2016 Z06 Engine Failure !
07-06-2016, 04:56 PM
#141
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St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21
I have compassion for people when bad things happen to them that were not of their own creation.
In this instance, it's hard to feel compassion for someone who spent upwards of $90K for a car with 650hp and then blows his engine bolting on parts to make it go faster with no consideration of the consequences and then comes onto a Vette forum looking for "advice".
No, what the OP was actually looking for was sympathy, not advice.
Advice is what he should have asked for BEFORE he wasted his time and money modifying a factory supercharged car on the cheap.
Here is some advice for the OP for the next time:
Cheap. Fast. Reliable.
Pick two because you can't have all three.
07-06-2016, 05:05 PM
#142
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St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21
In practical terms the burden of proof is ultimately upon both parties and I believe that is pretty clear. The manufacturer is likely to quickly state they have reviewed the vehicle damage and the part(s) failure resulted from vehicle modification. Now it is up to you if you want to force the issue to the full extent allowed under M-M and as noted by others that is extremely expensive and time consuming and the end result is likely to be legal fees for the consumer many times the cost of repair which still won't be covered. Additionally manufacturers have inserted specific language in the warranty section excluding warranty coverage due to modification which is very helpful to them if this does rise to the level of a court event.
If GM tells you that you have a 4/50K bumper to bumper warranty and then refuses to fix an infotainment problem at the 1 yr/12K mile point the FTC is your friend. If you add an intake, exhaust, and tune and blow an engine then you are going to be on the hook for an attorney and expert witnesses if you wish to prevail over an initial manufacturer decision that the engine failed because of changed operating conditions due to your modifications. If you want to take it all the way to a jury trial then good luck on seating a jury of people who are friendly to modifying engines and then expecting the producer to honor a warranty.
If GM tells you that you have a 4/50K bumper to bumper warranty and then refuses to fix an infotainment problem at the 1 yr/12K mile point the FTC is your friend. If you add an intake, exhaust, and tune and blow an engine then you are going to be on the hook for an attorney and expert witnesses if you wish to prevail over an initial manufacturer decision that the engine failed because of changed operating conditions due to your modifications. If you want to take it all the way to a jury trial then good luck on seating a jury of people who are friendly to modifying engines and then expecting the producer to honor a warranty.
I disagree. The burden of proof in a court of law when you are suing someone is always, always, always on the plaintiff.
That is why fighting GM on a warranty claim denied because something went boom in your modified car is an uphill battle that unless you have deep pockets is not a fight you are likely to win even if your modification didn't cause the failure. It's not what you know (or think you know) but what you can prove in court.
If you put headers on a factory supercharged car and you throw a rod, it's pretty hard to prove your modification wasn't the proximate cause of the failure.
07-06-2016, 05:15 PM
#143
Chemdawg,
I am in agreement with you. The reason in this case I state there is burden of proof on both is because M-M does state the manufacturer must show the modification(s) caused the failure and many people are trying to read that to mean it is PURELY up to GM (or the relevant manufacturer) to prove the modification is at fault. In reality all it means is the manufacturer has to take the initial step in "proving" the cause but after that the consumer is then in the hot seat and unless that consumer is independently wealthy and is looking for a new hobby then he/she is taking on the Don Quioxte role of tilting at windmills and the windmill has very deep pockets and a ton of technical resources. An owner trying to use Billy Bob from We Build Em Fast as an expert witness up against a manufacturer's technical experts isn't going to fare well in court
And they shouldn't because the manufacturer shouldn't be on the hook for aftermarket modifications.
I am in agreement with you. The reason in this case I state there is burden of proof on both is because M-M does state the manufacturer must show the modification(s) caused the failure and many people are trying to read that to mean it is PURELY up to GM (or the relevant manufacturer) to prove the modification is at fault. In reality all it means is the manufacturer has to take the initial step in "proving" the cause but after that the consumer is then in the hot seat and unless that consumer is independently wealthy and is looking for a new hobby then he/she is taking on the Don Quioxte role of tilting at windmills and the windmill has very deep pockets and a ton of technical resources. An owner trying to use Billy Bob from We Build Em Fast as an expert witness up against a manufacturer's technical experts isn't going to fare well in court
And they shouldn't because the manufacturer shouldn't be on the hook for aftermarket modifications.
Last edited by NSC5; 07-06-2016 at 05:18 PM.
