Canada & USA Yamaha Basic & Extended Warranty NOT vaild in the "Other" country

[U-Turn]

Hi: Brand new to the forum and this rant is my first post. I was hoping before today it would just be something like "Hi from Canada. Happy to be here etc etc..." but alas. My apologies in advance...

"Was" getting ready to pull the trigger on a new Canadian 2013 S10 and some WARRANTY info caught my eye on both Canada & USA websites. I didn't know this before and IMHO this is a pretty huge factor in my own personal decision making process.

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/link.php?model=4196&section=wi&group=M#contentTop

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/content/30/Sport%20Extended%20Service%20(Y.E.S.)%20Protection%20Plan.aspx

Canada website says in part..."No claim forms. Since we already know your Yamaha, you don't have to fill out claim forms. Your Yamaha Protection Plus coverage information is available to every authorized Yamaha dealer nationwide." Note that for Yamaha Canada the word "nationwide", means our great nation of "Canada" NOT the USA and NOT Canada and USA etc.

USA website says in part..."Nationwide Service Network. Have the nationwide network of Yamaha dealers behind you. You can get covered repairs at any authorized Yamaha dealership in the United States." Here at least Yamaha USA clearly defines nationwide in the USA to be the actual USA.

Being inquisitive after seeing the USA site I phoned Yamaha Canada head office and they confirmed if you buy a bike in Canada and go for a ride into the USA, and some otherwise warrantable repair that would have been covered in Canada happens while you are in the USA, Yamaha Canada will NOT cover any basic or extended warranty repairs in the USA. :'( And for added clarity neither will Yamaha USA.

The Yamaha Canada head office guy on the phone did give me a little song and dance about each company being independent and "not knowing" if the other countries bikes are really under either basic or extended warranties yada yada yada speech.

He said IF the USA dealer can (read "wants to go to the trouble to try") reach Yamaha Head Office in USA within Monday to Friday normal business hours they MAY try in turn to reach (see "above" comment) the Yamaha Canada Head Office (during those same Canadian Head Office regular M to F business hours) who would then verify to Yamaha USA that yep this guy is legit and really does have basic or extended warranty up here in the cold north then Yamaha USA MAY contact the local USA dealer again where you happen to be stranded, hopefully all still during said M to F regular business hours and tell them all the above. Phew!

Then the individual USA dealer MAY do the warranty repair for you & bill back Yamaha Canada... or maybe not. Otherwise, since it's all clearly documented in writing that Canada warranty is ONLY valid in Canada, he can tell you in good conscience to go whistle, even before taking the hour or so to make all the above necessary phone calls!!!!!! ???

According to an ADVRIDER website post, that I have not personally confirmed, it said something to the effect that Yamaha Canada & Yamaha USA motorcycle divisions have effectively merged as of 9/27/2011. Here's the link ... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=731498

If so you wouldn’t think there'd be too much trouble over a year later in honouring, or even knowing about, each other's warranties in the "Other" country. It's something new called a computer system Yamaha. :lamp:

I assume, but didn't call Yamaha USA Head Office to confirm, that the above basically holds true in reverse, e.g. USA S10'ers don't ride into Canada and have any warranty issues otherwise NO WARRANTY for you either.

 

[BWC]

Good info. The Canadian PDP bikes which mine was one of came with the Yamaha 3 year warranty as part of the deal.
Will have to talk to the local dealer about this and see what their take on it is.
So far zero issues with the bike, but with two more years to go would be a good idea to ask a few more questions so you know where you stand when travelling outside Canada.
My experience with vehicles in general is they tie everything in to the VIN number, if this is the case with the bikes, then they can quickly tell country of origin.

 

[rem]

Welcome to the Forum, U-Turn. Always nice to have another Canuck to class the place up a little. Bernard (BWC) speaks the truth. And you are correct. The one country will not warranty a bike from the other country. They may be able to if they really want to, but generally they don't. As Bernard alluded to, a Canadian bike's serial or VIN doesn't even appear in a U. S. dealer's database. A heroic effort would have to be made in order to accomplish this. Yamaha isn't the only one. I was told the same by Honda. Without a VIN or serial number to charge the work against, it won't happen. And if your bike number isn't in their system, it doesn't exist. This is a company policy, not a dealer policy. I don't think it would be all that difficult to do, but so far the big manufacturers don't seem to want to.


