were lopsided by half an inch or more.. Most of them were lower on the right rather than the left.. Or
maybe the left was just higher than the right..

I had my t-bars cranked by a garage with a professional, laser aimed, digital photo taking alignment machine (I think it controls the ISS too ).

Anyway, they cranked the bars to level the H3 (within 1/4" of level at at all four corners) and then ran the alignment program - which was only 1/100th of an inch off at the 5,000 mile follow-up check. The tech stated the factory alignment, at least by his standards, was terrible. But he was impressed with just about everything else on the H3 and thought perhaps the issue was due to the vehicles being cranked down too tightly on the auto carriers when inbound to dealerships.... My frame was even scratched and chipped where the transporters had hooked on the chains and it initially sat lower on the right side. No worries though - Rustoleum to the rescue and truck bed coating to the rescue. The alignment did the rest.

[dbphotos]

Hummer encourages everyone to run their vehicles off-road and put them in places that damage can happen, so much that they send mechanics and parts to all Hummer events. I agree that if you "mod" your Hummer you could stand to void your warranty on the specific parts you "modded" , but adjustinging a t-bar is certainly not a "mod", but a simple adjustment.

I would talk to the Service Manager and explain your concerns and if that doesn't rectify the situation then tell him/her that you will be opening a ticket with Hummer and then actually do it. My guess is that they will ultimately cover the issue.

Let us know how it turns out.