Extended warranty on RV

[DES93Dodge]

Thinking of getting a 5 year extended warranty on a new KZ 5th wheel, Dealer says it will run about $1575. Good idea or not? For Car warranties I keep hearing about finding better deals on line, any suggestions?

 

[Bob Cochran]

Normally I so NO to all extended warranty offers specially from dealer. However wife got me to purchase on our 5er when we bought new and it has paid for itself. I had 3 refrigerator cooling units fail and some problems with the furnace. So I got my money back out of it. I am not sure that is the case most of the time though so it is really a personal choice.

 

[SDancy]

I just bought a KZ Escalade last year. I went thru all the papers and bought the warranty thru all the manufacturers of the appliances and systems. It was

a lot cheaper and they last from lifetime to one year. I felt this was the best way to buy as I do not believe in aftermarket warranties.

 

[donnandon]

If you have the $1575 in cash, put it in a savings account and at least collect interest on it until you might need to use it to repair something. If you are adding the $1575 into a loan on your trailer you end up paying alot more for it due to the interest.

 

[Grizzly]

If you buy a quality RV in the first place, you won't need an extended warranty. Might be a good idea to buy a good Shop Manual however.

 

[jray]

I had a bad experience with a trailer that I bought new in 2003. Slide out problems from day one and I mean the day after I bought it. I was so unhappy with the trailer that I will probably never buy another travel trailer from this mfg. for the rest of my life.



I traded the trailer in last year and bought a new 2007 Sydney Outback made by Keystone. Based on the problems that I had with previous trailer I bought an extended warranty. The Outback is in the shop for warranty repairs right now but so far it seems to be a decent trailer. I enjoy having a warranty that covers me for another 4 years.





When I bought the first trailer I thought it was a quality trailer. Like a box of chocolates you just never know what you're gonna get.

 

[LRutigliano]

If you buy a quality RV in the first place, you won't need an extended warranty. Might be a good idea to buy a good Shop Manual however.

From what I can tell, RV manufacturers use the same refers, hot water heaters, furnaces, converters/fuse boxes, stoves/ovens, microwaves, awnings, axles, brakes, kingpin boxes, etc, etc, etc.



If you want to get the extended warranty for peace of mind, by all means, get it. The person that made the comment about sticking the $1575 in a good savings/mutual fund has a very good point, too.



Make sure you read the fine print on the extended warranty. Many times, its up to intepretation on what is "covered".

 

[Loren]

If you have the $1575 in cash, put it in a savings account and at least collect interest on it until you might need to use it to repair something. If you are adding the $1575 into a loan on your trailer you end up paying alot more for it due to the interest.

DES93Dodge,



I agree 100% with what DBracey says. The exception to that advice would be if the extended warranty is offered by the manufacturer. I doubt if that's the case. Most extended warranties are offered by companies that are in the extended warranty business.



I have never had personal experience with extended RV warranties, but I have read enough horror stories to conclude that those companies are in the business of denying claims.



If you do decide to take the warranty, BE SURE to read every word of your contract. Also, BE SURE to comply with every restriction in that contract to the letter.



This is one way RV owners loose their coverage:

Something breaks while on a trip, and the RV owner wants it fixed RIGHT NOW because it's messing up the whole vacation. The extended warranty contract requires that you obtain approval from their representative before starting any repairs or the extended warranty won't pay for them.



The RV owner forgets (or ignores) (or wasn't even aware of) the prior approval requirement of his contract and has his RV repaired. He then submits the bill to the extended warranty company and is told that they won't pay. It's not because the repair wasn't covered by the contract. It's because the owner didn't jump through all of the contractual hoops.



This is only one example. As I said, my opinion is that these companies are in the business of denying claims.



I would never buy an extended warranty, especially at that price. The chances of requiring a COVERED repair that would cost that much are pretty slim. Remember, they won't pay for a lot of repairs, including those resulting from an accident. Read the contract.



Some extremely expensive repairs are often the result of water leaks that are allowed to go unnoticed for a long time. This can cause your trailer frame to rot (if it's wood), and can cost more than the trailer is worth to fix. Read the extended warranty and see if they cover this situation. I'll bet they don't.



If it makes you feel better to have that warranty, buy it, but don't try to convince yourself that it's a good deal.



