Most won't believe this, but it's true.

Here's my unbelievable luck in a nut shell:
My 04 Coupe started leaking transmission fluid about two weeks ago. Yes, it was the transmission connector that so many of our vehicles have had issues with. I took it to the dealer and of course the easy fix of just replacing the connector ended up turning into having the same issue others have had, the internal connector bolt was stripped resulting in needing to change the transmission valve body or at minimum the valve body connector. Dealer told me my vehicle transmission valve body was one piece, unlike 2005 and newer, which was designed to be 2 pieces. The price for the tranny connector was $15, the valve body would be $1400, and of course labor, trans fluid, gasket etc. So, according to them, I was looking at $1600 plus. I said, put the old one back on and drove away. I did some research, which forum members helped out with as well, and found out they were full of bull at that dealer. Other dealers, parts suppliers and forum members all said at most it should need the valve body connector, and ofcourse new fluid etc. This would run about $700 or more. I felt better about this repair and so I took it to a different dealer because they seemed to know what they were talking about and confirmed what forum members had been saying.

HERE"s the UNBELIEVABLE LUCK................... I took it to the dealer, they confirmed the nut was stripped and would have to put in a new valve body connector, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND IT WOULD BE COVERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $100 Deductible (Actually, it only ended up costing $62.

They ordered the part (I had to leave it over the weekend because they suggested - an rightfully so, not to drive it), and fixed it today. The 7/70 warranty runs out next month (I only have 10K miles on it but it was purchased 7 years ago in Dec). Not only were the powertrain warranties transferable, but at no charge and to any number of owners. I don't think most people know that and I believe most dealers won't either know it or communicate it to the customer. I have to say I was UNBELIEVABLY lucky that this dealer did. For those of you out there --- I believe these warranties were good through cars built through 2007. It's worth it to do your research if you are the original owner or the 2nd or later owner on these vehicles. Here's a link to an article that may be of some interest. I hope you don't have to go through this service, but I expect if you haven't, the original owner already did or you will have to at some point.

Good luck, and hope your luck will be as good as mine on this one.


DaimlerChrysler Announces New Seven Year, 70,000 Mile Powertrain Warranty

 

Chrysler to end 7 year/70,000 warranty


May 16, 2005


If you are shopping for a 2006 Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep model, you should be aware of a change -- the car will no longer come with a standard 7-year/70,000 mile powertrain warranty.
Vehicles from the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler will get the company's 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which includes all components, including the engine and transmission, covered by the powertrain warranty, according to a Chrysler Group spokesman.
The seven-year powertrain warranty currently comes standard on 2005 models and covers the major working parts of a car including the engine and transmission.

The Lifetime Powertrain Warranty then began around July 25th, 2007. Not transferable.

 

So what is the real deal on warranties for 04, 05 , 06 ,07 ??????? Im so not understanding this !!!!!

 

Apparently, the 7/70 fully transferable powertrain warranties applied up through the 2005 MY vehicles, with no transfer restrictions. Following that, the limited lifetime warranty on the subsequent MY vehicles began. As noted above, they are not transferable. I have an 08 Chrysler and the lfetime warranty is only good for the orignial owner.

With that said, if you have an 04 or 05 Crossfire and it's still under 7 years / 70K miles from date of orignial purchase, then the powertrain coverage should still apply no matter what owner you are. The dealer I went to didn't even ask.

 

Paul - glad its getting worked out. Who did you take it to, important we know the good and the bad dealerships.

 

Pat, it was DARCARS Chrysler in Rockville, MD. They seemed pretty good there. Fairly knowledgeable and pretty fare about things. I might still have an issue with with the repair (intermittent for now) but I'm confident if it ends up being a problem they'll make it right. It's just my first cut experience, but given the experience at the dealer in Mt. Airy (which wasn't good), I'll likely continue to take it to DARCARs unless something goes awry.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Paul if you have any problems ask to speak with Mike Catron, tell him you are a fried. Mike's a customer and a friend of mine. He'll do everything within his power to get you squared away.
Mike is the Service manager.

 

Is there a place to go on line to check & see if your car is still under warranty or not ??? I have an 04 with 22,500 miles on it !!!

 

I would not call being unfamiliar with the warranty your vehicle came with as luck. One the other hand, the part about getting it repaired before the coverage runs out next month can definitely be considered good luck.

Crossfire powertrain warranty terms have changed several times. The warranty manual that came with the car, the build date, and the in-service date are all important in determination of coverage.

1. 2004 model year Crossfires built (see decal on driver side door frame) before 10/01/2003 came with 7/70 powertrain warranty that transfers automatically to any number of subsequent owners during period of coverage at no cost.
2. 2004 model year Crossfires built on or after 10/01/2003 have 7/70 warranty that transfers to a second owner only (third or subsequent owners not covered) for a transfer cost of $150 that must be applied for at a Chrysler dealership w/in 30 days of purchase.
3. 2005 Crossfires have the same coverage as #2 above.
4. 2006 Crossfires only had a Basic 3/36 warranty, i.e. no additional Powertrain coverage. However, those that were sold on/after 07/26/2007 came with the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty which is not transferable.
5. 2007 Crossfires were the same as #4 above.
6. 2008 Crossfires also had the same coverage as #4 above though obviously just about any 2008 Crossfire would have been sold with the Lifetime warranty.

 

Well, this would mean both my 2005's would have warranty left...both under 36K....

 

Excellent point, and while you might expect one would know this, your very nice summary of the warranty coverage illustrates why someone might not know, would be confused, or mislead by the dealer. At any rate, it was a lucky path that I took that resulted in me finding out the right information, confirming warranty coverage and actually getting it done prior to it expiring in early December. Good news on this repair and here's hoping I don't have any costly powertrain issues in the future.

Thanks for the warranty overview. Many people are asking the questions which your summary will likely answer.

 

Will do Pat. Mike was the person I dealt with last night. He seemed like a good guy. He took a ride with me last night to check things out. I'll let you know what happens. They are checking into the issue with the tech and Chrysler. What happens is it will stay in limp mode (second gear I believe) and won't shift automatically or manually. You can turn it off and restart it and it (thus far) goes back to normal operation. No check engine light, no other indicators of malfunction. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

Thanks, Paul

 

Today, I contacted 3 Chrysler dealerships concerning purchasing an extended warranty and all three confirmed the same thing. My 05 Roadster has 9 months remaining on the drivetrain warranty as long as I pay the transfer fee of 150 bucks within the next 23 days.

Also, the extended warranty through Chrysler is going to be 400 cheaper if there is a drivetrain warranty in place. That's based on a 5 year/70,000 mile max care plan with 200 deductible.

Tired