Warranty question- yes or no

[Racer310]

Never had warrant on previous smaller RV but this new unit over 50K has fancy buttons and whistles that I have never played with. Has a lifetime warranty for a few small items as long as you have your annual check ups for $200 year than they throw this lifetime bumper to bumper warranty for 5 years at $3200 but of course after that you can renew but ?? probably higher due to RV getting older. Sounds like my health insurance

How many actually buy a warranty or just take a chance. Never had issues with other RV but camp maybe 2-3 times a year because of my out of town job. But fully retire in 3 years (paid off by then) to hopefully do more road trips. Looking for feedback. Thanks

[Oaklevel]

An extended warranty is insurance. If you need it great if you do not it is a waste of money. You will get responses both ways as to needing it or not. If you do get it read the fine print closely.

Personally I would say put the money away $3200 plus $200 a year. Your rig will still need annual maintenance though. My guess the $200 a year inspection will turn into much more as they will find other things that need fixing, and maintenance that could affect the warranty.

We have had 6 RVs over 35 years and as of today never needed or bought an extended warranty.

[wahoonc]

How handy are you?

I only expect to use the warranty for major issues. I typically don't spend money on extended warranties. I do my homework, do a very thorough Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) and have everything corrected prior to purchase or I walk away. I will also walk away from a unit that isn't assembled correctly to start with. If I start seeing too many issues, that likely means there are quite a few more that are hidden.

FWIW I do all of my maintenance and have the ability to do a complete rebuild of an RV if necessary. I realize this isn't true for most people.

One of the biggest issue/complaints with warranty work is the waiting period at the dealers, sometimes it runs into months. Choosing a good dealer is paramount if you expect to use them for warranty work versus taking care of some things yourself. Read all the reviews you can find, don't take them at their word. Another option would be to locate a local RV repair only center. They are few and far between.

Aaron

[pgandw]

The other option - hinted at by Oaklevel - is to self-insure. Instead of paying premiums to an insurance company, you put them in your own earmarked savings account/plan. If you are an average risk or better, you come out ahead. If you have more/more expensive claims than average, you will have to kick in extra $$ when you make a repair.

If you are self-insured, you don't have to get permission to use the repair facility of your choice. And if you sell the camper before making a claim, you get to keep the money.

True insurance - IMO - should be reserved for those events that would bankrupt you. For those events, you want to share the risk with like-minded people. I look at extended warranties as pre-paid maintenance plans, not as insurance. Since the company already has your money, every claim they can discourage is money in their pockets.

Since I own an A-frame (less than $15K new), I only carry the insurance required by the bank so I can pay off the loan in the event of a total loss.

The most expensive appliance in the A-frame is the Cool-Cat air conditioner/heat pump - and that costs less than $900 to replace. So any extended warranty just doesn't make sense in light of deductibles, cost, and risks.

just my thoughts and experiences, yours may differ
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[Racer310]

Thanks for feedback, yep pretty handy at fixing stuff. Have always fixed my own stuff, autos, farm equipment, (may have to do it once or twice and learned by my mistakes but always been on my own). I have always put money aside for repairs for all my stuff. Probably do the same here. Wife even stated the day at the dealership I never had a warranty or insurance so why start now, I just laughed because she was right.

[camaraderie]

I'm not a fan of extended RV warranties as I have yet to find a "bumper to bumper " warranty that covers the parts the RV mfr actually builds...floors, sides, cabinets, windows, doors and roof. You know...the stuff that actually falls apart when you drive your "home" in the equivalent of an earthquake and hurricane.

[Velosprout]

I wouldn’t do the warranty at that price on a new unit. Careful, meticulous and frequent inspections and maintenance by yourself is the best prevention of unexpected costs. A lot of repairs and replacement can be done for $3400 and if not needed, it is still your money! The warranty plus 5 inspections is $4200, nearly 9% of the value of the original price, and enough money to cover 140 nights at State Park camp rates. I would bet you may lose some of your intended camping time due to waiting for scheduling for mandatory annual inspections at an eternally busy dealership service department, plus the annual $200 will probably go up in cost over the 5 years.

[Racer310]

Thanks guys for the feedback, that is what the wife and I figured but always better to ask than wonder about it. Appreciate it.

[506PIR]

Originally Posted by Racer310

Never had warrant on previous smaller RV but this new unit over 50K has fancy buttons and whistles that I have never played with. Has a lifetime warranty for a few small items as long as you have your annual check ups for $200 year than they throw this lifetime bumper to bumper warranty for 5 years at $3200 but of course after that you can renew but ?? probably higher due to RV getting older. Sounds like my health insurance

How many actually buy a warranty or just take a chance. Never had issues with other RV but camp maybe 2-3 times a year because of my out of town job. But fully retire in 3 years (paid off by then) to hopefully do more road trips. Looking for feedback. Thanks

Have purchased an extended warranty on my last two units and have used them for a furnace repair, and an electric water heater problem. The manufacture would not help or support in any way in the repairs (which both the furnace and the water heater were an absolute fault of the manufacturer.) My extended warranty paid (less my deductible and service call cost.) I'm reasonably handy with construction, however I try to avoid corrective work on major items simple fact due to the warranty issues. My coverage cost amounted to $950.00 and the two repairs have added up to half the cost already. So I feel it's worth it.

[JohnD10]

You'll love having that RV extended warranty and tell the world how happy you are with having purchased it...

Until you try to use it and they refuse, leaving you stranded 1000 miles away from home with a broken down RV.



Save your money and don't make someone else's Beamer payments!

The good news is that most have a back-out clause...