As a side note, my Honda dealer told me that if I ever needed warranty work done in the U. S. on a Honda he sold me, just try to get all the old parts and exactly what was done, and he would do what he could when I got back.


Hope this helps. R

 

[Firefight911]

This is very standard warranty language that is applicable to pretty much every vehicle made. Cars, motorcycles, etc.

Yamaha is a manufacturer whereas Yamaha of Canada is a separate business whereas Yamaha of USA is a separate business, et al.

Yamaha sells its product to the respective country (Yamaha of USA, for example) who in turn has an agreement through its separate and independently owned franchise dealers to bring their product to market, etc.

I am completely unfamiliar with Canada warranty verbiage but you may want to dig in to any provision for reimbursement for a normally warrantable repair while on the road. There are specific restrictions to the process but there is probably an avenue to resolution for an unfortunate circumstance where you have a warrantable repair.

Warranty can turn in to an oil type conversation and become polarizing but I never plan a trip budget with any plans of a warranty coverage. I plan every trip with provisions for all repairs or trip interruptions to come out of my own pocket. I never expect any warranty to ever cross international boundaries either.

 

[Don in Lodi]

I was going to ask if other manufacturers provided international warranty coverage... and I guess Honda does not. I'd say it's a fair bet that very few manufactures provide international coverage. And not having a warranty across the border shut down your purchase of a Yamaha? ???
I'm not a world traveler, but aren't there insurance policies you can buy to cover against trip mayhem? (love Mayhem)

 

[bloodline]

I've brought this up in my extended warranty thread. USA extended warranties are only valid when purchased in the USA and used in the USA. It is possible to buy a Canadian bike in the USA and purchase a USA extended warranty. Speak to your dealer or call my Uncle.

 

[rem]

A most interesting discussion. The thot plickens. To your point about insurance, you'd want to read the fine print. Or maybe even the large print. My understanding (remember, I'm old) is that Warranty covers non-accidental stuff, and insurance covers ONLY accidental stuff. But I may be kaka'd on that. You'd want to check to make sure what is covered and what isn't.


On the other comment you made regarding buying a Canadian bike in the U. S., I'm not sure how you would do that, and in particular why you would do that. The biggest concern being cost. Canadian bikes tend to be about 20% more expensive. I may have misunderstood.

 

[bloodline]

I'll thicken the plot even more.

A dealer could push a lot of things through warranty if they felt inclined. A good relationship with a dealer is a good idea. Fortunately, we are talking Yamaha machines here and problems requiring dealer assistance are rare.

Personally, I wouldn't trust my local dealer to change the oil.

Luckily, I have family in the business but they are not local.

In my case, the extended warranty is more of a selling tool for my used bike when the time comes than any sort of piece of mind.

That said, I have owned a few Yamaha outboards and used the YES warranty for a $3800 repair that was handled in 2 days with no hassle whatsoever.

 

[bloodline]

As for the Canada comment, it happens. People move. A bike registered (in Yamaha's records) as a Canadian bike is a Canadian bike until the ownership changes (in Yamaha's records). A reputable dealer selling the yes warranty would catch this and instruct the owner on how to fix it.

 

[RockyDS]

On this general subject I think it's worth mentioning that although there's a lot of information on this forum on the YES warranty, which is supplied by Yamaha and is an extension of the factory warranty, it is only available in the US - not Canada. Extended warranty in Canada is a third party "insurance" warranty.

And on the issue in question, I have no reason to believe that a valid warranty claim wouldn't be paid from either warranty even if it means paying out of pocket and claiming back the expenses - possibly only provided the work is done by a recognized dealer. Having said that I'm still waiting for a warranty issue to be resolved myself and despite my local dealer telling me all will be well, until I get my money back I really don't know.

My 2 cents anyway.

 

[rem]

And on the issue in question, I have no reason to believe that a valid warranty claim wouldn't be paid from either warranty even if it means paying out of pocket and claiming back the expenses - possibly only provided the work is done by a recognized dealer.

I suspect you may be correct about that, but it would necessitate a cooperative local dealer. I think the primary limitation of the cross boundary warranty issue is when you live in country #1 and buy a bike from country #2, with the intention of living and using the bike in country #1, you're probably out of luck for warranty in country #1.


That's my $0.0202 .... the Canadian dollar is really strong now, so, you know .... R ::008::

 

[mingo]

The standard 1 year warranty covers one riding season.. chances are you're not going to need it.. I took that chance, I bought my SuperTen in the US and saved close to $5000 over what the dealers here were asking (MSRP). I rode the bike all over the US this year and have had zero issues with it..


