Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

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Pegjam
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Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:28 am

Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#1 Post by Pegjam » Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:05 am

I am in the process of finalizing sales paperwork on a new Harris 240 Solstice tritoon with a Mercury 200 Verado. The tritoon has a 5 year manufacturer warranty and the Mercury has a 3+2year warranty. The first three years are full warranty ("standard" on the attached list of what's covered), and the next two years are at a limited warranty ("gold" on the attached). The dealer is offering a "Passport Premiere" warranty which would make it 6 years of full warranty on boat and motor for $1700. This also makes the deductible $25, pickup and drop off service for any warranty work is provided, mechanical breakdown is covered, etc. Since this is my first tritoon I'm a little clueless here as to what to expect for how often this type of work is actually needed. I do know that I can add the mechanical breakdown coverage for $29/year to my boat insurance, although with a higher deductible ($250 vs $25). Is this worth it?
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BobG
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Location: Gilpin County, CO

Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#2 Post by BobG » Fri Apr 03, 2015 1:25 pm

Boy, that's a tough call.
It seems most people average less than 100 hours per year on their motor. In some cases more like 50 hours a year.

It's probably not a good value in that case.

I passed 500 hours in my third year, and have had no issues. It seems to me, that if you change your oil regularly, don't run it at WOT all day, and take care of other basic maintenance, you won't need it.

This was at the end of year 3 (Sorry for the size):

523:22 hours
2600 statute miles
average 5.0 mph
20140929_123106.jpg
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2012 Tahoe 24' Fish-n-Fun Tritoon, with Mercury 115 HP 4-Stroke
"Trine SS Cape" (Trying 2S Cape)
Add a battery: viewtopic.php?t=13546&p=105893#p105893
I'm not a liberal, but I play one on this site.

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Strake
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Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2014 5:17 pm
Location: Smith Mountain Lake, VA

Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#3 Post by Strake » Fri Apr 03, 2015 2:06 pm

Although we have a Yamaha 200, I too was considering it when we initially made the deal on our Berkshire Tri-toon in Mid Sept. We special ordered the boat and engine. About 2 weeks after we made the deal without any extended warranty I was hunting around and on Yamaha's website a saw a special. It said for new engine purchases between Oct 1 and Nov 18 they would throw in an additional 3 full years warranty on top of the standard 3 years for a total of 6 years full engine warranty.

I called my dealer and told them I expected this as I was buying during that time period and taking delivery then. My dealer, who is a fairly sizable Yamaha (and Mercury) dealer hadn't seen anything on it, and hadn't heard anything about it. The very next day they got a big promotional package from Yamaha with all the banners, stand up full size mock up's and all kind of info in it........

In the end, I got the additional 3 years warranty for no cost.

Had I had to decide to pay for it, I would NOT have. It was a $2200 value. I take care of our things, and keep everything properly serviced. I just would not have opted to lay out the $$$....... but for free, why not. Even got my extended paperwork, card etc from Yamaha a few weeks after the boat and engine were delivered and they had to show PDI done for the engine.
"Strake"
Richard and Angie
Smith Mountain Lake, VA
2015 Berkshire 233 RFX STS
Yamaha F200 LB

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kryptonite
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Location: Otter Lake (S. Central IL)

Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#4 Post by kryptonite » Fri Apr 03, 2015 2:54 pm

Negotiate that shit. There are usually deals to be had on the service plans, especially at boat shows. If they can offer them at the boat show, they can budge on them any other time throughout the year.
2008 22' Tahoe Vista Elite Merc 75hp 4 stroke

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katieclooney
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Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#5 Post by katieclooney » Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:40 am

I just bought the extended warranty on top of the 5 year factory warranty.
Cost me 950 for the extra 2 years and get platinum coverage for 4 years.
I paid it for peace of mind.

Pegjam
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:28 am

Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#6 Post by Pegjam » Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:46 pm

katieclooney wrote:I just bought the extended warranty on top of the 5 year factory warranty.
Cost me 950 for the extra 2 years and get platinum coverage for 4 years.
I paid it for peace of mind.
Wow, that's a mch better price. What dealer was it through?

Bamaman
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Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 1:44 pm
Location: NW Alabama--Tennessee River

Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#7 Post by Bamaman » Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:53 pm

On my first Yamaha outboard, I spent $241 on my engine--in 28 years running.

My F150 is coming up on 3 years old and it hasn't seen the dealership. And at 30-40 hours per year, the service contract would cost me between $20 and $26 per running hour.

The four cylinder Yamaha 4 strokes have a very good reputation for long lifespan. And I'm somewhat mechanical in nature.

I'll take my chances.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150

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katieclooney
Posts: 271
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Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#8 Post by katieclooney » Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:57 pm

Pegjam wrote:
katieclooney wrote:I just bought the extended warranty on top of the 5 year factory warranty.
Cost me 950 for the extra 2 years and get platinum coverage for 4 years.
I paid it for peace of mind.
Wow, that's a mch better price. What dealer was it through?

Just my local South Bay dealer.

RcgTexas
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Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 6:37 am
Location: Texas

Re: Extended warranty on Mercury motor worth it?

#9 Post by RcgTexas » Mon Apr 06, 2015 8:08 pm

Everything is negotiable! hold out say you don't want it and they will come off the high dollar price but I'm like BobG, it doesn't seem worth it at that price for sure!
1995 beachcomber conversion to tritoon with Honda 135 ,

Link to rebuild [url=http://www.pontoonforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=19016][Knot Normal][/url]

God Bless America

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