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07-06-2016, 06:29 PM
#144
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St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21
Chemdawg,
I am in agreement with you. The reason in this case I state there is burden of proof on both is because M-M does state the manufacturer must show the modification(s) caused the failure and many people are trying to read that to mean it is PURELY up to GM (or the relevant manufacturer) to prove the modification is at fault. In reality all it means is the manufacturer has to take the initial step in "proving" the cause but after that the consumer is then in the hot seat and unless that consumer is independently wealthy and is looking for a new hobby then he/she is taking on the Don Quioxte role of tilting at windmills and the windmill has very deep pockets and a ton of technical resources. An owner trying to use Billy Bob from We Build Em Fast as an expert witness up against a manufacturer's technical experts isn't going to fare well in court And they shouldn't because the manufacturer shouldn't be on the hook for aftermarket modifications.
I am in agreement with you. The reason in this case I state there is burden of proof on both is because M-M does state the manufacturer must show the modification(s) caused the failure and many people are trying to read that to mean it is PURELY up to GM (or the relevant manufacturer) to prove the modification is at fault. In reality all it means is the manufacturer has to take the initial step in "proving" the cause but after that the consumer is then in the hot seat and unless that consumer is independently wealthy and is looking for a new hobby then he/she is taking on the Don Quioxte role of tilting at windmills and the windmill has very deep pockets and a ton of technical resources. An owner trying to use Billy Bob from We Build Em Fast as an expert witness up against a manufacturer's technical experts isn't going to fare well in court
And they shouldn't because the manufacturer shouldn't be on the hook for aftermarket modifications.
Thanks for clarifying
07-06-2016, 09:34 PM
#145
The problem is, if that ISN'T how things work (manufacturer has to prove the modifications caused the failure) they can simply deny any/all claims and make people fight it in court, knowing the vast majority won't. Makes the law essentially pointless when the manufacturer has a financial incentive to deny all claims and will win the vast majority of the time at little to no risk (other than being forced to pay the repair they would have had to pay anyway) if they do. What this law then needs is some teeth; setup a financial penalty whereby a manufacturer who initially denied such a claim pays treble actual repair costs or more (they make repair and the consumer gets double that plus court costs) if they end up losing in court. That way they think twice before shafting their customers.
GM doesn't have any grounds to deny people like this.
Heres something you and most of the car world seems to not understand. Warranty act everyone talks about was created to stop car companies from forcing people to use OEM parts. It wasnt created to protect the guy trying to gain 10HP with his intake.
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Foosh (07-06-2016)
07-06-2016, 09:48 PM
#146
Burning Brakes
It did and it was emissions, which I figured being air / fuel. I don't have a good tuner in my area and would have to drive 5-6 hours to get to the closest one. With working 6 days a week, that kind of makes it tough on me. No excuse, I will take my medicine if that's what it comes to, I was just hoping to hear of like experiences so I will know what to expect / do.
07-06-2016, 11:13 PM
#147
Heel & Toe
Thread Starter
Compassion?
I have compassion for people when bad things happen to them that were not of their own creation.
In this instance, it's hard to feel compassion for someone who spent upwards of $90K for a car with 650hp and then blows his engine bolting on parts to make it go faster with no consideration of the consequences and then comes onto a Vette forum looking for "advice".
No, what the OP was actually looking for was sympathy, not advice.
Advice is what he should have asked for BEFORE he wasted his time and money modifying a factory supercharged car on the cheap.
Here is some advice for the OP for the next time:
Cheap. Fast. Reliable.
Pick two because you can't have all three.
I have compassion for people when bad things happen to them that were not of their own creation.
In this instance, it's hard to feel compassion for someone who spent upwards of $90K for a car with 650hp and then blows his engine bolting on parts to make it go faster with no consideration of the consequences and then comes onto a Vette forum looking for "advice".
No, what the OP was actually looking for was sympathy, not advice.
Advice is what he should have asked for BEFORE he wasted his time and money modifying a factory supercharged car on the cheap.
Here is some advice for the OP for the next time:
Cheap. Fast. Reliable.
Pick two because you can't have all three.
Last edited by NuckinFutz74; 07-06-2016 at 11:16 PM.
07-06-2016, 11:27 PM
#148
The warranty system works perfectly fine, because most people arent modding cars. Most people are driving economy cars that they take in for service once the oil light comes on.
GM doesn't have any grounds to deny people like this.
Heres something you and most of the car world seems to not understand. Warranty act everyone talks about was created to stop car companies from forcing people to use OEM parts. It wasnt created to protect the guy trying to gain 10HP with his intake.
