Forever Warranty

Max23

Max23

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Joined
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So, I know there are those who thought me insane for purchasing the "forever warranty" when I bought my Passport 2 years ago. Yes, there is the hassle of taking the unit in to the shop once a year for inspection, the $200 charge for the inspection and warranty. Seemed like a fair enough deal for what I was told I was getting so I went with it and kept it up to date.
This season as I went to get ready to go the refrigerator would not cool. Would run, and act normal but no cool. Ya, I could have replaced it myself but remembered I have the warranty so elected to not touch it in fear they would say I did something to it. Anyway, for once something worked out the way it was advertised. The compressor had quit and they had to replace the unit. The paperwork shows me a $2400 dollar bill for this service. My part of the bill was $0.00. So, not saying this will be the same for everyone but just wanted to give a shout out to the fact that, well, in todays world you can sometimes still get what you pay for and are promised. Not all is gone. Just throwing it out there. As one wise man on here states quite often, YMMV!! LOL.
 
Sometimes they pay for themselves. I bought an extended warranty on the current trailer - never have. At the end of the 2nd year, warranties expired, my main A/C quit cooling. It had to be replaced and the warranty paid the $2800 with the exception of a $50 deductible and shipping charges on the A/C. Guess I got lucky too.
 
So far you have paid at least $400 for two years' inspections plus the price of the warranty what ever that was. If those add up to more than $2400 you just lost money. You could have put that money in the bank earning interest and made money.
 
Typically these "forever" warranties have no upfront out of pocket cost (it is baked into the sale price of your RV) and have no deductible. Rather, they require you to commit to an annual service inspection/repair that if you complete it and pay for it, your "forever" warranty is renewed for another year. This is different than an extended warranty where you pay $x,xxx up front, it is time-limited, they might cover some (not all) issues, and there is also a deductible. I would rather have one of these "forever" warranties, than I would an extended warranty.

Personally, I have never financed an RV or warranty, and instead put that money that I would have paid to someone else, into my own bank account earning a decent interest rate. In 5-8 years when I am ready for my next RV, or when issues come up out of warranty or that my insurance doesn't cover, I am financially well-positioned.
 
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For Reference: I purchased new 2020 Cougar 29RLD from 3 Way Campers in Kennesaw Georgia in late 2019. I was given (not purchased) A Forever Warranty with the understanding I needed to have them do an inspection once a year at a charge of $300. This warranty has replaced two AC units and a refrigerator door over the ensuing years at no charge.
However, the inspections have also found and repaired tears in the roof and major brake issues. The annual fee has gone up slightly, but I feel the warranty has been worthwhile. Note I did not pay anything up front.
 
Where can you buy this Forever Warranty if the dealership you purchased from does not offer it?
 
Generally you can't. It is a product offered by the dealer, not the manufacturer. It is usually "sold" to the consumer at the time of purchase of the camper and they build in costs as part of the camper sale. If your dealer didn't offer it, it is unlikely (but still "might" be possible) a different dealer will be interested in extending the option to someone that didn't buy from them, especially if you have already taken possession of your camper since it would now be considered used, not new.
 
So, you get the inspection and must have them "fix" whatever they find that is "broken" to maintain the coverage? Any option to make the "repairs" yourself, or would that void the warranty? I would be interested with several caveats. Name of Company that administers the warranty?
 
Thank you for your reply! I will check with a dealer in our area and see if it is possible.
 
I purchased my first TT last year. I purchased the 5 year warranty, with an option to add another 5 years at the end. I purchased it because it covers the roof, as long as I pay to have the dealer inspect it every year. I figured being my first camper, it was much better to have a professional inspect and repair the roof every year. I'm also hoping to have this TT about 15 years, so I want to be able to get things fixed right away and not let them linger.

I might lose money on the deal, but there is just so much to learn if you're new to campers. It's worth it in my book.
 
Only problem is that the 'professionals' you pay to inspect and repair the roof every year are in reality kids from the half way house that can't even spell RV these days. I stopped letting my dealer touch my trailer way before any warranty was expired. It always came back in worse shape that it went in and sometimes took months to get anyone to even pull it in a bay and work on it.


Rant off.......
 
Peto said:
Only problem is that the 'professionals' you pay to inspect and repair the roof every year are in reality kids from the half way house that can't even spell RV these days. I stopped letting my dealer touch my trailer way before any warranty was expired. It always came back in worse shape that it went in and sometimes took months to get anyone to even pull it in a bay and work on it.


Rant off.......
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Really? You should check your facts before making a blanket statement like that. I know plenty of trained, well qualified techs that perform these inspections, me included.
 
