Extended Warranties - A good idea?

[Foxhound]

I am about to purchase a new Minnie 24F. Should I purchase the extended warranty? We are looking at roughly $3000 for 7 years and $2000 for 5 years. We could probably get that price down a little but, but my real questiones are:

Do we need the warranty?
Is it worth the money, or should I just put it in a savings account until needed?
Am I gonna still get a run-around when I need a repair under the warranty?
Will I have a long wait to be repairs needed?
If I don't purchase the warranty, what is gonna go wrong so that I wished I had purchased it?

Thanks for you input,
Joe

[troth]

My opinion: No, save your money. The reason: read all their fine print & exclusions.

[Thudman]

I bought one for 5 yrs (4 past the 1 yr Winnie warranty). National Warranty of Florida. Does not cover consumables and MANY other items. READ CAREFULLY so you will know what's NOT covered (per troth). Ask them questions. How long will you keep your rig? Is the policy transferable (may be an incentive for a prospective buyer)?

I look at it as major systems failure coverage. One thing is certain in my case: If I did not buy the protection, I'll be sure to have a catastrophic big time failure in year 4. Murphy is my copilot.

Thudman

[John_Canfield]

Extended "warranty" is a misnomer. You are buying insurance - no more, no less. People are real polarized about extended "warranties." Some love the peace of mind (which could turn into a hassle when actually invoking your "warranty"), others say it is a huge waste of money and put the money into the bank you would have spent on the policy.

We also have a decision to make when we pick up our new coach next month about the extended "warranty" that Lazydays sells. I seriously doubt if I will spend 2-5 thousand bucks for this coverage. The engine and chassis already has a nice long warranty. The Winney roof has a ten year warranty (I believe.)

Generally I never buy any added "protection" on anything. We did make an exception when we bought our Mercedes and I bought coverage that took the warranty out to seven years and/or 100,000 miles. I think I would consider this a real factory extended warranty since it was through Mercedes and not another company. Even though it is a good plan, it does not cover the expensive electronics in the car (I need to spend $2,500 to fix the CD player which loads the GPS progam and mapping data - OUCH! )

John

[Tuna]

Hi foxhound I have a 2000 Itasca Horizon when I bought it used also paid 2400.00 for extended waranty Just recently had to replace radiator it was rotten out around the edges and enginr was overheating.Called hertigage warranty they said rust and corision isn't covered. So it cost me $2842.12 for repairs.So that adds up tp$5242.12 So I would put the money in the bank. Also I think the selling dealer is getting a kick back

[Cruzer]

Exactly. These really aren't "extended warranties" at all. They are "service contracts". They agree to cover the repair costs of a pre-defined list of things. Generally, the less it costs, the less they cover. It's all a numbers game. The figure out how much the average RVer will need to spend, add on some extra for overhead, add some more on for profit, and then charge you accordingly. I've always found that my vehicle service expenses never cost anywhere near what the service contract does. You'd be better off sticking that amount in a rainy day fund in case you do need it some day. Then, if you don't need it, you can always get it back.

To be fair though, these contracts are based upon average repair costs. There are always some unlucky owners who wind up with a rig that has excessive repair costs (it can happen to any brand) and in their case it can be a lifesaver. But, only if it's areally good service contract. That's where reading the fine print first comes in. You may even have to request this ahead of time. A number of service contracts are sold out of a pamphlet. Then they mail you what they won't cover after you've paid.

[tomsm]

Joe, I personally decided against this coverage. However, if you're worried about getting hit by a major expense, you might want to check this website

The interesting thing about this "policy" is that if you have no claims during the life of the policy, you get all your money back. So, you could buy the policy, not use it unless you have a BIG expense ( more than the cost of the policy), then get your money back. You're only out the interest you could have earned - seems like pretty cheap insurance against a major expense.

I'm not connected with this company in any way and my information came from their website only, so normal precautions apply....

