Hi all,For a while now, I have been having this question on my mind regarding the warranties offered in the RV industry. It is a general question, not specific to one manufacturer or another, and should be relevant to other RV classes although I chose this Class-C forum to post my question . And yet to my surprise, I couldn’t find any discussion about it online. Or, is it just I who regard this being a question? At any rate, I am encountering it on a first-hand basis only recently;I am curious to know for sure, since I couldn’t find any definitive answer so far - When I purchase a brand new motorhome from a dealer (and the sale contract stated as such), exactly when does the warranty period start? For a typical new motorized RV, bumper-to-bumper warranties for the coach and that of the chassis, on which the MH is built, are separate. My understanding is that the coach warranty should start on the day of the sale, but it’s less clear to me about the chassis warranty, which is offered and honored by another manufacturer (such as Ford, Chevrolet or Mercedes Benz…).A case in point: a purchase for a 2020 model year Class C MH was made a month or so ago (in Jan 2020), the chassis is a 2019 Chevrolet cutaway. A temporary license plate and registration sticker was given when the unit was driven off of the dealer’s lot. The permanent license plate & title were subsequently received a couple of weeks later, indicating to me that all purchase paperwork was processed properly. Stating in the RV manufacturer’s sales literature in fine prints, it says the chassis warranty is subject to the vehicle manufacturer’s T&C (in this case, GM) so I used the VIN to check the warranty information in GM’s system and learned that the warranty has lapsed 9 months already (i.e. started in May 2019). I figure this is the date that the vehicle was delivered to the MH manufacturer. Hence, I am curious by the following thought: it is not unusual to see newer model year MHs that are built on a much older model year chassis, for example some 2020 models built on a 2018 MBZ sprinter chassis. Does it mean that while you may have bought a new MH you actually didn’t get the (full) new vehicle warranty? How about the other equipment/fixtures/appliances on the coach, such as the genset, refrigerator and what have you? Do they all fall into the same scenario?

Your warranties start when you buy the MH - regardless of when they were manufactured.

It's the same as if you find a new leftover 2018 car on a dealers lot. You get a full warranty that starts when you buy the car.

In most cases, from the date you take delivery of the vehicle, and you drive it off the lot.

Yes, as explained to me when I asked this same question, there is an agreement in place between the chassis and coach mfg.'s to start warranties on sale date. I don't know about today, but years ago they would play a game of ping pong bouncing the customer back and forth between the coach builder and the chassis builder to resolve a warranty issue. I can see it get interesting today with all this digital electronic charging system gadgetry between the 12v chassis, the 12v coach and converter. Especially in a unit like the Forest River Sunseeker and such where the converter on certain models will charge the chassis battery too. The chassis alternator comes into play as well while charging both chassis and coach bank as you drive. They are using charge modules today to regulate and flip flop charging voltage between the two systems, chassis and coach.

Most manufacture's new vehicle warranty will start the day you "purchase" the vehicle regardless of delivery or registration dates. The warranty term is based on the VIN year regardless of the sales year used on the RV. This comes into play most often when terms of the warranty changed from one year to another.Example was those with GM chassis had a change in the warranty terms for new vehicles. Those with 2016+ model year Class C RV's could have had a 2015 or 2016 chassis. Those with the 2015's VINs had the longer manufacture chassis warranty compared to those with the 2016 VIN chassis. Sadly (cause it usually is reversed) many with the older chassis but on a newer RV model year may not realize their new vehicle chassis warranty is actual better because of the prior years VIN.However, regardless of the "year" used, you need to know the actual info especially if there are changes to the chassis parts from one year to another.

Mfg. (new vehicle) warranty question | Good Sam Community

grobvikos
Explorer
Mar 19, 2020
Your warranties start when you buy the MH - regardless of when they were manufactured.
specware2020
Explorer
Mar 08, 2020
ItsyRV wrote:
It's possible the warranty is showing based on manufacture delivery date because no new information has been entered such as a selling dealer. Once a selling dealer (should be the RV sales center) processes the new vehicle sales info, the warranty should revert to the day of first end user sale. The RV manufacture isn't considered a first user sale purchase unless they registered the vehicle for use themselves. Did you get a copy of the "2019 GMC Limited Warranty and Owner Assistance Information" booklet with the RV? If so, it will state the day the warranty starts based on the first sale of the vehicle.

