Phrostione

Just looking for s little advice here. I have a 2013 JKUSport with 19100 miles on it. It has a snorkel, full set of skid plates, and a hood scoop. The other day I had issues starting my JK so I took it to the dealership, they looked at it and they said it was the starter, however they weren't going to cover it under warranty. I asked why and the reason I got was because I have been wheeling with it and it got dirt and mud. I said that is bull, and I haven't done anything with my JK that isn't promoted in the commercials or what the vehicle was designed to do, so why exactly are you refusing to cover it under the warranty? The next answer pissed me off...well you have a full set of skid plates. My response wasn't very pleasant but the jist is I said I will take that all the way up to the owner of the dealership if they don't. After a few apologies I was told they would ask the manager in a few days when he is at work.

What is the deal? Why can't they cover it? Water forging up to 28-30" is acceptable by the information they have posted. That's about all I've really done with my JK. Any thoughts?

TeraFlex

Sounds like they don't want to deal with having to remove your skids to change the starter out and are looking for any reason to not deal with it. Good luck.

scooby snacks

I agree... remove your skid plates first. It will probably help your situation

OH9JK

I will echo what these guys have said. Warranty should absolutely cover replacement of the starter motor but the additional labor to remove/re-install your skids is on you. Either remove yourself or negotiate a rate for the dealer to do it......or find another place to have your Jeep serviced.

Good luck

jk_sea

I'm going to take the devil's advocate position here and side with the dealership. I'm looking at this from the perspective of "what is actually owed, and to whom?"

Electrical components immersed in water are not covered under warranty. If you read the fine print on commercials, it says "do not attempt". If you actually read your factory warranty, you will discover that factory warranties exist to protect the consumer from premature failure of factory components under certain use conditions. This isn't one of them, not if you're talking about sinking the Jeep 2-3 feet deep in water and then asking the dealership why they won't replace the starter.

If you feel truly entitled, i.e. it's not your fault and someone owes you something because of it, you should try filing a comprehensive claim with your vehicle's insurance company for accidental water damage.

Edit: Dealerships don't refuse warranty claims just for fun or to piss you off. They'd like to keep their techs busy and steady work coming in, and warranty work is a sure way to get paid. But they can't defend warranty claims against Chrysler (who pays them) for things Chrysler doesn't actually owe. If Chrysler does an audit or wants the part sent back for inspection and they find that your dealership has been replacing people's "oopses" for free on the company's dime, they're going to get slapped hard. There's all kinds of reporting and metrics that go into analyzing warranty claims. I'm sure the guy at the dealer would love to give you a new starter if he could, to make you happy, and to get you out of the dealership (and his face) as soon as possible, but he can't defend the claim because it's obvious abuse/misuse of that part.

JKphotoshoot

arjeeper

Are you insinuating that a warranty claim, for the starter, is an undue sense of entitlement on behalf of the owner?

No. They provide the warranty. Being entitled to using the provided warranty is expected. We pay for the warranty in the price of the vehicle and we're absolutely entitled to what we've bought.

jk_sea

No, that's not what I'm insinuating.

It sounds like the owner sank his vehicle in 2-3' of water and the starter died as a result. That's not covered under warranty.

Duh.

OH9JK

I have not read the 2013 Owner Manual but my 2009 Owner Manual states....

CAUTION!
• Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer
case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you
drive too fast or through too deep of water. Water
can cause permanent damage to engine, driveline
or other vehicle components, and your brakes will
be less effective once wet and/or muddy.
• This vehicle is capable of crossing through water
at a depth of 30 inches (76 cm) at speeds no greater
than 5 mph (8 km/h). Water ingestion can occur
causing damage to your vehicle.

jk_sea

It states the same in the 2013 Owners Manual. The key is in the englarged text. Just because it's capable doesn't mean that any issues that occur as a result of water crossing are covered under warranty.

I feel bad for the OP, I just don't think it's covered under warranty and isn't the responsibility of the dealership. If they opened up the starter and it was full of muck or water and parts of it corroded, then no, definitely not covered. The manual has several pages about water injestion and immersion and the potential dangers.

It should also be noted that driving over curbs is not covered, according to the warranty booklet.