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Ducati extended warranty

27K views 105 replies 48 participants last post by  Nun 
#1 ·
I got my '11 Multi right at the end of 2010, so the factory warranty expires in late Dec. this year. There's nothing out there for the time being that I'd consider replacing it with, though I admit the new water-cooled BMW GS will be something I'll take an interest in. The thought of owning any of these new bikes without a warranty is a scary one, and it appears I'll have this at least another year, so I'm considering the Ducati extended warranty.

Has anyone bought one, or have an opinion of them? I haven't looked at the details closely, but does it cover everything the original contractual warranty covers? What are you guys paying for them?
 
#2 ·
I bought one when I got mine, and to be honest, I haven't looked at the details very closely, but it's a 5 year extended (on top of the 2 year factory) warranty, so 7 years protection, and I paid $800. I'm guessing it's valid only at the dealer I bought it at, but it's (supposedly) equally complete as the factory warranty's coverage. YMMV.
 
#5 ·
If you actually ride your Ducati, they can also be great deals for the buyer too!

Never a doubt in my mind about buying an extended warranty if I know I'll be keeping and actually riding my Duc for a few years past the OEM warranty. My justification is always the experience I had with my ST4s. I rode it for 82,000 miles over 5 years. I bought a 3 year extended warranty for around $750. By the end of the term, it had paid out over $12,000 in repairs, including an engine rebuild at 72,000 miles when a main bearing started failing! :)
 
#6 ·
given the history of the bikes and the incorporated electronics, the extended warranty is a great deal for both current owners and prospective owners of used bikes. it's my thought that those bikes that carry such will hold their value much better than those without.

cheap insurance for certain.
 
#7 ·
Just curious about something.

My two years are up in August of this year. Am I going to get some kind of notice/offer from the Dealer or Ducati before that date: or is it up to me to make the first move on this?

I've never had anybody, including my Dealer, try to sell me an extended warranty as of this point.

Dan
 
#10 ·
Your dealer probably won't contact you. It depends on what relationship you have with your dealer and what services they offer.

There is no 'official' program whereby Ducati will pursue you to buy an extended warranty. Most dealers will offer you an extended warranty up front when you buy a bike, but if you say no, it's up to you to follow up with them for an extended warranty before your OEM warranty runs out.
 
#8 ·
as far as i know, the "EverRed Warranty" is no longer being offered at the dealership level. other non-manurfaturer associated warranty programs are available and typically at a discount to the aforementioned.
 
#15 ·
as far as i know, the "EverRed Warranty" is no longer being offered at the dealership level. other non-manurfaturer associated warranty programs are available and typically at a discount to the aforementioned.
EverRed is done. Joe your dealer should have a something available to you it just won't be Ducati backed. Don't the BMW thing Ducati will pull your DOC prez patch ;)
 
#21 ·
My two cents:

Insurance (or extended warranty) is usually to protect someone against catastrophic or onerous losses/expenses. Typically the insurance company will take in more money as premium then it pays in claims, so the business model works and the customers are happy not to risk losing their life savings on medical bills, property damage, collision, etc.

Life, health, and auto insurance companies make a very, very thin margins (say, 5%) on the gap between premiums and claims, but they enhance their profit by investing your premiums until someone makes a claim.

On the other end of things, I sold electronics for a while. My boss mentioned that electronics warranties were something like a 75% profit margin - that is, the customer can expect to only recover 25% of what he pays, on average. I recall my commission was around 10% or more of the warranty price.

Indeed there are cases where people bought a warranty and it paid off big-time. And I suppose if you think you'll beat the hell of your bike or TV so it's likely to break, then it's justified. And there's also the chance the actuaries who do the math are behind the curve. But on average, people lose money buying these as it goes to insurance company profits and a big commisson for the seller.
 
#23 ·
My two cents:

Insurance (or extended warranty) is usually to protect someone against catastrophic or onerous losses/expenses. Typically the insurance company will take in more money as premium then it pays in claims.........


Indeed there are cases where people bought a warranty and it paid off big-time. And I suppose if you think you'll beat the hell of your bike then it's justified.
Great take on the thread, Paulie. Personally, I never buy extended warranties as I have always known that they are a Vegas crap shoot in favor of the house. Vegas always wins!