BMW Canada's warranty is honored in the US, but then again, when I had a GS, I did have a break down 2500 km from home.. I'm on a SuperTen now because I wanted a bike without design or known quality issues.


Point being, don't let the warranty issue stop you from buying this great bike, either in Canada or in the US.

 

[PKinNB]

Hello all. This is indeed an interesting thread. I am just buying my 2013 ST here in the US (I live in Canada) and was informed of the warranty issue. I will be here for the first half of the warranty period anyway, so if anything craps out, it usually does so fairly early on (hope springs eternal...). This is my 3rd Yamaha, though, and I have never had a single issue. My wife has a new Honda Interstate, and she was able to buy NA-wide roadside assistance and warranty at time of purchase. Interesting that Honda does this and Yamaha does not. So, here's trusting that the ST will, as expected, not require any dealer work! PK

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Not all manufactures work this way. We had an issue with my wife's USA purchased Spyder last year. We stopped in a Can Am dealership in Quebec and they told us since we were US citizens that purchased the Spyder in the USA we were covered under warranty. However, if we had been Canadian citizens that purchased in the USA we would not be covered. Good thing, because Spyders see a lot of warranty work.

 

[KingChicken]

Good thing, because Spyders see a lot of warranty work.

Haha! I have to show that to my dad.

He was just complaining about how much he has to take his Spyder in for warranty work, check ups so as not void warranty, recalls, leaky bits. I laughed and told him to look up "overengineered" in the dictionary.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Haha! I have to show that to my dad.

He was just complaining about how much he has to take his Spyder in for warranty work, check ups so as not void warranty, recalls, leaky bits. I laughed and told him to look up "overengineered" in the dictionary.

If you flip over to the page with "unreliable" they have a picture of a Spyder there.

 

[viewdvb]

Interesting thread. A couple of comments from the UK:
First about no Honda "international" warranties. I have bought a couple of Gold Wings new in the USA for American tours then shipped them back to the UK. One of them was subject to an expensive recall for a frame welding issue. To my surprise, Honda America told me that Honda UK were obliged to deal with the recall, even if they billed Honda America for the cost. Honda UK were their usual shitty selves but did respond eventually when Honda America (or maybe someone in Japan) called them and put them straight. It may have been a safety issue but that was TRULY international coverage. Still, I doubt if Honda UK cooperation would extend to normal warranty problems.
Second, all makes sold in the UK have warranty coverage that extends throughout Europe. Despite what you may read, the EU is just an umbrella organisation and each EU country is still a separate "foreign" country to us. The warranty also extends to European countries that are not even in the EU like Switzerland. Since the most likely foreign travel for us is throughout Europe, which is similar in scale and access to Canada/US travel, I reckon we get a good warranty deal compared to you - equivalent to a full interchangeable warranty between Canada and the USA. I am not sure what the relationship is between the various countries' Yamaha importers but I don't think that Yamaha is all one company throughout Europe, despite the HQ being in the Netherlands where all the major spares backup is located, because the prices and model availability are clearly set by each national importer.

 

[lv2keepfit]

Good point!
That's why I'm sticking to my 2009 KLR 650.
Love the S10 but justifying spending 17K plus including bags just doesn't make sense for my budget here in Ontario. having warranty issues riding in the US wouldn't be much fun either.
I'll wait and see if Yamaha drops the price on the S10 before the I let the Queen squint in my wallet.

Safe riding and all the best to all of you in 2013!

 

[Bill310]

BMW Canada's warranty is honored in the US, but then again, when I had a GS, I did have a break down 2500 km from home

There was a US BMW Dealer info page that CDN bikes could be warrantied in USA if cdn owner provided copy of original bill of sale. Carrying a copy of the bill of sale worked for me, but it was a stupid hoop to have to be ready to jump through.

Of course if you ride a lot on the US, it makes good financial sense to buy the bike in the US buy the YES warranty and then import the MC to Canada. Your YES warranty stays with the US Address that you registered it with unless you tell YES otherwise.

 

[Spaggy]

Like Yamaha, don't like Yamaha warranty. At least for my generator. Took it in for a repair and was informed that Yamaha won't warranty the same repair twice. If they fix it once and if it breaks again, you're on your own. BS