Forever Warranty

[Bedlinedf250]

Has anybody bought a travel trailer from a dealership that offers this. It was one of our reasons for buying for the place that we did,with a few other exceptions. The warranty is free of charge to us as long as we get it inspected yearly. I've read in other places it's kind of a gimmick because the inspection is pricey in the range of $200-$400. But others have said it's a great thing not to sure what to think. Either way I don't think it could be to bad if I'm not paying for it monthly. This wasn't the only factor as to why we bought from who we did but it was a plus.

[Philos3]

After having done quite a few extended warranty inspections on used motorhomes, frankly, there are probably more owners than anyone is comfortable admitting, that really need to have a pre-paid structure in place so their RVs can regularly be maintained, cleaned, and repaired for them...and documented. And I'm sure this extends to travel trailers as well.

The state of the used market is like a mine field. Finding good used units of any class of RV is a worthy challenge that can pay off with enough effort...which buttresses my point...it should not be that hard to locate a well-maintained, clean, used unit.

As to a forever warranty, the key is in the details and the performance.

[BooBoo23]

If the TT you purchased is new you should get the 2nd year warranty offered by FR. Did your dealer tell you about it? FR offers a 2nd year warranty for $100-$250 depending on the TT you purchased. You should have a form to fill out and send to FR with your check within 90 days of your purchase. NOTE: Some FR brands do not offer a second year warranty, I don't know what you have. Since the forever warranty is at no cost that's fine but it will bite you later.
You can download the 2nd year warranty form here: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...do=file&id=175

[Mdaniels4]

Yep. It's about 300 a year in my parts. About the same as a service contract. And if they're tossing it in you're paying for that too. Trust me. They wouldn't do it otherwise unless they're making money on both ends. I'm doing the 2nd year warranty on forest river. Ought to figure out by then if my tt is a possibility or not. If not then it will be a good one, and I'll set aside cash for repairs and self insure. Otherwise that one is gone!

[KDHfan]

We got one of those forever warranties with our new camper. I took it into the shop after the first year... my repair guy just kind of chuckled. Its a gimmick.

[CP3]

I bought my TT and it "included" the forever warranty. However I went into it knowing if I ever make a claim, it will likely get denied. I did some research and some dealers offer it on autos as well but if you miss a scheduled maintenance you can forget about coverage. The inspection on mine is $200 annually so I'm still deciding if I want to do that or just forfeit the warranty.

Long story short I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor in my purchase. I'm interested to see if/when I make a claim how they handle it.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by BooBoo23

If the TT you purchased is new you should get the 2nd year warranty offered by FR. Did your dealer tell you about it? FR offers a 2nd year warranty for $100-$250 depending on the TT you purchased. You should have a form to fill out and send to FR with your check within 90 days of your purchase. NOTE: Some FR brands do not offer a second year warranty, I don't know what you have. Since the forever warranty is at no cost that's fine but it will bite you later.
You can download the 2nd year warranty form here: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...do=file&id=175

X 2 on FR extended warranty and take the money that you would spend every year on the forever warranty inspection and put it in the bank. Now if you need repairs after 2nd year you got the money to pay for it. Later RJD

[Grandma99]

The Forever Warranty covers a lot & does not cost anything initially. The cost of the required yearly inspection is minimal for the inspection that is done. You would pay much more for the same inspection & maintenance without the Forever Warranty. We bought our previous motorhome from Threeway Campers in Marietta GA & each year they made an appointment for the inspection & performed the inspection while we waited. We traded that camper this year and no longer have the Forever Warranty. We will miss having that protection. However, we are getting an extended warranty from our current dealer & will have them to inspect our camper on a regular basis to try and keep everything in top notch condition.

[kho6658]

I went thru my first required maintenace inspection last month. The cost was $185 which included required yearly state inspection. In Texas, you don't get your plate sticker without this state inspection. All of the items listed are things that you could do yourself. I'm not disciplined enough to do these, so it works for me to pay someone to do them. At $185 a year, I'll continue to have them performance the maintenance.

Inspect roof and seal where necessary
Inspect axles and hub, lube where necessary
Inspect furnace – clean blower and combustion chamber, control compartment, (remove any dust, lint, and obstructions) as necessary, test for gas line leaks.
Inspect hot water heater – flush holding tank, manually operate pressure temperature relief valve, and clean burner tube (as outlined by the manufacturer), as necessary.

