Community Forums

jjm22 · 03-18-2012, 07:30 AM

My wife and I just ordered our first class A motorhome, a Tiffin Allegro 34TGA. It's due to arrive in a couple of weeks.

Do I need to worry about a extended warranty now? The dealer is trying to sell an additional 6 year plan for $4900 with USA travel care. That sounds like alot of money to me. Are there some other good companies out there?

gauto5150 · 03-18-2012, 07:47 AM

Personally, I'd look around and do the research on your own and read reviews. Use your own common sense on what you feel you should get, if any extended coverage.
Believe me, the extended warranty companies will call you and mail quotes and send you emails to try and get your business (especially Good Sam).
But when you make a claim is when you'll see how they perform. I had a Good Sam warranty and they paid a claim, but they paid what they wanted which wasn't the original amount of the claim. Do a search on this site and use that information as well, LOTS of people with good and bad reviews.
Good LUCK!

Jim_HiTek · 03-18-2012, 09:09 AM

Take your money and put it into the bank. Only way to come out ahead with a Service Contract.

golden · 03-18-2012, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjm22

My wife and I just ordered our first class A motorhome, a Tiffin Allegro 34TGA. It's due to arrive in a couple of weeks.

Do I need to worry about a extended warranty now? The dealer is trying to sell an additional 6 year plan for $4900 with USA travel care. That sounds like alot of money to me. Are there some other good companies out there?

You will ALWAYS get those people who tell you to just put your money in the bank and forget the warranty. Aren't they helpful?

To answer YOUR question, my recommendation is to not buy an exgended warranty until near the end of your warranty that comes with your new Class A. In my case, I got one a month prior to the end. It was a seven year/70,000 mile warranty. If you buy from a dealer you are likely to pay significantly more than from online or perhaps through your insurance agent. Please keep in mind that you are buying a service contract, not so much a warranty. If you are mechanically advantaged and can maintain your own equipment, you may want to consider the pros and cons of a warranty, but for me, having the peace of mind was very important and I'm very happy to have one.

As far as good companies, that's a hard question. You really need to do your due diligence and read all the small print offered in all the companies offerings. I had a contract with a company that had the worst rating in the world (and is no longer in business), but they took care of every claim I had. My current company has not agreed with any of the three or four claims I've put in saying that the claims should have been submitted to my insurancve company. My insurance company says no. Who can you believe? Anyway, wait until your warranty is about to expire and then study, study, study before you buy. This forum used to have a list of companies in their header and it may still be there under "Vendors". Good luck.

donhoward49 · 03-18-2012, 09:42 AM

Full agree. At least wait till the end of the warranty, take time to learn about them. ESP is betting that you will not need the service, you are betting that you will?? Kind of like trying to win at black jack.. They know the odds. plus the dealer is making plenty on this or they would not push it so hard. If you are a bit mechanical the guys on here can get you through most anything
Don
steeling another's quote "my opinion is worth what you paid for it.

bldr11 · 03-18-2012, 09:50 AM

I have X tra ride. Completely happy with the way they pay and treat customers. It has more than paid for itself.

jjm22 · 03-18-2012, 02:18 PM

Thanks for your advice I am difinately going to my homework on this one.

jponyboyace · 03-18-2012, 02:33 PM

2 schools of thought for sure/....hmmm put the money in the bank....or negotiate the number down....I paid 2500 $50.00 deductable....hmmmm we will see///...also its prorated we can cash in anytime we want....jim/lorraine..

smack2020 · 03-18-2012, 03:35 PM

I have Freedom Roads on my 07 bounder. Paid $4200 for 7 years and 70000 miles. My microwave started to smoke and fried. Freedom Roads tried all they could to not cover the microwave. After several hours on the phone and threats, they finally agreed to replace. Make sure if you do get an extended warranty, you comply with contract. Keep proof of all service, and if you miss or are late on a service, they will probably not cover the repair. They wanted maintenance records on my microwave. I asked what they did for maintenance on the microwaves they had at their houses, but they refused to answer.