[tomsm]

Forgot to point out why I decided against this policy. To get your money back, you must still own the vehicle at the end of the coverage period and it only applies to 6 and 7 year policies. I simply don't expect to own any rv that long.

[Novi]

I certainly agree with the other posts. I do not believe they are worth the money spent. I have owned only used RV's, have had 3 in 15 years and have not spent $5000 on repairs total in that 15 years. Save your money.

[Catdave]

We considered an extended service policy and rejected the idea. Just too many exclusions and all the legalese scared us off. So I took a low-interest credit card with no balance on it and a $7500.00 limit and put it in my wallet. On the off chance that something catastrophic happens after the warranty expires, I'll pay via the credit card. Small expenses will come out of the checkbook.

One of the biggest considerations is- how long will you keep this RV? Remember that your coach will have a 3/36 powertrain & chassis warranty from the chassis manufacturer, a lengthy roof and structural warranty from the coach manufacturer, and everything else (fridge, heaters, slides, toilet, etc.) will have manufacturer warranties of 1-5 years depending on the component. Do you really stand to gain much from a $2000-$3000 warranty that may or may not pay off when needed? Will you even keep this coach long enough for all of the important high $ (i.e. powertrain, fridge, a/c units, etc.) "standard" warranties to expire?

Good luck in your decision.
dave

[YosemiteBobR]

I am the one on the other side of the penny. I bought the coverage for piece of mind. It included tires and fixes (if you pay for that it could cost you 100 for the service and depending on the tire up to 800). I have used it twice saved 1500. If the electrical goes out as in inverter, or worse, it's covered. Refer, AC, heater, sliders, etc. covered. The seal around my slider is coming off and got crushed, not leaking, but broke, they are replacing it. Labor is now at 112 per hour in most places and higher in some others. You have to know how to use it. All in all I think I have outed (detuctable) about 400 (I have a 50.00 deductable)and saved about 4500. I still have several years to go as I got the seven year policy. Buying the additonal coverage actually lowered my payments, as the bank gave a lesser percentage due to me buying the policy. As long as you call and get an OK befoe doing anything I have had no problem.

Well worth it for me.

Bob R

[jtharley]

Just a thought, but take the money that you are going to spend on the warranty and put it in a CD or mutual fund ect....(low risk) and let it grow. John was so right in the earlier post. Extended warranties are insurance policies and WAY to many restrictions.

[islander]

FOR JOHN CANFIELD,
IF YOU ARE BUYING YOUR COACH AT LAZYDAYS YOU MAY CONSIDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. WE BOUGHT A NEW 2004 VECTRA LAST MAY AND WE HAVE 4500 MILES ON IT, DOES THAT TELL YOU SOMETHING ? IT IS RIGHT NOW AT FRIEGHTLINER IN FT PIERCE. AND FORGET WRITING WINNEBAGO THEY JUST TOLD ME TO WORK WITH MY DEALER, LIKE WHO ELSE HAVE I BEEN WORKING WITH ? THEY DID EXTEND MY WARRANTY FOUR MONTHS BECAUSE THEY FIGURED THAT IT HAD BEEN IN THE SHOP THAT MUCH.
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, LAZYDAYS GIVES A GOOD DEAL ON BUYING BUT HOPE YOU NEVER HAVE ANY MORE THAN A FEW PROBLEMS.
I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN WE SPECIAL ORFERED OUR COACH AND WHEN IT CAME IN IT HAD A BROKEN WINDSHIELD. HUM !!!!

GOOD LUCK.

[CharlieM]

Those who have purchased and used the extended warranty; Who did you purchase from? Are you satisfied? Did yours start the day of purchase or the last day of the original warranty ( is your 7 year extended warranty really only good for 4 years) Would you purchase from the same company again.

I have a National Warranty of Florida policy also. It is just now taking effect since my OEM 3/36 has just ended. With any luck I hope to never use it.

Charlie