Extended warranty yes / no ?

[PT RV`er]

How many of you after buying a new RV decided to purchase the extended warranty? My 1 yr warranty is coming up for expiration and the dealer is starting to send me notices about purchasing the extended warranty. So at the cost of roughly $2k, how many bought it?

[Javi]

Nope... total waste of money

[bsmith0404]

If you do a search you will find this has been discussed at length on the forum. With that said, I would say that it seems few have, and the ones who did wished they hadn't. I did, against my better judgment.....DW's decision. She told me I'd be crazy if I didn't get it. I think having a 5 yr old $2000 refrigerator go out on one of our previous 5ers and this one being much more expensive scared her. I guess only time will tell.

[PT RV`er]

^^^^^^^That's what I thought ^^^^^^^^^^^ Thanks Javi

[TLB]

My wife said we should get it too at time of purchase.

Time will tell if it is needed.

[GaryWT]

I have it. Just went in as part of the loan so I have it if I need it. For us it is you need it if you don't have it and you don't need it if you have it...

[Bluewater]

If you read the warranty on many of the major items in your rv you will see they have their own 2 year warranty that will cover most any failure. Check ti out.

[bsmith0404]

If you read the warranty on many of the major items in your rv you will see they have their own 2 year warranty that will cover most any failure. Check ti out.

That was my argument as well, but the DW pointed out that 2 years is not the same as 7 years....she does have a point there. Oh well, if I ever use it I can say it was money well spent. If I never use it, it was money SHE wasted. Now that's a statement I have NEVER made before :rolleyes:

[Festus2]

Some extended warranties have an "out" for buyers in that if you do not make a claim at any time during the warranty period, you will be reimbursed the entire amount less a $200 "administrative" fee.

If you are seriously considering purchasing one, check into it and see if there is such a "benefit" in the warranty.

Unlike some things, if you "don't use it, you won't lose it".

[chuckster57]

I never took any extended warranties on any purchases...until I bought current unit. Since I was retired (fixed income) $3.00/mo extra payment was reasonable to me given the cost of replacing an appliance or major component.

When I had my Jayco, the slide motor for the upstairs bed failed to the tune of $750.00 I did the labor.

[Javi]

The thing about these warranties is that they fail to cover many of the issues that we all think we may need the warranty for in the first place.

I've looked into them several times because like many of you the DW is pretty persistent about wanting me to buy one every time we buy a new truck, car, RV, TV or kitchen appliance. What I find is that most stuff that's gonna break will break during the initial warranty or in the case of RV's has a manufacturer warranty that surpasses that offered by the RV manufacturer itself.

This is especially true of the big ticket items like the axles, fridge, air conditioner, water heater and furnace.

So I ask her why buy an extended warranty....

Put the cost of the policy in the bank and if you do need to replace/repair something that is out of the items warranty you already have the money sitting there... and if you don't have to fix big ticket items or like many of us trade RV's before the warranty period is up anyway.

Do that and you have a nest egg toward the next RV.

[greengiant]

The thing about these warranties is that they fail to cover many of the issues that we all think we may need the warranty for in the first place.

I've looked into them several times because like many of you the DW is pretty persistent about wanting me to buy one every time we buy a new truck, car, RV, TV or kitchen appliance. What I find is that most stuff that's gonna break will break during the initial warranty or in the case of RV's has a manufacturer warranty that surpasses that offered by the RV manufacturer itself.

This is especially true of the big ticket items like the axles, fridge, air conditioner, water heater and furnace.

So I ask her why buy an extended warranty....

Put the cost of the policy in the bank and if you do need to replace/repair something that is out of the items warranty you already have the money sitting there... and if you don't have to fix big ticket items or like many of us trade RV's before the warranty period is up anyway.

Do that and you have a nest egg toward the next RV.

Exactly what I think. I've gotten some warranties over the years and in the end they are just about always a way for someone else to make money on me. Not so say I haven't had one, once in a while that was worth it though.
On our Keystone, we figured we would use it hard the first year during the main warranty such that if anything would go, hopefully it would be then.

[Yosemitebob]

We bought the extended warranty as well as some others here. Not only is it like an insurance policy, if you do have a major problem, it helps in the pocket book area.

[Pmedic4]

Never had an extended warranty for any of our RV's, but honestly have never had any issue with any costly repair. Out of the 4 new RV's never had to take them in for any expensive service which wasn't covered under the original warranty, and then never anything with an appliance.

