Forever Warranty?

[dragonshead]

I am a newbie to the forum and need a little help.

Has anyone heard of a forever warranty before? My wife and I are looking at fifth wheels and one of the 2 dealers, which we have narrowed them down to, is offering a forever warranty. They claim it covers all appliances at 100% parts and labor with no deductible, for as long as I own the camper. The only catch is, the camper must have a yearly inspection done at an authorized location.

I should mention that for work I will be living out of the camper for extended periods of time, most likely 2-3 month time frames. In all weather conditions.

Forever warranty campers are, a 2015 Prime Time Crusader 315rst or a 2015 Prime Time Sanibel 3050

The other dealer is offering a 2 yr warranty and their service dept comes highly recommended. Those campers are 2015 Cedar Creek Silverback 29re or 2015 Palomino Columbus 295rl

I wish to know if anyone has any experience with a forever warranty and how large a factor in purchase it should play?

[fonzie]

Here is a search that will give you some info.....

https://www.google.com/search?q=fore...com&gws_rd=ssl

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by dragonshead

Has anyone heard of a forever warranty before? My wife and I are looking at fifth wheels and one of the 2 dealers, which we have narrowed them down to, is offering a forever warranty. They claim it covers all appliances at 100% parts and labor with no deductible, for as long as I own the camper. The only catch is, the camper must have a yearly inspection done at an authorized location.

How much is the yearly inspection? What happens if you skip it one year (are you SOL after that)?

[dragonshead]

fonzie thank you for the link, it was very helpful. From what I read, we will be getting the FR 2nd year warranty for the $150 on whichever dealership and model we choose.

ependydad as near as I can tell that yearly cost ranges $250 to $400. If you miss a scheduled maintenance it voids the warranty if I understand it correctly.

[Black]

Not worth it in my humble opinion !
There is certainly a hidden cost for it in the final price of the unit.
Nothing is free !!
After the second warranty is over...most of the "bugs" if any, will be solved and you should have a pretty much problem free unit.
That is if your able to do a bit of work yourself and you keep a sharp eye on things.

[TURBS]

Best warranty is take the money you would spend on the forever warranty and do a 18 mo. Cd and use it for anything that goes a miss in the camper.



TURBS.

[asquared]

My dealer has it. Basically you have yearly maintenance that you have to have done at a dealership (ie repack bearings etc) for at least $100 each time. This will only cover basic stuff. Anything above is a purchased extended warranty. I went with FR 2 nd yr warranty and took the free option on warranty forever

[dustman_stx]

You are paying for that warranty, whether you realize it or not. It's a win-win for them. You're paying extra for it, you'll be paying them big bucks for the "annual inspection"- I bet if you read the fine print you have to agree to allow them to do any maintenance they deem necessary for the warranty to stay intact- and, like has been mentioned, most problems will occur in the first year when the manufacturer will be footing the bill anyway. I suggest you contact an online dealer like RVWholesalers and get a price on a similarly equipped unit. If your experience turns out to be like mine have been, you'll be shocked at how much extra that warranty coverage will cost. There's a good chance that IF something goes wrong you'll be traveling anyway- so the RVW warranty with the nationwide service network will likely be much better for you.

[Iwritecode]

Comedian John Pinette (RIP) had a great bit about warrantees when he went to buy a new TV.

Salesman: Would you like to purchase the extended warranty?

John: Why do I need an extended warranty?

In case the TV breaks.

Well I don’t want to buy it if it’s gonna break.

It’s not gonna break.

Well then why do I need the warranty?

In case the TV breaks.

Etc…

[Charles Firth]

Just got my notice of the required maintenance to keep my FOREVER warranty in effect for my 2012 Windjammer. It states;
1. inspect roof and seal where necessary
2. Axle and hub lube.
3. Furnace, inspect and clean blower, combustion chamber and control
control compartment. test gas line for leaks.
4. hot water heater, flush holding tank, manually operate pressure relief
valve, clean burner tube.

This all must be done by an authorized service center, copies of the work done need to be sent to them in order to keep warranty in effect. I also have the extended warranty ( I didn't research prior to purchase ). I will be taking the tt to the dealer for a state inspection ( required in Va ) and probably get them to winterize it while its there. Not sure if I will get the other stuff done other then inspecting the roof and probably lube the 3 slides. Any other suggestions ?

Chuck "still in Va "

[rockfordroo]

Just got my notice of the required maintenance to keep my FOREVER warranty in effect for my 2012 Windjammer. It states;
1. inspect roof and seal where necessary
2. Axle and hub lube.
3. Furnace, inspect and clean blower, combustion chamber and control
control compartment. test gas line for leaks.
4. hot water heater, flush holding tank, manually operate pressure relief
valve, clean burner tube.

I assume you must pay for this work? So not only do you pay for the "warranty," you also pay for the work they require to keep the warranty in effect. They're really double-dipping, aren't they?

