Gary Szetlak

My Feedback: (13)

Just out of curiosity, if you were purchasing a new turbine today and all things were the same, such as price, availabilty, and manufacture reputation would you look for a motor with a lifetime warranty or not.
I ask because there are many turbines today with a lifetime warranty and many without. Also they are all over the scale as far as owner reported reliability and loyalty.
From the forums, other modelers and personal experience most of us can make an informed choice as to turbine preferrence, but with warranties being extended to 3 or 5 years by some players and others offering lifetime warranty doesn't it tip the scales in favor of the lifetime warranty?

siclick33

Are 2 engines ever the same? There are always some variables between them (or the manufacturers) and the warranty it just one variable.

If 2 engines and the manufacturers were identical in every way would I prefer an engine with a lifetime warranty? Yes.
Is this ever likely to be the case? Probably not.

You also have the added confusion as to how much a 'free' lifetime warranty costs.

C185Pilot

My Feedback: (25)

I can tell you that my personal experience with Jet Central and their warranty has been exemplary. Eric Clapp is extremely responsive and helpful and when I have had an issue the guys in Mexico City have taken care of it quickly and have bent over backwards to replace parts or otherwise solve the problem. I'm a big fan of their lifetime warranty...just one man's opinion.

Mike

3DHELINUT

My Feedback: (3)

Lifetime!

their is no other choice....

Gary Szetlak

My Feedback: (13)

I agree Lifetime warranties vary as does the cost for the 25 hour service, but at least you know what a properly cared for turbine will cost to be checked out every 25hrs or so. I personally recently paid $1200 to have an engine repaired and then after 2 months the engine seized. Yes it had a FOD screen and it showed no sign of problem. Guess what, the repair only carried a 90 day on parts warranty. I have no idea how much more it would have cost to repair (again) but clearly I have been put off that very well known well established engine distributor.

k12rc

all things considered I chose jet central and have had great service for last three years .just bought a new super eagle and if it runs as good as my two falcons I'll be a happy camper

sailing1

My Feedback: (134)

Well if this is the band wagon, count me in. Two Jet Cental turbines and couldn't be happier with them. The first one, a Super Eagle didn't even have the life time warranty but Eric treated me just like it had one. When you have a customer service model like the one at Jet Central and the piece of mind of the warranty, well sure makes the decision a lot easier, Thus the new Rabbit, which buy the way is really a great little piece of engineering.

tp777fo

My Feedback: (28)

I just sold the only motor I had that was not Jet Central(2 Eagles and 1 Rhino remain in my fleet), won't have anything else from here on. Lifetime warranty + outstanding support.....a winning combination!

rcand

I have 2 Jet Central Rhinos, 2 and 3 years old. first one was before the LTW was offered, but has been converted. I think this is the way to go

rorrock

Even though I am biased I have to agree.. The lifetime warranty is unbeatable..
Some "other" turbine offer lifetime warranty on the engine core... but thats covers you unless you crash.. then your on your own..
At least with JC, send it in for repairs and the warranty is back...

AFTERBURNER1

My Feedback: (80)

Really no NEED for a lifetime warranty if you purchase a top shelf quality motor from the get go. I have run and blown up other brands in the past and was happy to spend my $$ purchasing Jetcat Turbines. They Run like a champ without the "LIFETIME WARRANTY".

Kinda like Dan Aykroyd playing Mr. Zalinsky the "BRAKE PAD KING"
in Tommy Boy.... "People want the warranty / guarantee !!!! Makes em feel all warm and cozy. False sense of security if you ask me. But then again it is my opinion and mine alone.

Gordon Mc

My Feedback: (11)

I once had a watch that came with a lifetime warranty.

The dang thing kept breaking, so I kept sending it in for repair. Eventually I figured that the cost of me sending it back for 'free repair under warranty' cost more than what I would have paid for a new replacement watch, and that free repairs were basically of zero use when the watch was spending more time at the repair shop than on my wrist.

So, I think it all comes down to what the 'real' costs are for your maintenance and repair - and that includes not only how much you have to pay every X hours to maintain your warranty and how much is excluded, but also how often your chosen brand typically has to be sent back for those 'free' repairs. Figure out your tolerance for the shipping (& insurance) costs to send it back each time, plus your more intangible costs of downtime as you watch your buddies fly while you sit on the sidelines talking about your free repair work.

That calculation will probably work out differently for different people, so use your own noggin to figure out what is best for YOU rather than being swayed by the rep's (the declared ones and the stealth ones) who have a vested interest in plugging their own particular brand.

Seems to me that the best warranty is the one you never have to use, not the one that you use the most often with limited costs.

YMMV, which is just fine.

Gordon

ira d

I voted for the3-5 year warranty howeverI really would like to see all engines come with at least a 3year or 25hr warranty. As for alifetime warranty nothing lasts a forever.