GM doesn't have any grounds to deny people like this.
Heres something you and most of the car world seems to not understand. Warranty act everyone talks about was created to stop car companies from forcing people to use OEM parts. It wasnt created to protect the guy trying to gain 10HP with his intake.
It's important to consider the context of the time that the legislation in question was voted upon and enacted. The only reason for passage of the MMWA was because some manufacturers were requiring people to have service done at dealerships in order to have their warranties honored. In addition, some were requiring manufacturer-branded oil, air filters, spark plugs, etc. NEVER, was modifying engines beyond their OEM output ever even considered or discussed in connection w/ that statute.
Last edited by Foosh; 07-06-2016 at 11:28 PM.
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07-07-2016, 07:14 AM
#149
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St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21
Wrong there buddy, I could give two ***** about sympathy. I was merely asking for any possible similar situations, that may give me some idea of what can or will happen. Your two cents is fine, no one asked for any damn sympathy. Like any one pf you sympathizing with me would make my situation any different.
Your engine goes boom.
When your previously warrantied engine goes boom, what happens next is you either pay for a new engine or pay for a new car. That's what happens.
I'm not trying to be harsh or abrasive here, but that's what you can expect. GM isn't going to pay for your mistake and it's too late for you to claim otherwise since you've already been forthcoming about your mistake, to your credit.
I'm just keeping it real and not blowing sunshine up your butt. If that offends you, too bad. I'm not against people modifying their Vettes. It's your car, do what you like. What I am against is the attitude that you should be able to modify with impunity and when something goes wrong, expect GM to pay for it. As has been said, modifying these cars is not a cheap proposition. It has to be done right to prevent things like this from happening. You'd have recourse if you had gone to Lingenfelter or Callaway or another outfit that warranties their work.
To suggest that your modifications combined with your ignoring a CEL didn't lead to your throwing a rod is ludicrous. My words may seem harsh to you, but the truth often sounds harsh when we don't wish to hear it. The reality is that you should be prepared to buy a new engine or a new car and stop thinking that GM is going to ignore your modifications and honor the warranty.
Last edited by Chemdawg99; 07-07-2016 at 07:17 AM.
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tail_lights (07-07-2016)
07-07-2016, 07:55 AM
#150
Burning Brakes
Here's what happens when you put headers on a car, fail to tune it, and ride around with a CEL for 2500 miles.....
Your engine goes boom.
When your previously warrantied engine goes boom, what happens next is you either pay for a new engine or pay for a new car. That's what happens.
I'm not trying to be harsh or abrasive here, but that's what you can expect. GM isn't going to pay for your mistake and it's too late for you to claim otherwise since you've already been forthcoming about your mistake, to your credit.
I'm just keeping it real and not blowing sunshine up your butt. If that offends you, too bad. I'm not against people modifying their Vettes. It's your car, do what you like. What I am against is the attitude that you should be able to modify with impunity and when something goes wrong, expect GM to pay for it. As has been said, modifying these cars is not a cheap proposition. It has to be done right to prevent things like this from happening. You'd have recourse if you had gone to Lingenfelter or Callaway or another outfit that warranties their work.
To suggest that your modifications combined with your ignoring a CEL didn't lead to your throwing a rod is ludicrous. My words may seem harsh to you, but the truth often sounds harsh when we don't wish to hear it. The reality is that you should be prepared to buy a new engine or a new car and stop thinking that GM is going to ignore your modifications and honor the warranty.
Your engine goes boom.
When your previously warrantied engine goes boom, what happens next is you either pay for a new engine or pay for a new car. That's what happens.
I'm not trying to be harsh or abrasive here, but that's what you can expect. GM isn't going to pay for your mistake and it's too late for you to claim otherwise since you've already been forthcoming about your mistake, to your credit.
I'm just keeping it real and not blowing sunshine up your butt. If that offends you, too bad. I'm not against people modifying their Vettes. It's your car, do what you like. What I am against is the attitude that you should be able to modify with impunity and when something goes wrong, expect GM to pay for it. As has been said, modifying these cars is not a cheap proposition. It has to be done right to prevent things like this from happening. You'd have recourse if you had gone to Lingenfelter or Callaway or another outfit that warranties their work.
To suggest that your modifications combined with your ignoring a CEL didn't lead to your throwing a rod is ludicrous. My words may seem harsh to you, but the truth often sounds harsh when we don't wish to hear it. The reality is that you should be prepared to buy a new engine or a new car and stop thinking that GM is going to ignore your modifications and honor the warranty.
