B.E.S.T. warranty does not cover exploding clutch at 13k miles - 2008 RS - Premier Ed

[jsmiley]

Back in April my Spyder completely went nuclear. Now I am not a mechanic, but I like to think myself a pretty logical person. Best the dealer can tell is the clutch suffered catastrophic failure when the clutch plates broke apart into several pieces. Clutch material reportedly went through the screen and took out the oil pump, engine lost pressure and multiple components exploded. Internals were a mess and I have been struggling with BRP to get it fixed ever since. The dealer said the clutch plates show no signs of abuse or being worn out. There was no evidence of heat damage or blueing either. Ok, so this is pretty foreign to me, but it sounds like not something that was my fault. Dealer admits they believe this to be a faulty or production related issue with the clutch. They had seen this before and also on several automatics. Guessing automatics have less clutch issues.

Its been over 4 months now, prime riding season and I am still fighting with BRP. After getting the run around by BRP customer service and a little bit of yelling some progress was made. Initially they wee inclined to not cover any of it, as they said it was caused by the clutch. Clutch is a wear item and is not covered under B.E.S.T. warranty. Too bad, so sad Mr. Customer. The end price tag was somewhere in the range of $8-9k out of my pocket for a new engine and clutch. I promptly lost my mind and continued to raise hell with the dealer and it soon became clear BRP was the culprit. A gentleman was apparently slow walking this and appeared he was just trying to deny the warranty claim and was putting the dealer in a bad spot. Dealer has since worked it through another warranty claims person and things are moving forward.

I still have several issues -

- CLutch explodes at 13k miles? What is that all about?
- Even though my engine went through a catastrophic failure they are piece parting my baby back together. Dealer is saying they used to provide crate engines, but the last few have been rebuilt. Oh, I dont feel comfortable my engine is going to last long having blown apart once now.
- BRP is still sticking me with replacement of the clutch plates and clutch basket, whatever that is.
- I may get it back this month or I may not, apparently a lot of the piece parts are on back order. On the 18th of august it will be 5 months.
- My B.E.S.T. warranty expires with no options to renew in Jan time frame. I guess if the clutch decides to explode again I am just expected to fork over $8k to have it replaced again. Thats not going to happen.
- Lastly, i have just an overwhelming disappointment in BRP and though i have enjoyed my Spyder even after numerous power steering replacements and an estimated 9 months in the shop total for failed components, i am seriously thinking of giving up on this product and cutting my losses.

Im wondering if anyone else has had this exploding clutch issue and or issues with B.E.S.T. warranty coverage? This seems really shady and not the way to do business.

[wyliec]

You may want to contact Carlo. The info is here:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...r-Support-Link

The clutch basket fell off of my 2008 SM5 and left me stranded, in Sept. 2011 at around 15,000 miles. So, I did not have an exploding clutch like you did. My problem was covered under the BEST warranty. In my case it was a factory issue, which was covered in a thread I posted last year, if interested.

Good luck.

[SpyderAnn01]

I hope you get this resolved soon so you can get some riding time in. I hate to see these kind of things happen. Let us know what happens.

[daveinva]

Ummm, an exploding clutch can't possibly be a "wear item." And even if it was, an exploding clutch that damaged the engine would not be the result of "normal wear and tear" on the clutch, i.e. taking your description as accurate at the very least the engine damage should be covered.

I'm so sorry for the troubles you're having... second the Carlo recommendation, and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

[Firefly]

Really sorry to hear of your troubles. You have every right to be mad as !

Someone was taking the 'clutch is a wear item' too literally.

I know I wouldn't stand for this treatment either.
-----------------

Since the warranty will be up and you're concerned about the bike..... I'd get it fixed and trade up to a new(er) Spyder !

[ARtraveler]

Please keep us posted on the situation. Another one of those customer caught in the middle situations that BRP needs to take care of. Based on what you have said--you got a "poor" version of the

[dliszews]

Doesn't BRP monitor forums to see just how crappy the experience is for some riders. My past experiences with Yamaha and yes HD were heaven compared to some of the warranty stories I've seen out here.

[Littlebadwolf]

Look at it this way...If BRP continues to give loyal customers a hard time when obvious warranty issues come up and they don't honor the BEST warranty and try to screw the customer every time..thier great success at bringing this machine to market is gonna fall flat on it's face and some other company will surface with a comparable product and BRP is gonna fall by the wayside..It's the customers that took the chance to buy a very expensive, unproven product that looked like it was gonna be a big success that made it a big success...Play on words?...absolutely not..Look what happened to Harley when AMF bought them out..It was a nightmare owning one of the machines that AMF built...Trust me...I owned 3 of them and swore I'd never buy another Harley...Look at what you pay for the machine, all the accessories, the very expensive BEST Warranty and ask yourself..Do you want to continue throwing money into a machine that the company that manufactures them won't stand behind thier product or quality? BRP should take notice...they're gonna lose the loyal customers that have supported them from the beginning that made the product such a success....Not even mentioning the terrible service the dealers are providing at the new rate...$120 an hour?

