Warranty Claim

[Muskyman5]

Have had a leak in my bedroom slide for 2 months. Have contacted 5 dealers from Vancouver to Southern California and each one asked if we purchased it through them. When we said NO all claim they are too busy to deal with it. NOT HAPPY AT ALL! :banghead:

[Steve S]

So why not take it back to the dealer that you bought it from?
Also yr, model and more info would help :)

[notanlines]

Muskyman, this isn't your local Nissan dealer you're dealing with. (I'm probably not telling you anything new) When you buy a new car it will make NO difference what dealer you take it back to for service. The service writer will write you up, tell you to get a cup of coffee and in about however many hours you're ready to go. Maybe in a small town you might see the sales person again, but not in the rest of the world. With buying a 5v'er or a TT things are a little different. That dealer you called in Hunkerdown, Oregon is laughing right now about your call. They have no reason in the world to say they will work on your beast. You don't know them, you aren't ever going to buy from them and they also don't want to argue with Keystone over a water leak in your trailer. Best you make nice with your local dealer and hope he fits you in somewhere sometime. How's the musky fishing these days, by the way? I grew up 20 miles from the Musky capital of the world and never, but never even had one on. Lots of pike, however.

[gearhead]

For a warranty claim on the "Keystone" part of the RV, an authorized dealer will have to work on it. By Keystone part, I mean the structure.
All the other components can be repaired under warranty by any shop that is authorized by the component manufacturer, i.e.: Dometic, Suburban, etc.
Unfortunately a water leak will likely be a structure issue.
Are you physically located so far from your selling dealer that it is impossible to return to them?
I have posted this before, but I really believe that this should be addressed by legislation.

[racin500]

If it's not a warranty issue, take it to a local independent dealer. They should be able to order any parts that a dealer can. "Too Busy" seems to be a common complaint with dealers. The little guy might love your business.

If it's warranty, check first, but the local shop may be able to submit your claim. I've never had to work with a Keystone dealer but they were very nice at the main offices when I need some information.

My 2007 Everest was serviced at a local shop. I bought it used (private party) and took it to them because the Keystone dealer in my area had 44 BBB complaints last year. Makes you wonder how many they had that didn't file with the BBB.

It took about 3 weeks and they did a complete written inspection, tested or tried everything in the RV, striped and re-caulked the roof, fixed a leaky slide, faulty converter and several minor items. They were able to get all the necessary parts from Keystone for the slide.

Actually, they saved me a couple bucks by buying parts local (kitchen faucet and plumbing fittings) instead of the high priced Keystone stuff.

[Festus2]

Have had a leak in my bedroom slide for 2 months. Have contacted 5 dealers from Vancouver to Southern California and each one asked if we purchased it through them. When we said NO all claim they are too busy to deal with it. NOT HAPPY AT ALL! :banghead:

Your frustration about having been "rejected" by Keystone dealers to do work on a unit that was not purchased from them is not an uncommon. This practice goes on all the time much to the chagrin of Keystone owners - especially those who bought a unit from a dealership that is several hundred or more miles away from their residence. Other than banging your head, there isn't much that you or anyone else can do about this practice. Keystone has, I believe, indicated that they are trying to change this but I haven't seen or heard any evidence that there has been any improvement.

Even if you can find a Keystone dealership who might take a look at the leaking problem, getting Keystone to authorize a repair on a leak will not be an easy task and could take a long, long time. Just check out Keystone's disclaimer in their warranty section about what is covered and what is not. Leaks and damage caused by them are a hard sell from the consumer's standpoint.

Rather than spend more time beating your head against a brick wall, I'd bite the bullet, find a reliable service center who will examine your unit and carry out any repairs necessary. It's probably not a good idea to have your unit sitting around and leaking for a long period of time. If it has been leaking for 2 months - that's too long!! The longer it leaks the more damage it will cause.

It may be a simple, inexpensive repair but one that certainly needs attending to sooner rather than later.

Let's hope that it is both easy and cheap!

