Thoughts on motor extended product protection

[howie]

Fish-hawk folks,

Was wondering what thoughts are on there on extended product protection for an outboard motor. Never had a new motor before purchase of a 115 hp Mercury Four stroke in summer 2014. Yesterday I received a Mercury Product Protection offer basically extending the warranty for additional 1 to 5 years for a cool $620 up to $1720.

Normally I forgo any and all extended warranty offers but this one gave me pause.

Appreciate any advice/comments on the subject.

Howie

[lape0019]

My personal opinion is that the bigger the outboard, the more important warranty is. IMO, a 115 isn't something I would be worried about extending the warranty on unless it was a great deal.

[beachburger]

It's a tough call to be sure but I tend to think along the lines of lape0019 - big HP motors cost way more to fix/replace than smaller HP motors. I extended the warranty on a 250HP Yamaha SHO to the 6 years but I didn't extend the warranty on a 150HP Merc Opti 2-stroke to 5 years.

That said, if this was my first new boat, really liked it and planned to keep it for many years, I would buy peace of mind for an extra 3 years. If I had plans to upgrade the boat within a few years, I would extend the warranty for the extra 5 years. Used boats with warranty on the motors are worth more and will sell faster than ones without it.

At the end of the day it's an outboard motor and it's not a question of if it will blow up, its a question of when it will blow up.

[howie]

Thanks for the input/opinion.
Funny as to me my 115 hp is a "big outboard".
Leaning toward having the piece of mind justifies the expense.
Thanks again.
Howie

[lape0019]

Lol, it's bigger than my 75 that's for sure!

When I say big motor, I mean bigger than a 200.

[Bass Addict]

No to the extended warranty, 115 is pretty much Bullet proof !!

[jjcanoe]

That motor is the same as mine. I did a lot of reading on it and it is basically an underpowered 200 HP Verado. http://www.boattest.com/engine-review/M ... 5-EFI_2013

That being said, if it gives you peace of mind, go for the extended warranty. It's whatever makes you feel comfortable!

[jjcanoe]

Lol I just got the same package in the mail.

[PunchRig]

I would,190 hours on my 250 pro xs,and it popped a powerhead,brand new one sitting on her now,with the new injector to replace the one that caused the lean out.