How to Extend Your Power Equipment Warranty
Paying attention to manufacturers’ warranty programs is one of the best ways to leverage your hard-earned dollars. It’s one of the ways top-quality brands set themselves apart from the competition, offering customers a promise to perform at high expectations.
Power equipment manufacturers (at least, the ones we deal with at Murdoch’s) have long offered substantial limited warranties, but they upped their game in the last five years by offering customers a way to extend the manufacturer warranty. So, what’s the catch? We’ll explain how to extend your warranty on power equipment purchased at Murdoch’s.
Step 1: Choose Stihl or Husqvarna brand equipment
Both of these manufacturers offer basic limited warranties on their products. The length of these warranties can vary by a variety of factors, including whether your purchase is for personal or professional use, whether it is gas or battery-powered, the kind of equipment (chainsaw, blower, trimmer, etc.) and even the model. Furthermore, both of these brands offer similar methods to extend or double that basic limited warranty, provided your equipment purchase is for personal use.
For more details on the limited warranties, visit their websites: Stihl or Husqvarna
Step 2: Buy the manufacturer’s oil or premixed fuel
The key here – and this is important – is that you must purchase a minimum quantity of their oil or premixed fuel on the same transaction as the piece of equipment. As in, it has to show up on the same receipt. There is slight variation between the brands on this:
- STIHL will double the warranty if you buy a 6-pack of STIHL HP Ultra Oil or a 4-pack of STIHL Moto-Mix 50:1 (minimum one gallon).
- Husqvarna will extend the warranty by one year if you buy a 6-pack of its oil. It will extend the warranty by three years (from two to five years) if you buy a 3-pack of its premixed fuel (96 fluid ounces). 2-Stroke Premix Fuel 50:1
It is worth noting that Murdoch’s recommends buying and using the premixed fuel for two reasons:
- If you buy the oil and mix it with your own fuel, you run the risk of an incorrect mixture, and ultimately poor engine performance. Incorrect mixtures can void the warranty.
- You must mix the oil with fuel that has 10% ethanol or less. In Murdoch’s Service Center’s opinion, you should avoid ethanol completely, and low- or no-ethanol gas isn’t always available in all markets. Premixed manufacturer’s fuel is a sure bet all day, every day, always.
Step 3: Register your power equipment
If you buy your power equipment at Murdoch’s we’ll register your power equipment for you. We can’t speak for all retailers, though. If your product isn’t registered, you don’t have a warranty (much less an extended one).
Step 4: Save your receipt
Warranty laws vary from state to state, but if you keep your receipt you’ll have the needed documentation no matter what.
*Service Plus Rewards
Not a fan of saving paper receipts? We get that. Avoid the hassle by signing up to be a Service Plus Rewards member and electronic receipts are saved for you. Other benefits to membership in Service Plus Rewards include:
- Easy returns and exchanges. We keep your receipts.
- Product warranty. We can lookup purchase dates.
- Replacement parts and accessories. We can lookup past purchases.
- Perfect fits and favorites. We can lookup brands you’ve purchased.
- Easy e-receipts. We’ll remember your email address.
Final Step
Once you have followed these four steps, you will have qualified for extended warranty coverage. After you have depleted your initial purchase of oil or premixed fuel, Murdoch’s recommends (although it is not a requirement for the warranty to be valid) continuing to use the manufacturer’s products for optimal performance.