Transferring the warranty on my new-used- Malibu. Worth it?

[Texoma LSV]

Hello crew!

I just purchased a 2018 LSV 23 From a private seller. Upgraded from my 2011 which I just sold. It has 66 hours on it well-maintained with service records. Was put on the lot in September  2017. Previous owner said he only had one warranty claim which was some padding coming off on the trailer. It will Cost approx. $1800 to transfer the warranty. Warranty would expire in June 2022 so basically paying for 29 or 30 months of warranty.

my 2011 came with a three-year warranty, I believe. And to my recollection I had no issues after the first year.

I know it’s a peace of mind issue but just throwing it out there to see if anyone has had a lot of issues or needed warranty work after the first two years or 65 hours.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

Edited April 30, 2020 by Texoma LSV

[Eagleboy99]

Warranties are generally a sucker's bet like Dad used to say, but if the Malibu warranty covers your electronics/gauges it might be worth it.

[TallRedRider]

Why does it cost that much? 

You could consider transferring the engine warranty, but not the boat or vice versa.  Those are 2 separate warranties if I understand correctly.  The gauges get expensive in a hurry.  

[NWBU]

Your cost should be closer to $1,500 to transfer both warranties but some dealer's will charge a markup. TRR's correct that they are separate warranties for your 2018, one for Indmar and one for Malibu.

I've yet to need a warranty repair after taking delivery on a couple of new boats but know folks where it's paid off. Most purchasers of late model boats will pay for the warranty transfer.

My 2018 sold locally and hasn't needed a warranty repair yet, with close to 150 hours now.

[Pnwrider]

I would probably pay for the Malibu portion of the warranty which would cover everything (including trailer) except the motor. All of my warranty issues were around fit/finish and electronics. Motor has been perfect. 

[Texoma LSV]

Thanks everyone! Just looked at my notes again. When I spoke with the service department at Water Ski America (BTW they are awesome!) he did quote me on the engine AND on the boat. I just focused on the final tally which either before or after tax (?) was $1600. Looks like Indmar portion was $600 so it was probably $1600 after taxes. My bad, I generally tend to round up. I really like the idea of hedging my bets and going with the Malibu portion of the warranty. I have 10 days from purchase to take it in. I'll update with final decision and cost.

[tbullard]

Put the $1600 into a savings account. If you have problems use the money to help cover them if not buy yourself something for the boat. Its a gamble but your guaranteed to be out $1600 if you buy the warranty. Not sure if you have to pay sales tax on a private boat sale in Texas but if not you saved a good bit there that you could also count towards possible repair.

[RedWakesetterVLX]

8 hours ago, tbullard said:

Put the $1600 into a savings account. If you have problems use the money to help cover them if not buy yourself something for the boat. Its a gamble but your guaranteed to be out $1600 if you buy the warranty. Not sure if you have to pay sales tax on a private boat sale in Texas but if not you saved a good bit there that you could also count towards possible repair.

Although I usually would agree with this but after reading this forum for the past several years I would probably buy the warranty.  The technology in these boats is incredible but also incredibly expensive to fix and complex when things go wrong.  Screens, surf gates, stereo components, etc can get VERY expensive.  Maybe negotiate to offset some of the cost with the seller? 

Edited May 1, 2020 by RedWakesetterVLX

[Leftlane]

I would buy the warranty hands down.  I also have an 18 and it was just discovered to have the defective cats - that alone would justify the cost of your coverage.  Add in the electronics etc and I think it’s a no-brainer to pay $1600 to cover a $100k investment.  There is a lot to be said for having the peace of mind when you are talking about a toy that should be enjoyable and relaxing.