I really don't understand the point you're trying to make! Who gives a flying f#*k who gets what money as long as I, as the extended warranty buyer, get my costly repairs covered throughout the life of the warranty. Have you personally had a bad experience or something? If so, stop bitching about who gets the money and help people here understand by relating your bad experiences. :confused:

My personal experiences with extended warranties that cover Ducatis have been nothing but positive. A very small investment for a huge return.
Mark

Thanks for telling me that my Dealer is not going to make the move to offer me an extended warranty. That was my original question.

You seem to have experience on Ducs needing service after a period of time and having the warranty has worked in your case.

I tend to think, as Paulie mentioned, "if you beat the hell out of your bike" .....

The point is mute, anyway!

I'm about to need the warranty and......I don't even know who if anyone sells one....or what it costs.

As a wild scenario given the way I ride: let's say I could buy a five year extended warranty on my 2010 Multi for $1500 today.

Would I?

No.

Dan
 
#26 ·
The original question here has gotten somewhat diluted by talking about washing machine warranties and general appliance warranties! Personally, I have never purchased an extended warranty for anything but a Ducati. I never will. I get good life out of appliances and the like and if they break out of warranty, I replace them with something newer.

I will only buy an extended warranty for a Ducati because I personally ride anywhere between 10-20K miles per year and I keep my Ducatis for at least 4 or 5 years. Ducatis are not the most reliable machines out there! If you ride and use them (and I don't mean thrash and abuse them!) things will eventually go wrong!

So if you plan to keep and ride your Ducati, you might want to consider an extended warranty. It can save you a bundle! :D
 
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#27 ·
Wow,
I just read this thread and it seems very oppositional.

My view is this. Extended warranties are NOT what they are called. This is just a slightly misleading name to help dealers sell the product and take a cut/commission. What they are is simply an optional product that is mechanical breakdown insurance that takes over when the manufacturers warranty ceases.

Looked at this way, they are just like any other insurance that you can choose and unlike compulsory insurance like third party cover. It is the same as house insurance or theft insurance.

Saying things like "vegas crap shoot in favour of the house" is a bit over the top. It is the same as any insurance. You may never use it and the insurance company makes a profit on your policy. If you need to claim like Mark did on his ST4s, they lose out. As Paulie points out, they calculate and estimate the average cost of the policies they can sell (income) vs the likely payouts. All this is on average.

So do the math. If the third party insurance offering the Ducati branded Red thingy extended warranty have withdrawn the product from the market, it is likely that they mad a loss. Too many policy holders like Mark (no offence to you Mark) have made big claims. This means they guessed the price wrong and think they can't increase policy costs. Other companies come in and take over this business and it is likely that all the offered policies go up in cost.

So, you can buy a policy and it is a gamble. If you ride a ticking time bomb you will make money. If you have a ultra reliable bike, you pay a cost for peace of mind.

The real gamblers are the insurance companies. The only spanner in the system is when dodgy insurance companies won't pay out. This happens down here all the time after floods, fires, more floods...

Caveat emptor.
 
#28 ·
Other Thank Ducati Plan

I am looking at buying a used multi (will be posting pics and asking questions of you all as soon as the mods approve my rights) with warranty coverage until July. After reading all of the issues folks are having here on the forum I am getting a little concerned. The bike looks great and the owner has been great answering my questions and sending extra pictures etc... Anyway after all the reading (lurking) I have been doing on the internet I am seriously considering picking up an extended warranty. I think my bank (USAA) offers one but am not sure if it will cover motorcycles. I am pretty handy and can probably do things like valve checks and adjustments myself but things like the DES errors are pretty far out of my league. Any thoughts?
 
#30 ·
After reading all of the issues folks are having here on the forum I am getting a little concerned.
This place is just like every other bike/auto forum. Those have problems talk about them(sometimes loudly) and those that don't...you never hear from them. What you're reading isn't saying that every bike, or even the majority will have those problems. My 2011 has been perfect...not even one hiccup in just less that 10K miles. My only "complaint" is a back brake that is a POS but like many others, I don't use it much anyway so I'm hoping Duc will come up with a reasonable repair/modification...that works.

