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So whats the general consensus on extended warranties? Has any one ever bought one and were you glad you did? Is this a must have option? And lastly, how much did you pay?
Dave
Dave
Extended warranty
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Well, it depends on how you are asking the question, in general or how it relates to your specific case.
In general I think the extended warranties are just like the factory warranty in the case of HD and most other motorcycle manufacturers, not worth the paper they are written on, mainly because the factory leaves the interpretation to the individual dealers. A lot of the meaningless legal talk included is looked at by many dealer personnel as an opportunity not to do warranty work which they admittedly hate. It varies from individual to individual or wether management or the techs are running the shop and depends on how they are paid, but most will look for any possible excuse not to do warranty work.
On the other hand in the specific case of a new Ultra if you are not very much up to date on electronics you would have a potential very high exposure to repair costs down the road if you get unlucky. This is not the sort of stuff your indy can help you with.
You have to make your own call. With these new bikes if something goes wrong you either fix them yourself, pay whatever they feel like charging you or be prepared for long sessions on the phone to get them fixed under warranty in a timely manner.
In general I think the extended warranties are just like the factory warranty in the case of HD and most other motorcycle manufacturers, not worth the paper they are written on, mainly because the factory leaves the interpretation to the individual dealers. A lot of the meaningless legal talk included is looked at by many dealer personnel as an opportunity not to do warranty work which they admittedly hate. It varies from individual to individual or wether management or the techs are running the shop and depends on how they are paid, but most will look for any possible excuse not to do warranty work.
On the other hand in the specific case of a new Ultra if you are not very much up to date on electronics you would have a potential very high exposure to repair costs down the road if you get unlucky. This is not the sort of stuff your indy can help you with.
You have to make your own call. With these new bikes if something goes wrong you either fix them yourself, pay whatever they feel like charging you or be prepared for long sessions on the phone to get them fixed under warranty in a timely manner.
Oh Nooooooo
The dreaded "waranty" question...I am still wrasslin with it...I have until 3/20/02 when the factory runs out...Buy it...Yes...Buy it No...I have no clue...been back and forth 100 times...Waranty Direct maybe...Factory NO...that's for sure......
The dreaded "waranty" question...I am still wrasslin with it...I have until 3/20/02 when the factory runs out...Buy it...Yes...Buy it No...I have no clue...been back and forth 100 times...Waranty Direct maybe...Factory NO...that's for sure......
I had a 1 year extended warranty on my '99 Softail, mostly for the peace of mind dealing with a brand new bike and the fact that we got a break on the interest rate. We figured that anything that was going to break would do it in the first couple of years.
It would have covered the cost of a new stator and regulator if the bike had broken down near a dealer that could have fit me in for service in a reasonable amount of time (Daytona HD in the middle of Bike Week . Figure 3-4 days minimum downtime with their workload). I went down the street to another shop and got it fixed that day. Oh well.
The cost of coverage much past that (3-4+ years) gets rather expensive. Figure the cost of a warranty that goes out that far is about the same as replacing a part the warranty is covering, anyway. Prospective buyers like to see one on a bike and it is a good selling tool if you sell your bike within the warranty period. If you buy one and later decide you don't want it, you can "cash it in" so to speak, and get a refund for the period of the extended warranty you did not use.
An extended warranty is sold by the dealer just like any other bike accessory. The markup is pretty steep but prices will vary from one dealer to the next. Get with the service manager to see how warranty work is scheduled in with all the other stuff being worked on. I'm betting there is no priority over somebody paying for repairs out of pocket. Read the small print so there are no surprises.
It would have covered the cost of a new stator and regulator if the bike had broken down near a dealer that could have fit me in for service in a reasonable amount of time (Daytona HD in the middle of Bike Week
. Figure 3-4 days minimum downtime with their workload). I went down the street to another shop and got it fixed that day. Oh well.The cost of coverage much past that (3-4+ years) gets rather expensive. Figure the cost of a warranty that goes out that far is about the same as replacing a part the warranty is covering, anyway. Prospective buyers like to see one on a bike and it is a good selling tool if you sell your bike within the warranty period. If you buy one and later decide you don't want it, you can "cash it in" so to speak, and get a refund for the period of the extended warranty you did not use.
An extended warranty is sold by the dealer just like any other bike accessory. The markup is pretty steep but prices will vary from one dealer to the next. Get with the service manager to see how warranty work is scheduled in with all the other stuff being worked on. I'm betting there is no priority over somebody paying for repairs out of pocket. Read the small print so there are no surprises.
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I'm betting there is no priority over somebody paying for repairs out of pocket.
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LOL, I like the way you put that.
Groucho, I don't want to be responsible for your decision, but the mechanical stuff is the easy part, anyone can fix a carbureted bike.
