Lifetime Warranty?

[rburns4147]

We just picked up or Rockwood 8385IKWS yesterday. Part of the deal was a "free" extended lifetime warranty that covers quite a lot of the trailer components. I have never been impressed by extended warranties and never purchase them but I was wondering if anyone had any comments about this one.

First of all, there is no such thing as free. We have either paid for it or will in the future. In order to keep the warranty we have to go back to the dealer every 12 months and get an inspection. This year the inspection is $199 but I am sure it will go up through the years.

Normal wear and tear is not covered. Sooner or later, all the components will wear out. I could see a scenario where you keep the warranty current for 20 years, go to the dealer with a bad furnace, and they say that it is not covered because it just wore out from normal use.

If something does goes wrong in the first year or two, the regular warranty will kick in whether or not you do the annual inspection.

Comments?

[D-mo]

we purchased a lifetime warranty from FR for 100 bucks ... the warranty covers the roof/sides, cabinates frame and floor ... i figured it was a pretty good deal just incase we ran into problems with the windows or any delamination problems ...
it does not cover furnace, or any other mechanicals .. just basically the running gear and externals of the trailer ..
no yearly service is needed ...

d-mo

[Goukcats]

D-mo, do I understand correctly that you purchased your "exterior" warranty directly from Forest River; like the purchase of the 2nd yr warranty?

[PhoneDude 8289]

I would like to hear more about that lifetime "Exterior" warranty from Forest River.

[whj77372]

I am very interested in a extended warranty/service contract that covers delamination. I have not been able to find one that covers frames or delamination. I was told on the Excapee's forum that none cover those two issues?

[rburns4147]

The lifetime warranty I got was included for "free" with the purchase price by the dealer and not by Forest River. I just found some paperwork on it and the warranty company does have a website:

RV Warranty Foreverâ„¢ - Home

In summary, it covers:
1. Suspension
2. Brakes
3. Water system components
4. Air conditioning components
5. Kitchen center components
6. LP gas components
7. Heating system
8. Deluxe appliances
9. Interior and exterior components
10. Manual leveling jacks

You can see details at their website.

Hope that helps...

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by D-mo

we purchased a lifetime warranty from FR for 100 bucks ... the warranty covers the roof/sides, cabinates frame and floor ... i figured it was a pretty good deal just incase we ran into problems with the windows or any delamination problems ...

in the 9 years i've been on RV forums, i've NEVER heard or read of such a warranty from FR.

please provide more info on this because my 2nd year FR factory warranty cost $100 back in 2006 but it definitely wasn't "lifetime".

please post a pic of this warranty!

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by D-mo

we purchased a lifetime warranty from FR for 100 bucks ... the warranty covers the roof/sides, cabinates frame and floor ... i figured it was a pretty good deal just incase we ran into problems with the windows or any delamination problems ...
it does not cover furnace, or any other mechanicals .. just basically the running gear and externals of the trailer ..
no yearly service is needed ...

d-mo

This is interesting. I have never heard or seen this. Forest River has to my knowledge offered a 1 year warranty with purchase, and an optional second year extension for $150 I believe.

Are you certain of this, or did you have problems that FR had to do something different on?

[rburns4147]

Originally Posted by bikendan

in the 9 years i've been on RV forums, i've NEVER heard or read of such a warranty from FR.

please provide more info on this because my 2nd year FR factory warranty cost $100 back in 2006 but it definitely wasn't "lifetime".

please post a pic of this warranty!

The lifetime warranty that came with my purchase was NOT a Forest River product. It was offered by a third party and provided by my dealer. Please see my 11:10 post for the link to the warranty information. The web page tells had all the same information that the dealer brochures had.

My dealer was quite proud of this warranty. Whether or not that makes it good is yet to be seen.

[bikendan]

rburns, i was questioning D-Mo, not you.
that's why i quoted his post.

i have no input regarding your "lifetime" extended warranty.
i don't trust any 3rd party extended warranty. i've seen too many people ripped off by them.

[D-mo]

the warranty that i purchased was for a new 2011 A-frame. This was the first year of production ... so im thinking incentives to purchase this new product from FR where given a bit of "width" for anyone purchasing this RV.
this is a FR warrenty.
Yes .. all externals are covered ... roof, siding, frame, and floor ...and also for some unknown reason the interior cabinates ... no other things are covered .. just the stuff that FR has control of during the build.
I have already had the unit in for window repairs ... just last year .. on the bubble window in the back ... due to a small leak ... and it was taken care of without issue ..

hope this helps ... d-mo

[caper]

We just picked up or Rockwood 8385IKWS yesterday. Part of the deal was a "free" extended lifetime warranty that covers quite a lot of the trailer components. I have never been impressed by extended warranties and never purchase them but I was wondering if anyone had any comments about this one.

