I have a couple older 1000s with blown out fireboxes. I had heard that some of these earlier grills had a 25yr warranty on the firebox. Called up weber, and they just told me that since I'm not the original owner the warranty doesn't transfer. Is this true? I know there's guys on here who have made warranty claims on rehab projects, so wondering how you got around that. Thanks!
Warranty transferable?
- Thread starter BrianV
- Start date
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I register when I get one and claim it as a gift, since in a way they are, I don’t feel like I trying to get anything past them. Of course, as of now, I have not needed to make any warranty claims.
Chris in GA
TVWBB Pro
Weber gave me the same story.
Weber just pour some molten Aluminum in the old die cast 1000 and is all good.
My new E310 II cookbox aluminum walls are so thin, I can see them getting holes at some point.
Weber just pour some molten Aluminum in the old die cast 1000 and is all good.
My new E310 II cookbox aluminum walls are so thin, I can see them getting holes at some point.
Feels like the customer service reps were better 5 or so years ago. I used to talk to people who actually knew things about the grills and frequently they would offer discounts if I had large orders. Now it feels more like outsourced reps who have been instructed to limit warranty claims and product discounts.
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
I don't understand non-transferable warranties. They should at least extend to the second owner. It would be good for business on higher end grills. Person buys expensive grill, a couple of years later it is dirty and a newer flashy model comes out. When selling the old dirty grill it would be much easier to sell if it came with the warranty so the owner could then buy the new flashy version. Could you imagine of car warranties were not transferable? That's what makes getting a new car possible every 2 years for some people. If a company has a 10 year warranty it should not matter who owns it as it is the product that is warrantied not the owner. Sorry just a rant from someone who mostly buys stuff used.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
I imagine that if they had their warranties be transferable, they would not offer them for nearly as long. Try to find a car warranty for ten years.
If they did, people like us would be buying all those 7-10 years old grills up for $50 and calling up Weber for all new parts. IMO, Weber is smart to have the policy they do.
If they did, people like us would be buying all those 7-10 years old grills up for $50 and calling up Weber for all new parts. IMO, Weber is smart to have the policy they do.
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
There are a couple of flaws in this thinking IMHO.
#1 If they warranty something for a certain time period you would think they would / should build it to last that long.
#2 If my grill has a 10 year warranty then I will not buy a new flashy model they come out with for 10 years, loosing a standing customer for that period.
#3 They shouldn't over warranty there products. For example 25 years to life is a little crazy (nothing lasts forever and grills have a tough life), and not even have the replacement parts if needed. The costs to stock and ship parts for 25 years on outdated inventory costs major $$
For a decent quality grill I would think 10 years with a transferable warranty would be ideal.
#1 If they warranty something for a certain time period you would think they would / should build it to last that long.
#2 If my grill has a 10 year warranty then I will not buy a new flashy model they come out with for 10 years, loosing a standing customer for that period.
#3 They shouldn't over warranty there products. For example 25 years to life is a little crazy (nothing lasts forever and grills have a tough life), and not even have the replacement parts if needed. The costs to stock and ship parts for 25 years on outdated inventory costs major $$
For a decent quality grill I would think 10 years with a transferable warranty would be ideal.
Jim C in Denver
TVWBB All-Star
The warranty on my purchased new 2000 Silver B is LIFETIME for the aluminum and 25 years for the porcelain. But only for the original owner. As the original owner, I recently got a new cookbox.
If those crazy long warranties were transferable, Weber would go broke from sending an unending stream of free parts to high volume flip/rehabbers like Bruce. Presumably the marketing strategy of a lifetime warranty is to induce the original purchaser to pay a premium to obtain "the last grill you will ever own."
That's a TOTALLY different strategy than putting a four year transferable warranty on a car. The goal there is to make it easier for me to sell my old car for more money. Which then makes it easier for me to trade up to a new model. And (unlike grills) there's a huge and lucrative established market for used cars. Apples and oranges.
I don't think Weber's current grills have those loooong warranties. Maybe 10 years now. But still limited to the original owner I think.
If those crazy long warranties were transferable, Weber would go broke from sending an unending stream of free parts to high volume flip/rehabbers like Bruce. Presumably the marketing strategy of a lifetime warranty is to induce the original purchaser to pay a premium to obtain "the last grill you will ever own."
That's a TOTALLY different strategy than putting a four year transferable warranty on a car. The goal there is to make it easier for me to sell my old car for more money. Which then makes it easier for me to trade up to a new model. And (unlike grills) there's a huge and lucrative established market for used cars. Apples and oranges.
I don't think Weber's current grills have those loooong warranties. Maybe 10 years now. But still limited to the original owner I think.
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Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
Jim - I think you just supported my thoughts about absurdly long warranties. If it was shorter and transferable you may have upgraded your grill and Weber would have made more money buy not shipping you a new firebox and you buying / upgrading your grill;-) If you are keeping your grill forever because of the lifetime warranty how are they going to make more sales to you as their loyal customer? Most people only have 1 or 2 grills.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Joe: I think Weber has done a lot of bean counting on this kind of thing. They put those long warranties on knowing that MOST people won't bother dealing with a 8-10 year old grill that needs repair, much less 20 or more. Most grill owners will simply upgrade at that point. That is why rehabbers can find free or sub $50 Weber Genesis grills to rehab. It isn't that the grills have catastrophic problems, it is just old, dirty, greasy and people don't want to or know how to take the burners out to replace them. It is just easier to put it on the curb and make a trip to see the new Webers at Home Depot and leave the rusted out burners and 2" of grease and carbon in the bottom of the grill to someone else. It is really rare that people take their old ten year old grill and rehab it like so many on here do. It seems second nature to us, but we are not a good sampling of the whole grill owners crowd. We are a small and dedicated sub group.