There are several "Forever Warranty" programs. Back 20 years ago, there was a "forever warranty" for automobiles. I had that program on my 1999 SuperDuty. It was "free" but I had to have all "manufacturer's maintenance requirements" done at the selling dealership. The "catch" (if you want to call it that) was a "goldmine for the dealer's service department". EVERYTHING listed in the owner's manual as a "maintenance requirement" had to be done at the dealership. That meant EVERYTHING... Not just oil changes, but tire rotations, antifreeze checks, brake fluid changeouts, and everything else that was in the ownner's manual...

It only took me about 2 years to realize that the program was costing me an "arm and a leg" to keep the warranty in force.

There are several "spin-offs" of that type program available for automobiles, RV's, boats, motorcycles, ATV's, etc... About 15 years ago, there were several threads on this forum about "forever warranties" were beginning to appear at dealerships. Back then, there were some growing pains. Some dealers interpreted the program to require ALL MAINTENANCE be done at the dealership. That meant winterizing, all maintenance, dewinterizing, all roof inspections, all sealing, etc. It sounds like that has sort of "fizzled out" and now it boils down to an annual inspection and trailer maintenance/repair of problems found during those inspections. That type program requirement is much less "draconian" than what owners were faced with in the beginning.

If that type "assurance of help with repairs" is important to you, then on your next trailer, you might look for a dealer that offers that type warranty as an incentive to shop their trailer lot.

Here are two links to "free lifetime warranty" programs available for dealers to offer. You can't "buy the warranty" you can't get it after you buy the trailer, and you can't "go looking for the program for your existing trailer"... It's all a part of the original purchase and is an incentive to buy your trailer from a dealership that offers the program. Call it a "sales incentive" ????

Here's the links: Warranty Forever - Auto and
Home

Look over the program websites, hopefully they will give you a better understanding of the "forever warranty"....
 
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My father bought a forever transmission warranties for our vehicles back in the early 80's. Had to get vehicles inspected once a year at no charge. Ended up getting 3 transmission rebuilds in truck and another one on the car in the years we owned them. Of course that was back when people kept cars forever because there were no computers to breakdown.
 
Anyone purchasing an extended warranty needs to understand that there is little to no government oversight at either the state or national level on these programs, even less so now with the decimation of the CFPB. Bottom line, when you file a claim, if they tell you to pound sand, you pound sand. Glad for everyone who made out okay, I have two family members and a friend who all have PhDs in pounding sand as a result of their investment in an extended warranty. Buyer beware.
 
Nice thing about the "forever warranty" I have, no up front cost. $200 a year for the inspection so that is the cost. I pay far far more for insurance on everything else I own, car, camper, house etc all with the hopes of never having to use them. This is really no different and I feel, a low cost for what I'm getting. If I put $200 in the bank it would take me 12 years to cover what just got covered at a high quality job I might add. Barely even had to clean anything, they did great. Not all things work out the same for everyone I get it. It is unfortunate when they don't. This was just one persons experience and hope it can help someone with deciding whats right for them.
 
Max23 said:
Nice thing about the "forever warranty" I have, no up front cost. $200 a year for the inspection so that is the cost. I pay far far more for insurance on everything else I own, car, camper, house etc all with the hopes of never having to use them. This is really no different and I feel, a low cost for what I'm getting. If I put $200 in the bank it would take me 12 years to cover what just got covered at a high quality job I might add. Barely even had to clean anything, they did great. Not all things work out the same for everyone I get it. It is unfortunate when they don't. This was just one persons experience and hope it can help someone with deciding whats right for them.
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That kind of "forever warranty" result is great. The program has evolved through the years and now appears to be significantly better for the customer than it was "back in the introductory years". It's still a "sales incentive" but with a clearly defined set of rules, it can be a great investment. I'm glad it worked out for you and if/when we start shopping for a new trailer, I'll definitely keep dealers who offer that program "high on my list of places to consider".... That said, there are some "RV dealerships around northern Michigan" where I wouldn't do business based on dismal service, minimal availability of service, inability to support the customer after the sale... So, as always, there's more to selecting a dealership than what they offer in "warranty programs"... YMMV
 
Given the average "wait times" reported for RV service I can't imagine a warranty that requires the dealer to perform EVERY inspection, maintenance, repair, etc. I would think that given that situation the trailer would become a "permanent" fixture in the service lot.
 
It doesn’t take that long to do all the checks and fill out the form. Longest part is the brakes/bearings at 2 1/2 hrs for a tandem axle.
 
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