Do you have, or did you have, an extended warranty for your RV? Some RVers swear by these; others believe they are a waste of money. RV dealers love selling extended warranties because it’s easy money for them.
After you answer, please leave a comment. What do you think about extended warranties? What’s been your experience with them? Has having an extended warranty saved you a lot of money on a repair?
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We didn’t get too many warnings going into our purchase but one of the big ones was to stay away from the extended warranty. We did but we know of or have read about many who didn’t, they bought the warranty, and have regretted it.
I used my extended warranty, and was very glad I had it. Once for repair, once for towing ($1000 limit). I will buy again when it expires.
For my wife’s peace of mind, I ordered a third party extended warrantee once we picked out our RV, and before the delivery. Part of the warrantee was to have it inspected. The inspector was beside me when we did the delivery inspection. Even if I never have to use it, it was worth it for my DW to sleep at night.
Bought one for the Chassis (Mercedes), not the house. So, for half of it!
Yes Wholesale Warranties
We had an extended warranty for the first 5 years we owned our motorhome, and it was a great thing to have, as we had several issues over the years that would have cost us thousands to repair or replace. We now have a policy with a different company.
Every new unit with this dealer, comes with an extended warranty. It’s good for as long as you own the rig.
They do require a yearly inspection and that runs about $100.
Ditto. And we’ve used it on the road
No. Too many exclusions. Hard to file claims.
No. Extended warranty = extra dealer profit. With reported repairs taking forever, no parts, slip-shod builds, who do you trust?
We do have towing coverage.
Never had and will never have an extended warranty on anything I have ever bought and it has saved us so much money, I could replace the produce if it ever failed.
I had an acquaintance who had worked for an RV insurance company as a claims inspector. He was fired for approving too many claims even though they were warranted
Yes. These units are just slapped together, and coupled with the terrible roads coast to coast have more than paid for the cost of the warranty for the repairs I have had.
Sad to say, but an RV is the only thing I would consider an extended warranty on.
Terrible I know. Bought a new Class A and was so concerned about the recent COVID labor issue and build quality in Indiana that I better. NEVER did it before for anything I purchased.
Had one we purchased with the RV. However fine print required all repairs to be performed by the selling dealer or be approved in advance by the selling dealer. One totally unsatisfactory event by the service department (I react poorly to lies), and I cancelled the extended warranty and after four months or repeated inquiries received a refund got the unused portion.
Yes! We’ve always had extended warranties on our RVs and they’ve been used.
I do not buy extended warranties. I have made factory tours before deciding to buy ànd have the new unit gone over by a trusted third party during the initial warranty period. I have avoided any major problems this way
We purchased a 2018 5th wheel, at the beginning of the year, that was virtually brand new. All the original labels were still on all the appliances and electronics. No dings, scratches are signs of use. No warranty. May look into an extended.
I bought my Airstream trailer used, did not know if there was a warranty that would transfer (It does. Hooray!) so I called up the Good Sam Warranty Division.
Do your due diligence. Don’t buy at the dealer without exploring all the options. We’ve had extended warranties on two Class A motorhome that paid on every claim submitted. Now with an all electric coach (house on wheels), there are many things that can go wrong. It gives us security knowing we have it.
I purchased extended warranties from Wholesale Warranty and saved a great deal of money over purchasing them from the dealer. I have used them for covering the cost of repairs after the initial warranty expired on my 2018 Newmar Dutch Star. Based on the warranty’s cost and the money they’ve paid out for repairs to my coach, I believe they warrant the cost.
I bought a Tire and Wheel Protection Plan from Wholesale Warranties for the motorhome. I’m in the process of my first claim due to a roadside hazard, a bolt in a tire. So far it’s going well.
While this is not an “extended warranty” (which does not really exist since only the original manufacturer can offer a “warranty”), I figure it’s an extra insurance type of policy against a common failure that will otherwise cost hundreds of dollars for each occurrence. We have ten tires including the toad and the toad is also covered if it gets a road hazard flat while being towed.
Yes, the company’s exposure is very limited because a failure can only occur while we’re driving and not while using the motorhome parked but a friend just paid almost a thousand dollars for a roadside flat. This policy is less than the cost of one tire due to today’s inflated tire prices.
We had one that transferred to us when we bought our Newmar MADP from our friends. It expired at 150k miles, which we surpassed in the first 3 months. Most don’t go beyond that or the 10 year old mark. I don’t take much stock in those things anyway, they’re a money maker for the company and the salesman.
We purchased extended warranties with each new camper but found using them was such a hassle for the minor issues. We never had any major problems. We did not purchase for our last 2 new campers and saved a pile of money.
