extended warranty

B

boogaard

New Member
Mar 10, 2013
13
Stillwater, MN.
Boat Info
2012 sundacer 240.
Engines
5.0 liter mercruiser bravo III drive
hopefully this is the right area for this.

Just bought a new 2012 sundancer 240. The dealer of course is trying to sell me an expensive after market warranty called Passport Premier Premium extended Marine protection. These warranties range in price form $1,575.00 for a 5 year basic to $2,850.00 for a 6 year premium. Are these warranties worth the money? Any one know anything about these warranties?
 
I didn't know they had them for boats. Everything I have read says they are a waste of money. My wife recently bought a new Honda Pilot. The Sales people tell you what a wonderful, dependable car it is so she decides to buy. Then some schmuck belittles us for not getting the extended warranty. If the product is so darn good, why do I need the extended warranty? I have never bought one and never been sorry. Just one guy's opinion.
 
When I bought the used DA, I bought it. Well, I paid to transfer it to me - $100. It has already paid for itself between DVD player and trim sender replacements. Having said that, I am SO glad the PO paid the big bucks for it and I only had to pay to transfer it to me.
 
You and the warranty company are betting against each other on who will get the best deal.

You are also betting the warranty company will treat your claims fairly.

You are betting the warranty company will be around long enough to honor the length of the policy.

The bets are stacked against you most of the time. Extended warranties on virtually any product are usually a bad buy.

Congratulations on the new boat!
 
When I bought my boat the only extended warranty I bought was the one from Mercury for my engine and transmission it extended out 4 years so seven in total. The other ones I have read about are either hit or miss some times they pay the claim sometimes they don't. It really depends on the person handling the claim I guess. Congrats on the new toy

just my .02
 
Passport has been around for a long time and is a stable, reputable warranty. I don't have the info in front of me, but I believe the warranty you are referencing is an all-inclusive (bumper to bumper, so to say) warranty? There are other packages (covers less items) available at a lesser cost, as well. You could also get a Mercruiser extended warranty, but they tend to be more expensive. The only downside to the Passport warranty is that the dealer has to get pre-approval for warranty repair which can sometimes take a few days. However, dealers that have been around for a while (know what they're doing) and have a good relation with the warranty claim department can often get around this.

Some people like extended warranties, some do not. Whether or not you find it worth the money... well, only you can answer that.
 
if the company is reputable and the coverage good....
one repair could double the cost of the coverage
read carefully and if engine warranty says it only covers "internally lubricated parts" don't waste your money
and look for exclusions to coverage.
 
Getting the Passport extended warranty if available is a no brainer.
 
I worked in the RV business for many years and was the guy in the office who tried to get you to buy all those extended warranties and life/health insurance products.

They are HUGE profit makers for the business. There was $1,000 built into each of our extended warranty policies, so you can see why we pushed them so hard.

With any of them, the devil's in the details. Like moparlvr mentioned, look for the exclusions and the words "internally lubricated parts". That means that if an internally lubricated part breaks, they will cover it. Intake and exhaust manifolds, not likely. You may also have to pay up front for an engine removal and tear down to find out what caused the breakdown. If the breakdown WAS caused by an internally lubricated part, they likely will reimburse you for the labor to find the problem. If not, you're on your own.

After hearing all the horror stories about "Why didn't they pay for my breakdown?" I decided to never purchase an extended warranty. So far I'm waaaaay ahead by self insuring.

That being said, I sold one to a guy buying a diesel pusher motorhome. He was glad he bought it when the engine went TU a few months later and he didn't have to pay the $25,000 bill to repair it.

It's like the old saying......You pays your money or you takes your chances.
 
The Passport warranty program is owned by Brunswick so you know the warranty will have solid backing. Our dealer sells the warranty to nearly every new boat buyer and I have yet to see one that didn't pay for itself....(bear in mind, I am in a salt water area where boating is a 12 month/year activity). Dennis is right, the warranty company has to pre-approve repairs, but they are very responsive when the appropriate documentation is furnished. The reason for pre-approvals is because of unethical dealers who tried to get coverage on non-covered items, so it is a reasonable process. The critical issue here is that your dealer must know how to "do the dance" with the warranty company. If they don't, you just get the answer "they declined coverage" where the dealer is making the warranty company the bad guy because they just didn't follow procedure to get your coverage approved.

When shop labor rates are $100-$125/man hour and a simple failed electronic component like an injector costs $350-$500, a simple repair can run nearly $1000 by the time the laptop is hooked up and the system scanned for codes and the boat is test run. That makes it not hard to justify an extended warranty.
 
Typically I do not buy extended warranties - more of a self-insure kind of guy.

When I purchased my current 340, during negotiation the prior owner ( who had purchased the boat new) threw out that they had purchased the Passport Premier Preminium when the boat was purchased new.

This past fall, had an electronics issue, replace me switch panels, etc. Dealer filed a warranty claim, got it approved. Knocked a 1,400 bill down to around 250. Just my experience.
 
I have never bought an extended warrantee on anything ..........until this last boat. I calculated it two ways. Lots and lots of electronics on the Zeus to go wrong plus the added value at trade time. My dockmate has a 55 DA and has used his warrantee a bunch. It's crazy what they cover and what they don't cover. A $7000. electrical panel, covered. A $150. bilge pump, not covered. Time will tell if I made a good decision.
 
Cars... Hell No. Boats....Hell Yes. I can't think of a single item MORE perfectly paired than a boat and an extended warranty. I bought the Mercury Product Protection at a much cheaper rate and it paid for itself 5 times over. Not worth losing any sleep over it. Get it! Good luck, Brian
 
well it sounds like its about 50/50 from every one who has responded. I have never purchased an extended warranty on anything that has a motor before & never needed to. So now I guess I will him & ha & scratch my head & go with my gut I guess. thanks for the replies.
 
Check what the coverage is for. Like I mentioned above, based on that pricing, I think this might be an "all-in-one" warranty. A warranty for just the engine and drive would be less.
 
I'd never bought one before, but I bought one for my wife's car the last time around. It has already paid for itself with two more years of coverage left. For what a new boat costs, the price of the warranty isn't much more added to the bottom line. Where I live, the problem would be getting someone decent to work on it if you did have a claim...
 
I had the passport for my 250 which I bought new.... It paid for itself... Why, because I put 500 hours on the boat in three summers, and stripped the spline... If you plan on useing your boat a lot, I would get it...
 
Thanks for the link boatrboy. It was exactly what I was looking for. & funny how the dealer from another state uses the same phrase as my dealer "almost everyone purchases the extended warranty"
 
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