[JRTJH]

Have had a leak in my bedroom slide for 2 months. Have contacted 5 dealers from Vancouver to Southern California and each one asked if we purchased it through them. When we said NO all claim they are too busy to deal with it. NOT HAPPY AT ALL! :banghead:

One thing you might want to consider doing is to contact Keystone Customer Service, explain the situation and ask them for names/phone numbers of INDEPENDENT service centers in your area that are approved by Keystone to do repair service under warranty. They usually aren't associated with a dealership and make their profit from dealing with any (and all) RV's of any brand. If you and Keystone reach an agreement to get one of these independent's to look at your trailer, at least you'll be headed in the right direction. As Festus2 indicated, leaks are a "difficult sell" with Keystone and damage from a 2 month old leak may complicate any claim you might have had "months ago".

Best to contact Keystone, discuss your options and see where that takes you. As you've learned, dealerships that didn't sell you the RV are "not your friend" when you start requesting they do you a favor. For the most part, if you didn't "scratch their back" when you bought, they won't "scratch your back" when you need something from them either.

Good Luck,

[Stew]

This makes me wonder what kind of service I would get if I were half way across the country and something happened where I needed warranty work just to get it back home.

[randy69]

I Personaly hate to take anything to the dealer. I had two leaks in my tt went to closet rv store and purchase rubber roof self leveling caulk. ReSealed all vents on top. Just had a rain storm and no leaks.

[x96mnn]

This is the "cry" of the RV industry. I will not go as far to paint all dealers with the same brush as I am sure there are some out there that do not do this. Having experiances the same thing myself not buying local it was very frustrating.

I have bought local since and have no issues with warranty, but did stay away from the dealers who told me no.

[hankpage]

I cannot for the life of me understand why folks join the forum, give little or no info on their trailer, cry foul, post about their problem and then never come back to see if anyone has a solution for them. http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=251&pictureid=1115

[jsmith948]

I cannot for the life of me understand why folks join the forum, give little or no info on their trailer, cry foul, post about their problem and then never come back to see if anyone has a solution for them. http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=251&pictureid=1115

Well, I think they either just want to vent or they work for one of Keystone's competitors?

[bsmith0404]

I cannot for the life of me understand why folks join the forum, give little or no info on their trailer, cry foul, post about their problem and then never come back to see if anyone has a solution for them. http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=251&pictureid=1115

Or they didn't bookmark the page and forgot where they posted. Don't ask how I know that happens :banghead:

[vmyoung61]

One question - How do you buy "local" when you are full-time and live all over the country?

Face it. As newbies, you are told by dealers that you can have your warranty work done at any authorized Keystone dealer. They tell you anything to sell you a unit.

Another thought - if you AREN'T full-time and DO buy from your local dealer, what about when you are on the road for your yearly vacation and have problems?

[sourdough]

I don't know about other dealerships but; we bought our current 2014 trailer at a CW in W TX. We took our first long trip to FL and along the way we lost a sliding door, had broken roller/hinges and busted woodwork. When we arrived at our final destination in FL I called the CW in Tallahassee and explained our situation. They said I could bring it in but it might be two weeks before parts would come in. I explained I was living in it and that I could repair the damage that occurred. They ordered the parts and got the warranty approved (after I provided explanations and pictures). They kept in contact with me every few days with updates and notified me immediately when the parts came in. Again, they were willing to take me in if I had wanted to do that so I have no problems thus far with either CW or Keystone.

[sourdough]

Just wanted to add some clarification on my earlier post. There are lots of complaints about having to leave your camper for long periods at the dealership and our dealings in FL illustrate why....and I do believe that issue belongs to Keystone. From the time we submitted our claim to Keystone from the Tallahassee CW it took them 9 days to approve the claim. After that it took 17 days for the parts to arrive at CW Tallahassee. To me that is an issue and it illustrates how a person taking a unit in for seemingly minor repairs ends up waiting a month to get it back. In this case it was 26 days just to get the repairs authorized and parts to the dealer. If they had been doing the work I suspect it would have been another two weeks on top of that. To me this illustrates the predicament that we as owners are in at times.

[x96mnn]

Backing what sourdough is saying while responding to vmyoung61.

Complaints regarding people breaking down or major work needed while traveling does not seem to be an issue. Read plenty on here regarding those situations and most places will bend over backward for a stranded camper. Where the complaints come in is when someone buys many miles away and then contacts the local dealer to do the warranty work for it.

I am sure there is often a second part of the story not being told. The part where the dealer was shopped, spent time and then dickered with and would not budge. Was told we are buying it there if you do not come down in price and the two sides have a repour.