Me, I probably won't buy one again.

Dunner · 03-19-2012, 01:42 AM

I have a $100 deductible Phoenix American RV Elite service contract. $4541 for 4/48. Bought the MH with 15K on it in June. The motor blew in less than 800 miles.

Took almost 2 months, which I'm told is normal, to get the CEO off of the golf course to sign off on the >$10K claim. They are also paying for a new dash AC compressor that was leaking oil, but not the dryer and expansion valve Furd requires for their warranty to be in effect. ???? It's still covered by the PA warranty.

Also included is emergency roadside assistance and towing from Road America, but not the cost of towing a toad. My MH insurance may cover the toad. It's $100 deductible, but what is not clear is if it is another $100 for covered repairs.

jzick · 03-19-2012, 04:42 AM

Quote:

.hmmm put the money in the bank....or negotiate the number down

And that, succinctly, sums it up. Many people do not realize that extended service contract costs are negotiable. This may be a reason that buying through a dealer at the time of rv purchase might be less expensive. We were able to get ours with no additional cost added to "out the door" unit cost (I know nothing is free and was not a gift). We have not had anything large break, but several smaller items (awning, convertor/inverter, A/C) have had repairs mostly paid by the extended service contract with no hassles.

Steve N Sal · 03-19-2012, 04:51 AM

Personally which ever one you may decide on all I can say is to read the "FINE" print. Usually you will find some wording that releaves them from covering something that you would probably think is covered. Short of being a speed reader and a lawyer I don't know how even reading everything can keep you safe when you purchase one of these policies.

Dunner · 03-19-2012, 05:13 AM

I'm not a lawyer either, but I did spend the night at a Holiday Inn Express.

There are definitely some gotchas, and they're not only in the fine print. You have to figure out what an item in one paragraph is referring to in another paragraph.

With the interest rates banks are now giving, you're better off spending it on a new toy. At least you'd get some enjoyment out of it.

megehrs · 06-02-2012, 11:23 PM

Purchased an Extended Warranty with Good Sam CSP in 2005. Faithfully paid on it for nearly 10 years to the tune of 450 a year average. Went to make a claim last month. Vehicle (2002 Winnie Adventurer) only has 15K miles on it.Needed to get the following fixed
1. Heater selector on dash would not cycle from Panel to Floor to DeFrost etc. Stuck in Floor. Technician found the vacuum hose had been hooked on the wrong "stud" on the vacuum rail and not a "port" since birth.
2. Hydraulic leak on the rams that send the living room slide out. Tech found both fittings needed to be replaced. Claims actually covered this item, but said it did not exceed the 250 threshold so I paid it.
3. Monitor Level panel was dead. Tech needed to replace panel with a new one. Claims said they only covered the tanks and not the indicating system.
This may not seem like a huge thing. The total bill was less than 600 bucks. I would have been paying 250 for the deductible. My problem is that I have paid in over 4000 in ten years and NEVER bothered them for a thing. Changed the Floor Heater out on my own with help from this forum at MY COST. I feel they could have paid the remainder of the bill just to keep peace in the neighborhood.
My response is to kill the policy and not renew it. I have just sold the vehicle and the guy that bought it will not be buying a plan. I have replaced the vehicle with a 2004 Itasca Meridian 34H and I will not buy a plan for this one either....
BOTTOM LINE... these guys lost my current business and any future business from me....over 350 dollars against a profit of 4000. I would recommend others to either..... a) put the money in a savings account and wait for funding things that break down with the savings. or b) find another company other than the one that I used to cover their vehicles.
I can say that yes I did enjoy the shadow benefit of having my vehicle covered for nearly 10 years against anything that they would pay... but when I did have things that failed and needed fixed, they deemed they were items that weren't covered. Good Luck to those of you out there in the same predicament.

Mark in bricks and sticks in Palmer, AK

2004 Itasca Meridian 34H
2005 Saturn VUE toad
Going half time in about 4 years..... will still summer here in Alaska