Polaris Warranty

[Biodude]

Hey guys. I have been a loyal Yamaha man for 20 years but I am tired of waiting for them to take the mountain segment seriously so I am looking at purchasing a '13 RMK 163. One concern I have is the warranty. Is there any value in getting a 4 year warranty? Let me give you an example: Lets say I am at Island Park and the machine goes down. What can I expect from the dealer in Yellowstone? A free Polaris paid loaner for the rest of my vacation? I am assuming that all work must be done by their mechanics to maintain the warranty and they are most likely backed up so it wouldn't be looked at until the vacation is over. Does anyone have any experiences with this? Is it worth the extra cost? Any horror stories? Thanks in advance!!

 

[GREICO1]

The Polaris extended warranty is administered by an aftermarket vendor, and the 4yr is a 3yr extension. The extension, is more of a service contract and will only be of value in the event of a failure-i.e. blown motor, failed electrical, etc. Typically, the request will require full diagnostics, pics, descriptions, and sometimes inspections by a third party. It can be time consuming and have never seen them pay for a loaner. The loaner would be up to the individual dealer. Unlike the polaris warranty, the Yamaha Extended Service is just that, an extension of the factory warranty administered by Yamaha, through Yamaha, and paid for by Yamaha. If the Polaris extended warranty is denied, you are on the hook for all of the labor and from what I have seen, no amount of arguing will get you covered. With Yamaha, the dealer can argue with the manufacturer to help get things done, even if it is only a partial coverage. I will not, however, tell you not to get the extended coverage. It is a gamble either way. If you buy it and don't use it you can wish that you hadn't spent the money. If you don't get it, there may be a day that you wish you had!

 

[MARV1]

Gotta basically keep engine stock to get warranty nowadays on any manufacturer. But resale value should be higher if you end up selling it down the line.

 

[Super A]

One concern I have is the warranty. Is there any value in getting a 4 year warranty? Let me give you an example: Lets say I am at Island Park and the machine goes down. What can I expect from the dealer in Yellowstone? A free Polaris paid loaner for the rest of my vacation?

Don't take this the wrong way, would you expect a loaner from a Yamaha dealer? I think dealers in destination areas do their best to get you back on the mountain, but I would not expect a free loaner for your vacation.

 

[301fury]

insurance paid for my loaner, oh and if you blow anything for crash you get a chopper ride out, via insurance!

 

[AndrettiDog]

I have only had a couple claims on my last three Polaris sleds (chaincase, steering post and temp sensor). Polaris is getting really picky at what they are covering because so many dealers have taken advantage of the warranty for customers to get them stuff repaired. I've never heard of a dealer providing a loaner sled. Some might do it but what happens if that sled is totaled or comes back with issues?

Anyway, I do the 4 year warranty as it is great for resale value. People love to buy used sleds with a warranty. The warranty is transferable.

 

[Mark's RMK]

Warranty

If you decide to purchase a new 2012 from the dealer in Feb. with the rebates, can you still purchase the 3 year extended warranty or is it only offered during the snow check period?

 

[rmk727]

Man I understand your concern but I think most of the guys out west that are near rec areas do really good and quick work, don't plan a problem, also you can buy the extended contract right up till the factory is done

 

[Mark's RMK]

Extended Warranty

Wow, I can keep the money in my pocket and then purchase just in time? Do I purchase from the dealer or is there some other third party that I deal with?

 

[JonezyBones]

Yeah but if you snow check its free!

And I believe you go to the dealer and they would set you up with the third party

 

[AndrettiDog]

Yeah but if you snow check its free!

And I believe you go to the dealer and they would set you up with the third party

Not really. You can opt to do a 2yr warranty or no warranty and get the money difference. Guys with turbos or BB's might be interested in that.

 

[301fury]

when my dealer lends me a loaner, they give me the option of insuring it for 50bucks.

 

[Biodude]

I guess a free rental is a little too much to expect, but it wouldn't hurt to ask! The only warranty issue I ever had with a Yamaha was on the 2 cylinder '97 SX 600. I had just left the snow lodge inside the park at Yellowstone and had started cruising down the trail at 35 MPH when all of a sudden I heard a boom under the hood and the strong aroma of antifreeze. I thought "that can't be good". Once the steam cleared out I found that the engine had literally split into two. The yamaha mechanics insisted that I had done something but it was bone stock and I was only going 35 mph. Needless to say I got a new engine (but no free rental)

On a side not we rented a proride and a proclimb and ran them throughout the day. Both were a huge upgrade over the mountain Viper I ride obviously. When we raced the two side by side they were pretty equal but for some reason the Proclimb heavily pulled to the left and would have resulted in a crash if the Proride driver hadn't let off each time. I though the fit and finish of the Proride was far superior to the Proclimb which is important to a Yamaha rider. I can see that Polaris has made huge strides in this area.

 

[Butta]

I have only had a couple claims on my last three Polaris sleds (chaincase, steering post and temp sensor). Polaris is getting really picky at what they are covering because so many dealers have taken advantage of the warranty for customers to get them stuff repaired. I've never heard of a dealer providing a loaner sled. Some might do it but what happens if that sled is totaled or comes back with issues?

Anyway, I do the 4 year warranty as it is great for resale value. People love to buy used sleds with a warranty. The warranty is transferable.

The Y.E.S. (Yamaha Extended plan) covers the cost of a replacement vehicle on vacations to ensure your trip isn't ruined. This is what is listed on my 4 wheeler coverage, anyway. I would think it would be a unit from a rental company and not a "loaner" sled, that way Yamaha isn't liable for anything.

Of course, I've never had an issue with my Yamahas.......IF ONLY THEY DECIDED TO BUILD A COMPETITIVE 2 STROKE MOUNTAIN SLED......

 

[Super Sled]

The Polaris extended warranty is administered by an aftermarket vendor, and the 4yr is a 3yr extension. The extension, is more of a service contract and will only be of value in the event of a failure-i.e. blown motor, failed electrical, etc. Typically, the request will require full diagnostics, pics, descriptions, and sometimes inspections by a third party. It can be time consuming and have never seen them pay for a loaner. The loaner would be up to the individual dealer. Unlike the polaris warranty, the Yamaha Extended Service is just that, an extension of the factory warranty administered by Yamaha, through Yamaha, and paid for by Yamaha. If the Polaris extended warranty is denied, you are on the hook for all of the labor and from what I have seen, no amount of arguing will get you covered. With Yamaha, the dealer can argue with the manufacturer to help get things done, even if it is only a partial coverage. I will not, however, tell you not to get the extended coverage. It is a gamble either way. If you buy it and don't use it you can wish that you hadn't spent the money. If you don't get it, there may be a day that you wish you had!

My thoughts exactly. I just bought an assault and I definitely went for the 4 year service contract/ "warranty". And it's not Polaris, it's some other company. In fact, in the event of a defect or broke down sled I don't even have to take it to a Polaris dealership, I can take it anywhere and get it fixed. I'm not sure how I feel about it but it's different than Yamaha's warranty system, that's for sure!

 

[Super Sled]

IF ONLY THEY DECIDED TO BUILD A COMPETITIVE 2 STROKE MOUNTAIN SLED......

I just switched over from Yamaha for same reason for riding off the trail. I just don't think Yamaha will ever make the right business decision in that regard. I think they just enjoy losing customers too much, lol!

 

[06IQRMK]

rental

Had some friends break down this jan when we were out west. Local dealer told them they couldnt do anything more than give them 20 bucks towards rental per day. That was all that was covered by polaris.