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Thread: Mercruiser extended warranty, good or bad idea?

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    Question Mercruiser extended warranty, good or bad idea?

    Hi, so I went ahead and purchased a 2007 28ZXO, the Mercruiser warranty just expired on 9/5/08 and I have until the end of the month to figure out if I want to shell out up to $4200 for a 5 year Mercruiser extended warranty.

    I can also opt to buy a 1,2,3, or 4 year warranty too. Has anyone had exprerience with Mercury 350mag 300HP engines with Bravo One drives? Are these engines work horses that I'm not going to have any problems with? Are they prone to problems and having an extended warranty is a good idea? Is mercruiser good to work with, or do they find any excuse not to pay a claim (like saltwater intrusion)?

    If anyone has any insight I'd really appreciate it..

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    How many hours have you put on it so far?
    2001 35 Fountain Lightning w500 EFI's
    1973 X-18 - Merc 383 Magnum
    1974 Chris Craft Roamer with 1271 TI's

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    Cool

    In general, the 350 Mag MPI/Bravo One is a work horse. But stuff CAN happen, and you have TWO of them to deal with. I have only ONE of those packages in my 2006 22ZX. 120 hours since I purchased it 2 1/2 years ago. Running naked without the extended warrenty since the original factory warrenty expired. NO major problems to date. NO minor ones either for that matter. But that is ONE engine in 100,000 plus built by the factory. Could be my rigorous preventive and scheduled maintenance all performed by the dealer, or just dumb luck.
    Further, I have a fatalistic attitude. If the engine blows, I am planning to upgrade to a 496HO. So, although I'm being very careful with the engine I have, it would not break my heart to have to repower in a couple years.

    Mark
    Florida SEADOG
    DONZI - You meet the nicest people.
    2006 22ZX 350 Mag MPi/Bravo One Donzi Quixote
    http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=44360

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    engines now have about 40 hours on them, I bought the boat a month ago with only 20 hours on it.. did have a gear lube oil leak that I had fixed...

  5. #5
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    4200 will buy a lot of engine parts
    Please keep in mind I don't know anything......
    any information I have is made up.....
    and generally I am part of the problem
    VICE President-Weller's Bay DONZI Association

    OFFICIAL LAKE GEORGE POKER RUN CHAMPION

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by glashole View Post
    4200 will buy a lot of engine parts
    Yeah it will and most of the problems seem to shake out in the first 20 hours or so.
    2001 35 Fountain Lightning w500 EFI's
    1973 X-18 - Merc 383 Magnum
    1974 Chris Craft Roamer with 1271 TI's

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    congratulations on your purchase Iwanna and welcome to the board.

    We have a 2002 28zx w/twin 350 mag Bravo I's. Shea and Bill are right, 4200 will buy a lot of parts. I will share this with you, I blew a head gasket on my port motor (182 hours) on 4th of July weekend. As my ace engine builder started taking the motor apart, we found that everyone of the head-bolts were loose. We also found that this motor had never been apart! The head bolts are to be torqued to 68 ft/lbs, these were more like 50. The assumption is that Mercruiser's mexicans (motors assembled in mexico) must have built this one on a Friday or a Monday. The headbolts were fine on the starboard motor.

    My conclusion, for what its worth, is check your head bolts, grease your couplers, gimbles and u-joints regularly, change oil and gear lube regularly, and you should be fine. I normally don't purchase warranty's but depending on where you boat, it may be wise.

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    thanks for the replies, I think I'll go ahead and buy maybe a 2 year warranty, just because I don't know the boat / motors yet...

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    Insurance as a whole is a bad deal. It will cost you more than you will ever use on average, that's why they sell it. Mercs are pretty good. Skip it.
    Cheers,
    Pismo
    1996 22 Classic
    Red with Stainless Windshield
    Stock Gen VI 502 Magnum MPI-415hp
    Stock Bravo I
    25" Mirage Plus
    74.5mph best @ 5050rpm GPS (Speedo said 80)
    27" Labbed Mirage Plus
    75.5mph best @ 4800rpm GPS (Speedo said 82)

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    I've got to agree with Pismo. Obviously they make money on it on the whole or they wouldn't offer it. And you've got a pretty solid setup, nothing exotic.

    On the other hand, if the peace of mind is worth it to you go ahead. Or if you're one of those people who's maybe not so good on preventative maintenance or you run the thing really hard (no offence, but be honest with yourself on this) that swings the pendulum back toward buying it.

    Me, I'd probably skip it. I usually do on this sort of thing.
    Don
    '01 22 Classic, 502/B1
    And a bunch of other stuff

    "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough" - Mario Andretti

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