Once I bought an extended warranty on an RV, it covered the finish also, so after 4 years of sitting out in the sun, half the finish faded so when I called to make a claim the guy that answered the phone was some plumbing supply place. I thought I had the wrong number, he explained that an extended warranty was not but an insurance policy that people like him sell thru dealers to make a buck. Majority of the time no one makes a claim and they made a buck, but than people like me came along and took his buck and he gave me $400 more than the policy cost me plus I still kept the policy until term.
He did have an investigator come out and make sure the claim was legit (or should I say he was looking for a way to get out of paying).

 

This thing called insurance, which includes extended warranties because they are nothing more than an insurance policy, is very similiar to gambling. The insurance company is the casino, you are the gambler. You place your bet (buy the policy), betting something will go wrong and they cover your bet (issue the policy), betting nothing will go wrong. They wouldn't be in business if they didn't make money, so who do you think wins most of the time?

 

The extended 5 year warranty on my 08 FLHT has replaced Without question, all 4 lifters, engine compensator and alternator it tore up, fairing brackets, Tranny main shaft bearing, rear sprocket compensator bearings, And three tires, one with a 90 mile tow. The extended warranty has paid for itself three times over and at 80,000 miles I still have a year and a half left on it. Smartest 1,200 bucks I ever spent! I however don't expect them to have covered anything if I tried to make a "Race-Bike out of it. Hell put a super charger on your new car and see it it don't void it's warranty!

 

your add on harley parts are warrantied if u have them installed befor u take possesion. do it after the sale and its 90 days on the part ask me how i know.

 

Your warranty is only as good as your dealer. I had problems with a radio and a fuel gauge. Dealer one fooled around and tried to say it wasnt covered after the third try at fixin it. Took it to dealer two and i had a new gauge and HK stereo in less than an hour. I didn't even pay the $50 deduct. Needless to say I changed dealers! The service manager at dealer two told me if the customer will stay out of it he can pretty much warranty anything. If he contacts ESP they will ask his opinion and they will usually agree with what he says. I understand getting involved if your dealer is a fu(ksti(k but if you have a good one let him handle it. I too contacted ESP when i wasn't agreeing with first dealer and they suggested finding a new dealer and starting the process over. It worked!

 

Take what '05Train and honestbob say. Both are very true. If you just ride your bike and don't mod it (aka void the warranty) the extended warranty can pay off. It has also been said that if these 3rd parties weren't making money, they wouldn't be in business. Sad fact.

I think the biggest thing to be mad at (at least for me) is how much variance there is between dealers. Some will cover any mod they do. Some will cover mods with HD SE parts within 6 months, some will cover zero mods. The MOCO needs to do a better job leveling the playing field. They should do a better job of training their sales staff on the details of the warranties, allowing customers to make more informed decisions. But, I do understand at the end of the day they are just salesmen......

My dealer will not touch my PCV, other dealers push it exclusively. My dealer pushes Rinehart and V&H a lot (after they are done trying to sell you SE), other dealers sell D&D, Rush, CFR, etc. Some carry Amsoil, others only Syn-3.

I personally would not be against dealers only selling HD parts. At least you know what to expect going in. Look at auto dealers. The majority of Ford dealers will not have high performance intakes, superchagers, performance programers available for sale. But the temptation is there at a HD shop and many get lured into the false hope that since they bought it from a HD shop, it's warranted. If the shop does cover it, they are most likely doing it out of their own pockets because as I understand it (could be wrong) that all warranty claims at the end of the day get routed through the MOCO main offices and then paid back to the shop. Someone with a little more knowledge on the intricacies of warranty claims can either confirm or correct that statement.

The MOCO tried to make it as simple as they could for us by using nice simple icons to show if it's Street Legal (traffic light and in my mind should be under warranty) or checkered flags (race part, and clearly states will void warranty). Here's the exact text from the 2012 SE Catalog:

Warranty: Installation of Screamin’ EagleŽ products, and similar off-road or
competition products from other manufacturers, except some street-legal
offerings installed by authorized HarleyŽ dealers, may void your H-DŽ limited
vehicle warranty.

 

Coolerman and Hougz have it right. My dealer is always the first place I go with warrantee issues because they will have infinitely more clout with the insurer than you will. They'll also be likely to back mods they make with HD parts done there. You can't expect to have any kind of warrantee on a vehicle you've altered. Make a choice when it's new. Extended warrantee or radical modification. You can't have both but you do have a clear choice going in.
My dealer did a stage 1 upgrade with SE parts. They will be the ones speaking for me if there is a warrantee issue. They haven't failed me yet.

 

Not to get off track, but to resolve issues at the lowest level usually works best. I took the warranty + wheel coverage when I bought mine. It is at best a gamble.
Later on I stopped by my dealer to get some goods, and while there I got additional info on the warranty and some questions answered - like which wrecker services do you recommend if I have a problem? The service manager gave me his card and said "Hey, just call me if you are anywhere local and we will come get you, won't cost you a dime. Save your HOG tow for when you are in Yellow Stone or something".
I really believe they have flexibility to help you, but why or why not is the question.

 

Ding Ding Ding!! We have a winner!

And remember, most dealers will sell you anything YOU ask for. Because when it screws something up, they don't have to accept the piddly warranty wages to fix it. They can charge you full price. And remember, YOU asked for it.

 

Have you tried telling them "if my ESP does not cover it, then please cancel my policy now and send me a check for the unused portion"?
It's amazing how this kind of request seems to solve issues.
Good luck.