RV factory warranties—Important info you NEED to know!

By Cheri Sicard

In the video above, Duane, our favorite RV inspector from the RV Inspection and Care YouTube channel (one of the nominees in our 2024 RV video awards) talks RV warranties, a topic many consumers misunderstand, much to their downfalls. Don’t get caught in this trap, but rather, watch Duane’s video, which will give you important points to watch out for.

New RV factory warranties: The basics

Most new RVs come with an RV factory warranty. The industry standard is for one year. Depending on the manufacturer, this might be a limited warranty or a bumper-to-bumper warranty. Usually, there will also be a two- to three-year structural warranty.

While that is the standard in the RV industry, some exceptional companies offer longer warranties, including:

• Airstream
• DRV
• Entegra
• Jayco
• KT
• Leisure Travel
• Oliver
• Winnebago
• Escape
• Tiffin
• Newmar

What do standard 1-year RV factory warranties cover?

Duane begins by saying that RV warranties can vary greatly from one manufacturer to another, so it is VITALLY important that you read yours and understand it before buying.

That said, USUALLY all RV parts, appliances, and components are covered “under normal use.” Components that break under what the company considers “misuse” are not covered.

Beyond that, Duane says that in many instances, if an appliance or component of an RV breaks, the manufacturer may send you to the supplier for warranty work. This can be extremely irritating to the RV owner. Duane admits this is something the industry needs to improve. Nonetheless, it is the way things are currently done and buyers should be aware of it.

What does the structural warranty cover?

The structural warranty covers essentially everything not covered in the components warranty, namely the floors, ceiling, roof, walls, etc. As these things do not break as often, they usually have longer warranties. However, be aware that some warranties require you to do maintenance on those items for them to be covered.

Questions to ask and things to know about RV factory warranties before buying

• You need to ask how warranty work is to be carried out and where you will need to take the RV, should it need repairs. If you are required to take your RV to a certified repair facility, it can often be backed up for weeks or even months. But if you have the option to use a mobile RV tech, you can often get repairs far quicker. (And, in my experience, get far better repairs, as well.)
• Not all RV dealers will honor the factory warranty if you did not buy the RV from them. Unfortunately, RV dealers are not like car dealers in this regard. Duane expounds on the reasons for this and how to handle these scenarios in the video.

What about RV extended warranties and extended service contracts?

Duane’s thoughts on this are, if you are a DIYer with a towable RV, you may not need an extra warranty. However, if you are a DIYer and your RV has a drive train, in other words, it is a motorhome, and especially diesel motorhomes, then you might want to consider it, as it can protect you from potentially HUGE service bills. Duane did a separate video on this topic with more details.

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