Community Forums

partsman01 · 11-07-2010, 06:45 PM

So we are buying a third fifth wheel, this is a 2004 245RKS Wilderness Fifth wheel, the dealer is offering us a warranty that we can buy to cover repairs to the unit, and because we have a slide they say you do have to buy the next level up to cover everything including the slide, so my question is are they worth it?
never had anything on our 1989 Prowler or our 1999 Coachmen Catalina, so really wonder if they are worth the money.
?
this one is refundable if you have not used it within four years.

wingnut60 · 11-07-2010, 09:22 PM

A) Expect not to recover your money
B) Expect to find fine print excluding exactly what you need the warranty for
Remember, the warranty is an insurance policy that the dealer makes a commission on. At the very least, get the exact name of the company that will pay a claim and check them for reliability. Also consider the Good Sam extended warranty--at least you will know where to find them if you need it.
There are some that work, but more that don't than do.
What is the name of the company that will provide payment of a claim?
Joe

Ray,IN · 11-08-2010, 06:10 PM

Well, after writing the following I re-read your post and discovered I missed the trailer is a 2004. So what I said about new warranties doesn't apply, everything else does.

If buying a MH, an extended service contract is advised. Trailers are another matter, they are not nearly as complicated. This is a personal decision, and I agree with wingnut that you are buying an insurance policy-so to speak. IMO it is better to put the cost of the contract in a savings account of some type instead of buying the extended service contract_ which is NOT a warranty program.
Keep in mind if you do buy from the dealer it is wrapped into your financing, and you will pay interest on the purchase price just as long as the trailer is financed, making the actual contract much more expensive than you imagine.
If you do encounter major expenses, and they are included in the contract, and you follow contract requirements exactly, it may be cost effective. The Good Sam magazine has a column each month that contains at least one extended service complaint.
After the manufacturers warranty is expired is a better time to consider buying such a contract. For example, Dometic has a 3 year warranty on air conditioning/heat pump units,2 years on refrigerators, etc. Lippert has a 2 year warranty on slide mechanism,etc.

TXiceman · 11-08-2010, 06:35 PM

A 6 year old slide will eventually develop problems. Whether the "warranty" will cover the particular repair depends on all of the exclusions and weasel wording. The extended warranties are a very high profit item for the dealer and the salesman. If you wnt to go with the warranty, over them 1/2 of the price and if they won;t come down to that...the answer is no way.

Also. get a copy of the policy and read it before you sign up for it. Also make sure you have a 60 or 90 day period to cancel the policy the policy....no charge.

The best thing to do is to just take the money and set it aside for future use if you need it. The companies are in the business to sell the policies because they plan to come out ahead.

If you get peace of mind by not getting socked with big repair bills, then read the policy in details and check their history and payment recors and how long they have been in business.

Ken

W4RLR · 11-09-2010, 06:33 PM

Even a Good Sam policy will only cover a trailer up to ten years old, after that, expect to pay for any repairs out of your own pocket. I have found with my fifteen year old Jayco there is very little that I cannot repair or maintain with a copy of Livingston's RV Repair book and a set of hand tools. I have replaced powered roof vents, fixed a inoperative water heater, and repaired a leaky roof, to include replacing damaged interior paneling.

If you are fairly handy and have a good source of parts at your local RV store, save the money on an extended warranty and put that money in the bank for whatever repairs become necessary.

ralper · 11-10-2010, 08:28 PM

Warranty companies are in business to make a profit and guess whose pocket the profit comes from????

flamebuster · 11-14-2010, 10:11 AM

Well I guess I am the odd duck. I have got my money back in the first year for my extended warr. The first item was the slide hyd.ram seals were leaking. Converter quit charging house batts.Than the landing gear stripped (broke) on the left side. Next a leaf spring broke on the freeway on ramp.I have Guadian Ins. and you don't want to make repairs and seek a refund afterwards. Make them pre approve the repairs with the repair facility..I only got reimbursed for HALF of the amt. 2 mths later. On the spring and landing gear. But still I wouldn't be without it.There is too many expensive items and most ins. will cover it all. When you buy used it is hard to tell how much things have already been used.

Traveler52 · 11-15-2010, 10:25 PM

You would be much better off putting the money in the back.

partsman01 · 11-15-2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diveman52

You would be much better off putting the money in the back.

I guess I could do that, but I think it might be better if I put it in a bank.

Appreciate all the feedback, we are supposed to pick it up saturday, PDI they say has been done, now it goes to the detail people.

wingnut60 · 11-16-2010, 08:37 AM

So you weren't there when the PDI was supposedly done? I would take the time to have it re-done with you present. I just was at a CG where a new Rockwood TT pulled in and hooked up to water--almost immediately there was water coming out of the frame/floor area--cracked water hose. Would be odd if that happened just traveling, don't think the PDI was done.

Ray,IN · 11-18-2010, 06:08 PM

I have been under the impression the entire purpose of a PDI was to insure the owner is satisfied with their purchase and is shown how to operate everything in/on the RV. That would make a PDI without the owner present a farce.

partsman01 · 11-19-2010, 11:53 PM

Well it went through the shop and the detail guys, so I just understood that as their PDI as they did all the brakes bearings and tire and whatever they also inspect, plus stuff I asked for, and now we go tomorrow for the walk through and get the hands on instructions, so I imagine that is all part of what they call a PDI.

hamp · 11-20-2010, 09:36 AM

one lighting surge ensured we made the right decision in purchasing our extended warranty. the surge took out 3 slide control modules, both AC control boards, the washing machine control board and a light fixture.

extended warranties are a gamble, no doubt. and depending on the company you purchase it from, i suppose it could be a nightmare to get them to pay.

the "catch-22" we ran into was that the repair facility was reimbursed by the warranty company only if something was rendered inoperable by the surge. this put the repair facility at a disadvantage as they had to inspect and/or do some amount of troubleshooting to determine the problem. if the problem was covered under the warranty, they were paid to make the repairs. if the problem was not covered under the warranty, they were out on a limb as to whether they'd be paid for the diagnosis.