Warranty question?

[Anonymous]

Ok, so I’m getting my new bike 06 600 $6500 OTD is as low as
the dealers in Houston are willing to go. My question is they have
Have a warranty package that covers everything on the bike for
3 years. This includes all services 600 mile and so one, unlimited
oil changes, 10% off all parts, guaranteed priority in shop your bike
will be done within 1 day on any service for the entire 3 years.
$1500 good deal or bad?

[woobie]

Personally I'd take that $1500 and buy a service manual.

Granted the 600 mile service isn't cheap, but that $1500 if used for the first service and then a service manual and some basic tools would leave you enough cash for a decent set of leathers. Or even quite a few set's of tires.

Also consider if your financing that $1500 get's hit with interest.

Look at it this way all service intervals require a oil and filter change, but here's what's extra

600 mile service (valve adj)
4000
7500 (valve adj) fuel filter, spark plugs
11000 air cleaner
15000 (valve adj) fuel filter, spark plugs


fuel filters are less than $10, plugs run about $30-40. A valve adjustment needs less that $100 worth of tools and they are a one time expence.

[The CyberPoet]

IMHO: VERY BAD DEAL.

As I mentioned before, ask specifically about the Suzuki-brand OEM factory extended warrantee instead (or contact Suzuki USA directly to buy it at any point before the standard factory one-year warrantee runs out).

Why is it a bad deal?

Let's look at what you're getting:

(A) A warrantee that is backed by a particular shop. If the shop declares bankruptcy, changes names, sells to new owners, etc., you're stuck holding the bag. Ditto if you move elsewhere (your avatar leads me to believe you are military stationed in Texas, so if you PCS, ETS, or extended TDY). At least the Suzuki warrantee is valid at any Suzuki dealership in North America, whereever you happen to be traveling, and ALWAYS gaurantees you new OEM parts, plus $20 or $25 a day in rental reimbursement if your bike isn't fixed same-day (such as waiting for parts to arrive) AND free towing to the closest authorized dealer as needed.

(B) The actually dollar value:
- 600 mile service: $300 - $320 (90% of which is labor).
- 3500 mile service: $35 - $80, depending on their rates, but you have to take their "house-brand" oil, so no upgrading oils or you lose the benefit.
- 7500 mile service: you said oil changes, so that's $270 out of your pocket for the valve adjustment service, and probably $50 out of theirs.
- 11k service: same as the the 3500 mile service (oil & filter only).
- 15k service: same as the 7500 mile service. They spend another $50 or so, and you get hit with a $270 service bill.
And the factory four-year warrantee (good nationally) is $400... So their three year should be worth $300 at best, right?
By my math, that means you're being offered about a $800 value for a meager $1500... oppps!

(C) 1 day services gauranteed? Not unless hell freezes over or your trailer your bike to them. Any service involving a valve adjustment needs to be done with the engine stone cold, which means you can't ride in during the morning and pick it up in the evening and expect it to be done (or at least not done right) in general. Normally, you'd bring it in the night before so that it's cold in the morning when they get to it. I don't know about your shop (& how busy it is), but around here you can have same day or next-day service any day other than Friday or Saturday without an appointment.

(D) 10% off their standard prices. Which, based on the lowest price they'll offer you for the bike are already pretty high... which means you can almost assuredly beat their "discounted" prices by shopping around or going mail-order.

(E) And now for the kicker: what happens if you find out that their mechanics are a bunch of apes with little or no technical skill or finess, or their parts guys are semi-retarded and can't get what you need to get the bike fixed, -- and as a result you decide you don't want them working on your bike any more? Well, that totally trashes the value of the whole offer, doesn't it?

Personally, I beleive that the only extended warrantee worth diddley-squat on a new bike is the OEM one. Third party warranties have too many exclusions and you have to pray the shop you use will take it (many third-party warrantees are only good at certain shops, and shops often make you pay until they get reimbursed). Suzuki's factory warrantee doesn't have those kind of BS issues through any authorized Suzuki dealer on the planet.

As for maintenance, I'm firmly of the opinion that you should learn to do your own. If you want to let the shop do your 600 mile service, that's fine, as long as you verify that they do indeed do the valve adjustment (many shops skimp on this and don't do it). After that, you really should learn to do it yourself, and keep shop services to things you either don't want to handle yourself or can't (tire changes for example). The cost of the tools will be less than the 600 or 7500 mile service, and you'll own them, plus you'll understand how your bike (and bikes in general) work a whole lot better -- which may have massive unspoken benefits sometime down the road when you find yourself stranded 30 miles from Podunk.

But that's just my opinion

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the posts, they both make great points,
I'll pass on the shop warranty and contact suzuki
and get one.

[Badkitty]

i hate warrantees. They always find a reason for something to NOT be covered. Im taking my kat in to have the cam chain tensioner worked on. I got the sewing machine sound and its pretty loud now. So the only good news is if its NOT under warranty i only pay $40 instead of $80 for the diagnosis. Then i fix it myself. Sometimes its worth the diagnose fee, instead of spending forever trying to figure it out yourself.

[rwcreigh]

i am with cp.+111111

[Humblekat]

If you're buying it from Tejas Motorsports don't even bother. Like everyone else said, save your money for maintenance down the road.

[Anonymous]

If you're buying it from Tejas Motorsports don't even bother. Like everyone else said, save your money for maintenance down the road.

Yeah it's from Tejas, why whats up with them mechanic sucks?

[Anonymous]

Do you think that Suzuki will still offer the 4 yr factory warrenty, even though this is the last year of production for the bike?

[The CyberPoet]

Do you think that Suzuki will still offer the 4 yr factory warrenty, even though this is the last year of production for the bike?

I would think so, since they normally have a five-year replacment parts horizon at time of bike-obsoletion, but you can always call them and ask.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet