[Mdunham0519]

What are the thoughts behind buying the extended warranty. I am not really too much of a do-it-yourself kind of guy, but I am willing to learn. I do plan on doing some longer trips and it seems that the "loss of use" feature seems nice. Anybody have any experiences positive or negative with the warranty.

 

[dieselgman]

I know that many have had good experiences with extended service contracts... I remain a skeptic for many reasons as well. Your own situation will tip the scales one way or the other for your own choices. Just how much risk is involved and what is it worth to you to have someone else carry that risk (at least in part).
Insurance is a bet you are making with a pool of others that your risks and losses are likely to exceed your policy costs... the company offering such coverage is betting against you collecting more than you have paid in. In fact much less, so that they stay in business etc..
Insurance also lends itself to corruption and abuse, greatly inflated costs seem to be the norm in the business to cover this tendency.

Personally, I am willing to carry my own risks (within reason). I like to tinker and work on these bikes and have found that many others in supposed positions of responsibility and authority have failed to perform proper work when I have allowed that to happen.

I recommend reviewing and fully understanding the precise details of any contract as well as looking into the track record of the company in question so that you are never taken by surprise if and when your expectations are not fully met. The devil is in the details!

 

[Vrat]

I'm not a extended warranty guy. I've never felt the cost was worth it. That said, I'm new to the Indian side of Polaris but the Victory side was a less than favorable experience on anything warranty. All claims were like pulling teeth. I hope Indian is a better experience.

 

[dalethemale]

Chieftain#2138 is going on year five of the original extended warranty(service plan) and my local dealer has been phenomenal. I know the 1st year guys got this for free, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Dean E]

First call it what it is. This is not a warranty but and extended service plan. These plans will cover parts that break and the labor to fix it. They do not cover cosmetic issues. Rust, chrome peeling, etc.... will not be covered. I worked for many years in the service industry. We offered these plans for only one reason. THEY MAKE MONEY!!!!!! Plans like these offer customers some peace of mind down the road. If this helps you sleep better at night, you are not much of a mechanical person, or plan to hold onto your ride for a number of years then this might be a plan for you.

I have never purchased an extended plan like this but then again I could handle about anything that might need to be worked on with my ride. Dean

 

[17NDNSTL]

I have NEVER been a fan. BUT did purchase DIRECT from Polaris. I feel the potential cost of repairs on these vehicles outweighs the extra $1900 they charged me.
I wouldn't get it from dealer though. Many are not accepted Nationwide

 

[Mdunham0519]

Thank you everybody. One more thought. I plan on adding stage 1 indian exhaust, freedom true dual and slip ons. The dealership will install. They downplay the warranty effects. They say, they..dealership..will cover. Big dealership (Bairs in Canton Ohio) they claim they have never had an issue and will stand behind everything. They have been great and I am inclined to believe them. Just throwing that out there as well.

Also, one more thing. The literature the Indian Warranty coverage sent says the 5 year warranty starts when the 2 year coverage ends for a total of 7 years. On their website it says that the coverage starts with the in service date. A bit confusing. I sent an email to them asking for clarification. I will post their reply.

 

[17NDNSTL]

First call it what it is. This is not a warranty but and extended service plan. These plans will cover parts that break and the labor to fix it. They do not cover cosmetic issues. Rust, chrome peeling, etc.... will not be covered. I worked for many years in the service industry. We offered these plans for only one reason. THEY MAKE MONEY!!!!!! Plans like these offer customers some peace of mind down the road. If this helps you sleep better at night, you are not much of a mechanical person, or plan to hold onto your ride for a number of years then this might be a plan for you.

I have never purchased an extended plan like this but then again I could handle about anything that might need to be worked on with my ride. Dean

I agree with your assessment Dean EXCEPT, Im a decent shade tree Mechanic and there are things that go wrong on these Indians and ALL modern vehicles that I would feel uncomfortable trying to fix. The days of simple troubleshooting are over, in my opinion.
Are they a money maker? Yes. Its just modern gambling. We're gambling it will break, the manufacturer and the Insurance Company they buy the coverage from are betting against. The price reflects the amount they are willing to hedge their bet.
I paid $1900 for 5 additional years for the plan from Polaris. Each person has to decide if the price of the plan is worth it to them. In my case it was.
Its only the second plan of such I have ever purchased. The first was on our Mercedes. The cost of German Luxury cars is thru the roof. My Toyota Tundra, didn't even consider it because of reliability.

 

[iflypigs]

When I bought my RM I purchased an additional 3 years warranty. I'm not certain, but I thought this was through Polaris.(I'd have to go dig out the paperwork) When I just bought the Scout the dealer was selling an extended warranty through a company called Pinnacle. I did not purchase it at the time, but was told I could do so any time prior to the original warranty expiration. The salesman told me they don't sell the Polaris extended warranties because Pinnacle is much easier to deal with on warranty repair than Polaris. He said the coverage is identical and the Pinnacle is slightly cheaper. Non of this confirmed...FWIW.

 

[Big Dawg]

I bought mine, primarily, because the dealership agreed to come down, pick up my bike, and drop it back off after the service was competed. This included routine services as well as warranty issues.

So, I just have try and tie things like tires and brakes into the times for oil changes . . .





BD

 

[17NDNSTL]

When I bought my RM I purchased an additional 3 years warranty. I'm not certain, but I thought this was through Polaris.(I'd have to go dig out the paperwork) When I just bought the Scout the dealer was selling an extended warranty through a company called Pinnacle. I did not purchase it at the time, but was told I could do so any time prior to the original warranty expiration. The salesman told me they don't sell the Polaris extended warranties because Pinnacle is much easier to deal with on warranty repair than Polaris. He said the coverage is identical and the Pinnacle is slightly cheaper. Non of this confirmed...FWIW.

He told you that because dealers get a commission on the sale. They often sell it to you at a markup they think you'll pay then offer lower price if you wont.

Im sure the dealers get something for selling a Polaris warranty as well, but don't think they have flexibility in negotiating the price.

 

[17NDNSTL]

Thank you everybody. One more thought. I plan on adding stage 1 indian exhaust, freedom true dual and slip ons. The dealership will install. They downplay the warranty effects. They say, they..dealership..will cover. Big dealership (Bairs in Canton Ohio) they claim they have never had an issue and will stand behind everything. They have been great and I am inclined to believe them. Just throwing that out there as well.

Also, one more thing. The literature the Indian Warranty coverage sent says the 5 year warranty starts when the 2 year coverage ends for a total of 7 years. On their website it says that the coverage starts with the in service date. A bit confusing. I sent an email to them asking for clarification. I will post their reply.

Did they give those assurances to stand behind you in writing?

 

[Axxehead]

My original 2 year warranty is expiring this coming May. I just read all of the solicitation for the extended plan. I got cams, gutted cat, pvcx, slip on exhaust and aftermarket intake, clutch and more in my bike. I'm handy with pretty much most repairs except maybe cracking open the engine case for something major. For me I'd rather put the $1900 in a high yield savings account or 5 yr CD and use it exclusively for any major repairs than to hand it over to Indian/Polaris and "maybe" receive coverage. The reason I say maybe and this may apply to the OP is that you said you're possibly planning some long trips on your bike, me too, so that automatically places unknown dealers and/or service reps that most likely don't know you, have never talked or even met you let alone your bike. Sure it's an Indian but over that last 2 yrs that I've been hanging around this site Indian warranty claims can sometimes be maybe/maybe on a stock bike (depending on the warranty claim) I'd hate to think what they'd think about my modified ride. And that with just that word alone, modified, the dealer can turn anyone away. Am I taking a risk by not buying an extended warranty/service plan, yep definitely. Is my bike going to cost me over $1900 in future shop repairs, no idea, time will tell, from what I've heard, seen and continue to research so far I'd say not. And in 5 yrs hopefully, God willing I'll have close to $2,000 to put into new performance parts and beer money! Cheers.

 

[Mdunham0519]

Did they give those assurances to stand behind you in writing?

Nothing in writing.

 

[iflypigs]

He told you that because dealers get a commission on the sale. They often sell it to you at a makeup they think you'll pay then offer lower price if you wont.

I would think they would get a commission either from Polaris or Pinnacle...perhaps better on Pinnacle...don't know. But he was convincing that Pinnacle is easier to deal with on warranty work. He gave examples of how/what they have to submit to Polaris vs. Pinnacle.
Anyway, just want people to know they have options.