[ARtraveler]

[jsmiley]

Spyder Clutch 1.jpgSpyder Clutch 2.jpgSpyder Clutch 3.jpg

Some photos from the dealer on what was left of the clutch components. I am pretty disappointed and have reached out to Carlo. I am also thinking about reaching out to legal advisor now to see what can be done. Even if BRP fixes my Spyder to my satisfaction, its been months and I have missed a large part of the season here through no fault of my own. Not to mention the risk i face when the Spyder comes back. Either I sell it quick at a huge loss and go for something else or ride it for a short while until it blows up and it is cheaper to scrap it than repair it.

Thanks for the feedback and support. If you look close you can see scattered pieces of the clutch in every picture.

[Jeriatric]

OWNER'SWARRANTY RESPONSIBILITIES:

You are responsible for presenting your Spyder roadster to a Spyder dealer as soon as a problem exists. The warranty repairs should be completed in a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed 30 days.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

OWNER'SWARRANTY RESPONSIBILITIES:

You are responsible for presenting your Spyder roadster to a Spyder dealer as soon as a problem exists. The warranty repairs should be completed in a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed 30 days.

The key word here is WARRANTY........BRP is denying it !!!!!!!!!!so I think the 30 day thing is Moot......I also think BRP needs to step up to the plate on this......Mike.....

[kawakii]

If I were you I'd be checking into some other warranty companies for when the Spyder is returned to you. Some individual warranty companies don't require the warranty be put on when the bike is purchased or new...one of them is Zurich. Might be worth a call to them to find out some iformation if you can't renew B.E.S.T. We were told to not use BEST from the beginning and purchased Zurich which we have been happy with overall. Not waiting for part approval fro BRP - Dealer makes the call on what parts are needed, etc...

[arntufun]

If I were you I'd be checking into some other warranty companies for when the Spyder is returned to you. Some individual warranty companies don't require the warranty be put on when the bike is purchased or new...one of them is Zurich. Might be worth a call to them to find out some iformation if you can't renew B.E.S.T. We were told to not use BEST from the beginning and purchased Zurich which we have been happy with overall. Not waiting for part approval fro BRP - Dealer makes the call on what parts are needed, etc...

You nailed it !!!!!!!!!!! My aftermarket warranty does put the customer through all this either. The dealer calls with whats wrong, if it's covered ( I have a detailed list of what is and what isn't covered) they give the dealer the ok and a PO# for payment. It's as simple as that.


I know alot of members on this forum think the the Best Warranty is the only way to go, and that because thats the only warranty company they have heard of from forum members here. Why would someone buy a warranty from a company that is affiliated with BRP is beyond me ?????

[Jeriatric]

The key word here is WARRANTY........BRP is denying it !!!!!!!!!!so I think the 30 day thing is Moot......I also think BRP needs to step up to the plate on this......Mike.....

Mike, the way I read the post is that at first they were denying it.....foot dragging was the term used. Then the dealer started working with a different service writer and they're kinda covering it (warranty?). Kinda, because BRP appears to be taking the position that the blown clutch is not of their doing. Is five months to resolve the issue reasonable?

[wyliec]

Once you actually speak to Carlo, I believe BRP will work something out with you. I would definitely bring up the fact of how many months you've been without the spyder.

Just an FYI from my own experience, the results of any negotiation with BRP will have a stipulation that you will not discuss the details with others. This is not a bad thing and it is not unique to BRP.

[wyliec]

I know alot of members on this forum think the the Best Warranty is the only way to go, and that because thats the only warranty company they have heard of from forum members here. Why would someone buy a warranty from a company that is affiliated with BRP is beyond me ?????

You're not reverting back to your old self and bashing BRP, are you?

[rcturner]

In my short time as a Spyder owner, I have had occasion to contact BRP twice by phone and once by e-mail. My perception is that calling them is a complete waste of time. They don't return calls when they say they will and then, in my case they had the information in hand that I was looking for and would not give it to me. The issue had to do with a blatant error in their accessory catalog that they feel no responsibility to honor or correct. New accessory catalogs were recently sent out with the same error in them. I did contact BRP by e-mail about another issue and got the information back by e-mail the next day. Currently, my Spyder is in the shop for shifting issues that are going to be difficult to duplicate. It will be interesting to see how that comes out and, it has nothing to do with shifting at higher RPMs.

[arntufun]

You're not reverting back to your old self and bashing BRP, are you?

No, not at all. I'm just not going to buy a warranty from a company that works for the manufacturer of the product they are covering.

