Warranty issue

[brody66]

Ok so when i bought my boat new last year they told me that the engine (mercruiser) had a two year warranty, then i got a post card from mercruiser say that it was only one year. I said something to my dealer and he said he would take care of it, i never heard back and forgot about it. I got a call last week from mercruiser asking for my satisfaction with their product. I told her i have not had a problem with the last three i have owned and have been very happy with them, then i remembered about the warranty issue and she looked it up and told me that tige only gets a one year because they are not a certified installer of their engines. If they would install them the way mercrusier wanted them to they would have a two year warranty and she said that almost all the other brands that install them are certified and have a two year warranty, sorry about the long post but has anyone heard of this and is this why tige switched motors?

[mtnsmith]

I know some manufacturers get a longer warranty than others, in fact when we bought our searay we had a three year warranty on our mercruiser, but most other boat manufacturers only get one or two year. I guess since they are all under the big brunswick umbrella...what a monopoly!

[chpthril]

I've heard that Merc does not really support the tow boat market because it's so small compared to their I/O sales.......this may have played a part in the decision to go with MP.

[dogbert]

It's probably a combination of a reliability issue and a cost issue. My service manager told me the MP 340 was the most reliable powerplant they serviced. Parts were also cheaper. Mercruiser really hoses you on replacement parts. Then there's the annoying design issues like distributor caps that must be replaced every year, etc., etc.

[brody66]

I have had mercruiser my whole life and the distributor has never been touched on any of our boats, nor has anything else....ever.

[mtnsmith]

Yeah, my dealer says the same thing about marinepower being the most reliable and economical to maintain, especially being used in the saltwater as several of the boats he has sold and services are. I service my own, but rely on him for knowledge and parts. The mercs are great motors, same basic powerplant, but the distributor and efi I have heard have issues in saltwater use. He has already expressed some concern with the pcm powerplants being used in saltwater, but since they own crusader maybe that will be the option for saltwater boaters???

[spharis]

Put it like this when it comes to engine brands and reliability: In the gulf, especially in the commercial fishing industry (shrimp, tuna, snapper, etc), the engine of choice is Marine Power. There is a reason they are in Ponchatoula.

[dogbert]

I have had mercruiser my whole life and the distributor has never been touched on any of our boats, nor has anything else....ever.

Me too, but I've been through 4 or 5 of them so far on this boat. My dealer works on all kinds of high performance boats and this particular engine has these problems.