First of all, there is no such thing as free. We have either paid for it or will in the future. In order to keep the warranty we have to go back to the dealer every 12 months and get an inspection. This year the inspection is $199 but I am sure it will go up through the years.

Normal wear and tear is not covered. Sooner or later, all the components will wear out. I could see a scenario where you keep the warranty current for 20 years, go to the dealer with a bad furnace, and they say that it is not covered because it just wore out from normal use.

If something does goes wrong in the first year or two, the regular warranty will kick in whether or not you do the annual inspection.

So you have a free lifetime warranty that will cost $200 per year and does not cover wear and tear. So if a life expectancy of a furnace is 7 years and they do cover the furnace this $600 furnace will have only cost you $1400. Nothing is free. check out the cost of replacing an appliance and then determine the cost of the warranty. More then likely they will not replace a 10 year old appliance under warranty. They might replace a board on a 10 year old appliance.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by D-mo

the warranty that i purchased was for a new 2011 A-frame. This was the first year of production ... so im thinking incentives to purchase this new product from FR where given a bit of "width" for anyone purchasing this RV.
this is a FR warrenty.
Yes .. all externals are covered ... roof, siding, frame, and floor ...and also for some unknown reason the interior cabinates ... no other things are covered .. just the stuff that FR has control of during the build.
I have already had the unit in for window repairs ... just last year .. on the bubble window in the back ... due to a small leak ... and it was taken care of without issue ..

hope this helps ... d-mo

It does help. Thanks for sharing.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by wmtire

It does help. Thanks for sharing.

x2. thanx, D-Mo!

do you know if any other FR A-frame owners got this same warranty?
i hadn't seen anyone in the A-frame section, mention it.

[rburns4147]

No hurt feelings here, Bikendan. I agree with you and always say "No" when they ask about extended warranties on any product. This lifetime warranty that they "gave" me is more of a gimmick and in the long run certainly isn't free.

Good camping...looking forward to getting the new unit out.

[dgrimes]

Not sure if anyone still watching this discussion. I purchased a new A122s A frame popup in 2013. I had a few issues, leaks, poor fit, door not sealing and such. Took it in to my Rockwood dealer and they did a bit of work, but nothing really fixed. I didn't worry about it because i paid $100 for a "lifetime" warranty which covers parts and labor.

Not a third party warranty. It has FR logo and company info. BUT the dealer (not the same one i purchased from) said there is no such thing. They handed me a bill for $1100 for fixing the same things worked on in 2013 and told me there is no warranty. I asked the service mgr to call FR, which he did, then he told me again.."no warranty".

I called FR yesterday, talked to a very nice guy, who at first seemed puzzled by my warranty. I read it to him, then i asked, is this not a FR warranty? He said yes. First he said it only extends one extra year. Then i read the paragraph where it says "lifetime parts and labor".

He was very polite and said "don't worry, we will take care of it, but i have to talk with my boss". Guess i will wait and see what happens. Had i known the extended warranty was only one extra year, i would have pushed like hell in 2013 and demanded better service.

Darrell G.

[Flybob]

There is no FR lifetime warranty. I was offered a lifetime warranty when I purchased my TT. After reading it carefully and inquiring about the cost of the mandatory annual inspection, I quickly opted out. The annual mandatory inspection on my unit was $300-$500 + parts. if you missed one the warranty was void. I chose to put the money in a bank and use it should it be required and so far so good. Nothing in the annual inspection procedure was rocket science ( basic routine maint). I would send a copy of the warranty to Fr as I am sure they would be interested.

[dgrimes]

I wonder if FR might have offered something different for some models like my A frame pop up. My warranty clearly says "lifetime parts and labor". It says nothing about yearly inspections. When i called FR yesterday, nothing was said about inspections. The guy did say the warranty form that i have is from Forest River.

The guy from FR said they would do something to resolve the issue. I guess i will wait and see what happens. I will post the outcome back to this forum.

[D-mo]

There is a lifetime warrenty...to the original purchaser....those who say different are wrong.
It was a well kept secret....you signed it on the date of purchase...the dealer sent it in for you...and it was retuned to you by FR...after being entered in by their admin.
I still have mine...pretty cheezy looking....but the company and dealer stands behind it.

[Iwritecode]

I believe what is being discussed here is the "forever warranty" which has been brought up by others here before. You can do a search on it.

From what I understand, it's "free" but you have to provide documentation of annual inspection and maintenance. Which of course costs money.


Here's the website.

Can I perform my own maintenance?

No. All services must be performed by a professional repair facility. This is to ensure proper documentation as well as the workmanship of all services performed on your RV.