The bike you're considering...ride it, check out it's service/repair history and if it's reasonable...buy it. It's still in warranty so you can get extended coverage if you choose.
 
#29 · (Edited)
first, some of us were fortunate enough to have purchased the EverRed Warranty for LESS than $1k. let's start there. now,let me try and dumb it down a bit in hopes of making it a little bit easier to understand:

given the KNOWN failures (some quite expensive) associated with the Multistrada S, would you buy a USED out of warranty MTSs for the same money you would for the same bike that came with one (assume an additional 2 to 3 years of warranty left)? or put another way, what kind of a discount would you demand from the seller of an out of warranty MTS12S? :confused: :think:

like i said, a very cheap form of insurance in my eyes, both in terms of covering future repairs or safeguarding resale values.
 
#32 ·
I've done well with EverRed warranties in the past, as far as covered repairs and resale value. I got a five year warranty on the 1200 for $800 bucks. It's my money to spend, and I feel good about having it. Ten years from now it won't make one bit of difference to me anyway.
 
#34 ·
Another way to think about it:

An "honest" insurance salesman will tell you that buying an annuity is wise if you think you will live longer than average. If you think you'll die young (bring on the jokes), then you shouldn't buy one. Clearly, if everyone starts thinking/buying according this advise the actuaries will "move the pegs" and the price/payout of that annuity gets less attractive to the buyer since the insurance company will always want its cut.

Point is this, Mark (Turbo) probably continue to get value from his Ducati extended warranty because he's a high-mileage rider. The low-mileage riders (like me) subisidize him with their premiums since they're far less likely to make claims.

*See my prior comments with disclaimers about averages, exceptions, etc.
 
#35 ·
Point is this, Mark (Turbo) probably continue to get value from his Ducati extended warranty because he's a high-mileage rider. The low-mileage riders (like me) subisidize him with their premiums since they're far less likely to make claims.
Paulie

Something to keep in mind about future service costs are not only how many miles you ride but how hard, and under what conditions, you ride them.

Let's say you are a "high mileage rider". What will happen when your extended warranty expires? Do you find and buy another warranty?

What is supposed to go wrong with this bike after 100,000 miles?

With constant maintenance: either a whole hell of a lot.....or normal updates.

And at some point you just buy a new bike, anyway?

And nobody here has told us exactly what this extended warranty does not cover.

Dan



Dan
 
#38 ·
I don't really consider an extended warranty some sort of "scheme", and I'm guessing the EverRed warranty is no longer being offered because Ducati was losing money with them. The way I look at it, most anything on a modern Ducati that involves opening up an engine or gearbox, or replacing some sort of control unit, is going to cost $1k+. If I can buy a warranty for $1k that adds an additional 2-3 years, then I'm in. My reservation with an aftermarket warranty company is that they go out of business (happens all the time), aren't honored by my dealer, or turn down claims. If I can't get one from Ducati then I'll probably just take my chances.

In my opinion, the warranty has the benefit of peace of mind, regardless if you have a claim. Knowing that if my ABS or suspension ECU takes a crap and I'm not going to have to shell out $2-3k to fix it has a value to me.
 
#40 ·
Like Oalvarez, I picked up the EverRed (Ducati backed) warranty the last day they were offered for <$1k. Some of the reasons I did were:
  • it's transferable, giving a potential buyer peace of mind
  • it can be canceled at any time and I get a prorated amount back
  • the MTS12 has a LOT of expensive electronics

BTW, the warranty is 5 years from the date the motorcycle was purchased, so it really only adds 3 years to the manufacturer's warranty, and it covers everything except wear items (brakes, clutch, etc) or damage due to "misuse". I bought the extra ABS coverage for $75, otherwise ABS components aren't covered. And yes, the EverRed covers ALL electronics, including all of the suspension components, which I understand some of the 3rd party warranties do NOT cover. Be sure to read the fine print!

-SM
 
#43 · (Edited)
Experince with Extended Service Plan

There is a great deal of difference between a Ducati Warranty and Extended Service Plans! I purchased a 2010 MTS 1200 that I found on the Forum Classified, had 4.5 years left on a "Extended Service" from Western Service.