That’s it!!

Thank you, thank you @itsyRV, you have directed me to the concrete exhibit, the very contractual clause in print that I can finally put my fingers on. Now I just need to communicate with the dealer intelligently (and nicely) now that I know exactly what needs to happen.

This forum is a great place to get information/help as all the members are generous in providing their first hand experiences or solid knowledge on all kinds of issues/questions brought in. I thought I should at least provide update about the resolution, which until now has been all but abstract. If you are like me who vaguely knows how it (the subject) should work but is less certain about the interworking then read on (in the advent of COVID-19 virus scare, I’ve got nothing better to do than to read&write…):

The very exhibit I needed, and that @itsyRV directed me to is the auto maker’s Limited Warranty booklet. Except it is not the "2019 GMC Limited Warranty and Owner Assistance Information". Rather, it’s the “Cutaway Chassis Limited Warranty & Owner Assistance Information”. I have been reading the former version I downloaded from GM website and couldn’t find any relevant information there, until @itsyRV’s pointer gave me the clue. (Please note, that the two versions, and the T&C clauses are NOT the same. And as far as I am aware, the latter that came with the rest of the HM doc packet can only be purchased online.)

The official term GM uses to address the subject question is “Delayed Warranty Start”. The exact wording is the following:
“
Warranty on chassis which have been approved for a delayed warranty start will commence at the date and mileage the chassis was sold to the first retail owner. The extension is from the original date of delivery to the body company…
“
That is, the warranty starts on the day of delivery to the RV maker. Extension to the warranty period CAN be made with a Delayed Warranty Start Application by the dealer.

Unlike the common perception though, this Delayed Warranty Start extension is NOT by default, and certainly is not without caveat. This warranty extension for RV is 24 Months or 6,000 miles max. So, a 2020 model year MH that uses a 2018 chassis, for example, it will be likely out of luck in this regard, likewise, a brand new RV sitting in the dealer’s lot for over 2 years will lose part of its mfg. warranty. Please also note that dealers’ demo units are NOT eligible for the extension, which is specifically stated in the clause.

It is however less clear to me as to what would happen if this application was not filed prior to the first warranty service. Whether the GM dealer could or will reconcile the warranty date they obtained from their system and us providing the proof of purchase date on the spot is highly questionable - simply based on my past experiences dealing with such establishment… I hope our fellow forum members can provide their experience to prove me wrong.

As @way2roll said, this whole thing should not be overly complicated. The key word here is SHOULD. A lot of “should” in the world did not happen as such. If SHOULD is the rule of the nature world then we won’t need those stinky laws, contracts, or even the lawyers.
Chum_lee
Explorer
Mar 08, 2020
You may find that some new vehicle components, like tires, are warrantied by the tire manufacturer. In that case the tire manufacturer will go by the date stamped on the tire(s). At least, at first, they will try to. What happens next is up to you.

Chum lee
way2roll
Navigator II
Mar 08, 2020
bobndot wrote:
It pays to get to know your dealer, especially a smaller dealership.

When I was customer shopping for an rv the dealer asked me to join them all for lunch in the lunchroom. The next time I went there, I ordered and paid for everyone's lunch, I sat with them all again. I bought a new rv from them and I don't have any problems with warranties. I also visit my dealership just to say hello when I don't need anything. It's a day trip in our rv for us.
I know personally from listening in on conversations with manufacturers that they have tried to convince the dealer to wiggle out of a repair.
You need to build rapport with your dealership and sometimes, if need be, they will dig into their own pocket to take care of a refused warranty issue. Allow your dealer to make enough profit on the sale to offer you that option. Money well spent ! ;)

Not to keep this off topic, but when my RV needs to go in for repairs, I take everyone in the shop donuts. I chat with them etc. My rv is always fixed right and I never have to wait. Having a relationship with your dealer can make all the difference.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 08, 2020
So we have people with new RVs speculating because they don't know their own warranty and people with old RVs speculating how it should be, but don't have a clue either......I say they should honor the warranty start date as the first day you go camping and free ice cream cones every month!
Lol
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 08, 2020
^Thus is not normal behavior by a customer though, nor is it expected. And a bit strange, unless maybe small dealer, small town everyone knows each other scenario. And you must have a lot of spare time.
bobndot
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2020
It pays to get to know your dealer, especially a smaller dealership.

