Extended warranty

D

dutchman

Member
Aug 26, 2009
169
Alberta
Boat Info
2016 GTS185
Engines
Merc 4.5L MPI 200
I still have another year left of my original warranty, but now Merc is offering me 1 to 5 year extended plans. Reading the fine print, it looks like they cover just about everything to do with the engine and outdrive, Or am I missing something? $1100 gets me 5 additional years.
Personally I usually don't opt for extended warranty but in a boats case, one simple repair would pay for the plan. Not sure what normally goes wrong with these 3.0L engines if it's even worth it. But worst case, it's seven years of carefree boating and it should help resale if I ever decide to sell.
This may be all personal choices, but wondering what others have done in the past. Just looking for some opinions.
 
Don't do it. Read the finer print and you might find that nothing is actually covered. I have 5 years left on mine and I am going to cancel it. I will get 90% of the pro-rated balance. The bullet points sound good but the fine print doesn't explicitly say what items are covered -- instead it gives a list of what's not covered so when it's time for a claim they have enough ambiguity to weasel out of paying.

If you never filed a claim on the original then what are the odds you will on the extended?

Just my 2 cents.
 
Last edited:
I agree with Tonka, they are not worth it. Alot of stuff on the engines are not covered, for example risers, manifolds, and elbows and any related damage caused by these items weather in salt or fresh water. You will not get your money back from the cost typically. I say typically because some people I am sure have. If you do your regular maintenance like you should, the extended warranty is not worth the money.
 
Biggest waste of money EVER. I have had three legititmate claims rejected by these guys. There is ALWAYS an excuse why they dont want to pay. Forget it!
 
Extended warranties in general are a bad investment. I am sure they have saved plenty of people but I am sure the masses never even get their equal money back out.

It should really be called INSURANCE because it is basically the same thing.
 
I'm the exception. I just purchased an extended warranty after reading all the other threads about it. I know that if I didn't, something huge would happen. You know what they say about the luck of the Irish. Peace of mind for me. I'm hoping I never have to use it. If you do sell it will be an advantage point over a boat without one. As far as a big waste of money or a bad investment? Hello... we own boats. What's 1100 dollars when it comes to boating? My boat depreciated 60,000 in 3 years ;)
 
If it makes you happy then go for it. However, the only extended warranty I have ever been able to use was on my laptop PC. All the others were a waste of money. Just maintain your engines/drives and you will be OK.
 
Bridog said:
I'm the exception. I just purchased an extended warranty after reading all the other threads about it. I know that if I didn't, something huge would happen. You know what they say about the luck of the Irish. Peace of mind for me. I'm hoping I never have to use it. If you do sell it will be an advantage point over a boat without one. As far as a big waste of money or a bad investment? Hello... we own boats. What's 1100 dollars when it comes to boating? My boat depreciated 60,000 in 3 years ;)
Click to expand...

I will side with you on this one. I bought the extended warranty from Mercruiser and it has paid off for me. I have had several engine related issues that have been covered either in full or a significant cost of the repair. I have never been a big fan of extended warranties but in this case it has paid off for me.

As for the OP, are you going to keep the boat for another 5 years?
 
I purchased the Mercury extended warranty when I bought the boat so I have a slightly different perspective.

First off, dealers can discount the warranty and that is what they did with mine as part of the deal when I bought my boat. Secondly the warranty covers both the engine AND the outdrive and without it I would have had some major expenses. I had a timing cover oil leak that required the engine be removed from the boat. The price of that alone paid for the warranty.

One of the other things that is very good when you have a warranty comes when you put your boat up for sale and can tell perspective buyers that they can transfer the warranty. That brings a lot of peace of mind to a buyer and could be the reason your boat gets chosen over another one without a warranty.

If you want the warranty, I would suggest you do is approach your sales person and say you are interested in getting the extended warranty and ask them to discount the price.

Dave
 
Who is the extended warranty from? Is it actually a Mercruiser warranty? If so, I would be inclined to buy it.... it's a third party though, run like the wind. I currently have the Liberty protection plan on everything BUT the motor (all boat electronics, trailer, etc). I've had several claims denied by them specifically on the trailer... there is always some reason that they won't have to cover breakage.

Also, in my opinion, the bigger and more expensive the boat is, the better investment an extended warranty is. You need to consider how long you will keep the boat as well. Having a warranty may be a good selling point, but it won't bring in any extra cash if you sell two years from now.
 
Last edited:
Interesting comments........good and bad:huh:

trit21 said:
A lot of stuff on the engines are not covered, for example risers, manifolds, and elbows quote]

It does say (as part of the engine) "intake and exhaust manifolds", not sure if that would include the riser.

And yes the warranty is direct from Mercury Marine.

But I have read the fine print in the fine print section, and man, they don't make this easy. It's more confusing than my mortgage papers.

I have lots of time to consider this, so I'll have to do some more homework.
Thanks for the input.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
 
A boat I am considering has 2 years remaining on an extended warranty. It's nice to know it is there but I honestly expect any claims to be a major PITA and whatever the issue is would probably be easier to fix myself.
 
too much money of your boat, and rust and maintenance items are not included... Don't do it.. Put $1,000 in your savings for your next boat...
 
I signed up a few months ago for 3 more years (for a total of 5), just before my one year renewal window was up. I did it for three main reasons:

1. It was only $675 - not a problem
2. Risk reduction for manufacturing infant mortality
3. Gives me the opportunity to fight for them to pay for the repair (without the warranty - I give up that opportunity)
 
I purchased a 3 year extended warranty through Marine Max and I have basically broken even, 1 new windlas motor and two sets of trim rams. Only have until March until it expires so I hope whatever is going to break does before than.
 
trade wins said:
I purchased a 3 year extended warranty through Marine Max and I have basically broken even, 1 new windlas motor and two sets of trim rams. Only have until March until it expires so I hope whatever is going to break does before than.
Click to expand...

A warranty may make more sence where you boat year round... It is hard to break even on a warranty here in the cold north...
 
On my 240 I paid $650 for 3 extra years. ECM went in year 3 -$1,800 repair. I paid $25. Close to a 200% return on my investment.

I've had 3 tachs replaced under my current Passport extended warranty. I negotiated the purchase price of my 270 and after that was agreed to, I asked that a full 4 year extended warranty be included as part of the deal. MM agreed, so I really didn't pay for my extended warranty on this boat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,191
Messages
1,428,264
Members
61,103
Latest member
RealMarineInc
Back
Top