Extended Warranty?!?

[zleviticus]

are they worth the costs?

[themeatmanlandry]

I bought one, but I haven't used it. This is my first bike, and the 'clunky' gearbox made me a little nervous. Since buying it, I have run into a couple of folks who have had bad experiences with Suzuki when they tried to use the warranty.

"Oh, I see you didn't do the 600 miles service, Mr. Smith. Maybe THAT'S why your handlebars fell off? Hmmmm, Mr. Smith?"

I still recommend the extended warranty, especially if you put a slew of miles on your bike. If you buy it and decide later that you don't want/need it, you can cash it back in for a pro-rated refund.

Pro-rated refund means that if you have had a 4-year warranty for 2 years, and you cash it in, you get about 1/2 of your money back. Fair enough.

[98G]

Originally Posted by zleviticus

are they worth the costs?

//Almost always a bad idea. They're betting you pay more for the warranty than they pay to fix your bike. Since they remain in business, they are right. On average, you pay more for the warranty than the repairs would cost.

//Susuki's factory warranty is 1 year, unlimited miles. If there's a problem, you'll find it in that time. JMHO.

98G

[themeatmanlandry]

On average, you pay more for the warranty than the repairs would cost.

$400 doesn't go very far when you're repairing a motorcycle. If ti involves splitting the cases, you're going to pay more than that in labor alone.

[98G]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

$400 doesn't go very far when you're repairing a motorcycle. If ti involves splitting the cases, you're going to pay more than that in labor alone.

//Very true. But the odds are you won't need anything the warranty covers. It's a gamble. You bet paying $400 for nothing, against them betting having to do expensive repairs. Most of the time they get the $400 for nothing.

//Over the course of my life I have purchased quite a number of new vehicles. Once I have had a problem, and that was covered under the standard warranty. Here's my examples:

1) New 1991 Daytona - No problems of any kind. (40k miles)

2) New 1992 Stealth - No problems of any kind. (58k miles)

3) New 1993 ZX11 - No problems of any kind. (42k miles)

4) New 1995 Dodge 2500 4X4 - Oil pump cutout in the first 300 miles- covered under standard warranty. (178k Miles)

5) New 1996 Honda Civic - no problems of any kind. (55k miles)

6) New 2002 Jeep - No problems of any kind. (32k miles)

7) New 2004 Dodge 2500 4X4 Diesel - No problems of any kind. (8k miles and counting)

New 04 Hayabusa - no problems of any kind (5k miles and counting)

I have not had extended warranty on any of them.

So, let's assume I have a problem with the motorcycle next year. Assume something fairly major. $2k to fix. I'M STILL AHEAD! Had I bought extended warranty at your stated $400 per vehicle I'd have spent $3200. And the odds are I won't have a problem with the bike either.

Defects in materials and workmanship show up fairly quickly and are covered by the standard warranty. Anything else will be not covered in the extended warranty. I'll bet it names rods, pistons, crankshaft, and other main components as covered items. It'll have a clause in it stating that damage to these items as a result of damage to noncovered items would not be covered. What this means, is when your headgasket blows and your engine meets its demise shortly thereafter they'll point to the head gasket and say the gasket wasn't covered and therefore your ruined engine isn't covered.


98G

i would but the warrenty. its 400 dollars. thats it. especially over the years that it covers.

[TL chris]

98G is right. Pretty much everything that'll go wrong, will show itself in the first year. Provided you put a decent amount of miles on it, and don't make it a permanent fixture in your garage. $400 sounds good for a warranty. But does it cover all your miles checkups and servicing and adjustments?

[jsvickers]

Extended warranties are like gambling. The odds *always* favor the house. Suzuki wouldn't offer them and the dealers wouldn't push them so hard if they didn't make a substantial profit on them.

Actually, that's an excellent rule of thumb. The harder the sales people push for you to buy something, the more profit everyone involved is making from it. The sales person and the dealership get their cut and Suzuki *still* makes a profit on average.

That being said, it's not a backbreaker to buy. If you think a major repair in the first 5 years of owning the bike would be a backbreaker for you, then go ahead and get it for the peace of mind.

[jsvickers]

Double post.

Shouldn't have hit 'back' on my browser to get back to the forum index

[Clint]

If you always buy the warranty on all your electronics, appliances, vehicles, etc., you'll spend way more than occasional repairs cost. It's all about averages, as jsvickers explained.

It's like putting everyone's money in a pot and taking what you need. But some of it has to go to the seller, so on average you have to come out behind. The "peace of mind" factor is what sells it. Do the math.

[Jammer]

I bought the extended warranty for my bike