Outboard motor warranties are regarded by many savvy boaters as an important product feature, one with an obvious benefit -- peace of mind and protection.
That's why Yamaha Outboards, when introduced to the U.S. nearly 20 years ago, provided a two-year factory limited warranty on its outboards. At the time, the industry standard for outboards was for only one year, and Yamaha's doubling of the consumer standard factory limited warranty was hailed as a major benefit for boaters.
Today, Yamaha two-year warranties continue and Yamaha now offers three-year factory limited warranties on all of its new four-stroke outboards, including the world's first V6 four-strokes, the F225 and F200.
"We led the way with the longer warranties because we believe in our outboards," said David Grigsby, product manager. "Increasing the warranty was viewed as revolutionary, but we knew it was important to boaters."
It would seem that boat owners agree, because in September, J.D. Power and Associates named Yamaha as award recipient for Highest in Customer Satisfaction in both the two -- and four --stroke outboard engine segments in its 2002 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study. Warranty criteria were part of the study.
The study is based on responses of nearly 12,000 consumers who purchased a new boat during the 2001 calendar year. They were asked about their on-the-water experience with their new outboard engines. Study results were calculated using an engine performance index, which includes eight engine attributes: ease of starting when engine is cold; ease of starting when engine is hot; quietness of the engine at cruising speed; ability of boat to accelerate rapidly; cruising speed of boat; engine fumes; cruise time/range between fuel stops; and the standard warranty coverage of the engine.
"A J.D. Power and Associates award is the ultimate recognition, " said Yamaha Marine Group President Phil Dyskow, "because it is the voice of the customers and how they feel about their engines."
Dyskow noted the study covered handling of engine warranty claims, saying, "A good warranty is important, but having a national network of professional dealers to handle warranty service is essential, which we do have. We also provide extensive training to dealer service technicians and have factory experts available to assist them."
Two-strokes
In the study, Yamaha two-stroke owners also rated their engines highest in a number of sub-categories, including reliability, warranty coverage and handling of engine warranty claims.
J.D. Power and Associates measured engine quality as problems per 100 units. Yamaha owners were almost 60 percent less likely to report a problem.
Four-strokes
Yamaha customers also rated their four-stroke engines highest in satisfaction. Five of the top 10 four-strokes were Yamahas, including the top two -- the F225 and F115.
The Yamaha F225 four-stroke was rated the highest in satisfaction of all the outboard engines in the study. Owners rated Yamaha four-stroke outboards highest in the sub-categories of acceleration, cruising and top-end speeds, as well as fuel economy and warranty coverage. Yamaha four-strokes also had 30 percent fewer problems per 100 outboards than the all-brand segment average.
General
Warranty is a major component of the overall satisfaction score and played an important role in shaping the consumer experience.
The survey data showed that as engine hours reported by consumers went up, Yamaha owners reported the same high level of quality and satisfaction unlike other brands whose satisfaction scores tended to drop off.
Posted: 10-29-2002
