Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Warranty

Odd, from www.mogwire.com:
"The June edition of Mog Magazine, the latest MMC publication, has printed an article by T. J. Whitworth. Mr.Whitworth, the Morgan director and accountant warned buyers that the fitting of parts he has not approved ("not genuine") will void a new car warranty. (Whitworth has taken over warranty claims approval from Mark Baldwin, the Service Chief a couple of years ago.) In fact, the state of the relevant law is quite clear, though there is still much confusion amongst consumers. The use of non-manufacturer parts, modification or labor can only void a manufacturer's warranty to the extent of the subject car is effected by these. In other words, if you fit a aftermarket mirror you prefer, the only part of the Morgan warranty that is voided is the one on the mirror and anything affected by your installation. The Company was asked by the Wire to comment or clarify but they have not done so."

I assume if an approved Morgan dealer supplies or fits the part it might be a slightly different story.....

Does that mean that the warranty on my Roadster is void 'cause I used a non-Morgan bit of wire to short out the duff Morgan-approved clutch pressure switch to start the thing?

The warranty on a dealer fitted mirror is the responsability of the dealer.

I don't think it is strange at all; in fact, I'd go as far as to say that MMC have taken a pretty relaxed view of modifications, where as other car makers have really tightened their warranty claims process (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes for a start).

My understanding, and this isn't Morgan specific, is that if you fit a part that isn't supplied by, or approved by, the maker of the product (in this case, a vehicle), and this part causes an issue with the product, the car maker is well within their rights to deny the warranty claim. For instance, if you fit an non OEM exhaust and it causes engine issues because of increased back pressure, etc, then the engine claim would not be covered under warranty.

If you think Morgan are taking a tough stance, Porsche won't allow you to take out extended warranty if you have a non-OEM battery installed

The legal test would be 'what is fair and reasonable?'.

As above, if you modify your car, you risk voiding the warranty. That's fair.

If you fitted a non Morgan carpet and the engine exploded, it would be unfair to void your warranty. The courts would most likely agree.

Common sense. Innit? (As my daughter might say).

You assume that it is the manufacturer who defines product warranty rather than the law of the land.

Even without legislation, Neilda makes more sense. Judges are car owners too.

What car does Whitworth drive?

No I do not assume. It is you who has made the assumption of what I know and do not know. Furthermore, in my response (which you have quoted) I have not disagreed with the stance that "fair and reasonable" would be both the correct approach and the basis for any legal test.

As for what cars the directors of Morgan drive, what bearing does that have on a discussion regarding warranty claims? Unless you are inferring that they have modified their cars, in doing so they have done damage to said vehicle and are having them repaired under warranty?

Looks like a non-debate to me. I've just looked at the actual article and what Mr. Whitworth says is:

"If you fit a non-genuine part that damages the vehicle – your warranty is voided."

Isn't that what everyone else here is saying? The important part is "that damages the vehicle" - a crucial caveat that it seems mogwire chose not to include in their quote.

~iw

I've just had a look at the handbook for my Roadster. Under the section "What is not covered?" it says (amongst other things)

Damage caused by:
altering or modifying the vehicle -including the engine, body, chassis, or components - after the vehicle leaves MORGAN's control.
non-Morgan parts installed after the vehicle leaves MORGAN's control.

Note, that's far from the complete wording, check your own book, but it sounds fair enough to me.
Ian