As for the Jet central lifetime warranty that is really a service contract not a warranty IMO, I also want to say im not trying to bash Jet Central I know they make a fine product
and have many satisfied customers.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

I have two turbines covered by a lifetime warranty, a Superbee and a Rabbit. The peace of mind I receive from the warranty is not so much the length, as knowing EXACTLY how much a service will or will not cost, depending on whether or not it is scheduled. The fact that there is no ocean between Mexico or Florida and here is also a big plus as far as shipping cost and time are concerned. No amount of purple KoolAid could persuade me to give up these advantages. Besides, my turbines perform like champs and are as reliable as an anvil. I don't see how things could get much better.

c_makhija

Here in India we fly most of the well known turbines, while most of them perform faultlessly there is always a small percentage that has gone back to the factory for some minor problems when relatively new. All the manufacturers have fixed the problem without fuss even if it was outside warranty and no fault of ours. A friend of mine lately had some minor problem with his jetcentral rhino, JC got the rhino picked up from India got it fixed in Mexico and delivered it back to him within 2 weeks and took care of the shipping costs too, now thats what i call service. It does costs a fair bit if i have to send a turbine across the world and pay for shipping for no fault of mine. I have had other well known turbines go back as well to europe and just the shipping bill was around $300.
I really hope other companies can match the service jetcentral provides. To top it all i have a JC Eagle on my Bobcat which has performed faultlessly for over 100 flights now.

Chaitanya.

AndyAndrews

I've found that most minor things that need repair cost less money than the warranty + freight they charge. My vote is NO Warranty because it costs more in the long run. If you damage your engine its not "technically" covered under warranty anyway. Yes some companies will cut you some slack if you do something to mess it up (you know the "we'll cover it this time but don't let it happen again") but you are still paying for freight and insurance to get it to them + freight and handling to get it back to you. That on top of the up front warranty cost = a major overhaul anyway. So why pay it up front?

Andy

Gary Szetlak

My Feedback: (13)

Andy,

What about the companies that charge for a repair and then do not stand behind it? A company giving a lifetime waranty has a vested intrest in doing a service properly whether it is routine or major. My experience was a major repair that blew up after 2 months of use and a sorry for your luck response. FYI this was not JetJoe this was a long establish turbine manufacture. Even a bearing replacement costs around $250 so why not a Lifetime warranty. In most cases firmware upgrades and turbine component upgrades are also included in the 25 hr service at no additional charge.
I understand what some have said about buying a quality engine and sticking with it I have brand name motors and have always paid through the nose for repairs. And now I wont even send the one engine back for service because I fear the dont care about service.
I guess whatever your preference its all good. I have had a couple REALLY bad experiences and was curious about the rest of the Jet Modeling fraternity. For myself my next motor will be from Jet Central I have friends that have them and they seem to be a good value (plus they have that warranty). Thanks to everone that has contributed it has been very interesting reading.

ira d

I think we all would like to know about compaines that dont stand behind their work. If it was me I
would not hesitate to say who it was especially if I was going to talk about anyway.

Gary Szetlak

My Feedback: (13)

My apologies. It was not my intent to name any company and show them in a bad light. I just had a bad out of warranty experience thats all. It was my intent to get perspective on lifetime warranty or term warranty from the Jet community. I have had 5 different makes of turbines over the years and still fly a mix of 3 makes all have their good points. I'm just thinking about my next turbine purchase. Thanks again.

rhklenke

My Feedback: (24)

Bingo. I've had (have) 6 JetCats, P-120's, P-80's and a P-70, and they simply have *never* had to go back for any kind of service. One is approaching 7 years old with hundreds (over a 1000?) of flights. How much is a warranty worth if you never have to use it? Its like the 70k mileage warranty on my Toyota - the darn things don't get old until the pass about 150k...

Bob

ps, now I have destroyed 2 Jetcats , but the warranty doesn't cover that!

AndyAndrews

I'm not aware of any name brand turbine manufacturer that doesn't stand behind their repairs nor warranty factory defects (like in the first 90 days or so) regardless of stated warranty or otherwise. This is the point I am trying to make. I think the payment for extra warranties are, in a lot of cases, profit centers for those who offer it, or at the bare min. covers the cost that you would have otherwise spent on regular service anyway.

The bottom line is that these lifetime warranties from what I have seen are not free. They cost approx the same money you would have spent anyway for the repair or more. Some guys have turbines out there with hundreds of hours on them without the first service call. Add it up for 100 hours of use : $250 for the base warranty + $140 ($60 for the handling and repair + $40 shipping/insurance each way) every 25 hours of service for 100 hours = $810.00. Thats a lot of cash to go toward a repair. These guys are in the business to make money not loose money. If it caused them to lose money they wouldn't offer it. Think about it.

Andy

AndyAndrews

Using your example (1000 hours) one companys warranty would have cost you approx $5,850.00. I'm tellin ya its a profit center.

sailing1

My Feedback: (134)

Andy,
I guess I do not understand your analogy. If I start looking at two turbines with about the same list price and turbine A requres a 25 hour service that is NORMALLY $250 and Turbine B states that it also has a 25 hour service requirement that is guarenteed for life to not exceed $250 and oh buy the way should anything else break during the life of the turbine is it covered by the factory (excluding FOD, crash and stupidity) - well how could that cost any more and wouldn't it be a whole lot of piece of mind?

AndyAndrews

The analogy is based on the fact that most turbines made buy reputable companies require little if no service if properly cared for. Turbine A doesn't require a 25 hour service. It requires service when its not working and in the example above, ie the 100 hour scenario. Turbine B makes you pay for the service in advance even if you don't need it every 25 hours.

LGM Graphix

My Feedback: (22)

I think this is probably one of the most intelligent posts I've ever seen on RCU!