Some times it just takes a MSG for the Hard Truth.
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07-07-2016, 09:34 AM
#151
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
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In practical terms the burden of proof is ultimately upon both parties and I believe that is pretty clear. The manufacturer is likely to quickly state they have reviewed the vehicle damage and the part(s) failure resulted from vehicle modification. Now it is up to you if you want to force the issue to the full extent allowed under M-M and as noted by others that is extremely expensive and time consuming and the end result is likely to be legal fees for the consumer many times the cost of repair which still won't be covered. Additionally manufacturers have inserted specific language in the warranty section excluding warranty coverage due to modification which is very helpful to them if this does rise to the level of a court event.
If GM tells you that you have a 4/50K bumper to bumper warranty and then refuses to fix an infotainment problem at the 1 yr/12K mile point the FTC is your friend. If you add an intake, exhaust, and tune and blow an engine then you are going to be on the hook for an attorney and expert witnesses if you wish to prevail over an initial manufacturer decision that the engine failed because of changed operating conditions due to your modifications. If you want to take it all the way to a jury trial then good luck on seating a jury of people who are friendly to modifying engines and then expecting the producer to honor a warranty.
If GM tells you that you have a 4/50K bumper to bumper warranty and then refuses to fix an infotainment problem at the 1 yr/12K mile point the FTC is your friend. If you add an intake, exhaust, and tune and blow an engine then you are going to be on the hook for an attorney and expert witnesses if you wish to prevail over an initial manufacturer decision that the engine failed because of changed operating conditions due to your modifications. If you want to take it all the way to a jury trial then good luck on seating a jury of people who are friendly to modifying engines and then expecting the producer to honor a warranty.
The easy thing for the GM tech who comes to evaluate the failure is blame the mods. However if a burned valve or piston perhaps they could justifiably blame the headers etc causing a lean mixture and that failure. However if a rod broke (the most probable cause of a hole in the block) the added power from headers, exhaust and air intake is unlikely the cause. He did not have a tune so over-revving is not the cause unless he did that in a downshift, which would show up in the record. Also the OP says he does not abuse the car nor was he drag racing.GM may not take the time to tear the engine apart. The OP can have that done or ask to have the broken rod and bring it to a metallurgical lab. The rods are made from power metallurgy and could have an internal defect or not have been heat treated properly. In fact I would take a good and bad rod to the lab. A visual examination of the break and a quick hardness check of a good and bad rod should not be that expensive. If a defect is obvious the OP has a case. If not, he is out a bit more money!
Will be interested in the outcome.
Last edited by JerryU; 07-07-2016 at 09:39 AM.
07-07-2016, 12:05 PM
#152
Melting Slicks
The easy thing for the GM tech who comes to evaluate the failure is blame the mods. However if a burned valve or piston perhaps they could justifiably blame the headers etc causing a lean mixture and that failure. However if a rod broke (the most probable cause of a hole in the block) the added power from headers, exhaust and air intake is unlikely the cause. He did not have a tune so over-revving is not the cause unless he did that in a downshift, which would show up in the record. Also the OP says he does not abuse the car nor was he drag racing.GM may not take the time to tear the engine apart. The OP can have that done or ask to have the broken rod and bring it to a metallurgical lab. The rods are made from power metallurgy and could have an internal defect or not have been heat treated properly. In fact I would take a good and bad rod to the lab. A visual examination of the break and a quick hardness check of a good and bad rod should not be that expensive. If a defect is obvious the OP has a case. If not, he is out a bit more money!
Will be interested in the outcome.
I'm fairly comfortable that the outcome is going to be one of two things. At some point (either initially or or after the OP goes up the chain) the repair will be made under warranty or fully or partially covered under good will, or at some point GM will insist it is not paying to repair a modded motor. I think we can safely assume the OP isn't winning this case in arbitration or court if GM denies the warranty.
I do feel bad for OP, and hold out hope that there will be some assistance, but at the same time, in this instance, I can't find fault with GM if their decision is to deny the warranty.
07-07-2016, 12:16 PM
#153
Heel & Toe
Unfortunately all car manufacturers now stipulate in their warranty language any add-ons, aftermarket parts or other "mods" voids the powertrain warranty irregardless how unrelated those items may be to the actual failure. Even software modification voids the warranty.
It's not fair but that's their restriction.
The following does help you but may help others. NEVER mod a car until the warranty expires or put it all back to stock BEFORE bringing the car into the dealer.
