Pierce, I posted this awhile back on the m1911org site. We really need to have Taurus put something in writing. This is just my post. The link will take you to the entire thread.
http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=29463
Hey Glock (and all else this may pertain to),
I figured since I sparked this issue. It was my responsibility to keep us better informed. Yes, it is true that I called Taurus and inquired about the finish/warranty debate. So, I called again an spoke with Marlene in customer service (just a minute ago). I'm pretty sure she was the one I spoke to last time. I remained polite and asked her the same question again. She responded with the same answer. Lifetime warranty is voided if any part of finish is removed or redone.
I explained that this did not make any sense. I can understand if the warranty on the finish became void, but not the entire warranty on the firearm. It is not a part of the weapon functionality. I asked her if I could please speak to someone else, then she put me on hold for about a minute. She then returned with a different response. She informed me that any work done on the gun pertaining to the finish would only void the one year warranty on the finsh. She also stated that the main lifetime warranty would remain intact, unless any real modifications were done i.e. trigger work, hammer swap. This I said, I understood and was ok with that.
I then went over what she had stated to me again so I got it right. I told Marlene that a lot of Taurus owners need to know this important piece of information (Yes, we are Borg and I spoke for the collective ). After I got the correct information, I thanked her and wished her a nice day.
I hope that clears things up. I do want to say, if any of you want to be absolutely sure about the Taurus warranty. Give them a call, ask for Marlene (be polite, but persistent). I felt that she didn't shrug me away and got the answer that we needed. In saying that, I really believe that unless CS reps are really passionate about the company or products they represent. They are only going to give you the barest information, which may or may not be entirely correct. We need to always to take it a step further, thus educating them as well.
Mike