[Texoma LSV]

Update: Called before I took it in to the dealer to arrange service (Covid requirement). Service rep. was a little surprised that I would only want to warranty the boat and not the engine. He asked why: Told him I was pretty confident with Indmar (having owned 2 boats with Indmar engines and their reputation). He said he wasn't sure that was the best idea. "Things can go wrong with those Raptor engines too". Told him I would discuss when I dropped it off. Talked with service manager when I dropped it off. He had the same question "Why not warranty the engine?". He went on to say he's an anti- warranty guy himself. He talked about the CATs and said he has seen some issues with the way they are put together. Air can get into the "rubber boots" (?) and overheat them. They actually have a fix with some redesigned boots. Said one new CAT is $2500. Basically was like: You paid a lot of money for this machine, don't skimp out on ~$500, it's worth it. 

He said that warranty started when it was sold.... I'll research that but if anyone would know he would. I went ahead warrantied the whole enchilada. He's got a point. Paid 90K for a high tech machine, will pay 0.5% to insure the engine for 3 more years. 

Thanks for the input guys!

Edited May 5, 2020 by Texoma LSV

[tbullard]

Service rep and manager did their job and got their commission on the warranty sale   Hopefully you don't need it and if you do you will be happy you paid.

[Texoma LSV]

I know. Reeled me in. I'd be rich if I could ever shake this boating addiction. 

[t a]

8 minutes ago, Texoma LSV said:

I know. Reeled me in. I'd be rich if I could ever shake this boating addiction. 

I’ve had a couple 350 monsoons and feel like they’re pretty bulletproof, but for $500, on a motor with known possible issues, I would’ve done the same thing...

[RedWakesetterVLX]

4 minutes ago, t a said:

I’ve had a couple 350 monsoons and feel like they’re pretty bulletproof, but for $500, on a motor with known possible issues, I would’ve done the same thing...

Those also were GM blocks 😉 vs Ford.  In all fairness the Raptor seems like a solid motor I just prefer GM engines.  

[COOP]

Odds are you will need the cats replaced. So its worth it just for that.

[wedge88]

24 minutes ago, COOP said:

Odds are you will need the cats replaced. So its worth it just for that.

How soon do the cats fail? Known causes?  If "odds are you will need cats" then shouldn't Malibu/dealers be reaching out to customers with these engines.  I hate it when manufacturers know about an issue and don't recall and I understand why they don't but this statement seems like this is a well known issue.  We put 130 hours on our 2018 last season and I've had great luck with all my boats but statements like this don't give you the warm fuzzy's. 

[COOP]

3 hours ago, wedge88 said:

How soon do the cats fail? Known causes?  If "odds are you will need cats" then shouldn't Malibu/dealers be reaching out to customers with these engines.  I hate it when manufacturers know about an issue and don't recall and I understand why they don't but this statement seems like this is a well known issue.  We put 130 hours on our 2018 last season and I've had great luck with all my boats but statements like this don't give you the warm fuzzy's. 

The issue had something to do with manufacturing and the way the cat fit in the pipe. No real way to know when. Unfortunately they wont just let you replace them. Even if you arent getting the code, have the dealer inspect the cat bricks, if theres any sign of cracks or deterioration they can get them replaced.

[Eagleboy99]

4 hours ago, COOP said:

"odds are you will need cats"

Crazy cat lady alert!  LOL  I never really understood the rationale behind this CAT thing.

[Leftlane]

My 2018 has 54 hours and is running totally fine.  When I had the 50 hour service done a few weeks ago the tech read a code that was logged and then inspected the cats - and found I definitely need replacement of both.  There was an issue for 2017 and some of 2018 and it didn't surprise the dealer at all - obviously covered under my warranty  but still surprising to me as I have had zero degradation of performance and no error codes pop up.

 

Hence my recommendation earlier to definitely get the warranty. 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Leftlane

[TallRedRider]

9 minutes ago, Leftlane said:

My 2018 has 54 hours and is running totally fine.  When I had the 50 hour service done a few weeks ago the tech read a code that was logged and then inspected the cats - and found I definitely need replacement of both.  There was an issue for 2017 and some of 2018 and it didn't surprise the dealer at all - obviously covered under my warranty  but still surprising to me as I have had zero degradation of performance and no error codes pop up.