My wife and I flew out to California and picked up the bike and we were having a wonderful ride back to Ohio touring Yosimite and was on our way to Moab when 700 miles into the trip the left main let loose, causing a small crack in the left case cover and began leaking oil, the engine still ran fine! I immediately stopped our ride and had to rent a truck to transport the bike home. Here's where it gets muddy.

The Western Service plan is transferable for a small fee, however, the bike ownership must be transferred into my name first before I can transfer the service plan. I needed an "Out of State Inspection" before I could transfer into my name so the bike was still in the seller's name. I contacted Western Service, they never returned any of my calls. I contacted the seller and he agreed to process the claim since it was still in his name.

All was fine until our Ohio dealer submitted the repair estimate which was in excess of $10,000.00 since it required a complete engine rebuild. Western Service sent an adjuster to verify, no problem. Western Service DENIED the claim because they determined that the damage to the engine was due to an accident (Low Speed Low Side slide out that caused cosmetic damage) that was covered completely by the sellers accident insurance and was fully disclosed prior to my purchase and was prior to the purchase of the Extended Warranty! This accident occurred 3000 miles before the engine problem. Western Service argued that since Ducati's do not have an automatic engine shut-off, that while the motorcycle was on it's side running, caused the problem that led to the lubrication failure. Even though the previous owner stated that he shut the engine off immediately and it did not run on it's side.

The Ducati dealership in Fresno who did the accident repair service (No longer a Ducati dealership) supported Western Service in their claim and stated that the accident could have been the cause, however had no answer to why it was not repaired when they did the original repair. Apparently they sell a lot of these plans??

32 days into this mess, the previous owner obviously got tired of the drama and backed out of his support and sent me a letter stating that I was on my own and I would need to deal with Western Service on my own.

And Western Service's response was, I only had 30 days to transfer the extended plan, so they denied the claim based on the 30 day rule and never returned any other calls.

In order to file a civil sit, which I could have a very strong one, I would have to do so in California and would quickly add to the 18,000.00+ that I now have invested in a 2010 motorcycle.

That my friends, is why I now have a brand new 2013 MTS with 7 years of "Ducati Warranty" and a 2010 Donor Bike that I am parting out.
 
#58 ·
I should of done my homework before purchasing the western service plan - I thought I was buying an extended warranty....sigh!

Here's my story:

My standard warranty ran out and there were a few items that Ducati had has warranty work (coolant, rear break work?); I thought I would get to it next time I brought my bike into a Ducati dealership for work (I typically bring it to another shop that isn't an official Ducati dealer), so I finally brought it in - The Ducati submitted the work for approval to Western and it just came back denied!

Ugh.....





There is a great deal of difference between a Ducati Warranty and Extended Service Plans! I purchased a 2010 MTS 1200 that I found on the Forum Classified, had 4.5 years left on a "Extended Service" from Western Service.

My wife and I flew out to California and picked up the bike and we were having a wonderful ride back to Ohio touring Yosimite and was on our way to Moab when 700 miles into the trip the left main let loose, causing a small crack in the left case cover and began leaking oil, the engine still ran fine! I immediately stopped our ride and had to rent a truck to transport the bike home. Here's where it gets muddy.

The Western Service plan is transferable for a small fee, however, the bike ownership must be transferred into my name first before I can transfer the service plan. I needed an "Out of State Inspection" before I could transfer into my name so the bike was still in the seller's name. I contacted Western Service, they never returned any of my calls. I contacted the seller and he agreed to process the claim since it was still in his name.

All was fine until our Ohio dealer submitted the repair estimate which was in excess of $10,000.00 since it required a complete engine rebuild. Western Service sent an adjuster to verify, no problem. Western Service DENIED the claim because they determined that the damage to the engine was due to an accident (Low Speed Low Side slide out that caused cosmetic damage) that was covered completely by the sellers accident insurance and was fully disclosed prior to my purchase and was prior to the purchase of the Extended Warranty! This accident occurred 3000 miles before the engine problem. Western Service argued that since Ducati's do not have an automatic engine shut-off, that while the motorcycle was on it's side running, caused the problem that led to the lubrication failure. Even though the previous owner stated that he shut the engine off immediately and it did not run on it's side.

