Community Forums

don-deb · 08-24-2010, 06:10 PM

Im in the process of purchasing out first coach ( from a dealer )......Its a 2006 Tiffin Phaeton 35DH.......and was asked today if I was interested in an extended warantee ( National Warrantee Co ? )

Anyone have any good luck with a warrantee co. ? Or is it not a good idea ?

Thanks .........

RV Wizard · 08-25-2010, 02:37 AM

There are many different policies. They are like insurance. You might do well by one and you might never use it. Be sure to read the entire policy especially the fin print as maintenance is never covered. Also you could do a search for this topic as it has been discussed in detail before.

H. Miller · 08-25-2010, 04:51 AM

There are many places to purchase this coverage and your dealer is NOT one of them!! Think "mark-up".....and he probably only has one company to sell. Searce this site and find several.

don-deb · 08-25-2010, 05:17 AM

Thanks all............. I'll be reading thru the policy today..........It's a 3 year/36000 mile warrantee......covering " everything "......... but we will see.

The coach has low milage ( 26K ) and 500hrs on the generator . All things work as they should.........at this time. It has a Cat 350 / Allison 6spd / Onan gen.

Just concerned about down the road..........if we have a major problem.........and in our retirement time ( 1 1/2 years from now ).....would it have been a good investment ?

I would think spending the few grand for the policy ..........and never using it ..... would have been a good thing

Thanks

georgetown350 · 08-25-2010, 08:15 AM

Play hard ball. Tell the dealer to through the warranty in for free or walk.

Gary RVRoamer · 08-25-2010, 03:53 PM

Voluminous messages have been written here on this subject. Rather than re-hash them all, I suggest you use SEARCH to find and view messages with "extended warranty" in the text or title.

No extended warranty covers "everything". Not even close. Even the best have huge exclusions, like body parts, upholstery and such. And a dealer is usually the most expensive place to buy one, though you may be able to negotiate a better price or even get it thrown on the deal.

I'm not a big believer in this type of insurance, but we have one on the coach. A diesel motorhome has a lot of expensive parts and not too many have to fail to recover the premiums you pay in.

It's like any health insurance - you have to guess how often you are going to need care, how bad it may be and whether you could afford to pay for it yourself if the worst happened. If you can, then probably you don't need insurance.

rogerrabbit · 08-25-2010, 04:25 PM

When the injection pump on my Cummins went t--s up i was real happy to have the extended warranty

Ex-LFB · 08-25-2010, 04:36 PM

Do a search of the better business bureau before you buy, some of the policy's are not worth the paper they are printed on, I had one through Nationwide auto protection/American Auto Shield, the booklet said that turbo charger was covered, when mine failed they denied the claim saying carbon build up was not covered, subsequently found that although American Auto Shield has a good rating with BBB, Nationwide has an F rating, the lowest you can get. from now on I will take a chance that nothing major will go wrong.

don-deb · 08-25-2010, 04:59 PM

Ok........Has anyone dealt with National Warranty Co ?

They have a list of what is and what isn't covered. The covered list is pretty extensive. Its a 5 year or 35K miles deal.

Thanks

azloafer · 08-25-2010, 05:02 PM

We had a GO RV Warranty on our former coach. I wrote them starting in December of 2009 and asked for a refund. I have written and talked with them by phone at least a dozen times. I have a written record of all my letters. Here we are in August of 2010 and I am still fighting for our refund. They always have an excuse for not sending the refund check. In the last two phone conversations, Steve said that they owe us $1750, but the check never comes. I will continue to fight for our refund. I believe they want to wear me down so that I give up, but I won't! I would guess that they do this to all the people who ask for a refund. I suppose some people do give up and then they get to keep the money. This is a shame and that is why I am posting the warranty name so others don't do business with GO RV. Thanks for letting me vent, Joe

wazone3 · 08-25-2010, 05:56 PM

As stated above, this is an issue that has been discussed many-many times. One thing to remember, the prinicipal reason that these policies are marketed so strongly is they represent one of the most profitable products for both the seller and issuer. Take it from there-----

Dave and Jaime · 08-25-2010, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by don-deb

Ok........Has anyone dealt with National Warranty Co ?

