Extended Warranty: Which one?

[Chabear]

Ok, so this is going to generate alot of flack from all as I well know. Some will say do it and alot of others will say don't.....put your money away and save till something happens. I'm of the belief with any of my vehicles that now have alot of electrical gadgets in them that purchasing extended warranties is the best way to go. With that said we are waiting on the delivery of our custom MH and really need to know from those who have such said warranty which one do you have, had you had, who would you go with and who would you never go back too? Right now we are at a crossroad because the dealership gave us two companies: Cornerstone United and Interstate Star RV. Of course, they only gave us the prices for Cornerstone. This leads me to believe that they are going to push Cornerstone becausse they will get a kick back or Interstate must be very very expensive and the finanace guru thinks we won't have the money for it! If anyone has either of these companies your input would be greatly appreciated.

[Kammy]

You should negotiate an extended warranty into the purchase of a new MH. Get the best deal you can on the MH THEN tell them you want an extended warrenty included i.e. 3 yr., 5 yrs. or whatever.

[1775]

When we picked up our new Roadtrek we were told for the first time about an Extended Warranty. There had been no mention of this before and no chance to negotiate it into the price. The dealership was pushing "XtraRide" from Protective.

With a car I would never take the extended warranty - I have fallen for that in the past and it was never used BUT with the motorhome it is covering a lot of things that will cost a lot to repair - sewer system, water system, refrigerator, propane system, A/C, stove, - everything related to the MH, appliances, etc. The problem was the price - over $2500 for seven years - but this starts running immediately and the OEM warranties are in effect at the same time. Having just handed over a lot of money I was not ready to write a check for another $2500 on the spot. But we were told that we could buy the coverage through the dealer at any time during the first year at the same amount. So we are still considering it.

[Renipladlo]

None, but then you can do a search in any of the motorhome groups for the companies who sell them and read about all the problems with them. Some can pay for themselves, but just put the 7K dollars they want and put it into a savings account or CD, and draw out when you need big expensive things fixed. If you are purchasing new, the manfacturers warranty and component warranties will cover you for the first 2-3 years, you can extend the warranties on the components via all the little warranty cards that is in the paperwork with the unit. That can cover those problems out to 5 years. After that, if full time, some of the things will need to be replaced, as RV stuff is not meant to be lived in full time. FWIW-a lot of folks do, and with good maintenance, and proper excersize of the systems monthly, they will last longer. RV refers rairly last no longer than 10 years, unless you are especially diligent on keeping the rig spot on level when parked. Water heaters need to be flushed out annualy at least.

[UFO Pilot]

I have the Interstate Star RV with Diamond coverage, 7 years / 75,000 miles. I have used it one time and was very happy with the coverage. As stated above many of the RV items are covered by manufacturer warranty, some as long as 5 years in my case. The 2 items replaced were only covered by the original Winnebago warranty of 1 year. I have received about 50% of my premium "back" with the 1 claim.

The cost varies greatly so negotiate as much as you can. I kept saying no until it was less than half of the original quote.

[Chabear]

Originally Posted by wthomas1

I have the Interstate Star RV with Diamond coverage, 7 years / 75,000 miles. I have used it one time and was very happy with the coverage. As stated above many of the RV items are covered by manufacturer warranty, some as long as 5 years in my case. The 2 items replaced were only covered by the original Winnebago warranty of 1 year. I have received about 50% of my premium "back" with the 1 claim.

The cost varies greatly so negotiate as much as you can. I kept saying no until it was less than half of the original quote.

Did you purchase at dealership? If so you were able to negotiate with them? We were given the breakdown on 5 to 7 years on the warranty. Very expensive!

[UFO Pilot]

Originally Posted by Chabear

Did you purchase at dealership? If so you were able to negotiate with them? We were given the breakdown on 5 to 7 years on the warranty. Very expensive!