The Ducati dealership in Fresno who did the accident repair service (No longer a Ducati dealership) supported Western Service in their claim and stated that the accident could have been the cause, however had no answer to why it was not repaired when they did the original repair. Apparently they sell a lot of these plans??

32 days into this mess, the previous owner obviously got tired of the drama and backed out of his support and sent me a letter stating that I was on my own and I would need to deal with Western Service on my own.

And Western Service's response was, I only had 30 days to transfer the extended plan, so they denied the claim based on the 30 day rule and never returned any other calls.

In order to file a civil sit, which I could have a very strong one, I would have to do so in California and would quickly add to the 18,000.00+ that I now have invested in a 2010 motorcycle.

That my friends, is why I now have a brand new 2013 MTS with 7 years of "Ducati Warranty" and a 2010 Donor Bike that I am parting out.
 
#46 ·
Lessons learned!

I learned the hard way, but I am trying to make lemonade out of the lemons dealt. I have a complete set of wheels, Panniers, two top boxes, a great exhaust system, heated grips, extra seat, and setting the 2013 up exactly the way I want it. My local dealer gave me a great deal on the new bike, which was still in the crate! I got a base model and have already transferred the parts I wanted including the manual adjust Ohlin rear and the front forks with Andreani cartridges. And I am learning more and more about Multi's while I am dissecting the Donor bike.

And a true Ducati warranty for 7 years!

And to top it off, the 700 miles we did ride, was a bucket list trip that was great while it lasted!!! :D
 
#47 ·
Ducati Extended Warranty

It seems the problem with warranties in general is that there usually are some technicalities that preclude payment such as poor records, modifications, wrecks, add on's, exclusions, etc.

Once I had an extended policy that promised to return the money after three years if the policy went unused. Upon request for the premium return, the company added clauses that were not in the original contract forcing me to use an attorney, send numerous documentations that are rarely kept, get a dealership (which was out of business) confirmation letter, insurance company to write letters confirming no usage, and waiting an eternity to finally get the money.

Bottom line, it's a shame that motorcycle manufacturers in general charge ridiculously outrageous prices for their parts and labor causing the bill to run up into the thousands for the simplest bike drop and/or repair. It's only because we love the sport and bikes so much that we put up with this nonsense. It seems our only recourse is to pay up, leave an expensive hunk of metal in the garage or get out of the business. None are really good choices.

Of course there are always forum readers that will justify or accept any crap, costs or poorly designed parts that are passed on to us riders by the manufacturer even though some of these things represent a real a danger and certainly poor reliability. The companies shouldn't try to make a fortune off their mistakes and ignore their short comings.
 
#48 ·
It seems the problem with warranties in general is that there usually are some technicalities that preclude payment such as poor records, modifications, wrecks, add on's, exclusions, etc.

Once I had an extended policy that promised to return the money after three years if the policy went unused. Upon request for the premium return, the company added clauses that were not in the original contract forcing me to use an attorney, send numerous documentations that are rarely kept, get a dealership (which was out of business) confirmation letter, insurance company to write letters confirming no usage, and waiting an eternity to finally get the money.

Bottom line, it's a shame that motorcycle manufacturers in general charge ridiculously outrageous prices for their parts and labor causing the bill to run up into the thousands for the simplest bike drop and/or repair. It's only because we love the sport and bikes so much that we put up with this nonsense. It seems our only recourse is to pay up, leave an expensive hunk of metal in the garage or get out of the business. None are really good choices.

Of course there are always forum readers that will justify or accept any crap, costs or poorly designed parts that are passed on to us riders by the manufacturer even though some of these things represent a real a danger and certainly poor reliability. The companies shouldn't try to make a fortune off their mistakes and ignore their short comings.
Well said! How can a Service company obtain a F rating from BBB and still sell their contracts without anyone looking into them, much of the blame must be placed on the dealerships who push these contracts at the end of purchase negotiations while the ink is still drying on the purchase agreement.:mad:
 
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