Extended Warranty- Is it worth it?

[jonesfarmmb]

I just purchased a new travel trailer (first camper). I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are on extended warranty. Seems pricey to me but is it worth it? TIA

[Huntme]

No,it is more of a ploy,just a Gimick,for the dealer,found that out the hard way

[sourdough]

Extended warranties are money makers for the dealership. Are they worth it? Only if you need them. Just like any other "insurance" policy you are wasting your money unless "that time" comes and you are faced with a 5, 10, 15k claim and the options are having the coverage or dumping the trailer.

I don't, nor ever have, carried any kind of extended warranty on a vehicle but their OE coverage is FAR better than the OE coverage on an RV. Modern RVs have a ton of stuff in them that many times you, I, the dealer or anyone else has any idea of what to do with. High dollar items can sometimes be "worked" on and repaired; many times not.

The extended warranty is costly and a huge amount of wasted money if you don't use it....but if you need it? Fix it yourself if you have the expertise or pay someone else. It is literally gambling and only the person in "that" situation, at "that" time actually knows what that coverage is worth. JMO

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

It depends on what it covers and more importantly what it excludes. Another factor to consider is is it a “forever” warranty? If it is you’ll find it requires annual inspections ($$).

You can set so much a month aside in a savings account, and after 5 years if nothing broke, buy something nice. If you have some skills, with this forum for reference, any repair will be cheaper.

Keystone gives you a year, some appliances give you 2 years. Most extended warranties are 5 years and start date of purchase meaning your only really getting 3 years but paying for it the entire loan term.

I had “easy care” and at 4 yrs 8 months they replaced my roof AC for $100.00 deductible.

[wiredgeorge]

Have a look at this link. The write had a miserable time with the finance guy in a dealership and this is likely not going to happen to every customer at every dealership but look at his 12 points after the diatribe regarding the finance guy.

https://joe-rv-living.com/12-crucial...d-warranty-rv/

[roadglide]

I had coach net worthless for trailer along with a worthless passing the buck service center . I learned a lot about RV maintenance from reading rv Fourms like this one . In the long run save your money and do your PMs yourself.

[JRTJH]

Any extended warranty only covers "catastrophic failure" (not regular maintenance or repairs). Look very, VERY carefully at the list of "covered items" and "excluded items". Most "insurance policies" (extended warranty) only cover items with a long service life. They usually omit the "high failure rate" components.

Then you have the "finance problems"... If you do decide to buy one, pay for it up front, don't "wrap it into the 12 year financing"... If you do, you'll be paying for an expired insurance (at 5% or 17%, depending on your mortgage on the trailer) for 7 years after the "extended warranty" expires. That $2000 to $3500 of "added payoff" can make it impossible to sell or trade your trailer at 5 to 7 years because of the amount you'll still owe on the trailer.

Think long and hard about whether you'd be better off to "finance your own extended warranty" by "paying yourself $50 monthly during the first 3 years of ownership (50x36=1800) and keeping that money in a savings account for "trailer repairs". With the exception of a new roof, I can't think of any RV repair (other than an accident, covered by comp/collision insurance) that would cost more than that $1800. And, the good thing is, at the end of your "personally owned extended warranty purchase plan", you'll still have all your money PLUS the interest it drew to take a trip, buy new tires for the RV or ????

[MattHelm21]

Two other factors which made up my mind on the subject. One, look very carefully on whether the service contract requires you to use only the dealer network through which it is purchased. It I couldn't use the service center I was comfortable using, that would be a deal breaker. Second, in my experience and in my area, the service centers I have visited have been much more flexible about getting my work scheduled knowing that payment would be upon delivery and not through submission of a warranty claim or extended warranty claim for which I was told I would not have been able to get an appointment for some time.

[NH_Bulldog]

Extended warranties and insurance have their place depending on your appetite or ability to absorb risk. For me personally, I do not buy an extended warranty on anything.

[Canonman]

I don't know of any one who bought an extended warranty that would ever do it again...Including me!
I suggest you give your self $100 a month in a savings account for the first year while the new TT is still under full warranty. That will give you a $1200 emergency fund for repairs after the warranty. Now give yourself $50 a month for the next 12 months since the major appliances already have multiyear warranties. Look at your owners manuals for the fridge, stove furnace etc. and see which are covered after the first year.
Now if anything goes wrong you'll have pretty good chance of having the cash to cover the repairs.
Also remember that if there is any road damage, lightning, act of GOD it will be covered under your trailer insurance.
We've made a couple of claims on our extended warranty with mixed success. The big problem is we need to take it to a CW service center otherwise the deductible doubles.
CW just finished a 2 hour repair in the record time of 4 weeks. If i'd have taken the Cougar to a local RV repair shop it'd have been done in a couple of days. That's what I get for being a cheapo