I bought from the dealer at the time of purchase. I told them that I knew the warranty on the Coach was 1 year, the chassis 3 years, and the drive train is 5 years. Based on those facts I wouldn't pay full price for the extended warranty. When they finally got down to about 1/2 of the original quote I said OK.

[jerrylyn]

will call Interst. Star, thank you. But how do you "negotiate" rates with an insurance co. They're so 'mater-a-fact-ish' when I call. thanks

[UFO Pilot]

I bought my Interstate plan thru the selling dealer. All my negotiations were with them.

[Mr_D]

Some people like them, we don't. Consumer Reports says not to buy them. They are NOT "warranties", they are a service contract and are written to favor the insurance company. If they didn't they would be out of business. They can't stay in business by paying out as much as they take in. More than one has gone out of business and left policy holders with no insurance, if they rolled the cost into the contract there they are still paying for something that no longer exists.

Just too many bad experiences posted, even Good Sam has unsatisfied customers.

One person had a transmission failure, ins co. asked for his maintenance records. The ins co found that he had gone 750 miles past an engine oil/filter change, so they denied coverage!

Not for us!!!

[RickO]

You're certainly right about there being a lot of opinions on this topic and if you do a forum search you'll find a great deal of opinions.

As newbies just over 4 years ago purchasing our first ever RV... a new 40 DP... I was very concerned with being able to have a financial safety net so I bought a 7 year policy via the dealer with Easy Care.

The good news is that they have been a pleasure to work with... are highly thought of by the shops I've done business with... and have never denied a claim.

The bad news is that I was naive and paid way too much for it and probably should have waited until the coach was nearly a year old to buy.

You'll hear horror stories about some providers and I'm sure they are true. Continue to do your homework and make an informed decision that matches your personal needs. Something to keep in mind is that (IMHO) these are not "investments" where you expect to come out ahead financially but rather insurance policies for the "just in case". An individual's tolerance for risk can make all the difference in how they view these products. I have no idea how much money Easy Care has paid out vs the cost of my policy but it sure is nice to know that any time I have a problem with my coach I can just take it in and get it fixed without concern for how much it's going to cost me.

Congrats on the new rig and best of luck.

Rick

[Norm4015]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

One person had a transmission failure, ins co. asked for his maintenance records. The ins co found that he had gone 750 miles past an engine oil/filter change, so they denied coverage!

And to take it one step further. I remember a man posting he had an engine failure and needed a new engine. The warranty company asked for his maintenance receipts since the motorhome was sold new. He had bought it used and did not have the original owner's receipts. Claim denied!!!

[RickO]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

They are NOT "warranties", they are a service contract and are written to favor the insurance company. If they didn't they would be out of business. They can't stay in business by paying out as much as they take in. More than one has gone out of business and left policy holders with no insurance, if they rolled the cost into the contract there they are still paying for something that no longer exists.

Just too many bad experiences posted, even Good Sam has unsatisfied customers.

One person had a transmission failure, ins co. asked for his maintenance records. The ins co found that he had gone 750 miles past an engine oil/filter change, so they denied coverage!

Not for us!!!

Good points. I seem to remember reading that, although these are really insurance policies, the providers are NOT regulated like insurance companies are which has lead to problems at times. A good reason to check on the history and satisfaction ratings of anyone you are interested in doing business with. As for writing the policies to favor the insurance company and taking in more than they pay out... I think this is just as true with extended warranties as it is for any type of insurance. Everyone is in business to make money and I don't hold that against them so long as they do business in an above board fashion. It's the sleezy companies who regularly use loop holes like the ones mentioned here that give them all a bad name. I've read many posts about policies which don't cover "seals" and if a failure can be traced to a failed seal they deny coverage.

Rick

[Kenko74]

First of all, never purchase one from a dealer. They often have a 60% profit margin. Go directly to the extended warranty corporate site, and check it out with the BBB. United States Warranty Corporation, for example, is rated A+ in claims service--really the most important aspect when you get right down to it. For a new travel trailer, 7 years bumper to bumper coverage is about $900, and you can get deductibles as low as $50.