Loren

 

[Loren]

If you buy a quality RV in the first place, you won't need an extended warranty.

Grizzly,



"Quality RV" is an oxymoron.



Loren

 

[maxburk]

I usually do not purchase extended warranties, but have made an exception with RV's since we pull so many miles. Every other year we travel to Alaska and drive everywhere there is a road. Went to Deadhorse last year. 450 miles of gravel... . well mostly pot holes and that was only one way. I would recommend this, if you are traveling lots of miles shaking the crap out of everything in that RV I recommend a warranty. If you are running down the road to the nearest RV park I recommend not to purchase one.

 

[AClayton]

!st thing,I will agree with Grizzly to buy a quality RV in the 1st place in an effort to reduce as much as possible the ramifications of a cheaply built rig. However,Loren is also correct with his description of warranty coverages and their means of denying claims. My only addition to this thread is to read the horror stories for yourself on Action line petitions on large magazine subscriptions such as Trailer Life and MH magazine as well as Good Sam monthly newsletters. I will almost guarantee that you will choose NOT to get one. I will add another . 02 cents and recommend buying a service manual and doing most of the work yourself as far as maintenance. RV Dealers are charging around $100 an hour now in my area and finding good RV mech. for them is hard to do. The quality of their work is compromised and that means your RV is being compromised. You will find soon enough that taking a rig in for service to be a big PITA as fuel prices go up further. Not to mention taking time off to tow or drive to dealer and then pick it up again. Getting home with it or worse yet,at the campsite and finding something else they messed-up fixing the original problem. My point is to trust yourself and repair as many things as you can and learn how to do the project you're not comfortable with. I just see so many RV'ers out there get discouraged because of outrageous Dealer bills or poor quality built rigs and the like,sell there RV's for huge losses and then regret it. Anyway,my original reply was to vote against the RV coverage and learn to repair as much as you can yourself. What I've seen on these RV forums since joining is that there are alot of good RV mech. members right here online to help in many situations. I suggest also using this tool!!Thanks! Alan

 

[icman95]

I am not a big fan of extended warranties, but I am also a realist who knows that a "quality RV" isn't the same as a "quality" tow vehicle. The levels of quality are very different. While I am, overall, happy with my KZ, I don't think it or any other RV I've seen will last great amounts of time without attention to repairs other than routine maintainence. The push to make them light enough to tow and cheap enough to afford does make them more susceptible to breakdowns, etc. I'm still not sure if I'd get the extended warranty. I didn't, but have had two repairs under factory warranty so far. This expires in May and then I can only hope for the best. Good luck.

 

[Grizzly]

From what I can tell, RV manufacturers use the same refers, hot water heaters, furnaces, converters/fuse boxes, stoves/ovens, microwaves, awnings, axles, brakes, kingpin boxes, etc, etc, etc.







Not exactly a true statement all the time. Some components maybe the same, some maybe the same brand, but an upgrade may be used by a quality RV manufacture. Many RV manufactures use the same brand of major appliances, some use better brands. For instances Fleetwood and Forest River are notorious for using the cheapest parts they can find. I realize I'll hear some flack about that, but it's true. Whether buying a Truck Camper 5er or TT compare the little parts. I have compared components from my then Lance Camper with other cheaper quality campers and there is definitely a big difference. As an example, compare a window crank on a Forest River with a Nash or Arctic Fox 5er As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Also, with a higher quality RV, you get a higher resale value.



You can get extended warranty if you want and I'll get a good RV Shop Manual and take along tools to work on it if need be. Yes, I did have to fix a few minor things on our then Lance camper on our recent trip to Alaska. Knock on wood, nothing major.

 

[Grizzly]

Grizzly,

"Quality RV" is an oxymoron.

Loren

If this is what you think, then you obviously don't know anything about RV's.



I will agree with you on one thing, RV warranties are not worth buying, but a quality RV is.

 

[Loren]

If this is what you think, then you obviously don't know anything about RV's.

Darn, somebody figured it out. I thought I could go another thirty years without anyone learning that I don't know anything about RV's.



Loren

 

[ABarry]

Got the warranty. If it turns out I don't need it that would be great. However I have never lost money on one yet, something always goes wrong.