RV extended warranties

[pipepro]

What do you think about RV extended warranties? I bought a used 2008 with only 15,000 miles on it and I called Thor and they said the warranty that came with it new isn't any good. engine, power train etc. was 36,000 miles. Must be because it is 12 years old lol. First thing I'm addressing is the roof.

 

[Ray-IN]

First terminology; there is no such thing as an extended warranty unless it is directly from the mfgr. It is an extended service contract somewhat like a health insurance policy. There are two types of ESC an inclusionary contract specifies what IS covered, an exclusionary contract specifies what is NOT covered, no more no less.
Being a contract, it had specific terms and conditions which must be met by both parties. If you do not follow the terms and conditions a claim will likely be denied.
That said, if you purchase a ESC include the gaskets and seals rider; otherwise if an engine/transmission gasket fail and causes damage, said damage is not covered. It's called consequential damage from the not-covered gasket.
We bought an ESC when we bought our MH because it had been parked in a barn for 8 years. We broke even on the contract including deductibles. None of our claims were on the chassis or drivetrain.
Include wholesalewarranties.com in your search for an ESC.

 

[pipepro]

This was an eye opener and all inclusive. Thank You so much for this.

 

[uchu]

They are a waste of $$, IMO.

But I guess some people would bring stories of having saved them a bundle because of unexpected repairs.

Like everything in life, YMMV.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It's repair insurance and all insurance policies are a waste of money until you have a major disaster and need to make a claim. Some people will recover all their premium cost and more, but most will not.

The premiums on a 13 year old (2008) coach are going to be quite high, so think long and hard about your level of comfort and your ability to cover a fairly large unexpected repair, say $1000 or more. If you have to rely on RV dealer shops for every little repair, you can quickly run up some big repair bills, but even a little DIY skill can dramatically reduce those. And contrary to the ESC sales guys story, air conditioners, fridges and engines don't suffer major failures all the time.

 

[oldracerjones]

I bought all the extra warranties when I bought my first coach. It came with a 2 year warranty so the five year plan I bought was a waste for the first two years. I cancelled all of them within 5 months. Cost me $25 to cancel each of the four policies but the savings is dramatic. I though they were roadside policies when I bought it. READ those contracts before you sign...

 

[pipepro]

I have decided against after these great replies. Thanks everybody

 

[Dragginourbedaround]

I have decided against after these great replies. Thanks everybody

We bought an extended warranty for our motor home and never regretted it. Two long slide problems $2,600 and $1,900, shore power pedestal spike took out the surge guard, converter/charger, inverter, microwave/convection, Dish satellite box, transfer relay, and several small things I can't remember $2,400, awning motor replaced twice $800 each, and the jacks motor and pump $900. Our contract was through Whole Sale Warranties. They sent out a guy to authorize payment for the first slide problem, but everything else was authorized over the phone. We never had to take our RV to a specific dealer and we never had to wait because we had a EW. In fact because we lived full time in our RV we were often given preferential treatment. I will always be grateful to Lazydays for the preferential treatment they gave us during an emergency. But, as someone said YMMV.

 

[Skookum]

Our motorhome is a 2006 and had under 35k miles when we picked it up in 2019. The dealer tried to sell us on a service contract, leaning heavily on the age of the motorhome and the fact that it was our first RV.

The above advice is correct - you can hit the lottery with a service contract if something truly major fails, but I think that's pretty rare (at least, it is in all my years of owning all kinds of vehicles).

We opted not to buy a service contract. But, a lot of diagnosis and repairs don't scare me. 2 years and 21,000 miles later, it's been the right decision for us, and we are still far ahead compared to what a service contract would have cost us out the gate.