 

Hence my recommendation earlier to definitely get the warranty. 

How weird is that?  If there was a code logged in the engine, don't they all show up on the screen?  

If that happened when my wife was driving, I think she would probably just delete the warning and forget to tell me until I found it 6 months later.  

[Leftlane]

Actually, I should clarify a bit.  At about 30 hours I had a message pop up for 1 second and then immediately move to Inactive.  My salesman happened to be at the lake and he came to check it out for me - said it might have been a glitch or maybe a bit of moisture in the gas - but it never came back as active and I didn't ever see any other codes.  I asked the tech to clear it for me when he did the 50 hour service, so maybe it prompted him to look at the cats, or maybe they just do it as a matter of course now knowing that there are frequent problems.  The lead service advisor was surprised that I didn't have a constant error message every time I turned on the boat.

 

EDIT** - I just searched back through my old posts when I asked for help with this issue and I see that my code was for an 02 sensor, so maybe it was related to the cats, or at least pointed in that direction.  Regardless, it went to Inactive immediately and never reappeared, which is weird if the cats were deteriorating that badly.

Edited May 6, 2020 by Leftlane

[TallRedRider]

Reminder to self: go check the inactive code screen next time I am out.  

[camcruiser13]

On 5/5/2020 at 8:30 AM, wedge88 said:

How soon do the cats fail? Known causes?  If "odds are you will need cats" then shouldn't Malibu/dealers be reaching out to customers with these engines.  I hate it when manufacturers know about an issue and don't recall and I understand why they don't but this statement seems like this is a well known issue.  We put 130 hours on our 2018 last season and I've had great luck with all my boats but statements like this don't give you the warm fuzzy's. 

surprise mine just threw the alarm, took it in and now the dealer is replacing my cats.

 

hopefully doesnt take to long  going to be the hottest weekend of the year

[tsanfilippo]

I bought a 2018 MLX in 2021.  I was not happy to hear about the almost $2000 to transfer fees for a warranty, when cars and trucks automatically transfer.  You get Malibu fees, Indmar/motor manufacture fees, dealer fees, inspection fees, paper work fees.  Oh and by they way the trailer warranty will NOT transfer, Pure cop out on Malibu's part.  Oh, but wait... there more BS.  The gel-coat warranty is non transferable as well and only 1 year anyway.  If you ask me they know where their weaknesses / liabilities are and they adjust their policies to cover themselves.

But I will say, I am glad I extended the warranty.  As I have had a number of warranty issues, cat/v-drive, interior, (it's in the shop now - Not my garage). I have also had gel-coat, and trailer issues NOT covered :-(  .  Boat has less than 300 hours.

Hmm, maybe I should rethink this purchase and if you are contemplating a Malibu, you may want to rethink it as well.

My last wake board boat (not a malibu) had almost 1000 hours after 18 years of minimal issues, never needed gel-coat work from stress cracks, it was just made better.  Mechanically, it just required regular maintenance a relay or two, steering cable and some interior repair due to use most of it was still original when I sold it.  

Malibu's reply to my gel-coat issues was that it's just cosmetic, so don't worry about it.  Well I say, This post does tell the truth and makes you look bad, but don't worry, it's just cosmetic!  Oh and the older better built boats cost about 1/10th of what these boats cost now as well.  If Malibu would cover this stuff, stand behind their work instead of side step it, my opinion would change and I would consider offering different advise. 

All I know is something needs to change in the qualify of this industry especially in boats I have recently purchased.

Edited April 24, 2023 by tsanfilippo

[Sixer]

What kind of gel coat issues?  I understand why Malibu only covers gel coat issues for 1 year.  They are basically covering it from cosmetic blemishes from the factory, but if you run into your dock or somehow end up with a ding in the gelcoat they aren't liable for an expensive little fix.  On a 2018 I'm curious what you are seeing.....