That is not always the case though, I did buy local, moved to not local, was told by the one of my now local rv dealer to pound sand. I did pound sand, have spent a 100k locally in this new town on RVs, that dealer has sold me a camp toaster, rv toilet paper, light bulb and a rynoflex sewer hose joiner. Each time it was while I was taking my new campers out for the first time, making sure it was parked square in his lot and the temp sticker still on them. Yeah that's right, I'm petty and I do it. :soapbox:

[mark1228]

Just wanted to add some clarification on my earlier post. There are lots of complaints about having to leave your camper for long periods at the dealership and our dealings in FL illustrate why....and I do believe that issue belongs to Keystone. From the time we submitted our claim to Keystone from the Tallahassee CW it took them 9 days to approve the claim. After that it took 17 days for the parts to arrive at CW Tallahassee. To me that is an issue and it illustrates how a person taking a unit in for seemingly minor repairs ends up waiting a month to get it back. In this case it was 26 days just to get the repairs authorized and parts to the dealer. If they had been doing the work I suspect it would have been another two weeks on top of that. To me this illustrates the predicament that we as owners are in at times.

This is spot on! Thanks for pointing this out

[mark1228]

Backing what sourdough is saying while responding to vmyoung61.

Complaints regarding people breaking down or major work needed while traveling does not seem to be an issue. Read plenty on here regarding those situations and most places will bend over backward for a stranded camper. Where the complaints come in is when someone buys many miles away and then contacts the local dealer to do the warranty work for it.

I am sure there is often a second part of the story not being told. The part where the dealer was shopped, spent time and then dickered with and would not budge. Was told we are buying it there if you do not come down in price and the two sides have a repour.

That is not always the case though, I did buy local, moved to not local, was told by the one of my now local rv dealer to pound sand. I did pound sand, have spent a 100k locally in this new town on RVs, that dealer has sold me a camp toaster, rv toilet paper, light bulb and a rynoflex sewer hose joiner. Each time it was while I was taking my new campers out for the first time, making sure it was parked square in his lot and the temp sticker still on them. Yeah that's right, I'm petty and I do it. :soapbox:

X96 I understand where you are coming from as a consumer but there is another side to this. I am a dealer GM/owner and have been for 15 years. My store is one of the "bad" stores because we only do warranty work on units we sell. First, there is a big difference between a "traveler" vs someone that lives local and bought out of the area. Generally speaking, the traveler coming through is normally on vacation and only has 1 or maybe two issues that are normally pretty easy to take care of. They are very thankful if you can help them. Again, generally speaking the local owner that bought somewhere else brings a unit in with a list of items. Quite often some of these items are not covered by warranty as they should have been taken care of on the pdi. Other times it's a stain in the carpet or a scratch in cabinet door. Again, these are not covered by the warranty. I have had many customers leave our store very angry with US because items like these are not covered. Then there are things that are not really wrong, but the customer just does not know how to operate it because they had it shipped in and never went through an orientation. Again, Keystone is not going to cover any of this. Add all of this to the FACT that warranty is a money loser anyway and you can start to understand why some of us decide not to do it. So after years of dealing with these kinds of issues and still having unhappy customers, we made the decision to not do it any longer and while I know that also makes some customers unhappy, we have never been sorry for doing it. I know some folks don't like it but dealers are a for profit business and if warranty made us money, we would all do it.

On edit, I would also add that Keystone/Dutchmen customer service/warranty support is one of the best if not the best in the towable side of the RV industry. Even at that, its not a profit center for us

[denverpilot]

I understand the pain of the dealers, but I do have to toss out here that any dealer who sells an expensive extended warranty, that covers bupkis...

And I mean it... if they even OFFER them, and then complains that warranty isn't a profit maker... doesn't get too many tears from me. Keystone warranty may be a money loser but how many people get suckered into the extended warranties at most dealerships?

Frankly that one move right there, lowered my view of my otherwise "good rated" dealer, by orders of magnitude.

Just stop selling them and explain that you don't because they sucketh mightily.

First 5er, so we made the standard mistake, before doing enough research on them, and have one, and so far, with paying the dealer over 10% of the new cost of the unit for roof repairs NOT covered by Keystone ... and therefore also NOT covered by the extended warranty...

The general feeling is that the dealer has reached into my wallet deeply, twice, for what they should have reached into it once for.

I'm fine with it. Live and learn.

In the grand scheme of things a different vehicle extended warranty saved me from over $13K in repairs to an automobile, so I'm still ahead of the extended warranty game.