You can see this when newbies chime in on this forum all the time asking questions about a problem with their Weber. They turn to an independent forum before even considering a call to Weber Customer Service for warranty support. Many don't even remember that Silver B they bought back in 2005 with the bowed front edge on the cook box or that nasty fade on the lid might still be under warranty.
But, when someone sees a ten year or longer warranty on a grill, that is a great confidence builder and Weber knows that.
If someone can get 10 years out of a grill, they are usually very happy with that. Especially after 2-3 tries with the Dyna-glos and Charbroils, and other $250 tin cans that are lucky to get 2-3 years of use before a catastrophic failure.
You can see this when newbies chime in on this forum all the time asking questions about a problem with their Weber. They turn to an independent forum before even considering a call to Weber Customer Service for warranty support. Many don't even remember that Silver B they bought back in 2005 with the bowed front edge on the cook box or that nasty fade on the lid might still be under warranty.
But, when someone sees a ten year or longer warranty on a grill, that is a great confidence builder and Weber knows that.
If someone can get 10 years out of a grill, they are usually very happy with that. Especially after 2-3 tries with the Dyna-glos and Charbroils, and other $250 tin cans that are lucky to get 2-3 years of use before a catastrophic failure.
LMichaels
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Yeppirs. Even thought that warranty may not be worth the paper they write it on 
I know when I bought my Summit that 25 year warranty looked mighty inviting while counting out all those $100 bills. But when I NEEDED the warranty they let me down anyway. Had I been able to know they (Weber) would do that there is no way I would drop all that $$$ on it. But, I have lived and learned. Bottom line they make more money giving you a sense of security and hoping 10 years down the road you'll forget
I know when I bought my Summit that 25 year warranty looked mighty inviting while counting out all those $100 bills. But when I NEEDED the warranty they let me down anyway. Had I been able to know they (Weber) would do that there is no way I would drop all that $$$ on it. But, I have lived and learned. Bottom line they make more money giving you a sense of security and hoping 10 years down the road you'll forget
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
I give - You guys make valid points. I may have not realized that most people are not like us. When they let you down on that warranty I think I would have either demanded a new grill or taken them to small claims court for the point of it. Which also seems why a 10-15 year transferable warranty seems much more logical than 25 years - life, non-transferable. Now you are quite the unsatisfied customer, and may or not buy a new $2000 grill from them again. But again, you are not a typical customer that will tear down a grill and replace the firebox even if they were to ship one;-) Most people will not even clean their grill. I am starting to get it. The warranty is just for show to sell grills to the average buyer.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Joe, I think Weber does a pretty good job supporting their grills according to the warranty. I have seen many members get new lids, and cook boxes. The problem with the summit is probably two fold. First, the design was not up to the standards of a high end grill and second, Weber likely realized that fairly early on and decided to stop making the parts that were causing the problems to cut loses. But, they should in fact offer something in place of it much better than they did with Larry. Maybe not a whole new grill, but a much better discount on a new one.
Jim C in Denver
TVWBB All-Star
Many don't even remember that Silver B they bought back in 2005 with the bowed front edge on the cook box or that nasty fade on the lid might still be under warranty.
Exactly my situation.
Until I read about it on here, I never would have thought that my 20 year old greasey grill would still have a warranty. Or that said grill could be rehabbed into close to new condition. I only went down that rabbit hole when the wife started pressing me to get rid of my old beater grill.
And while my cookbox was bowed out, the grill was still functional. So I made the warranty claim more out of curiosity than anything -- and was surprised when Weber said a new one was in the mail. I probably could also ask for a new lid (still 5 more years of warranty left), but I feel that would be taking advantage.
For me, the thing that made me stick with the old grill for so long was the continued availability of parts (not the warranty). Without the spare parts, my grill would have been replaced years ago and the lifetime warranty would have been irrelevant.
Weber obviously has a brand strategy (which has changed over time) that goes along with their parts and warranty policies.
Exactly my situation.
Until I read about it on here, I never would have thought that my 20 year old greasey grill would still have a warranty. Or that said grill could be rehabbed into close to new condition. I only went down that rabbit hole when the wife started pressing me to get rid of my old beater grill.
And while my cookbox was bowed out, the grill was still functional. So I made the warranty claim more out of curiosity than anything -- and was surprised when Weber said a new one was in the mail. I probably could also ask for a new lid (still 5 more years of warranty left), but I feel that would be taking advantage.
For me, the thing that made me stick with the old grill for so long was the continued availability of parts (not the warranty). Without the spare parts, my grill would have been replaced years ago and the lifetime warranty would have been irrelevant.
Weber obviously has a brand strategy (which has changed over time) that goes along with their parts and warranty policies.