 

[WillyH]

I agree with your assessment Dean EXCEPT, Im a decent shade tree Mechanic and there are things that go wrong on these Indians and ALL modern vehicles that I would feel uncomfortable trying to fix. The days of simple troubleshooting are over, in my opinion.
Are they a money maker? Yes. Its just modern gambling. We're gambling it will break, the manufacturer and the Insurance Company they buy the coverage from are betting against. The price reflects the amount they are willing to hedge their bet.
I paid $1900 for 5 additional years for the plan from Polaris. Each person has to decide if the price of the plan is worth it to them. In my case it was.
Its only the second plan of such I have ever purchased. The first was on our Mercedes. The cost of German Luxury cars is thru the roof. My Toyota Tundra, didn't even consider it because of reliability.

So you have the factory 2 year warrantee and then the 5 years is additional, so you have 7 years total? Does the additional contract cover all of the electrical and mechanical?

 

[17NDNSTL]

So you have the factory 2 year warrantee and then the 5 years is additional, so you have 7 years total? Does the additional contract cover all of the electrical and mechanical?

Correct. $50 deductible Started in Jan this year. Due to surgery last spring, I still have a little less than 5k miles on it. Not really broje in, so thats another reason I got it. Never really tested the original 2 years except recalls. Oh they did replace my starter and seat.
I will have to dig it out but believe only mechanical minus normal wear and tear items.

Edit: INDIAN MOTORCYCLE Protection Plan covers all mechanical and electrical failures excluding wear items (batteries, belts, wheel bearings, etc.) abused units, neglected units or cosmetic damages. Terms are state-specific

 

[WillyH]

Correct. $50 deductible Started in Jan this year. Due to surgery last spring, I still have a little less than 5k miles on it. Not really broje in, so thats another reason I got it. Never really tested the original 2 years except recalls. Oh they did replace my starter and seat.

I've never gotten an extended warrantee on anything. But if I ever buy a new Indian, for the $$ I would defineatly consider it.

 

[17NDNSTL]

My original 2 year warranty is expiring this coming May. I just read all of the solicitation for the extended plan. I got cams, gutted cat, pvcx, slip on exhaust and aftermarket intake, clutch and more in my bike. I'm handy with pretty much most repairs except maybe cracking open the engine case for something major. For me I'd rather put the $1900 in a high yield savings account or 5 yr CD and use it exclusively for any major repairs than to hand it over to Indian/Polaris and "maybe" receive coverage. The reason I say maybe and this may apply to the OP is that you said you're possibly planning some long trips on your bike, me too, so that automatically places unknown dealers and/or service reps that most likely don't know you, have never talked or even met you let alone your bike. Sure it's an Indian but over that last 2 yrs that I've been hanging around this site Indian warranty claims can sometimes be maybe/maybe on a stock bike (depending on the warranty claim) I'd hate to think what they'd think about my modified ride. And that with just that word alone, modified, the dealer can turn anyone away. Am I taking a risk by not buying an extended warranty/service plan, yep definitely. Is my bike going to cost me over $1900 in future shop repairs, no idea, time will tell, from what I've heard, seen and continue to research so far I'd say not. And in 5 yrs hopefully, God willing I'll have close to $2,000 to put into new performance parts and beer money! Cheers.

If you already have all those add ons, imo you'd be a fool to purchase the extended. I don't believe you'd be covered. Drink up!!!

 

[EssEll]

I haven't read every post in this thread, but I think I see some need for clarification.

In my experience, a service plan is a pre-paid plan for normal/routine service events, like oil changes and etc. I have that on my Toyota and in their case, they give you two years of it at no extra charge when you buy a Toyota. You can also buy service plans, like I've done, for a vehicle, where you pay in advance for a service plan but you typically get a better deal than if you paid for it all separately. Service plans are not warranties!

Then there's an extended warranty, like Indian's, where you pay something for an extension of your original warranty. And warranties do not cover everything, so it pay to know what is and is not covered. My two-year anniversary on my Classic is coming up and as with other purchases of mine, I try to but quality products and therefore do not buy extended warranties. Indian is a well-made bike so I'm not planning on extending my original warranty. Yes, s**t can happen, but I'll take good care of my bike and roll the dice.