The extended warranty plan we bought with our used motorhome turned out to be a very good deal – we had claims paid for significantly more than the cost of the warranty. Nevertheless, we rarely buy them and did not renew due to the high cost.
Yes we do. Only because it is a motorhome. Extremely grateful we do. We bought a Winnebago lemon. 4 years and we still have an issue every trip. Generally not small. Last month the a/c went out the first day of just a lazy week camping in a campground. First time we couldn’t wait to get home so it was fixed out of pocket. Was told the problem had to have been done at the factory and could have burned the rv down. We got lucky. But our extended warranty has saved us thousands!
Should also ask if you will renew your warranty after it expires. I believe many are pressured into purchasing one when getting a rig.
We bought an older Class A RV 4 years ago, (2003) and decided that at that age we could not be without an extended warranty.
So glad we did! Bought warranty in May and in August we had a $6,000 claim – Good Sam paid without hassle! Since then we have had 2 more claims, also paid without hassle!
One reads so often of disparaging remarks against Good Sam, but have come to realize that the majority are made by people who have had no first hand experiences dealing with GS, but nearly always say, “we’ve heard”.
Our GS membership has paid for itself many times over when purchasing from their stores and campground discounts.
We have their Extended Warranty and Roadside Assistance memberships and have used them with good results each time.
Have not bought nor tried to buy an RV from them – so can’t speak to that side.
We had one on our last new travel trailer and never used it. We bought it at the dealer and thought it was reasonably priced at about 5% of the trailer price. Didn’t even consider it when bought our new travel trailer this year. The dealer wanted a small fortune. Almost 15% of the price. I am handy so I can fix most things myself anyway.
I have purchased an extended warranty on my last two RV’s. First was a fifth wheel and though a quality unit, many of the components were not. I saved more on repairs than I spent on warranty.
The second was a 10 year old Motor Home. I purchased a 5 year warranty and within the first 3 years it has saved me everything I paid and I still have 2 remaining years.
YMMV.
We had a 3 year manufacturer warranty plus all the individual warranties on the appliances. We were lucky with the issues. After those expired we just saved our money for the mobile tech when one was needed. Much faster service that way. We have saved a bundle.
Raymond,
Had forever warranty, due to covid was not able to get yearly inspection done, so they canceled me.
After doing research I found out I could have done the required inspections and sent the forms in myself, would have been nice if I was told this.
We purchased a extended warranty when we bought the RV. Then tried to get some repairs made. The repairs were not made properly so we canceled the warranty and I bought RV doctor’s Gary Bunzer book. 12 years later our rig is still on the road and running smooth. Too bad the book is no longer in print, and Mr. Bunzer was taken way too soon.
Bought one with our first and only Class A diesel pusher MH. A hassle getting them to pay, but recovered about 40% of the cost in the last 2 months of coverage. Wow. What if those failures had happened just a few months later. Ugh.
Next time I plan to get a price on the extended warranty and then put that money aside for repairs instead of buying the warranty. That will give me more peace of mind than the warranty would have.
Had first claim and Wholesale Warranties paid for new radiator etc. Took a month to be made from scratch from Source Eng. After they first claimed the thermostat must have failed to cause the rad to blow. An adjuster came out and said it would not cause the problem even if it was bad. They paid. The next claim not so lucky. Had a 5.9 L Cummins OEM starter go bad. The administrator didn’t even know the starter was on a Cummins engine. Wanted me to wait for days on the side of the road while I tried to find a knock off starter at $176 that they said they found on the web. The repair company put in an OEM Cummins part which cost $535 and two days of labor (4 hrs total) to determine that it was the problem. 2 hours each day for labor is not excessive. Said labor should have been 1.4 hrs. Shouldn’t I expect them to replace OEM parts? They still refused to pay. Claimed total cost should be under my $500 deductible.
My warranty expired decades ago.
Bedroom slideout roller on 5th wheel RV caught rubber gasket causing the slideout to twist. Plywood/fiberglass floor cracked and had to be replaced. Warranty paid for roller and gasket but not the slideout floor. “Not a covered item” even though a coverred item caused the damage! Cost me close to a thousand bucks!
I have a 2016 Tiffin Phaeton 44OH.
I considered an extended warranty but when I was told the cost was around $10,000/yr I decided against it and self-insure instead. My most costly item is the engine so it gets lots of TLC.
Paid 1500.00 for an 8 yr warranty package. So far it has covered a failed electric tongue jack and a bad inverter for a total cost 600.00. Have 4 more years so I’m expecting more failures and coverage.
Yes, my expensive RV warranty has saved money on repairs … BUT, if I don’t go back to the dealer who sold me the used RV, the warranty company is a REAL HASSLE to deal with! Fortunately, my selling dealer has a direct line to the warranty company. On the road, though, I am supposed to get “prior authorization” before repairs begin, but the warranty company is so slow responding that the repairman must finish the job and get paid by me, and then I have to hope the warranty firm honors its commitment to reimburse. NEVER AGAIN !!!