07-07-2016, 12:26 PM
#154
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St. Jude Donor '16-'17,'22,'24
OP, For what it's worth, after reading about your problem, I'll leave my '14 bone stock. I was thinking about making similar mods, just for fun, but now I'll pass. SO thanks for posting. Hope all works out for you with GM.
07-07-2016, 12:34 PM
#155
You don't have to leave it entirely stock. You can say put a Borla Atak or Corsa Extreme system on without any issues from GM. I actually had my car at my dealer yesterday picking up my plates and those mods are not considering a warranty void.
07-07-2016, 01:58 PM
#156
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
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I have no expertise in the area, but seems to me in your scenario, the lab could say it was defective because of manufacturing, and GM could argue that it was only defective for the given parameters (extra power causing more stress and heat) and that those parameters were outside of the stock and designed for configuration. NOW you need someone to prove that the same rod would have also failed in a stock motor...and that probably isn't going to happen at a price less than the motor. Which is why these cases don't go far or don't end in the consumer's favor.
I'm fairly comfortable that the outcome is going to be one of two things. At some point (either initially or or after the OP goes up the chain) the repair will be made under warranty or fully or partially covered under good will, or at some point GM will insist it is not paying to repair a modded motor. I think we can safely assume the OP isn't winning this case in arbitration or court if GM denies the warranty.
I do feel bad for OP, and hold out hope that there will be some assistance, but at the same time, in this instance, I can't find fault with GM if their decision is to deny the warranty.
I'm fairly comfortable that the outcome is going to be one of two things. At some point (either initially or or after the OP goes up the chain) the repair will be made under warranty or fully or partially covered under good will, or at some point GM will insist it is not paying to repair a modded motor. I think we can safely assume the OP isn't winning this case in arbitration or court if GM denies the warranty.
I do feel bad for OP, and hold out hope that there will be some assistance, but at the same time, in this instance, I can't find fault with GM if their decision is to deny the warranty.
However if the rod broke and was not caused by a piston or valve head dropping etc and a hardness test shows that rod was softer than the rod that did not break it means it was weaker and perhaps outside the GM spec. I do believe, from my experience, if you show a defect GM will accept that. If the broken rod had an obvious internal defect I believe GM would also accept that as well.
Really depends on what caused it to break. Adding headers, less restrictive exhaust and a lower restriction air cleaner is not going to add that much extra power to cause a rod to fail. Now if in addition there was Nitrous Oxide injection added, yep that could!
I don’t prescribe to the “manufacturer is out to screw you theory!”
07-07-2016, 02:37 PM
#157
Race Director
Sorry, I'm too lazy to go back and read the entire thread....Was warranty denied? The first post just covers what the DEALER said, I am curious what GM has said.
Jimmy
Jimmy
07-07-2016, 03:43 PM
#158
Heel & Toe
I say it was a weak part in the motor and nothing that you had done on the parts that was put onto the car. But if you had a so call tuner do a tune on the car then that could have been the problem that did do it.
From the way you say you were driving the car no way these parts was the cause of this. From the parts that you have put on the car the worse case is going to lean the car up a little. Which from what my car was doing is running on the rich side any way.
If me I would push it on show me how these add on parts caused the motor to put a rod thur the block.
I would have the dealership to pull the motor and see what was the problem. It may be that GM will try to not replace the motor but if the car had not been tuned on by a tuner after you put these parts on the car. I would put money that those add on's didn't cause this problem.
From the way you say you were driving the car no way these parts was the cause of this. From the parts that you have put on the car the worse case is going to lean the car up a little. Which from what my car was doing is running on the rich side any way.
If me I would push it on show me how these add on parts caused the motor to put a rod thur the block.
I would have the dealership to pull the motor and see what was the problem. It may be that GM will try to not replace the motor but if the car had not been tuned on by a tuner after you put these parts on the car. I would put money that those add on's didn't cause this problem.
I agree with the above. A relative had the same thing happen to his C-7 (non ZO6) with 2700 miles. His car was not modified at all. GM replaced the engine without asking 1 question. The dealer said that quite a few motors have let go that they know of on the c7. What that translates to in numbers I don't know. As someone mentioned here the relationship with the dealer is very important.
07-07-2016, 06:32 PM
#159
Of course they replaced it without asking any questions of the owners. But you can rest assured that they scanned the ECU looking for signs of a tune, as well as visually for headers, etc. Once they found none of the above, they didn't need to ask any questions, and GM instantly approved an engine replacement. They had no choice.
