Community Forums

TTFoley · 08-27-2016, 05:38 PM

I have a 2016 Winnebago Vista LX 30T. The warranty expires 9/8/16. For health reasons, we were not able to use our RV until July 2016. At that time we had electrical issues. After 2 trips to the dealer (round trip 200 miles each trip), the issues have been corrected. The one year warranty ends on 9/8. We are preparing to take our RV on its maiden voyage.

In general, I discourage my family and friends from purchasing extended warranties on appliances and electronics. But now I find myself considering an extended service contract on our RV. I have researched this issue and think I understand the pro's and con's, and different types of contracts (exclusionary, directly pay repair shop, etc).

I would like to hear recommendations. Have you had occasion to use such a policy? If so, would you recommend a particular company?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Rorytug · 08-27-2016, 07:57 PM

I have had an extended warranty since the day I purchased my Itasca Sunova new. In five years I have use the warrantee once. The cooling unit in the refrigerator went out and the hundred dollar deductible was a blessing for the thousand dollar plus repair. It failed after four years. Other than that all the other things that have gone wrong like LP alarm failure step motor went out and some other minor issues, I was able to repair them myself for less than the deductible. However the warranty has still not paid for itself with only the fridge. It has almost broke even. As my coach ages And my warranty is up in a year, I am also struggling with whether or not I will renew it or just put the money aside and self insure. . That said, it does cover drivetrain to some extent also. Most likely I will renew.

bigdog · 08-27-2016, 10:50 PM

I have a 4 year Cornerstone warranty that I got thru Wholesale warranties and it cost me $3K with a $1200 deductible. In two years on a 10 y/o rig, it has paid for itself several times over. Right now, I'm kicking myself because I didn't for see that I was gonna have a bad engine and didn't get the wrap coverage.
The only time I have been turned down for a repaired item was for the A/C compressor and that was because it was a chassis repair and not a coach item. Everything from the drivers seat forward, except windshields etc are chassis.
I didn't have one for the first several years I had the coach and I had some pretty good out of pocket repairs and I won't hesitate when it comes time to get another one.

mtofell · 08-27-2016, 11:40 PM

Yeah, statistically extended warranties are a bad investment but not worrying when things start to creak and groan certainly has some value. I own an RV to get away from all the things in life that stress me out. Anything I can do to prevent additional stress while RVing is worth looking into.

Insurance of all types is a bad investment. By design, you shouldn't make money on it. It's a way of minimizing losses. For every $10,000 paid by all us common folks we probably only get back $7000 (just guessing here). I've been paying auto insurance for 28 years and have never received so much as a dollar back. But, there is no way I'd drive around without it.

All this being said, I'm coming up on a completely trouble free year on my new 5th wheel and am REALLY mulling over getting and extended warranty.

adamfolger · 08-28-2016, 12:50 AM

I see the question in black and white. If you can afford to pay out of pocket $!0,000 for the trans and $25,000 for a new engine...self insure. If not, buy the insurance so you can sleep at night.

Diane98 · 08-28-2016, 02:58 AM

We have a 2005 Itasca Horizon DP and have had an extended warranty on our coach since we purchased it. In fact we just renewed ours again last month, due to health & back issues my husband can no longer do many of the repairs. We feel it has really been beneficial. The extended warranty we purchased was thru Star by Interstate. We paid $4600 for 4 years coverage with a $200. deductible - for under $1200 per year it's really worth the piece of mind. To purchase you do have to go thru a dealer that sells Star. I tried going thru the Wholesale warranty companies but they do not have anything that would cover us as we live in California. If you decide and would like the company we used send me a message and I will be happy to give you the information. Also Star does cover our chassis and engine if you choose the diamond plan.

mainsail · 08-28-2016, 07:37 AM

I have an extended warranty for the coach from Good Sam for my Winnebago Vista. BTW, claims are handled by a third party. No, it does not pay for itself at least in my experience. I had extended warranty coverage on my past two motorhomes. New buyers should sit in a quiet area away from the RV dealer's finance manager and read the fine print before making a decision on purchasing an extended warranty. Except for appliances and plumbing, you are up the creek. The fine print under the exclusions section uses generalist terminology that basically voids coverage for most items under the roof except for example; the aforementioned appliances and plumbing.

