Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

[BF]

Hiya,

I got a letter from Merc Marine Canada yesterday... it's offering me the option of purchasing an extended warranty from them. FYI, this is on the 25 hp 4-stroke EFI, tiller electric start that I bought almost exactly a year ago. It's "in service" date is towards the end of April '08. The letter says that their policy is to offer the option of extending the factory warranty as the 1 year anniversary approaches, and that the extension must be purchased before the 1st anniversary. There are pricing options for a 1, 2, 3, or 4 year extension on the factory warranty. Last year, Merc Canada had 3 year warranties (U.S. Merc offered 5 year warranties), so as of now my warranty expires in April 2011.

I don't have the sheet in front of me for all the options, but the cost of the 4 year extension was $450. When added to the original 3 years, it would mean 7 years of total warranty (ending in Apr 2015).

Other tidbits:

There is a $25 deductible.
I choose where work is done (any Merc dealership).
If I sell the motor, the warranty is transferable ($50 fee, must be done within 30 days of sale).
Maintenance and damage from striking underwater things is not covered.

I'm seriously considering buying the additional 4 years. The motor ran great last year, but wasn't exactly problem free. The lower unit croaked and was replaced under warranty. A seal failed and the gear case eventually locked up. But overall I like the efficiency/clean burning/quietness of the 4 stroke, so have no plans to sell it.

I've done all the wrench turning on my other outboards (older 2 strokes), but with the EFI, CPU and 4 stroke stuff, I'm thinking if this motor ever gives grief, it won't be me fixing it.

Maybe $450 isn't too outrageous for 4 years of peace of mind? If I do end up selling it for whatever reason, having warranty available would probably mean I could get top dollar for it, so I'm not too worried about losing the money that way.

What do you think? Worth the $$? FWIW, I think motors and repair costs are likely considerably more expensive here in Canada than in the states...

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

Hi BF. I bought a 2 year extended warranty on my 07' 90 4 stroke. It already had the 5 year warranty (so I ended up with 7 years also), but I plan on keeping it for a long time, so I think it was money well spent for the peace of mind I will have when the engine gets a lot of hours on it. One small problem would no doubt cost you more than $450.00 considering the complexity of them nowdays...

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

I've done all the wrench turning on my other outboards (older 2 strokes), but with the EFI, CPU and 4 stroke stuff, I'm thinking if this motor ever gives grief, it won't be me fixing it.

If you are not going to repair the outboard yourself I would buy the extended warranty. $450 for a total of 7 years of coverage doesn't seem bad to me.

But,,, you also have to consider how much it's going to cost to have a Merc certified shop maintain the outboard so the warranty stays in effect. What is the outboard's maintenance schedule and how much is it going to cost to have the outboard serviced every year, $200(?)/year for servicing x 7 years? I think it's a good deal,,, IF you are going to have the outboard maintained by a Merc shop since you will be paying for the yearly maintenance (water pump, engine oil, outboard lube, spark plugs, adjustments, etc) any way.

If you are going to maintain the outboard yourself I don't think it will be a good deal since the warranty most likely states that the outboard needs to be serviced at a Merc certified shop, at the correct service interval.

 

[BF]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

good point on the maintenance issue... I'll look at the fine print. I will definitely NOT be paying dealership prices for LU oil change or an impeller change... The thought that the warranty might be void if it doesn't have a dealer maintenance record never occurred to me.

That's not true for the regular 3 year warranty, is it?? At least I've never heard of anyone have their warranty claim denied b/c they'd changed the lower unit lube themselves or whatever (?).

I'll check and post what I find...

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

You can do your own maintenance. The exclusion was for the "5 and drive" warranty offer and stated that you must either have Merc. do the maintenance or provide proof that you did it. As far as I know, when you BUY the extended warranty, you do not need to inform them of service that you did on your own, although it's always a good idea to maintain records and keep receipts just in case..

http://blogs.mercurymarine.com/service/2008/10/09/maintaining-your-engine/

 

[BF]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

OK... read the contract. What it says is: (paraphrasing)

... you are to 1) follow the schedules for maintenance as per owner's manual, 2) supply proof of such maintenance as requested, 3) if a failure occurs, you are to protect against further damage, 4) provide reasonable access to the product for repair if failure occurs and 5) notify the product protection plan of changes to the product is modified or changes in it's type of usage...

Later on, it says that the warranty would be void if:

"The addition of or replacement with parts or accessories not approved by us or which are not installed by an Authorized Mercury or MotorGuide dealer will be cause for you Mercury Product Protection to be cancelled."

I'd have to look at the manual to see what is the recommended interval for impeller replacement, but to me this looks like I should (?) might (?) be OK doing my own LU oil and engine oil changes (?), but maybe would have to pay dealer to replace impeller at the maintenance interval. If it means I'd have to have the dealer do oil changes etc, I'd likely not bother with the warranty.

I'll look into it further... maybe also call dealer to see what they say, and what they'd charge if they say they'd have to do it.