[Bedlinedf250]

Thanks for all the great info. I feel for no monthly charge you can't beat it, as for the yearly inspections I'll have to see how I'm feeling at the time. I'm a big diy person so there's a good chance I won't have the yearly inspection done, but I'm also a pretty busy person so it might be easier to have someone do it for me. Especially since I don't keep it here at my house. I greatly appreciate all the responses, and if there's anybody out there that has made a claim with this warranty I'd love to hear how that went.

[Gidyupgo]

Like grandma99, we also purchased from Three away Campers. I've worked on airplanes my whole life and have always maintained my own stuff. I was skeptical about the Forever Warranty and though I passed on the premium "bumper to bumper" upsell, I did keep the basic. I figured the coverage for the HVAC and 12cu ft fridge, microwave and water heater was worth the cost of the annual "inspection". Took our RV in after 12 months and stayed with it and paid the fee. I had already looked before going and didn't see anything on the truck to grease , knew they weren't going to repack the bearings on a truck and since all the roof seams were still intact when I examined them, I figured I was paying for 2 hours of shop time for minimal work, but it kept the warranty alive past the 2 years for the appliances.
After I got it back to the storage lot, I started poking around and found that they had removed the plugs Ford installs on the steering components, replacing them with zerks and greased. I felt better about the visit. Fast forward three weeks and I crawl up in the roof to clean it. I found fresh beads of sealer applied around everything penetrating the roof and numerous places where the roof seams met the side seams. The fresh sealant beads were right on top of the old sealant on the ridge where the flange of the vents, etc, sits on top of the roof. This is where I had looked for cracks in the sealant based on what others had found in this forum, but I never would have thought of taking preventative measures where the seams historically fail. This was not listed as over and above the inspection and unless you climb up and look you wouldn't even know it was done. I know there are nay-sayers on Forever Warranty and until I need the warranty, I won't know if it is good or not. But so far I feel I got my money's worth for 2 hours of shop time and kept the Warranty active.

[kho6658]

Originally Posted by kho6658

I went thru my first required maintenace inspection last month. The cost was $185 which included required yearly state inspection. In Texas, you don't get your plate sticker without this state inspection. All of the items listed are things that you could do yourself. I'm not disciplined enough to do these, so it works for me to pay someone to do them. At $185 a year, I'll continue to have them performance the maintenance.

Inspect roof and seal where necessary
Inspect axles and hub, lube where necessary
Inspect furnace – clean blower and combustion chamber, control compartment, (remove any dust, lint, and obstructions) as necessary, test for gas line leaks.
Inspect hot water heater – flush holding tank, manually operate pressure temperature relief valve, and clean burner tube (as outlined by the manufacturer), as necessary.

I felt that I needed to update this as I was just told that I need a new roof.
Had my TT inspected and certified for the warranty forever to continue back in February. I start the camping season in March and just got back from a trip to Florida two weeks ago. On my drive back I can see in my side mirror that my roof is peeling up about a foot. I take it to the dealer to inform them and was told today I need a new roof.: crying: Trailer is not even two years old and was inspected back in February. And no it is not covered under the warranty. Have a trip planned to leave on Saturday, I'm not a happy camper.

[bikendan]

As has been said about these 3rd party warranties, they don't cover the more expensive RV problems.
And those inspections should have seen the roof problems.

[kho6658]

Originally Posted by bikendan

As has been said about these 3rd party warranties, they don't cover the more expensive RV problems.
And those inspections should have seen the roof problems.

Agreed. I'm on my own to resolve this problem as I refused to have them fix it and went and picked up my TT.

[CP3]

Did they say why it wasn't covered under warranty?

[rjshiflet]

Originally Posted by Bedlinedf250

as for the yearly inspections I'll have to see how I'm feeling at the time. I'm a big diy person so there's a good chance I won't have the yearly inspection done,

Remember - from what I understand if you miss a single yearly inspection...you no longer have the warranty. When we were looking for our last fifth wheel we considered that plan but went with a seven-year extended warranty from the same company that we had with our previous one. They never denied a claim and always paid for anything we had done.

[kho6658]

Originally Posted by CP3

Did they say why it wasn't covered under warranty?

Yes, it was my responsibility to check to make sure the sealant hadn't cracked. The dealer certified it during my required yearly service and saw no issues. I didn't notice it until my drive back from vacation. I have already reached out to Coachman and waiting for a response.

[kho6658]

Got my roof repaired today. Anyone notice a problem with this pic. There were lots of issues, this was just two of them.

[CP3]

Oh wow that's rough. I really won't hold my breath if I ever have to make a claim on the forever warranty. In fact, I installed a cover over my fantastic vent and I fully expect at my next inspection they'll void my warranty because I did the work myself.