When I was customer shopping for an rv the dealer asked me to join them all for lunch in the lunchroom. The next time I went there, I ordered and paid for everyone's lunch, I sat with them all again. I bought a new rv from them and I don't have any problems with warranties. I also visit my dealership just to say hello when I don't need anything. It's a day trip in our rv for us.
I know personally from listening in on conversations with manufacturers that they have tried to convince the dealer to wiggle out of a repair.
You need to build rapport with your dealership and sometimes, if need be, they will dig into their own pocket to take care of a refused warranty issue. Allow your dealer to make enough profit on the sale to offer you that option. Money well spent ! ;)
way2roll
Navigator II
Mar 08, 2020
This shouldn't be overly complicated. You have paperwork stating you purchased the MH on X date. From the title paperwork they can derive that you are the first owner. Have them provide you warranty documentation that reflects that date.
ItsyRV
Explorer
Mar 08, 2020
It's possible the warranty is showing based on manufacture delivery date because no new information has been entered such as a selling dealer. Once a selling dealer (should be the RV sales center) processes the new vehicle sales info, the warranty should revert to the day of first end user sale. The RV manufacture isn't considered a first user sale purchase unless they registered the vehicle for use themselves. Did you get a copy of the "2019 GMC Limited Warranty and Owner Assistance Information" booklet with the RV? If so, it will state the day the warranty starts based on the first sale of the vehicle.
specware2020
Explorer
Mar 07, 2020
Thank you all for your responses and (definitive) answers.

I too, was under the impression (since I haven’t found any written statement in any published documents stipulating so) that the chassis warranty begins on the day of the new unit purchase. It is only logical and reasonable that it is done in this manner, I think.

Although have been an RV owner for a long time, this was the first time I was involved in a new unit purchase, and my long held theory was put to the test right away. On the one hand the dealer says they can’t do anything about the chassis warranty services, on the other the chassis mfg. (GM) says they honor their warranty according to the vehicle records in their system (which shows 05/03/2019).

If what you guys said - and what I believed - was right, then my case can only be an aberration - that some steps or sale paperwork was missed between the two manufacturers. After all, GM could not have known when their chassis were sold as new to the end customers without being informed by the RV maker. In other words, that GM being informed and reset the warranty start date for the unit I bought should be part of the (industry) standard operating procedures, and should not require my active involvement.

Or… is it? My communications with both the dealer and the RV manufacturer so far worried me some. If my case was the result of a simple, albeit innocent, snafu somewhere in the paper trail, then I imagine either the two parties would be a lot more responsive, if not fixing it outright. One other probable scenario is that the paperwork simply needs (more) time to propagate into GM’s system. Maybe 4 weeks is too soon for me to start concerning about it. Then again, given nearly everything is done electronically in real-time, this slowness in data transmission over wire is less likely nowadays.

While wait passively at the moment and see what happens, I would feel much more confident in my insistence if there is written statement somewhere to help me stand my ground. As a person who writes and negotiates contracts as part of his job for a long time, I appreciate the written words having the power over empty verbal promises any time and in any situations – especially those of any salesperson’s. Without it, I guess I can only resort to knowing what’s been done as a common industry practice. This is not a good reference for an RV owner to go by obviously.

Speaking of which, I think the RV industry as a whole is an interesting one: it is a combination of many things having a very loosely defined set of properties (you can’t say with certainty what is and is not), but transparency is definitely not one of them. At least that’s how I feel about it.

Thank you all.