Thats like trying to get a fair trial when the judge is the brother of the district attorney.

[dliszews]

If I were you I'd be checking into some other warranty companies for when the Spyder is returned to you. Some individual warranty companies don't require the warranty be put on when the bike is purchased or new...one of them is Zurich. Might be worth a call to them to find out some iformation if you can't renew B.E.S.T. We were told to not use BEST from the beginning and purchased Zurich which we have been happy with overall. Not waiting for part approval fro BRP - Dealer makes the call on what parts are needed, etc...

Can't find any detail on Zurich's plan offering for the Spyder. Can you provide some direction?

[kawakii]

http://secure.zurichna.com/uug/consumer.nsf

Our dealer sells Zurich and you could call them for more information as well. Freedom Cycle, Concord NH 603-225-2779.

We feel the same way as artufun about buying a warranty from BRP since we weren't impressed with our manufacturers warranty of our RS-S.

[pro10is]

I'm really sorry you're having so many problems. Clearly this is a warranty issue, clutches wear out but they should never blow up and take the engine with it, that's absurd. There should be no doubt that this should be covered under the warranty. After all the extended "warranty" is actually an insurance policy against catastrophic failures and this certainly qualifies as catastrophic.

I have a BEST warranty for my BRP boat but I haven't purchased one yet for my 2011 Spyder. I think Randy's point about not buying a warranty from the company that manufactures the product has merit especially if BRP had the gall to deny coverage on this issue. With BRP muscle boats and PWC's there is an issue of the supercharger clutches blowing up and taking the engine with it. The BEST warranty covers the repair even though the supercharger clutches are also considered a wear item. BRP made them out of ceramic and when they heat up they can explode. This has been a known issue since 2007 yet BRP has never issued a recall even though they recently fixed the problem on new boats by changing the clutches to metal.

Can you please inform us if there was any sign of problems before the clutch blew up? Anything we should watch out for?

[Firefly]

Look at it this way...If BRP continues to give loyal customers a hard time when obvious warranty issues come up and they don't honor the BEST warranty and try to screw the customer every time..thier great success at bringing this machine to market is gonna fall flat on it's face and some other company will surface with a comparable product and BRP is gonna fall by the wayside..It's the customers that took the chance to buy a very expensive, unproven product that looked like it was gonna be a big success that made it a big success...Play on words?...absolutely not..Look what happened to Harley when AMF bought them out..It was a nightmare owning one of the machines that AMF built...Trust me...I owned 3 of them and swore I'd never buy another Harley...Look at what you pay for the machine, all the accessories, the very expensive BEST Warranty and ask yourself..Do you want to continue throwing money into a machine that the company that manufactures them won't stand behind thier product or quality? BRP should take notice...they're gonna lose the loyal customers that have supported them from the beginning that made the product such a success....Not even mentioning the terrible service the dealers are providing at the new rate...$120 an hour?

You're painting with a really broad brush...... Most owners have not had problems.. and most who have had warranty work have been taken care of. We've had a few stories lately.. and many people only post when something bad happens.

The BEST warranty is in the same price as other aftermarket warranties.. so I would not consider it 'expensive'. Nor do I consider the Spyder itself 'expensive'.

For every one of these bad stories of warranty problems.. there have been plenty where BRP has gone above and beyond in helping owners.

[Firefly]

If I were you I'd be checking into some other warranty companies for when the Spyder is returned to you. Some individual warranty companies don't require the warranty be put on when the bike is purchased or new...one of them is Zurich. Might be worth a call to them to find out some iformation if you can't renew B.E.S.T. We were told to not use BEST from the beginning and purchased Zurich which we have been happy with overall. Not waiting for part approval fro BRP - Dealer makes the call on what parts are needed, etc...

Who told you not to buy the BEST? Most have been very happy with BEST, and I believe there's less chance of problems when using the BEST warranty compared to a 3rd party. While Zurich is well known, there are many others out here that used other 3rd party warranties that turned into a nightmare.

At least with BEST, it is endorsed by BRP.. and should push come to shove in court.. that could prove to be important.

[Firefly]

In my short time as a Spyder owner, I have had occasion to contact BRP twice by phone and once by e-mail. My perception is that calling them is a complete waste of time. They don't return calls when they say they will and then, in my case they had the information in hand that I was looking for and would not give it to me. The issue had to do with a blatant error in their accessory catalog that they feel no responsibility to honor or correct. New accessory catalogs were recently sent out with the same error in them. I did contact BRP by e-mail about another issue and got the information back by e-mail the next day. Currently, my Spyder is in the shop for shifting issues that are going to be difficult to duplicate. It will be interesting to see how that comes out and, it has nothing to do with shifting at higher RPMs.

Care to tell us all what the error in the catalog is so we can be aware of the problem???