Karma. I was due for some payback on that one. Ha.

But dealers who sell them, and then smile and say "none of that is covered", knowing the most common repairs are not covered (come on, I know your service department computer system tracks this, I'm slow but not stupid haha), should just knock it off. Really. Nothing good between customer and dealer can ever come of that. It's an almost guaranteed no-win for the customer and win for the dealer in the vast majority of common repair cases, I bet.

Selling the typical RV extended warranty, is just total crap for customer service, and every dealer with a service department tracking system knows it. Private dealers should leave it for other dealers to do to customers and just stop offering them in the finance office.

It's about as customer friendly as selling junk bonds. Haha.

Every time I open up that nice thick book of trailer paperwork and maintenance stuff all pretty and embossed with the dealer's name and address, guess what two things are on the left and the right? Left is a file folder with the receipts for all the stuff not covered, and right is the glossy pretty sales pitch the dealer handed me for the great-deal extended warranty. Guess who I'll associate with no wanting to do business again with by looking in that book every time I put a new receipt for even standard maintenance in it?

Worst marketing ever. "Here's what we didn't do for you."

Just sayin'...

[gearhead]

"Add all of this to the FACT that warranty is a money loser anyway "
Why is that? Tell us more.
My independent parts and repair shop was quite pleased with their reimbursement from Dometic for my refrigerator warranty repair that my selling mega-dealership couldn't fix.

[x96mnn]

"Add all of this to the FACT that warranty is a money loser anyway "
Why is that? Tell us more.
My independent parts and repair shop was quite pleased with their reimbursement from Dometic for my refrigerator warranty repair that my selling mega-dealership couldn't fix.

Domestic is not a manufacture warranty item, thus the differance in price. Same thing with Coleman and other non manufacturer defeats. I beleive what mark1228 is referring to, roof leaks and he is given 4 hr book time to repair a roof that takes him a day and a half. Or a floor squeaks and he is given 2hrs labour to fix it.

[gearhead]

One would think that these dealers that claim they sell at high discount because their volume grants them better wholesale price from Thor, would swing some of that influence on warranty rates. One would think.

[mark1228]

I understand the pain of the dealers, but I do have to toss out here that any dealer who sells an expensive extended warranty, that covers bupkis...

And I mean it... if they even OFFER them, and then complains that warranty isn't a profit maker... doesn't get too many tears from me. Keystone warranty may be a money loser but how many people get suckered into the extended warranties at most dealerships?

Frankly that one move right there, lowered my view of my otherwise "good rated" dealer, by orders of magnitude.

Just stop selling them and explain that you don't because they sucketh mightily.

First 5er, so we made the standard mistake, before doing enough research on them, and have one, and so far, with paying the dealer over 10% of the new cost of the unit for roof repairs NOT covered by Keystone ... and therefore also NOT covered by the extended warranty...

The general feeling is that the dealer has reached into my wallet deeply, twice, for what they should have reached into it once for.

I'm fine with it. Live and learn.

In the grand scheme of things a different vehicle extended warranty saved me from over $13K in repairs to an automobile, so I'm still ahead of the extended warranty game.

Karma. I was due for some payback on that one. Ha.

But dealers who sell them, and then smile and say "none of that is covered", knowing the most common repairs are not covered (come on, I know your service department computer system tracks this, I'm slow but not stupid haha), should just knock it off. Really. Nothing good between customer and dealer can ever come of that. It's an almost guaranteed no-win for the customer and win for the dealer in the vast majority of common repair cases, I bet.

Selling the typical RV extended warranty, is just total crap for customer service, and every dealer with a service department tracking system knows it. Private dealers should leave it for other dealers to do to customers and just stop offering them in the finance office.

It's about as customer friendly as selling junk bonds. Haha.

Every time I open up that nice thick book of trailer paperwork and maintenance stuff all pretty and embossed with the dealer's name and address, guess what two things are on the left and the right? Left is a file folder with the receipts for all the stuff not covered, and right is the glossy pretty sales pitch the dealer handed me for the great-deal extended warranty. Guess who I'll associate with no wanting to do business again with by looking in that book every time I put a new receipt for even standard maintenance in it?

Worst marketing ever. "Here's what we didn't do for you."

Just sayin'...

You are of course entitled to your opinion, but that's what it is. There are no facts in your argument. I'm sorry if you feel you got taken on your extended warranty on your RV but I have seen extended warranty save people lots of money. I have also seen folks never use. Lets be honest, extended warranty is insurance. Some people choose to insure their vehicles with higher limits than others for the peace of mind it provides while others don't feel it is worth the premium. Because a dealer offers customer's that choice does not make them bad. In fact I would argue that a dealer that does this honestly and without high pressure is doing their customers a favor by giving them the CHOICE. It is in fact your choice to buy it or not.

[mark1228]

One would think that these dealers that claim they sell at high discount because their volume grants them better wholesale price from Thor, would swing some of that influence on warranty rates. One would think.

One would think that and believe me, I have sat in many meetings where these things get discussed with top level execs from both Thor and Forest River. The thing you have to remember is that between those two company's they cover over 70% of the RV industry so if you are going to be a dealer you almost have to do business with them or you have nothing to sell.

[mark1228]

Domestic is not a manufacture warranty item, thus the differance in price. Same thing with Coleman and other non manufacturer defeats. I beleive what mark1228 is referring to, roof leaks and he is given 4 hr book time to repair a roof that takes him a day and a half. Or a floor squeaks and he is given 2hrs labour to fix it.


This is right on. Just today we had a continuing issue with a new unit that we have 13 hours of troubleshooting time on and Keystone wants to pay me for 5. This is a brand new unit that has not left our lot yet. Why should I have to absorb 8 hours labor on a brand new unit? And as I have mentioned, Keystone is one of the best. This is why dealers don't want warranty work on units they didn't sell. At least when this one is done I will have made some money on the sale.

[gearhead]

This is right on. Just today we had a continuing issue with a new unit that we have 13 hours of troubleshooting time on and Keystone wants to pay me for 5. This is a brand new unit that has not left our lot yet. Why should I have to absorb 8 hours labor on a brand new unit? And as I have mentioned, Keystone is one of the best. This is why dealers don't want warranty work on units they didn't sell. At least when this one is done I will have made some money on the sale.

That sounds like my Dometic refrigerator repair, or "no repair" at the huge dealer I bought it from. Your 13 hours is just about what the Houston mega dealer spent on it without fixing it. They had their "best certified" tech on it the last unsuccessful visit. My independent shop that only does repairs and parts ,diagnosed it and had parts on the way in 2 hours.
Maybe you should question the quality of your techs.

[x96mnn]

That sounds like my Dometic refrigerator repair, or "no repair" at the huge dealer I bought it from. Your 13 hours is just about what the Houston mega dealer spent on it without fixing it. They had their "best certified" tech on it the last unsuccessful visit. My independent shop that only does repairs and parts ,diagnosed it and had parts on the way in 2 hours.
Maybe you should question the quality of your techs.

Why would he need to question the quality of his techs? He described an event of trying to find a needle in a hay stack which is much of what electrical issues are. That compares to fixing a fridge? Was it a frayed wire on the fridge...I don't get it!

[mark1228]

That sounds like my Dometic refrigerator repair, or "no repair" at the huge dealer I bought it from. Your 13 hours is just about what the Houston mega dealer spent on it without fixing it. They had their "best certified" tech on it the last unsuccessful visit. My independent shop that only does repairs and parts ,diagnosed it and had parts on the way in 2 hours.
Maybe you should question the quality of your techs.

Yeah maybe, but doesn't it make you wonder how we are expected to diagnose something fast when the very people that built it have no idea of where to even start? I don't know what happened on your repair so I can't comment on that, but I do know that I personally am pretty strong on electrical and this one had me. The fact remains that I have much more time into a warranty repair than I will get paid for.

[rbev2308]

I honestly do not think Keystone or any other MFR will ever do anything like this. I researched stuff for several years before upgrading to a fifth wheel. All I kept hearing was buy local and the local guy telling me if you buy elsewhere, don't drag this thing back here for warranty. Being a retired Navy guy after nearly 30 years of service, I asked the question, what happens if I move under orders? I thought this was all BS so I called Keystone and was promptly told our independent local dealers have the right to refuse warranty work and we support them. So basically, a scam in my opinion. I would think if it involves movement of the unit back home some common sense would prevail. I really desired to buy local but the reality was we were $14K apart period end of discussion. So a choice has to be made, is it worth $14K to buy local for one year worth of warranty? Heck you can spend the $3K or so and get extended and take anywhere you want and still be ahead as long as your first year goes smooth or simply drag back where you got it...That was my plan all along which fell apart because the selling dealer was a complete moron and I would not trust them to fix anything. My approach was always buy local if it were within $2-3K but when you are in an area where there is only 2-3 Keystone dealers within 100 miles and you settle on specific make, you are limited. Keystone could resolve it easily just like the automotive industry does but the simple fact is I do not believe they care or it would have been resolved.