ECM's are not cheap, but this is not even the main exposure, the real exposure is the time it could take to troubleshoot a problem when you have a bike with multiple integrated electronic systems and people not used to them, and you know what? warranty companies (as well as factory warranty unless specifically authorized) usually do not pay for this, they pay for failed components and the labor to replace them and a small given amount of time to troubleshoot.
You can't really blame the few good wrenches dealers have for weaseling out of these jobs, heck I do this mostly as a hobby and might do it for free for some, but would laugh anyone that intended to pay with a warranty out of town. Guess who winds up with these jobs, the guy that worked at McDonalds three weeks ago, because no one cares if they come or go.
Have you checked the turnover at dealers lately? LOL
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I'm betting there is no priority over somebody paying for repairs out of pocket.
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LOL, I like the way you put that.
Groucho, I don't want to be responsible for your decision, but the mechanical stuff is the easy part, anyone can fix a carbureted bike.
ECM's are not cheap, but this is not even the main exposure, the real exposure is the time it could take to troubleshoot a problem when you have a bike with multiple integrated electronic systems and people not used to them, and you know what? warranty companies (as well as factory warranty unless specifically authorized) usually do not pay for this, they pay for failed components and the labor to replace them and a small given amount of time to troubleshoot.
You can't really blame the few good wrenches dealers have for weaseling out of these jobs, heck I do this mostly as a hobby and might do it for free for some, but would laugh anyone that intended to pay with a warranty out of town. Guess who winds up with these jobs, the guy that worked at McDonalds three weeks ago, because no one cares if they come or go.
Have you checked the turnover at dealers lately? LOL
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well you guys finally sucked me in i have been a lurker for awhile, as my new bike does not arrive untill april 02 but your discussion on warranties has brought a couple of questions to mind. what happens if within the first year i decide to put on a set of S n S heads od change the chain drive on the cams to a gear driven one am i screwed as far as warranty goes or is that still up to the dealer? are there limits to what i can/can't do and void warranty?
i have been a lurker for awhile, as my new bike does not arrive untill april 02 but your discussion on warranties has brought a couple of questions to mind. what happens if within the first year i decide to put on a set of S n S heads od change the chain drive on the cams to a gear driven one am i screwed as far as warranty goes or is that still up to the dealer? are there limits to what i can/can't do and void warranty?In that specific case you have no warranty. Legally you should have no warranty on the engine and arguably no warranty on the rest of the powertrain if they can reasonably show a failure was caused by the modifications.
The way it works in Harleyworld is that you have no warranty, period. They will try and deny coverage on even irrelevant hings like a electric switch or instrument. Sure you can fight them, and you might even win, but going thru this sort of thing is not what I have a bike for.
On the other hand if you have a dealer shop that wants to work with you, they can warranty almost anything they want as long as the bike is under warranty. The factory may inspect the failed parts if they choose to do so, but they don't know what's on any given bike as far as modifications.
Break down on a trip and you are back to square one.
The other thing, with extended warranties, is that if you need it a few years down the road they will likely require documentation proving every single service was done, every last oil change. Miss one, not the oil change, but the documentation, and no warranty.
I don't know about anyone else, but if I wanted to be a book keeper I would probably drive an Grand Marquis or something.
Not much a dealer can do to help you with this even if he wanted to.
The way it works in Harleyworld is that you have no warranty, period. They will try and deny coverage on even irrelevant hings like a electric switch or instrument. Sure you can fight them, and you might even win, but going thru this sort of thing is not what I have a bike for.
On the other hand if you have a dealer shop that wants to work with you, they can warranty almost anything they want as long as the bike is under warranty. The factory may inspect the failed parts if they choose to do so, but they don't know what's on any given bike as far as modifications.
Break down on a trip and you are back to square one.
The other thing, with extended warranties, is that if you need it a few years down the road they will likely require documentation proving every single service was done, every last oil change. Miss one, not the oil change, but the documentation, and no warranty.
I don't know about anyone else, but if I wanted to be a book keeper I would probably drive an Grand Marquis or something.
Not much a dealer can do to help you with this even if he wanted to.
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138 Posts
Just found out the extended warranty is a HD offered item, I thought it would be offered by someone else. I don't have any information on the warranty. I don't know whats covered or not covered, so I called the salesman on base and he's getting some info for me. Next time I'm there, 2 hour drive, I'll read through it and make a decision. I'm still not sure.
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4 Posts
i was reading an artical in a power and performance magazine about installing a103-inch stroker kit useing all screamin eagle parts. and at the end of the artical, it says that installation of a 103 stroker crank does not allow your new bike warranty to remain intact, even if the work is done by a certified harley dealership. so i would have too agree with you guys. buy a scooter for the ride and throw the paperwork in the fireplace. i for one will save my money on the extended warranty and buy more chrome.
Joined
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138 Posts
Thanks for all the input. Talked it over with the SO, she's getting the 883, and we decided not to get the warranty. I have never purchased an extended warranty before and since we will modify the bikes, why bother with something that might be voided.
See you on the road in March
Dave
See you on the road in March
Dave
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