RV warranty or pay for repairs

We have been very pleased with our warranty work. Even though NuWa stopped production, they left their service center open and took care of all warranty work no questions asked. Even though several of our issues were component related, they took care of them. No testing. No jumping through hoops, just great service. Of course, we have to go to Kansas for this service but that is not a hardship for us. We have had the same great service from Quadra/Bigfiot and Moryde. If we needed a replacement part that we could fix and it was under warranty, NuWa would send it to us and we would send the defective part back. Great company that stands behind its product.

My experience has been that during the first year of manufacturers warranty(keystone Montana) we had no problem getting repairs done through the manufacturer. After the one year manufacturers warranty we had items warranted by the vendors, Fridge for example, and had no problems with repairs through the vendors.

We got the extended warranty, RV shield and had no problems with them paying for repairs as long as we met the terms of the contract which we always did.

No matter what we may think the manufacturer has no obligation to honor repairs that are over the one year warranty although Keystone , Montana has been known to do just that on many occasions as have other brands.

We did have a Lippert frame issue after the one year warranty and the work was done at the Keystone service center.

we just never had a warranty problem with the manufacturer or after market. Just lucky I guess.

I have not had luck with warranties. I may think it is their responsibility, but what I think, ain't what matters. When they say no, or snicker and point out the fine print, what am I going to do? Wrestle them to the ground, throw a temper tantrum, hire a lawyer?

No, I will try to find an honest shop and flash some cash. Cash talks. Often the repair people usually come to me and charge less than a dealer. I am done with paying extra for warranties. Cash gets things done right and fast.

So right Deb! The extened warranty businesses aren't in business to lose money! It's mostly passed thru. They seem spring up out of nowhere and after a few years of collecting warranty coverage money from thousands, they disappear or file bankruptcy and many will only start another warranty business under a new name and maybe even in a different location. Guess who paid all that money that went mostly to the warranty company owners and employees and the RV dealers cut etc of the warranty businesses revenue? Kind of lets you know what the "shaft" feels like!

There are, of course, some honest warranty companies but it's mostly like a c rap shoot or using an uninformed a dart board and none of them are cheaply priced! Like a roulette wheel, you plunks your shillings down and takes your chances...

"So we ended up paying $325 to a local truck repair facility to replace the bearing simply because it was the easiest option for us."

And sometimes that is simply the best option. Suck it up. Lick your wounds. Pay the bill. And get on with your life.

After we got back from Alaska in 2006, our Gulf Stream Class C began making weird shrieking noises from it's middle. Ed thought it was a carrier bearing, so I took the MH to my local Ford Dealer assuming it was under warranty. Only OOPS! - when the frame was lengthened, the drive shaft was, too - therefore voiding Ford's warranty. But they confirmed that a bearing seal had failed. I contacted Gulf Stream, who gave me the drive-train component mfr's number. Everyone was very pleasant - I hadn't really considered all the "pieces" that make up an RV.

I wish I could remember the name of the company - because when I called, the woman who was the PRESIDENT happened to answer the phone. I explained our situation - and she was SOOOO nice. Basically said, that when we had some free time to drive to Elkhart, IN - to let her know ahead of time. If we arrived in the morning, she would have a repairman ready to replace the part and we'd be able to drive back home that afternoon - and everything was covered under their warranty. Talk about amazing customer service!!

Now, as it turns out, we were waiting for 2 grandkids to be born/holidays were coming up - and simply didn't have the free time to schedule the trip to Elkhart. So we ended up paying $325 to a local truck repair facility to replace the bearing simply because it was the easiest option for us.

And with the benefit of hindsight - I'm glad we never bought the extended warranty offered for $1400 when we purchased the Class C. Because in 10 faithful years, this carrier bearing was the only component that has broken.

Vulcaneer,

Yes, I understood your original post. It's a very mixed bag with warranty's as some are hardly worth the paper they are printed on and others are so solid you could take them to the bank!