TQ60 · 08-28-2016, 10:30 AM

If you will be on the road and not able to perform repairs some insurance can be a benefit.

First priority is safely towing your rig off a freeway.

Look for insurance that can get that done quickly and properly as many have had issues there.

Replacement tires and other show stopping things that can be somewhat expensive but quickly remidied.

:: overage for engine and tranny need to be evaluated as many have long factory warranties so a service plan does not really matter on those as the factory coverage may be in place but yiu need to be towed to the service if and when it is needed.

Get your Vin and check your original paperwork and confirm exactly what your warranty is.

If running gear is say 5 year and some mileage then you ate good until that time.

Consider your needs and buy as required.

Old Scout · 08-28-2016, 10:52 AM

Risk Management--severity vs probability. You need to read the fine print and understand exactly what you are paying for and what will be covered--not all policies are the same. Can't tell you how many times I have seen the "big ticket" items, like engine and tranny, mentioned in discussions about this issue. I am sure there are some great stories about how the extended warrantee company stepped up and save someone's bacon. But be advised--you better follow every factory "recommendation" to the letter on engine and tranny maintenance and have every receipt. One lapse on your part and the warrantee company can and will walk--example: change oil every two years vs the factory recommendations!
Peace of mind is a wonderful thing--can't be proven but sure enough, buy a warrantee and you probably wont need it; don't buy it and the "odds" of a major lost go up....good luck.....

Rossi6998 · 08-28-2016, 04:32 PM

Extended warranties are hit/miss. Sometime they pay for themselves and sometimes they don't. Personally, with an RV, which has many components from many manufacturers, I prefer the extended warranty. I have a 2013 Sunstar 26he which I bought new. So far, I have had my slide out repaired, my leveling jacks repaired, and other miscellaneous items. The cost of these repairs have paid for the warranty. Even if I have no repairs by the time the extended warranty expires, to me it is piece of mind and worth the money.

Starsekr · 08-28-2016, 06:03 PM

On our 4th year of owning a 2005 Winnie Adventurer. Got a 5 year premium gold warrantee for $5K. Deductible is $100. Covers anything broken, including chassis stuff with a few exclusions. We have probably had about $1400 a year in claims, so yeah, I gotta say it has been worth it for us. Just collect several of those broken annoyances at a time and roll them into one service request. Get maintenance issues taken care of when getting repairs done to save yourself some money.

Ray,IN · 08-28-2016, 09:46 PM

We've had an ESC ever since we purchased our MH in 2012. The first one paid for itself + deductibles.
If you do decide an ESC is right your you, I strongly recommend buying the gaskets and seals rider. Otherwise, if your engine or transmission has a gasket fail and it causes the engine or transmission to fail, you are not covered; it's called consequential damage from the failed seal.
As with any contract, if you do not fulfill all the requirements the guarantor is not required to pay.

Crasher · 08-29-2016, 07:21 AM

It's a crap shoot at best. You will always hear about the guy who collected more than what the premium was. However, you have to ask yourself "Why is the Extended Warranty such a big money maker for the selling dealer and the insurance company"? It's called a "Extended Service Contract", but works like a slot machine. Some win, but most lose. The insurance company offers it because they take in far more than they pay out. I've never had one on any vehicle in the nearly 60 years since I bought my first car. I'm Thousands of dollars ahead of the game. That gives me more to go to the casino to play the slots.

Starsekr · 08-29-2016, 09:44 AM

I'll counter Crasher's argument with a couple of observations. Do you buy comprehensive insurance and fell good about it? Then you should just look at an extended service contract the same way. Peace of mind. Are you a heavy truck mechanic and do you enjoy working on your RV. Don't buy a contract. Do you carry enough tools to outfit a NASCAR pit crew, don't buy a contract. I could go on, but we bought a 10 year old RV, and were the 4th owners, for us it was the sure knowledge that something was gonna go. Peace of mind. And read the contract!