And BTW, having a good relationship w/ a dealer helps a little, but the dealer has to receive approval from GM on major warranty repairs like engine replacements. No dealer is going to order a new engine w/o first receiving the green light from a manufacturer, because they know they'll have to eat to cost w/o that prior-approval.
You're quite right that bone stock motors sometimes fail because of manufacturing defects in various parts. Complex machinery has a tendency to fail either early in it's lifetime due to the former, or very late after it's worn out. The problem is once you've upped the output of an engine, you've given them a reason to deny a warranty replacement, and they know they will win. At that point, there's no economical way proving the engine would have failed in it's OEM configuration.
However, if you're willing to invest a large sum in a forensic tear-down, legal fees, etc., there is a small chance you might prevail after having your car out of commission for months during the legal fight, but it's undoubtedly cheaper to purchase a replacement engine yourself.
I'm not anti-mod either, but I strongly agree that anyone who does should be well-educated about the consequences and prepared to accept them. I've modified numerous cars for track duty, but I usually wait until after the warranty has expired, which also tells me I have a pretty stout engine.
And BTW, having a good relationship w/ a dealer helps a little, but the dealer has to receive approval from GM on major warranty repairs like engine replacements. No dealer is going to order a new engine w/o first receiving the green light from a manufacturer, because they know they'll have to eat to cost w/o that prior-approval.
You're quite right that bone stock motors sometimes fail because of manufacturing defects in various parts. Complex machinery has a tendency to fail either early in it's lifetime due to the former, or very late after it's worn out. The problem is once you've upped the output of an engine, you've given them a reason to deny a warranty replacement, and they know they will win. At that point, there's no economical way proving the engine would have failed in it's OEM configuration.
However, if you're willing to invest a large sum in a forensic tear-down, legal fees, etc., there is a small chance you might prevail after having your car out of commission for months during the legal fight, but it's undoubtedly cheaper to purchase a replacement engine yourself.
I'm not anti-mod either, but I strongly agree that anyone who does should be well-educated about the consequences and prepared to accept them. I've modified numerous cars for track duty, but I usually wait until after the warranty has expired, which also tells me I have a pretty stout engine.
Last edited by Foosh; 07-07-2016 at 06:46 PM.
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07-07-2016, 09:30 PM
#160
I don't know if the OP's mods caused his engine failure. None of us do. It is possible they did, as the CAI would have leaned out his air/fuel ratio a bit (the two big vendors seem to have them still within safe limits on the AFR). And then his long tube headers may have also leaned it out a bit more. Long-tube headers almost always require a custom tune to ensure the engine remains operating within safe limits. Long tubes without a tune will almost always throw a CEL, so it doesn't surprise me his CEL came on.
Whether the combination of the CAI and long tubes were enough to sufficiently lean out his AFR to create an unsafe lean condition, leading to piston damage, which in turn led to piston failure, which in turn led to throwing a rod/windowing the block, I don't know. None of us do. It certainly is possible.
GM will doubtless ask for a snapshot of the tune on the car and diag history. If they find out about the CAI and long tubes, they would have a basis to deny the repairs - as it is possible the CAI + long tubes without a corresponding tune could have caused the failure (of course, if he had done a proper custom tune and the failure happened unrelated to any of it, his warranty on the engine would've been voided as well, but that's a different question).
If they do deny - it'll be a tough (read expensive and lengthy) slog for the OP to prove otherwise. And the MM Act will not be of much help to him.
OP - good luck
Whether the combination of the CAI and long tubes were enough to sufficiently lean out his AFR to create an unsafe lean condition, leading to piston damage, which in turn led to piston failure, which in turn led to throwing a rod/windowing the block, I don't know. None of us do. It certainly is possible.
GM will doubtless ask for a snapshot of the tune on the car and diag history. If they find out about the CAI and long tubes, they would have a basis to deny the repairs - as it is possible the CAI + long tubes without a corresponding tune could have caused the failure (of course, if he had done a proper custom tune and the failure happened unrelated to any of it, his warranty on the engine would've been voided as well, but that's a different question).
If they do deny - it'll be a tough (read expensive and lengthy) slog for the OP to prove otherwise. And the MM Act will not be of much help to him.
OP - good luck
A lean enough condition (that could absolutely come from the OPs mods without a tune) could very well cause this damage, and it could have just the same not been lean enough to cause this damage. We don't know...
All I can say is, no way on a 650hp FI car would I put myself in a possibly over lean condition (that I didn't know my AFR) for any extended period of time.
