Honda Care Extended Warranty LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE!

[DaSwami_imp]

There is a reason that, even at $500, this is such a boon for the dealer, because you are likely never going to use it! The one year warranty is free and you should be able to root out any defects with regular riding.

Put another way, who here has actually purchased the extended warranty and used it?

[Olyrider]

I'm sorry, but that's just wrong on so many levels, IMHO.

If the purchase price is $500, then the dealer makes $100...before taxes! "Boon"? Really?

American Honda gets $400 for providing four additional years of manufacturer's guarantee. The buyer(apparently not you) has peace of mind that any noise, wobble, or breakdown is 100% covered for five years. If he sells the bike before the time is up, he can transfer the warranty to the buyer for free. Or, he can get a pro-rated refund for the unused period.

The service department at the dealership where I worked was by far the most profitable of the three: sales, service, parts. They loved warranty work because Honda paid full-bore retail for parts and labor, plus they paid immediately. They just insisted that the failed parts be sent to them, at their cost, so they could be examined for cause of failure.

I ALWAYS buy the warranty but I make sure I'm paying a fair price. I've always had warranty claims. They have never been denied. I think $500 is quite reasonable.

Here's the other side. Customer brings in his 2014 CTX700 three weeks out of warranty. His headlight reflector is melted. Throws a hissy fit in the parking lot when he is told it probably won't be covered. Starts the usual tirade "F*ck Honda, I knew it! BS quality, blah, blah, blah. He was asked if he had modified the headlight in any way, since there were no reported similar failures. Heck no, he said. I only changed the LED's in the dash and the blinkers. After he leaves, awaiting a decision from the regional Honda rep, the service tech looks up the guy's Facebook page. Sure enough, there are photos and a description of the LED headlight bulb that he had installed that was "so bright", and, OBTW, so hot.

[the Ferret]

" I ALWAYS buy the warranty but I make sure I'm paying a fair price. I've always had warranty claims." Olyrider

Olyrider..just having an extended warranty or a warranty for that matter is supposed to bring piece of mind doesn't always do that or guarantee that a defective product will be covered. It is up to the whim and fancy of the regional service rep whether a defect is approved and covered and increasingly they are turning claims down (this verified by the Service Manager at my local shop). The rear brake on my 13 CB 1100 was IMO clearly defective and there were similar reports of others on this forum as well. I took the bike to my selling dealer who said he'd have to have the regional rep approve it. When the regional rep showed up, he denied my claim saying that I "needed to learn how to ride". The rep was maybe 30 years old. Now, I have been riding for 50 years. I raced motorcycles for 10 years. I was an instructor for the Yamaha Learn to Ride Program. I worked in the industry for 17 years. I may not be Valentino Rossi, but I'm pretty confident that I know how to ride a motorcycle, and I know there was something wrong with the rear brake on that motorcycle. My warranty was totally useless in protecting me from a defective product. I have very little faith in Honda backing their product. Btw I have owned 9 Honda 4 wheeled vehicles (cars, van, suv, truck), 11 Honda street motorcycles and 1 Honda ATV since 1967. That was my first warranty claim that I can remember (which really surprises me when you said above that you always have warranty claims), which I felt was a legitimate claim, but Honda chose to deny it. Luckily Honda makes a pretty solid product to begin with and I know a bit about working on motorcycles so can usually fix whatever needs fixing. But I no longer have faith that my warranty will cover me if something goes wrong.

[redbirds_imp]

I have had the same experience with Honda products ferret and have never had to make a warranty claim. A shame that an obvious problem such as your rear brake issue would be denied. Many years back, my local Honda shop in Jacksonville replaced at no cost to the owner, an Elsinore MX bike with a blown transmission. It was among the first Elsinore's that Honda had shipped out and the factory rep authorized the replacement. That Honda would replace a product sold without a warranty spoke well for Honda's commitment to it's customers back then.

[the Ferret]

Redbirds... I know, I was stunned. When you consider it was a safety issue and not a cosmetic issue, I would have thought Honda would have been really interested in making sure that brake was working properly. To the dealerships credit, they offered to work on the brake for me without Hondas approval, but I turned them down, first because I was really po'd at Honda, and secondly because I could do myself what they would be doing. I ended up trading the bike in before doing anything about it, but did tell them when I traded it in it had a defective rear brake. Sales dept didn't care.

