Warranties, What's the differences

"About Warranties: As we all know there has been a substantail debate on this site concerning price and quality differences between North American made grills and Chinese made ones. For so many grill consumers it seems to be so hard to justify paying over $2,000 for a "high-end" stainless steel grill when the likes of Nexgrill, Sonoma, GrandHall, Jenn-air and The HD Ducane come in at such lower prices.

What comes to mind first is a press release put out by Modern Home Products which manufacturers the MHP BBQerChoice grill line and made in America. It appears as follows in an appreviated version:

NOT ALL GAS GRILL WARRANTIES ARE WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE

Just because some gas grills offer a lifetime warranty does not mean the parts you need will actually be covered under their warranty. BEWARE of exclusions in warranties due to normal use, normal wear, rusting or other natural processes of materials.

Most Warranty parts are not stocked by your local retailer (including big boxes) and require you to deal directly with the manufacturer which can caue probelms due to the parts not being available.

Just because a gas grill has stainless steel does not make it a true stainless steel gas grill. While many manufacturers are making gas grills that appear to be stainless steel, every other part on the grill may be made from ordinary steel which will rust and is not covered by the same warranty as the minimal amount of stainless steel parts. Don't be fooled by marketing ploys.

Some other questions that should be considered prior to your purchase. How long has the manufacturer been producing gas grills? If they have only been producing s/s grills for a few years, isn't a lifetime warranty a gamble? How long will they be around for or have parts that you need in our competitive grill market?

Is the Grill being manufactured in the USA? If not the grill produced elsewhere may be lowering the standards of quality that we have all become accustomed to. Something to think about prior to your grill purchase!

Now my two cents. A client came in looking for a "good" grill cover for a Chinese made Frigidaire grill (@$1499.00) yesterday that they purchase elsewhere last week. I had a chance to view their "Limited LIFETIME Warranty". It states as follows:

Frigidaire Grills have a limited lifetime warranty on all stainless steel panels; a limited 3 year warranty on stainless steel burners and a 1 year warranty on all other parts. The exclusions are as follows: THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING (Abridged for one main section): This limited warranty does not cover CORROSION or discoloring due to lack of maintenance, misue, HOSTILE envioronments, alterations, accidents or abuse and neglect. It does not cover scratches, dents, CORROSION (twice mentioned) or discoloring by heat, abrasive and chemical cleaners nor any components used in assembly or installation of the appliance. It also mentions in another line that it does not cover "Acts of God".

By comparison here is the warranty from an acknowledged high-end Stainless steel grill: Twin Eagles warranties all stainless steel lids, burner boxes, side shelves and fabricated stainless steel componetns to original owner against structural deterioration and CORROSION due to defects in materials and workmanship. Twin Eagles warrants the cooking grids and main burner for 20 years against STRUCTURAL deterioration. Surface rust, oxidation and discoloration are not covered. Twin Eagles warrants the stainless steel rock grates, control valves and metal knobs for a period of 5 years. All remaining components including parts of the ignition system, rotisserie motors and non-stainless steel components and accessories for one full year.

So here's the post. For time and space sakes I have omitted what I feel are other "best warranties from lower priced non-stainless steel North American grills like MHP, Broilmaster and Weber. Lets do a comparision on some of the foreign made stainless steel and even cast aluminum ones to compare the overall value presented to the consumer who wants a "lifetime" grill and not a throw away."