I purchased a 06 Honda Rancher 4x4 ES from Chattanooga, Tennessee (they even installed mud tires & CV axle guards). I was also sold an extended warranty and told it would cover anything except sinking it in a river. It is now 1 year 5 months later and my engine is smoking horribly. Now they say if I have ridden it in dusty/dirty conditions my warranty will not cover it. I do ride at a mud atv park, but it certainly isn't a river or anything worse than what they show on their commercials. Now they want me to accept responsibility for diagnosis of the problem and potentially the cost of repair out of my pocket. ALL I AM GETTING AT IS BUYER BEWARE. DEFINITELY DO NOT BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND BUYING A HONDA...... PERIOD!!!!

 

Don't blame Honda because you ride in those conditions. : )

Seriously Honda's are good machines. Probably the most reliable out there. Way to many owners out there with old proven machines to accept your advise to not buy because of 1 bad one.

As for the dealer..well thats a dealer. All they care about is money and they don't represent the manufacturer. It could be a yamaha, or any other dealer and good chance you'd get same response. My advise to you is to contact a lawyer. Let the dealer know you are and I bet they'll fix you up.

 

Your problem is with the dealer not honda! I'd take it to a different honda shop and get a second opinion. Hopefully they'll treat you better.

I have two honda's over 20 years old and still going strong!

 

Don't blame Honda for the dealership's attitude.
Hondas are very good, reliable machines if maintained properly.
How often did you clean the air filter? How often did you change the oil and filter?
No machine will run problem free without proper maintenance.
Or did you just come on here to stir things up?

 

Or contact honda directly ,and far as I know thats the type of cnditions there made for

 

So has the dealer even looked at it? Sure enough, you got a trail of dirt and dust going into the carb, they'll try and void the warranty. But if it turns out something like a carb boot has got a crack and let it in, then they're gonna have to cover it.

How often was the filter cleaned/changed?

 

I am not even sure your dealer is trying to hose you on this one. If your engine is smoking that bad it is almost certain some contamination has gotten into it. Like is stated above, if was let in through a manufacturer defect then the warranty should cover it. If you just never cleaned your air filter or even didn't put everything back together properly when you did, good luck finding ANY manufacturer or warranty company that will reimburse for that one. Your dealer is probably hedging his bets as Honda build quality is good enough that this sort of thing is much more likely operator error than defect. He may be telling you up front instead of doing the work and then having to possibly litigate to get payment later on.

On a side note, this is why I never buy an extended warranty anyway. Those in charge will do anything to weasel out of paying. ANYTHING! You are better off banking that money for the inevitable repair bill imho.

 

HONDA SUCKS??????? Maaaan you better get a better dealer. my 400ex honda gets muddy, wet, sunk, drown, flips, *****, and gets!!!! i have been spraying NOS for 2 years on my honda, and i dont even race it!!! jus 4 fun. no smoke no over heating and not to mention necer had a starting prob.

HONDA.... the only bike you can dog out, and it still luvvvvs ya!!!

 

I guess I should have specified I'm not a moron. I have a CLEAN K&N Air Filter w/Outerwear Jacket. I change my oil & filter regularly depending on conditions. My problem is not with my local dealer (Extreme Power Sports) it is with Southern Honda & Hondas warranty department. When Southern Honda was selling me my extended warranty they told me it covered ANYTHING other than complete water submersion!! Hondas warranty people are trying to cop out on my warranty by getting me to call Extreme to authorize them to tear down my engine. At this point Honda will decide if they want to honor my warranty or leave me hanging with the bill. I was told by the service manager @ Southern Honda AND Corporate Honda that my warranty would be void if my engine had any scratches in the cylinder. This being the case no one has a warranty because I promise you I don't care how clean your air filter is or how many times you change your oil. If you ride in mud & dirt something WILL get in there. If you believe otherwise respond to this thread when you think you got a good warranty and you drop yours off for repair. By the way I also have an 85 Honda 250 that runs fine, but I only use it to ride to the mail box!!

 

Well my family just sold an '82 Honda big red. It was a farm vehicle that pulled much more than intended regularly. I learned to ride on it. My bro learned to ride on it. It has been literally rolled down a mountain. Flipped numerous times. Abused. No tellen how long it has went between oil and filter changes. I would bet 100 that it would start within 5 kicks after setting a month and not smoke a lick.

There are many who can testify the same. Ya, maybe Honda Inc. is shafting you but, I wouldn't advise anyone to not buy a Honda and give myself the handle "Honda Sucks" because, the warranty is a problem. Heck I don't even ride with anyone who bought a new wheeler to have the option for a warranty.