However, always protect your own butt as it's very unlikely others will be first in line to do it.

travelnutz wrote:
The OP's original post stated issues with a frame.

Just to be clear. The frame issue is NOT my issue. It was brought up by another poster as his issue. And his claim is the manufacturer is not responsive. And he is sitting somewhere for 27 days without resolution. That thread went toxic, and got closed for good reason.

But I thought there were some mis-understood points for the posters frustration. That is why I bring it up for discussion.

I will agree that each manufacturer might work differently. Have had some issues with my Open Range. Same as another poster, I had a elevator leg break. Open Range was a great help at getting Lippert to get me a replacement in my 2nd year of a two year warranty. But really it was Lipperts approval authority. My manufacturer helped get that approval. And approval for me (an uncertified RV repair person) to install the replacement.

Then sometime after that I found a slideout was not sealed correctly. The floor was rotting out. I reported this to my dealer before the 2nd year of the warranty was up. I could not get an appointment with them for repair until after warranty was past. Dealer told me they would document the issue and repair it after the warranty had passed.

Upon taking it to the dealer, the wanted to keep it for a month. We could not authorize them to keep it for a month, since we were snowbirding long term, at the time. So, I refused, and called the factory for help. Factory tried to find another dealer to handle the repair in a more timely fashion. When that didn't work out, the factory scheduled me to come there for repair. Some 6 months after the warranty ran out.

We took it there. They fixed the slide out with no questions asked. And they found some other issues, we did not know about. Not serious, but needed fixing. The factory informed me they would need to contact the various component makers to get repair approved. Which they did with no problem.

To make a long story longer...we were there for a week. The factory provided us a trailer to live in. They fixed everything we knew of. And everything we didn't even know needed fixing. And they made some upgrades that they knew were in the new models. All at no cost to me. And some seven months out of warranty.

Cannot say enough good about what Open Range did for me. They were very responsive. Not all are the same. But even then, they knew they needed to contact component manufacturers for some repair authorizations.

And I'll be the first to admit, that I was lucky that we could afford the time and money to travel to the factory repair center.

But the point remains, some factories will help. Some will TRY to help. But cannot get authorization from suppliers. Some just leave it up to the dealer. Dealers also need authorization from the suppliers. Others may just leave you hanging.

We have gotten a good response by going directly to a component's
manufacturer. One good point is that the manufacturer (in our instance Dometic)
had numerous certified repair businesses in the area where we were
and even authorize/sent a mobile tech service.

When going through the camper's manufacturer, they most likely will require
you to go to a dealership that sells their brand. And that could mean a long wait
for an appointment. Especially if the nearby dealership did not sell you the
camper that needs repair. They tend to take care of "their" customers first.

So if the issue is with a Lippert product, the OP might be better off contacting
Lippert.

I really don't think the entire world is gloom and doom out there.

My Wilderness - The dealer used to send me parts (just a few small things) that i needed with a work order for me to sign. We know what he did with that work order but who cares, the camper got fixed and I was happy. Shortly after the warranty ran out I identified a problem with the slide always pulling the upper seal off. I called the company repair facility. Manager there said, ya we know of that defect but since you are out of warranty we cannot pay someone to pick up your unit and take it back after we work on it. Sooo, I took the trailer to the shop, they called when they had the slide rebuilt and I picked it up. It came back looking like a new one.

Fast forward to my current Laredo. The bedroom slide was all dorked up as the actuator did not stop properly and it ripped the bracket from the floor and messed up the framework of the slide. I coordinated with the General RV dealer and the service department sent me a new mounting bracket for the floor and a complete reman actuator. I was glad to do the repairs myself since I know how it is put together, done right and now works like a new one. To me that was a lot better than a huge tow back to the dealer, since I bought out of state and saved about 4500.

So there you have it. Not all stealers are out to get you and not all warranties are worthless. :B