They have a list of what is and what isn't covered. The covered list is pretty extensive. Its a 5 year or 35K miles deal.

Thanks

Are you looking at a brochure or the actual policy/contract? The latter is the legal document that determines the extent of coverage. Keep in mind there are 2 basic types of such policies. One is an "exclusionary" type and the other is "inclusionary." The exclusionary kind essentially say, "Everything is covered EXCEPT the following . . . " The inclusionry kind says "The following are covered . . . ." (and NOTHING else).

Generally, the exclusionary type is preferred because if something is not listed as excluded, it should be covered. While the list on an inclusionary type of policy may sound extensive, if it is not specifically listed, it is NOT covered. Thus, an inclusionary type might list things associated with a radiator or a transmission and not specifically say the "radiator" or the "transmission" -- then it is not covered even though you might "assume" it is.

Think of it this way. If you have an inclusionary type of policy, the burden is on you to find a very specific reference that says the exact thing you need fixed is covered. Since these are written cleverly to appear extensive (but to avoid covering some of the most expensive repairs), you will have a hard task. On the other hand, in the exclusionary type of policy, the burden is on the company to find a very specific reference that says the exact thing you need fixed is excluded.

The exclusionary type, as general rule of thumb, will also be more expensive.

But it is critical that you are not looking at some website list of "features" or a brochure. You must actually see and read the policy/contract to determine what type it is (inclusionary or exclusionary) and READ THE FINE PRINT of what really is included/excluded. And then bring the policy to an RV technician so you can interpret some of the technical descriptions of the items listed. If you ask many of these companies for the contract, some will say they only give you the contract AFTER you buy it (and allow you to cancel if you don't like what you see). But that prevents you from doing side by side comparisons BEFORE you buy.

These things are 10X more complicated to understand that your health insurance, and none of us can seem to figure out why some tests/treatments are only partially covered or not at all.

I say all this as an active, practicing litigation attorney at one of the nation's largest law firms. I honestly don't see how a layperson can really know what they are buying with these policies/contracts. The old saying about insurance holds true with extended warrant/service agreements. "Insurance is the business of collecting premiums and denying claims."

I don't see how you can really buy "peace of mind" with one of these agreements. You pay the premium, submit the claim and hold your breath that the company will interpret things the same way you do and will cover the claim.

Due to the above, I personally self insure (and mind you I would probably be in a better position than the average consumer to "fight" the company over a denied claim). The cost and aggravation of dealing with such companies is simply not worth it to me.

wazone3 · 03-31-2011, 06:00 PM

Dave & Jaime, Beautifuly stated, that is why I never buy an "extended warranty". That brings up a question--I've always heard that these contracts are actually service agreements, not warranties. Is that correct ? please explain.

Dave and Jaime · 04-02-2011, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wazone3

Dave & Jaime, Beautifuly stated, that is why I never buy an "extended warranty". That brings up a question--I've always heard that these contracts are actually service agreements, not warranties. Is that correct ? please explain.

For the most part, the term "extended warranty" is used when a "service contract" is what is actually meant. I believe extended warranty is used by those marketing service agreeements to imply broader coverage than is actually supplied. Original new warranties often cover everything "bumper to bumper" so calling a service agreement an extended warranty may cause some to think they are getting something similar.

Technically, I believe a "warranty" is something that derives only from the seller/manufacturer and is their promise to you that the product conforms to some standard of performance for a set period of time.

So, the most accurate term is service agreement or service contract but anyone using the term "extended warranty" is likely selling service agreements. Probably the only true extended warranties are those that are offered at the time you purchase a new product where you may be able to add an extra year or two to the manufacturer's warranty for an additional fee. Sometimes that extended warranty is sold by the manufacturer and it will be identical in coverage as the original. Squaretrade, which offers warranties on consumer goods, probably can legitimately claim to sell extended warranties because they pretty much cover any malfunction the manufacturer would cover under the original warranty after it expiers.