Do most full timers get an extended warranty?

[teambergie]

Hi. We are full timers, and have been on board our new RV for about one year now, so the factory warranty is about to expire. We feel that we should get an extended warranty, but are interested to know what other full timers do, and which extended warranty plans are considered the best? Thanks in advance for your responses.....

[mick]

I think most fulltimers are capable of servicing everything but an engine or transx overhaul. If that happens, its just one of those things that most should be prepared for. thats just my opinion and I guarantee someone will come along and dispute it.

[Mr_D]

Most people don't have them, the service policies (not "warranties) are contracts. They spell out what is or isn't covered. They are written by smart attorneys to maximize profits for the insurance company, not to benefit the buyer. Also, the selling dealer usually makes 50% of the price you pay.
We've had three, never had anything break that they would cover. Figure we're about $5,000 down.
Consumer Reports also says not to buy them.
Take the money, put it in the bank, if you need repairs then you have the money, if you don't need it you still have the money!

[B Bob]

We have had an ExtraRide extended policy on our coach since we bought it used two years ago. In my opinion ExtraRide is a great company and has provided help way above average.

I like the extended policy because even though I can service pretty much everything on our coach including the motor but not the trans I choose not to. A while back trying to rebuild an MGA transmission I had had enough. Now I let the pros do most of my work.

[Norm4015]

Quote:

Originally Posted by teambergie Hi. We are full timers, and have been on board our new RV for about one year now, so the factory warranty is about to expire. We feel that we should get an extended warranty, but are interested to know what other full timers do, and which extended warranty plans are considered the best? Thanks in advance for your responses.....

We fulltimed over ten years and now we travel six months a year. Many of our friends are fulltimers and only one of them bought an extended service plan. Those friends have been through h*ll and back trying to collect on repairs and said they will never buy one again.

I have given seminars to fulltimers and asked about extended service plans. I think about 5% have said they bought one.

[teambergie]

Valuable feedback....after reviewing everyone's imput, we have decided that we will not get an extended warranty. We sure appreciate all of the thoughtful responses!

We are new to IRV2 Forum....what a wonderful way to share information! Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and experience!

[Barbaraok]

We put 10% of the purchase price into a repair fund and we add to it every month. We never have to quibble about when to fix something, what to use, etc., because WE decide not someone else. We often replace things BEFORE there is a problem, or replace similar things when just one breaks. These wouldn't be covered by a service contract.

It really depends upon whether one can set up the fund and keep adding to it and whether or not you need the insurance to be able to sleep at night.

If you do decide to go with a service contract, make sure you read it over several times and know the procedures to go through to get service and what is and isn't covered.

Barb

[jzick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbaraok We put 10% of the purchase price into a repair fund and we add to it every month. We never have to quibble about when to fix something, what to use, etc., because WE decide not someone else. We often replace things BEFORE there is a problem, or replace similar things when just one breaks. These wouldn't be covered by a service contract. It really depends upon whether one can set up the fund and keep adding to it and whether or not you need the insurance to be able to sleep at night. If you do decide to go with a service contract, make sure you read it over several times and know the procedures to go through to get service and what is and isn't covered. Barb

This is probably the best answer. Self insure if you can, use an extended warranty if your peace of mind will be better because of it. We negotiated inclusion of an extended warranty from the dealer to incent us to close on our motorhome. Most people are not aware that the price of them is negotiable. We have used ours with success for some items (convertor/awning/power cord/110V outlets) and recovered costs to about the level the retail price would have been if we had purchased it. Good luck with your travels.

[teambergie]

More good answers....thanks to everyone! Based on your feedback, we have decided to self insure, as suggested...that makes sense and we have the funds....

How nice to have a family of strangers willing to help.....you are all great!

[Ed-Sommers]

In general, an extended warranty is a gimmick that manufacturers use to improve their bottom line, nothing more.

While I understand that there are cases where some have benefited from buying an extended warranty, I KNOW I have benefited by not buying a single one, for ANYTHING, EVER. I'm almost 70, Lot's of money saved.

If something is going to break, it will probably do so way before that EW will kick in.

All IMHO.

Ed
USN (Ret.)

[B Bob]

When we bought our motor home used two years ago we got the seller to pay 1/2 the cost of the extended warranty. I carefully checked to see who offered a good one. We bought that one - ExtraRide. We have had exactly NO problems getting them to pay for problems we have had. Our half, $4,000 bucks is the best money we have spent on the motor home so far. All the negative comments about companies not paying have not applied to our insurance. They have paid. Every time. In every case the people doing the repair have charged the insurance company directly and we have not had to pay except for our small part. So there are good policies and not so good ones.

[geekyexplore]

We have always been skeptical of warranties but when we bought our RV used from a private party, they provided transfer warranty paperwork. It's been the best $50 we have ever spent.

I am sure a lot depends on the warranty coverage but this warranty has been so comprehensive and trouble-free, we are actually considering extending it. We have replaced the engine AC, an RV AC unit and a converter replaced since we bought the RV in February. Very low deductible & zero issues with several shops we have worked with.

The policy originated with Assurant, then FreedomCare, & is now with Camping World.

Whatever your decision - good luck!

[Barbaraok]

I'm sure it has been great for $50. But you do realize that for most people we are talking several thousands of dollars. And Bob, would that still be that good if you had paid the full amount of $8000? Or would putting that $8000 in an account and adding some to it each month covered not only repairs but also maintenance along the way, including new tires at 7 years and new batteries at about 5 years out? Plus you can pay to replace things BEFORE they break - - which no extended warranty (well really a limited repair contract) will do.

Barb

[RickO]

Always an interesting topic. It sounds as though you have decided to self insure. As Barbara points out, that's a great way to go about it.

As rookies we purchased a 7 year plan with the purchase of our new 40 DP. As also pointed out above, we didn't realize that the price was negotiable and paid far too much for it... but our reasoning was that as rookies it brought us peace of mind. Our plan is with Easy Care and they have been great so far.

Good luck.

Rick