Not trying to prolong a flame war, but you do sound like my riding bud at work; he has an '03 Epic, is lusting for the '10 Stumpy FSR Elite, and while in the LBS for a fork rebuild, asked the staff if SpecialEd still had lifetime warranty on their frames... his intent is to get a NEW frame by bashing the sh** out of the old one while racing again this year.
Warranties are not to salvage your trashed parts; they are to cover a potential flaw in the manufacturing. NOTHING made by man last forever, so people need to quit abusing the lifetime warranty concept.