[Olyrider]

Hi Ferret!

When I wrote my above post, I thought briefly about your situation, and I knew you had a different experience.

We both have ST1300's. On mine, the motor that controls the very slight headlight movement began working intermittently. And the heated grips didn't produce the heat I was accustomed to. Both were fixed under warranty. It cost almost $700. I paid $449 for the warranty. I was convinced that they would continue to make necessary repairs even though they were now underwater with me. The Northwest regional rep seems to be pretty good, but I have noticed that Honda has started enforcing the end-of-warranty date to the exact day. No more "close enough".

Honda's warranty refusal for your rear brake malfunction annoys the heck out of me! Above all else, it's a safety issue! And...somebody who actually _uses_ the rear brake doesn't need to "learn" how to ride...they already know! (You know how many riders say they "never" use the rear brake?). Not for cornering, not for settling the rear...nope never.

I do believe there is (has been) a new economy since 2007 for both customers and businesses. I am strongly on the customer side, which is why I left the dealership where I was working. I'm convinced that I got to see the same patterns over and over to know that their boasting of "we're all about the customer" is nothing more that hollow words.

[jrns_imp]

Ferret-I almost fell out of my chair when I read this "...he denied my claim saying that I "needed to learn how to ride". The rep was maybe 30 years old..."
I don't know you but just from what I know of you from this forum you have my absolute highest regard as an experienced motorcyclist.
its a shame this happened but I can somewhat relate-I own and have owned many Hondas (cars, truck, SUVs, snow blowers, lawnmowers, weed whackers, etc) and fortunately they have been very reliable.
I was thinking of the extended warranty for my bike which I need to purchase soon (within the next month or so). I'm really on the fence about it. Plus in Canada that warranty is 3 times what it is in the US. So its a tough decision. Thanks for sharing your insights.

[rotor]

Gentlemen. This is a game of statistically probability. Over the full group of people that purchase these extended warranties if they all had serious failures Honda would lose money. Honda bets this is not the case and makes money on the deal. You however do not have the risk spread across all those motorcycles, your risk of component failure is to the motorcycle you have. I figure the odds are in my favor it will not fail, the same as Honda thinks, but my risk is higher as I only have one motorcycle to spread the risk across.

Does this make sense? So as Dirty Harry says "you feeling lucky punk?"

I don't buy and take the chance. Has always worked for me.

Today's electronics are better than ever, not the 1980s any more. But bad things can happen to good people.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Correct!
Quote:...but my risk is higher as I only have one motorcycle to spread the risk across. I follow the reasoning, but I factor in my two cars, fridge and dishwasher, laundry washer and dryer, a couple of TV-sets, two desktops and a laptop computer, some fancy sound toys and several "yard and shop" pieces in the garage; none of which I would dream of making the "extended warranty" bet on. This might be far from spreading the risk the way it works for Honda, but my risk-base is nevertheless considerably more than one $10K motorcycle.

[kmoney_imp]

Ferret's rear brake issue is pathetic for many reasons. That rep's response and statement is the kind that makes people swear off brands for life. Any company that actually permits a troll like that to represent them to the public is doing themselves a serious disservice.

I've never understood company's hat do this type of thing.

[the Ferret]

Just in from 150 mile curvy roads ride. Wish the service rep had been along, he could have judged whether I can ride for himself ha ha

Anyhow, I would never discourage someone from buying an extended warranty, for peace of mind alone.Things can and do go wrong and if an electrical gizmo goes wrong that can be quite pricy. At $100 a year it's a pittance (relatively). Now in Canada if it's $300 a year/1200 for 48 I'd have to think hard about that.

I personally wouldn't worry about the motor, trans, hydraulic braking system etc. Don't believe you'd ever have trouble with those, but an ecu or a sidestand neutral switch or a tip over over switch, or some kind of ABS brain.. electrical stuff...those things would be my concern.

Ya takes your chances.

I did have a fuel pump go out on a Yamaha scooter and Yamaha covered that (would have been $400). The replacement was defective noticed the day I picked it up, and Yamaha covered it again.