I have purchase several extended warranties on vehicles, and personally, they have been nothing but frustration. Either the part that failed wasn't covered, or something that wasn't the responsibility of the extended warranty, or the deductible would have been more than simply taking it to the local garage or doing it myself. Regardless, as someone said an extended warranty is an insurance policy, and what insurance is, is sharing a risk. For probably every ext. warranty sold, only 1 out of 5 purchasers ever recoup the purchase price ( actually, the real numbers are a closely guarded secret which leads you to believe that payout could even be less than that!) It is real easy to say, it's only 10 cents a day, but that simply hides the fact that you are paying a large sum over a long term loan.

BTW, if my refrigerator goes out, and it costs a lot to fix, everyone will pitch in $20 to help me fix it, right? That's exactly what an extended warranty is doing.

[bsmith0404]

Never had an extended warranty for any of our RV's, but honestly have never had any issue with any costly repair. Out of the 4 new RV's never had to take them in for any expensive service which wasn't covered under the original warranty, and then never anything with an appliance.

I have purchase several extended warranties on vehicles, and personally, they have been nothing but frustration. Either the part that failed wasn't covered, or something that wasn't the responsibility of the extended warranty, or the deductible would have been more than simply taking it to the local garage or doing it myself. Regardless, as someone said an extended warranty is an insurance policy, and what insurance is, is sharing a risk. For probably every ext. warranty sold, only 1 out of 5 purchasers ever recoup the purchase price ( actually, the real numbers are a closely guarded secret which leads you to believe that payout could even be less than that!) It is real easy to say, it's only 10 cents a day, but that simply hides the fact that you are paying a large sum over a long term loan.

BTW, if my refrigerator goes out, and it costs a lot to fix, everyone will pitch in $20 to help me fix it, right? That's exactly what an extended warranty is doing.

Pretty much. When my extended warranty is getting close to expiring, maybe I should run the fridge 24/7 until it fails and get a new one....wouldn't it be nice to be able to predict when something would fail. I will say that although the DW insisted on it and if she hadn't been there I would have declined, it is nice knowing that if it fails sometime within the first 7 years it's a $4-5k bill I won't have to pay. After that, maybe it'll be time for a new 5er.

[Ken / Claudia]

I purchased extended warranties on wifes explorer, I think it was around 1500. The a/c pump was replaced under it. The front CV joint failed and they would not cover it , they said 4x4 was not marked on the form. I had the form it had boxes 2wd, 4wd, front wheel drive only. It is a AWD, and no box to make that pick. We paid the dealer and after weeks they finally paid us back. Those problems cost about 1500 so it about paid for itself. On the ranger I paid 1100 for extended warrenty, clutch failed due to oil clyinder leaked in the clutch houseing, cost about 1600 to fix everything and it was not covered at all, they said it was normal wear. I think I am done buying them.

[Desert185]

I "self insure" in this area and am money ahead as a result. Insurance and taxes cut into pocket change, and are not necessarily unavoidable.

[Pmedic4]

I purchased extended warranties on wifes explorer, I think it was around 1500. The a/c pump was replaced under it. The front CV joint failed and they would not cover it , they said 4x4 was not marked on the form. I had the form it had boxes 2wd, 4wd, front wheel drive only. It is a AWD, and no box to make that pick. We paid the dealer and after weeks they finally paid us back. Those problems cost about 1500 so it about paid for itself. On the ranger I paid 1100 for extended warrenty, clutch failed due to oil clyinder leaked in the clutch houseing, cost about 1600 to fix everything and it was not covered at all, they said it was normal wear. I think I am done buying them.