[mark1228]

I honestly do not think Keystone or any other MFR will ever do anything like this. I researched stuff for several years before upgrading to a fifth wheel. All I kept hearing was buy local and the local guy telling me if you buy elsewhere, don't drag this thing back here for warranty. Being a retired Navy guy after nearly 30 years of service, I asked the question, what happens if I move under orders? I thought this was all BS so I called Keystone and was promptly told our independent local dealers have the right to refuse warranty work and we support them. So basically, a scam in my opinion. I would think if it involves movement of the unit back home some common sense would prevail. I really desired to buy local but the reality was we were $14K apart period end of discussion. So a choice has to be made, is it worth $14K to buy local for one year worth of warranty? Heck you can spend the $3K or so and get extended and take anywhere you want and still be ahead as long as your first year goes smooth or simply drag back where you got it...That was my plan all along which fell apart because the selling dealer was a complete moron and I would not trust them to fix anything. My approach was always buy local if it were within $2-3K but when you are in an area where there is only 2-3 Keystone dealers within 100 miles and you settle on specific make, you are limited. Keystone could resolve it easily just like the automotive industry does but the simple fact is I do not believe they care or it would have been resolved.

The easy way to resolve it is for the manufacturer to treat the dealer better on the warranty side so it is worth the dealers time to do it. The larger difference between RV and Auto is that car dealers are franchised so there are lengthy legal agreements that cover the entire relationship. The dealer is protected in a franchise. RV dealers are just dealers, not franchise's so Keystone can pull out of my store at any time and the ONLY recourse I have is to sue them. They are owned by Thor who is about 40% of the industry and has very deep pockets so it is dealer suicide to sue them.

[gearhead]

I would wager that one of these days a young hungry attorney will buy a RV and experience this warranty nightmare and file a class action suit.
I hope he cleans their plow.

[wahoonc]

I would wager that one of these days a young hungry attorney will buy a RV and experience this warranty nightmare and file a class action suit.
I hope he cleans their plow.

Many have tried, none have profited (other than the attorneys)

Aaron:cool:

[mark1228]

I would wager that one of these days a young hungry attorney will buy a RV and experience this warranty nightmare and file a class action suit.
I hope he cleans their plow.

What would the lawsuit be for?

[billb800si]

Any dealer who EVER tells me he won't do warranty work on a unit he didn't sell me will NEVER get ANY on my business. (new- parts- etc...) PERIOD....

[JRTJH]

Bill,

I agree with you and I do the same thing (because it makes me feel better about the situation and because I can) BUT........

Unfortunately, that probably won't make much difference to a busy dealership. They usually have a backlog of appointments in the service area and enough business in the parts department that losing one customer won't be an impact on the bottom line. In order for that to be effective, enough people would have to stop shopping or doing any business with that dealer. There's enough "other people" to take your place, that it's likely he won't even miss that you're no longer there.

In today's market, walking out and not returning doesn't have the impact that it once did.

Now, if "enough people did it".................... But that's probably not going to happen......

[wahoonc]

Any dealer who EVER tells me he won't do warranty work on a unit he didn't sell me will NEVER get ANY on my business. (new- parts- etc...) PERIOD....

I am sure they will spend many sleepless night over the loss:rolleyes:

I have been in several large dealerships in the past few weeks in my travels. Somehow based on the fact they were packed, they aren't going to miss one little ole customer.

While I don't agree with their policy, it is their's to make.

Aaron:cool:

[mark1228]

Any dealer who EVER tells me he won't do warranty work on a unit he didn't sell me will NEVER get ANY on my business. (new- parts- etc...) PERIOD....

I understand your feelings but as a dealer that has thought about this for 15 years I can tell you that I still won't do your warranty work if you didn't buy it from me. We lose so much on warranty work that you would have to spend lots of $ in parts for me to even break even again. You need to direct your anger to the manufacturer's, not the dealers. If a dealer made $ on warranty, do you think they would say no?