So far I’ve paid $2650 for a microwave to be replaced. $2600 for the extended warranty for 5 years and $50 for my deductible on the microwave. I have two years to go on the warranty, wonder what will break after those two years are up that will cost big bucks. Maybe I can speed some things up and get them to break down before that time.
Bought an extended warranty when I bought my Class A – and it probably broke even for the $7500 I paid for it. The only problem I had with it was it didn’t cover one very important repair. One of the rollers on my kitchen slide broke (bad bearing) and it tore up the vinyl flooring. The warranty fixed the roller, but didn’t fix the floor. I got my RV back, and there was this big gash in the floor when I tested it out! Turns out, the warranty fixed the broken part, but the fine-print wouldn’t fix any subsequent damage. My point was I’d never know of the bad bearing, if the floor hadn’t come apart… I cut around the damaged section, put down a pair of ‘peel and stick’ tiles, but I wish the repair facility would have alerted me so I could have gotten the floor fixed while the slide was removed! It’s the one thing I ever faulted my SA for, otherwise, she was amazing.
We suckered for the extended warranty once. Never again.
I accidentally had one once, BUT my claims would routinely get denied. So I did the math – and I could save more money by canceling the “insurance” and paying the bills to the mechanics myself instead of paying the salaries of insurance company employees
Count me as 1 that had extended coverage but after the list of denied repairs I allowed it to lapse. Years back.
Our extended warranty just paid the majority of a bill for a broken axle on our RV. That claim paid for the cost of the warranty. I did not want to buy it, but my husband decided to proceed. I am so glad he did!
I am the extended warranty. We bought our TT from a used RV dealer, it originally was purchased by an elderly couple and she had a stroke and couldn’t use it anymore after they had gone out 2 times so it’s like new and 1 year old but no warranty so whatever goes wrong is on me.
I had one and it didn’t pay for repairs. I had a Safari Trek with the bed in the ceiling. One night a power surge blew the torque motor. Could not get the bed back to the ceiling. Eventually after a few phone calls got the bed raised and locked in place. Took the unit in for repair. The policy didn’t cover the $1500 repair because the insurance said it wasn’t “high tech”. Only RV that had that type of bed at the time. Had another problem with the electric step. That wasn’t covered either. Did have one success after a lot of frustration. Fuel pump kept seizing and the motor stopped. My mechanic was able to get the insurance to cover that. A year later got a letter from GM saying they would replace the fuel pump at no cost. Haven’t considered buying another policy ever again. Total rip-off!
WARRENTIES are only for an RV that stays near your dealer.. if you are going on a real trip away from your dealership it is a waste of money. Warranties do not pay for the hotel while your RV is off the road for an extended period. My dometic fridge went out at 90 days on the road. We were in California with our Keystone Montana from Pittsburgh.. Went to five dealers. Two others in Washington and Idaho wouldn’t even put me on list because I didn’t buy our brand new Montana there. In California the best time to look at fridge was 6 weeks. That six weeks is only if I left our RV with those dealers. But without using the warranty I got it fixed in three days. Why you may ask. Because they make very little on a warranty repair. So keep your Cash in case you need it and you will.
Wow. I just read all the other comments. As a public service which you guys do a lot of. I recommend the following question: After buying an extended warranty would you buy another.
We felt so pressured by the finance/warranty salesman at CW four years ago. He got mad when we simply refused to buy the extended warranty. He said these things are junk, will breakdown! Should have walked then. Fortunately things that did break were within the initial new unit period. Still was a pain to visit CW for repairs – not anymore, avoid that place.
An extended warranty is a card game between you and the company offering the warranty. You’re betting the new RV you just purchased will break in a defined period of time and the warranty company is betting it won’t. So you have to check your cards and call the bluff. My advice is to remember that these companies remain in business because they win a lot more than they lose. Personally I did not and will not but to each their own.
Dumped it after I had a lock failure in our driveway resulting in no access to camper. Many calls placed to warranty company and after 3 days waiting for a roadside tech to arrive, a person came and said , oh a camper, not done one of these before. Destroyed the lock and was going to break the window before I stopped this plan. Called our car insurance company and a locksmith was dispatched with resolution and a new lock. Warranty company was forced with legal action from car insurance company to pay for the lock , locksmith and service call. The end of that mistake. I will do my own service from this point forward.
Had one on old RV. The one we have now is under mfgs warranty. We’ll get an extended when this one expires.
Not yet but when manufacturers warranty runs out in December will purchase Jayco plus