That's what the statement says in the warranty contract, "Replacement may be made with a part which is of a like kind and quality comparable with the original design specifications and wear tolerances of your vehicle."

They're trying to throw a used motor and turbos into my friend's FD . Does anyone know what the exact OEM "design specifications and wear tolerances" are? And is it me, or does that clause mean that they could get away with using even a low compression motor, as long as it isn't literally out of spec?!?!

Thanks
~Ramy

 

in answer to your question, though, I would certainly read that as a reman would be perfectly acceptable warranty replacement....a used motor you could probably argue against, because it would be difficult for them to prove the factory tolerances have been professionally checked

 

^I agree. When i got a "new" exhaust put on my car, they def. gave me a used part that maintains the factory look and sound. It is the stock exhaust, but the cutting of the pipes, and the color when it was installed tells me that it's not new.

 

^ You bought an exhuast through Mazda?

 

Yeah, long and stupid story...but needless to say it's not happening again.

 

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, if "original" can be understood to mean "new." Ie, do the specs and wear tolerances have to be comparable to a new motor (very high compression, etc) or is the door open to anything from the upper to very lower limit of compression, right before "compression below spec" ?

 

Ramy,

The specs of the internals are different then spec for the compression. The minimal specs of the internals should still yield a strong engine.

 

"Like Kind and Quality" (LKQ) is a topic that has caused many arguments between Insurance companies and their customers. The problem is that Insurance companies typically want to use low cost replacements for damaged OEM parts. In my mind, LKQ parts are generally like kind, but not like quality. For example, lets say a stock FD hood is damaged, and must be replaced. A LKQ hood will not likely be aluminum. In my mind that is not like quality.

For the most part, an Insurance company will try to see what they can get away with. If they can give you low quality parts, and you accept them, you will have made a mistake. If you stick to your guns, and insist on OEM, most companies will oblige you.

In this case, your friend must consider the condition of the motor that was in the car. If it had high miles, he can't realistically expect a brand new motor. Most likely, a factory rebuild would be appropriate. I would not accept a used motor. If they try to force one on him, he should insist that they tear it down to inspect the parts for "wear tolerances". Of course, they won't do this.

As far as the turbos go, a used set may be better than what he had. Wear and mileage will determine this. Turbos should be fairly easy to inspect, by someone that knows what they are looking at.

My "2 cents"