You’re missing the point completely; it’s not about whether they’d catch it, it’s about not giving them the excuse. Warranty inspectors don’t have to prove I caused it; they just need a plausible reason to deny the claim. You hand them evidence that the trans was opened, they stamp ‘customer tampering’ on the report and walk away. End of story.
I didn’t drop four grand on a MaxCare lifetime plan just to gamble it away over a half-quart of fluid. If the owners manual doesn’t list a service interval for the ZF8HP, that’s my paper trail. I’ll let Mopar eat the bill when it fails….because I stayed in spec. That’s how grown-ups handle warranty work.
But you’re confusing scheduled maintenance with breaking factory procedure. My engine, diffs, cooling system, brakes, and t-case all have published service intervals; my ZF8HP does not. That’s the distinction you keep missing. Mopar’s warranty wording doesn’t say ‘go digging into sealed components just to make yourself feel handy’; it says ‘follow manufacturer recommendations.’
When you have this kind of warranty, the fluid level on this transmission isn’t routine service. You leave it sealed, you’re in compliance. You screw with it and if they do find out, you’re the one footing the bill. And when the day comes that transmission quits, Mopar’s gonna pay for it…. because I didn’t touch it.
Why is that such a hard concept for you to understand? My guess is, you don’t have this kind of a warranty so you’re speaking about stuff you have no idea about. This is also why I still continue to use 5W-20 engine oil but I don’t use the cheap crap that Mopar calls for because I have that ability as long as it’s the same weight and it meets the Chrysler MS 6395 compliance, I can use whatever I want. Same with oil filters; as long as it meets and/or exceeds Chrysler spec, I’m good. And the gear oil that I ordered is what the spec calls for as well. I’m not saying you guys are wrong about using the 75W140 in my rear differential, but because it is limited slip, and whenever something happens to that, I don’t need them giving me a bunch of grief because I used too heavy of an oil.
Bottom line, if you don’t know how this Mopar max care lifetime warranty works that they don’t even offer anymore, don’t go telling somebody what to do.