Sorry, long post, my issues with Extended warranties are sort of painful - by the way, they are on vehicles not RV's so please appreciate that difference.
1 - Ford van, got the extended warranty from Ford. Had a problem with the knob/switch to change from heating to cooling. A baffle warped, not covered, about a $500 to repair, not covered. Also had another problem which wasn't really covered under the purchased extended warranty, but Ford extended the warranty coverage - great, right. One of the provisions of the extended warranty was loaner vehicle while yours was repaired - dealer claimed since this wasn't a 'purchased extended warranty repair, so it didn't qualify for a loaner vehicle!
2 - Nissan Maxima - extended warranty from Nissan. Had problem with sensor, which quit working about a week after the base warranty. Not listed in the "covered items", about $750 to repair. What really seemed strange to me, was when I told the guy I had an extended warranty, he laughed and said this wasn't covered - sort like he knew the part code to use to prevent from being a covered repair. Complained to Nissan, they said they would reimburse me even though not covered, never heard from them again and they wouldn't return my calls.
3 - Chevy - bought an extended warranty from third party company, because it was stated, they covered everything and no excluded parts! YAY!
the company Warranty Gold went bankrupt before I even had a problem. Fortunately, I was also making payments on a monthly basis to them, so I was able to stop paying them after only 2 payments - fun part of this one, is that even though they went bankrupt, and said so, they claimed I still owed the full amount of the extended warranty even though they weren't going to honor it.
4 - Chevy Blazer - used, bought extended warranty from dealer. This was the clincher. After having it about 2 months, had a problem with 4 wheel drive, where when you pushed the button to engage the 4 wheel drive, and it would grind gears. Took it in for service, and the first time service department said, "pre-existing problem, not covered", of course talked to sales manager and said, you sold me a vehicle with a pre-existing problem you either make it right, or I take you to court. He said, bring it back, this time service department did nothing and said just drive it, and don't worry it will get quieter, and they did nothing. Still under base warranty, and extended warranty. Traded vehicle next day, got all my money back on the extended warranty, since it was in the 'cancellation period'.

Other than the third party fiasco, it almost seems like the dealers will do anything to prevent them doing or paying for a repair on an extended warranty. Based on my experiences, it makes me wonder if they get some reimbursement/credit for not providing services for the extended warranties, so they have an incentive to not do any of the work. Of course, the one dealership, who I bad mouth constantly, I don't think they even have a mechanic I would trust to check the pressure in my tires.

So out of 4 purchased extended warranties, I have never had a payable claim - well really 3. Also, the reason I bought these were I was driving high mileage for work, and even the best extended warranty I found only covers a vehicle for 120,000 miles and I generally blew that away - Maxima had 240,000 miles when I traded it in, and only then after it was more body damage from hitting a deer and fire hydrant than mechanical issues.

If you were me, could you recommend a extended warranty?

[dirt33]

I recently purchased a 2010 Bullet, and I did opt for the extended warranty. The price of the warranty was included with the trailer financing, and my payment didn't go up much at all, so I figured it was "not too bad".

Only issue I have found so far in about 3 weeks of having the trailer is that the DVD part of the Jensen unit will not work (just displays "error" message). The list of items covered in the warranty pamphlet does list the DVD player, so I plan to file a claim soon. I believe the unit would cost about $300 to replace (I have $50 deductible). I have already had it out of the mounting and looked at the wires in the back, looks pretty simple to take out and put a new one in.

Am I crazy to think (hope) that I could simply have a new Jensen unit sent to me to install myself under the warranty plan? Or, will they most likely insist that it goes to a dealer?

[bsmith0404]

Most warranty work needs to be performed by an authorized service center. That said, the dealer may be willing to state they looked at it and determined it required replacing and order a new on for you. Depends on their work load and business practices. Keep in mind, If they are willing to work with you like that, if it doesn't work, you're probably on your own from there

[dirt33]

Thank you bsmith. I will begin the process soon. I do have a very small portable DVD player in there that can be used in the meantime, which is good but also probably bad as it "lessens" the urgency with which to get this issue resolved from my end. I do have a dealer here locally in my fairly small town, I have not yet taken any service to them but I know that relationship will certainly "begin" at some point. I guess this scenario you described would be a good way to get a feel for how it would be working with them.

[Festus2]

Am I crazy to think (hope) that I could simply have a new Jensen unit sent to me to install myself under the warranty plan? Or, will they most likely insist that it goes to a dealer?

It is highly unlikely that you would be sent a new unit to install yourself based solely on your word that it is not working. In almost all cases, you would be required to take it to an approved licensed/authorized repair facility to first determine if the "damage" is in fact covered by the warranty and then obtain approval from the warranty folks to proceed with a replacement or repair of the stereo/DVD. If replacement is approved, any installation would be done by the repair facility unless you were given approval to DIY.

[dirt33]

Thank you Festus2. I figured that would be the case. I don't have any experience with warranties, so I just wanted to get an idea of how the process would go.