F&I Manager

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by Johnontheroad

I said the extended warranty was a “prudent choice”. My recently purchased 2015 Aspire has a long list of unexpected problems in the first 3 months of ownership, ranging from nuisance items to making the coach undriveable. The out of town dealer wasn’t much help but NIRVC stepped up and the coach is now running almost as good as the 9 year old Monaco I traded in. But it costs me about $3,500 out of pocket. And that is still with the Spartan warranty, the Entegra warranty is long gone.

Based on the problem history with this coach so far I got kind of gun shy so finding the best service organization (my experience with NIRVC is good so far). I’ve spent more on repairs on my 3 months ownership of the Entegra than in the 9 years I had my Monaco. A warranty therefore to me is a “prudent” choice.

Your case is different from the guy who buys a new Entegra with all of its warranties in place. In your case the Entegra warranty was already gone and the other warranties on short legs, which makes a much better case for but an extended warranty.

But extended warranties are not all equal. If you buy one, you have to be very aware of the terms, and jump through all the pre-authorization procedures lest your claim be denied. A dealer sold me an extended warranty on a BMW and it was terrific until the warranty company went bankrupt and left me holding the bag. So, extended warranties can be useful but there are a lot of pitfalls, and they make little sense for the buyer of a new coach.

When I bought my coach I was offered a 5-year extended warranty for $7000 which I declined. I am now past the 5 year point and I have spent less than $3000 on repairs which would have been covered under the policy.

[Ann n Gene]

Ian six months pat my two year Entegra warranty. NIRVC just put on a new AC, fixed the genny(would not start/-connection problem and fixed a non functioning toilet. About $3000, my cost ZERO. With the complexity of these coaches and labor rates at $149 per hour EW makes much more sense today than at any time in the past. All JMHO

[Funding Fun]

The OP's initial concern/question was opting for (or having one forced down your throat) an extended warranty on a NEW camper. My responses were directed to my opinion of that...not a used unit.

[Ann n Gene]

I bought mine when new because the price goes up and coverage length and mileage limit goes down it you wait until the warranty is about to tun out. If you are going to buy, it makes sense to buy it early on. JMHO

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by Ann n Gene

I bought mine when new because the price goes up and coverage length and mileage limit goes down it you wait until the warranty is about to tun out. If you are going to buy, it makes sense to buy it early on. JMHO

Possibly, but it really depends on the wording of the contract. Many "3 year warranty's" purchased at the same time you purchase a new coach, "take affect" on the day you purchase, but won't actually PAY or COVER anything until the original warranty runs it's course (be it one, or two years, depending on manufacturer). So in SOME cases, a "Three year Warranty" is ACTUALLY a "Two year Warranty", since the coaches initial manufacturer's warranty is in affect for the first year.

So if you are figuring the cost of the above "3 year warranty" and dividing the amount paid by THREE to figure annual cost, you are getting a misleading cost/year. You really need to divide the total cost of the "3 year warranty" by TWO since the "3" year warranty really only covers you for two years . . . .Make sense?

So if you divide by TWO for cost per year, then near the end of the first year manufacturer's warranty, you take the cost of an extended THREE year warranty and divide by THREE since it will take affect immediately, you may find that the 3 year warranty purchased at the end of the original manufacturer's warranty is actually CHEAPER PER YEAR than the "3" year warranty purchased when you bought your rig new.

It's all about how the contract is actually written!

[Ann n Gene]

It absolutely is about the wording. And it mine the mileage limit went down as well as length of coverage if you waited to buy it and the cost went up significantly, so I paid more for less coverage.

[awol50]

When I bought my new class A about two years ago, my ass had barely hit the seat in the f&I office and I told him to not bother with the sales pitch for anything. He kind of looked surprised, but just said ok.
Had my own financing, check in hand for what I owed them and was out the door before my wife even had needed time for a potty call.
My advice. Be proactive and cut the sales pitch off before it starts. You will save alot of time not listening to these guys drone on and on.

[Logan Oregon]

Like all purchases, especially for some electronics, when they push for extended warranties, I simply say:

"But your salesperson just got through telling me how good this product is, how reliable it was, how high quality it is, and I was making the right choice. Now you're saying I need additional insurance and protection in case the product has problems, because you never know. Sounds like one of you is not being truthful... Perhaps your salesperson can come over and you two can agree on who is right.... ".

[hdgoldie]

Just to mention - there is a federal requirement for that F&I office to offer "all products to all buyers." They can't pick and choose who to offer GAP insurance or ESP's, they need to offer them to all. In a state with price controls, some products are covered - some are not. For example, in some states ESP prices are controlled and will not change customer to customer but GAP may priced differently for each customer. The only constant is that all customers must be offered both products. I would suspect that those of you offered the "paint protection" and similar products were purchasing in states with controlled pricing on their ESP. FWIW, long term - all those policies are wonderful money makers for a dealership. For every person who saves money by having a plan in place, there are a whole lot more that will have few, if any, claims. You have to make your decision based on what your pocket will bear should you be one of the unfortunate ones, but your odds are a whole lot better than anything you'll see in Vegas. And GAP insurance is, of course, only in the picture if a unit is financed. It was just a convenient product to use for my example.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by hdgoldie

FWIW, long term - all those policies are wonderful money makers for a dealership. For every person who saves money by having a plan in place, there are a whole lot more that will have few, if any, claims. You have to make your decision based on what your pocket will bear should you be one of the unfortunate ones, but your odds are a whole lot better than anything you'll see in Vegas.

Well put and totally correct. Personally, I’ll take the house odds. I almost always turn down “extended warranties” and whenever I occasionally let myself be talked into one (as I did in a moment of weakness on my cellphone), I want to kick myself for doing it. Over the years, I am tens of thousands of dollars ahead having declined these contracts.

[Chief55m]

definitely say NO, I have to admit that our dealer in Tampa didn't try and hard sell the warranty, and all of the other packages they offered. They did show me them and the pricing, but the wife and I passed on all of them. the add on's were close to $17K.

Now, the did give us a full tank of Diesel (150 gals) and a full tank of DEF 4 gals.

Best of luck and enjoy your new coach.

[MH2GOTECH]

Most of the paint protection products I have used work pretty well. Here is why the cost so much. Labor to install, if not done right it is a wasteof money. The stuff we sold when I was in TX years ago took a 4 man crew most of the day to do. What we use now is faster but still requires a lot of prep work if you want it done right.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by MH2GOTECH

Most of the paint protection products I have used work pretty well. Here is why the cost so much. Labor to install, if not done right it is a wasteof money. The stuff we sold when I was in TX years ago took a 4 man crew most of the day to do. What we use now is faster but still requires a lot of prep work if you want it done right.

I'd be interesting in seeing exactly what you were using. When I've been "offered" these products in the past by especially obnoxious F & I people, I've pressed them just as hard to actually show me the EXACT product that they are trying to sell me.

The only times they have ever actually been able to show me in the shop what they were using, it turned out to be some type of readily available wax. Most times the F & I people don't even know what it is.

One time I was told that their process was "Proprietary" and they couldn't reveal exactly what they were using, to which I replied "My money is "Proprietary" as well, until I know what I'm spending it on, you don't get it!"

I'm open to new ideas and processes, but I'm not buying the proverbial "pig in a poke!"

[LWBAZ]

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

One time I was told that their process was "Proprietary" and they couldn't reveal exactly what they were using, to which I replied "My money is "Proprietary" as well, until I know what I'm spending it on, you don't get it!"

Perfect!