 

[BF]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

BTW, thanks for the link... interesting

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

You can do your own oil changes and lower unit lube, as well as some other items pertaining to maintenance. But I would use only Merc. parts and lube during the warranty period, so as not to give them any cause to question it. I would have the water pump changed by the dealer, cause in my view, it is a critical item, even though changing it is really no big deal. I had some issues with my engine (wiring in particular) that was covered by warranty last fall and they never asked me a thing. They just fixed it (to the tune of about $1700) and I was on my way. And it wasn't even my dealer that did the work. I just took it to the nearest dealer down at the lake. So I'm very satisfied so far with Mercs. warranty coverage.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

I bought my 2001 with the extended warranty. It only cost $100 at that time and there were no deductibles. It covered everything including breaking the motor in two. For $100, it was a no brainer. For $450, today, I would pass personally mainly because the extra $ could be used better these days.

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

I've done all the wrench turning on my other outboards (older 2 strokes), but with the EFI, CPU and 4 stroke stuff, I'm thinking if this motor ever gives grief, it won't be me fixing it.

Maybe $450 isn't too outrageous for 4 years of peace of mind? If I do end up selling it for whatever reason, having warranty available would probably mean I could get top dollar for it, so I'm not too worried about losing the money that way.

What do you think? Worth the $$? FWIW, I think motors and repair costs are likely considerably more expensive here in Canada than in the states...

It happened that our new boat came with a promotional 2-year extension on the 115hp 4-stroke Merc motor warranty (bring it to 5 years), but I think I would have gladly paid for it anyway, especially in view of the EFI and computer items you mentioned in your original post. Yes, the motors are more efficient and eco friendly, but none of the recent advancements came about because the motors are less complicated.

Despite my inclination to do things myself, I decided for the first year anyway to have the dealer perform the annual maintenance. Cost was $279. I keep a 3-ring binder on the boat, and that 8 1/2" x 11" service receipt is among the most valuable items in it.

 

[BF]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

update...

FYI, I called the service dept of dealer... He assured me that I could do my own maintenance including oil changes and impeller replacement when the time comes. As long as the maintenance was done, he said it would not be an issue for the warranty. He recommended keeping copies of all receipts including the supplies for the oil changes etc as documentation....

So... that's good...

Here are my options...
1 year for $150
2 years for $280
3 years for $360
4 years for $450

Even though it seems like a fair chunk of cash I'll probably buy the 4 year extension... I'll try not to think of the nice fishfinder, or trolling motor, or new golf stuff I could buy with that cash instead....

considering I got a very good deal on the motor to start with, adding this cost on now seems bearable (I think).

 

[matt9923]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

Warranties are good but i have never used one except on my f250. I would have fixed it myself but i had the warranty so let them do it. IMO warranties are a scam, a lot of places will hassle you and make at a difficult proses.
You will probably have to buy all your maintenance supply from a Merc dealer and show receipts.
If you do your own work then don't get it. If you bring it to the shop to have everything done get it.
my .02
Matt

 

[mthieme]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

Generally, I hate paying for warranties too as I never use them. But I have seen them pay off for others on more than one occassion.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

Read the fine print before signing anything. I just got a free 2 year extension on my Nissan 30 ( Same motor as Merc 30), Trick is that all maintenance must be done at/by the dealer for all 5 years or the warranty is void. "Maintenance" in my case includes having the water pump torn down and valves adjusted yearly. I.E The "free" two years was going to cost me $1200-$1500 in unneeded /unrealistic maintenance.
( My guess is that is why they require to buy it before the first year is up.)

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

Keep in mind that warranties used to be only 12 months. Over the years, as part of our socialized cradle to grave mentality, warranty coverages have been extended to provide piece of mind. Manufacturer's assume that their cost for extending a warranty is being passed along to the consumer as part of the purchase price or as an incentive to purchase. Depending on the base price of the product, cost of the warranty, normal service life of the product and average component failure rate an extended warranty is either a wise investment or a foolish investment. Based on what parts cost on today's outboards, it is without question, a wise thing to have. At $1000.00 per ECM module on a that model I can't see how you could go wrong for the extended coverage.

 

[matt9923]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

What i don't understand is companies say they have the best stuff but they back it up with a 6month warranty?. If you say you have the best show you believe it. My Yamaha atv came with 6 months, they say they have the best atvs so i asked why they don't stand behind it longer? They came up with some BS. Spending 10k on it they should come with a 5 year.
Matt ( i do all my own work so i didn't need 1)

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Should I buy extended warranty on merc?

I never get an extended warranty unless it?s free, or nearly free.

If you buy the warranty and the $1000.00 ECM module fails you'll still be paying almost half the price ($450.00 for the warranty) in the end, and that's only if they pay 100% of the bill and many plans don't. Resale with a warranty won't get you more money for it, but it may be the deciding factor if the person is looking at another motor also.