If you're the least bit mechanical, you can probably do all 4 in the list in an afternoon.

I particularly like the "flush holding tank." I wonder what they'll do that you aren't probably already doing every time you leave camp??

[Charles Firth]

The " Forever Warranty " was free ( there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, an economic professor would say )when I purchased the TT. You do pay the dealer for the recommended service. I agree it could be costly to keep it up. Most of the stuff I can do myself, but I am not a " certified dealer ". I will get an estimate from the dealer just for my information. I am more concerned with keeping the extended warranty in force. I have not had much luck with warranty's in the past.

Chuck "still in Va "

[stallsmi]

Just a clarification as I talked directly to the Warranty office personnel. You don't have to use a "dealer" but it does have to be a "RV Professional Repair Facility." We bought from a dealer that included this warranty, but will have the inspections done, not by him, but by a local RV Maintenance facility (which we trust FAR more than the dealer). All he does is maintenance and is not into sales. Not too bad a deal, IMHO, as most maintenance/inspections are those we'd normally have done anyway and are those I'm not able or don't want to do.

[dragonshead]

I would like to thank everyone for their knowledge and opinions. They have helped me get closer to making my decision on which camper and dealer to use. I am still doing my research as you can never have enough information lol.

Thank you

[Charles Firth]

I talked with the dealer today and asked about a price to get the required maintenance in force regarding the "Forever Warranty " Their estimate was $200.00 for the service costs. After the service is completed the owner has to send a copy of the bill along with one of their coupons ( that you get when you purchase the unit ) within 30 days of the date of purchase and you are covered for another year. The dealer or repair shop gets the money, the forever warranty was free , so how do they ( the warranty company )stay in business ? Unless the dealer pays them a percentage of the costs an interesting gimmick


Chuck still in va "

[stallsmi]

I was told the dealer pays for the warranty, and it becomes a sales incentive. My dealer did heavily advertise the warranty. This is similar to when I offered a warranty when I sold a home--I bought the warranty from a third party and gave it to the buyer.

[k2b2wilson]

I've got a 2014 Rockwood Windjammer that came with the warranty forever program. First - It is not free. You must take it in once a year and PAY big $$$ so a dealer can go through your unit. Second - it really doesn't cover very much and they are very strict and will look for ways NOT to cover something. I had a plunger on my outside kitchen door completely pull away from the door and the plunger was literally just hanging there. Although doors and latches are covered, they told me since neither of these were broken (just pulled from the door) they didn't cover it. Recently my front step had a metal crack and began separating from the step frame causing the step to become very unstable. NOT COVERED.. Seriously? IMO, this is just a big marketing tool. The things that are covered are things that traditionally don't break very often. By the time you spend the $$$ each year to get the unit checked out, you could have covered the item yourself. Don't let the Warranty Forever influence your buying decision.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by k2b2wilson

I've got a 2014 Rockwood Windjammer that came with the warranty forever program. First - It is not free. You must take it in once a year and PAY big $$$ so a dealer can go through your unit. Second - it really doesn't cover very much and they are very strict and will look for ways NOT to cover something. I had a plunger on my outside kitchen door completely pull away from the door and the plunger was literally just hanging there. Although doors and latches are covered, they told me since neither of these were broken (just pulled from the door) they didn't cover it. Recently my front step had a metal crack and began separating from the step frame causing the step to become very unstable. NOT COVERED.. Seriously? IMO, this is just a big marketing tool. The things that are covered are things that traditionally don't break very often. By the time you spend the $$$ each year to get the unit checked out, you could have covered the item yourself. Don't let the Warranty Forever influence your buying decision.

I'm sorry you have been bitten by the unscrupulous fangs of your dealer trying to make money. Those warranties are a joke.

You may check to see if there is a refund for cancelling. Many of them have some kind of pro-rated refund policy.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by k2b2wilson

I've got a 2014 Rockwood Windjammer that came with the warranty forever program. First - It is not free. You must take it in once a year and PAY big $$$ so a dealer can go through your unit. Second - it really doesn't cover very much and they are very strict and will look for ways NOT to cover something. I had a plunger on my outside kitchen door completely pull away from the door and the plunger was literally just hanging there. Although doors and latches are covered, they told me since neither of these were broken (just pulled from the door) they didn't cover it. Recently my front step had a metal crack and began separating from the step frame causing the step to become very unstable. NOT COVERED.. Seriously? IMO, this is just a big marketing tool. The things that are covered are things that traditionally don't break very often. By the time you spend the $$$ each year to get the unit checked out, you could have covered the item yourself. Don't let the Warranty Forever influence your buying decision.

That's why "experts" say not to bother with extended or 3rd party warranties.

[pgandw]

They wouldn't sell you a "warranty" if it didn't make money for them. Think about that whenever a salesman tries to upsell you or add items to your purchase.

Fred W