Should I get the extended service plan

Lwiddis wrote:
No insurance company offers any RV policy where there is a high chance of valid claims.

Exactly :) They would not be in business if it wasn't in there favor.

Why would anyone buy something where its not in their favor to buy it ?
The person offering it to you doesn't own the extended warranty service contract company does he ?
NO, that's because that person is getting a commission as a salesman so the company can gain a profit.

I self insured myself back in 1988 by investing the face amount of money that people offered me to purchase extended warranties. All that invested money in that acct would have belonged to salesmen and service contract companies. Now its all mine. $ $$$,$$$ I have only had to use this acct 3x since 88' to make a repair that would have covered by one of those contracts. They are finely worded contracts with lots of wiggle room.

Does it include the wire harness? Fuel injector pump? Injectors? It's gonna be an electrical mishap that kills that motor. The motor, trans and running gear will last 200,000+ miles. Your radiator will blow. A hose will blow. The trans cooler will blow. Then they'll say it's not covered because it was caused by...... Been there. I bought a dealer service contract for an 01 CTD. It covered all but......

If it does what it says it does, it would be worth buying.
Ask for a copy of the policy, read it and understand ALL the exclusions. You may be surprised to see what is not covered.

The reality is what you will likely experience is repairs on items not covered by that warranty. Engine gaskets, alternator and power steering pump, and items other than "internally lubricated" engine parts. Likewise with the transmission. Having said that, you own a 5 year old heavy duty vehicle with 113,000 miles on the clock. It would be very tempting to purchase. Before you do, read and understand the actual policy, not the sales brochure. Many times you have significant requirements to get them to pay. Often you are responsible to take it to their repair facility which can be hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. A wrecker bill could far exceed the cost of repair. Also, understand this is an insurance policy, not a warranty. Are in a financial position to pay for a repair that may cost several thousand? Or if you had to make a several thousand dollar repair would that put your RV out of service until you could save up that money? Remember you never insure anything that you can easily replace yourself. That is why you buy insurance for your house but not your toaster!

No insurance company offers any RV policy where there is a high chance of valid claims.

There are a couple of ways to look at this proposition...

Being a former rental with 113K miles know that your transmission has been mostly cooked/abused for all of those miles. Very few renters are ever instructed on utilizing Tow Haul and consequently don't. This leads to the transmission fluid running 10 to 20 degrees hotter than it should. A 30' Class C has more than enough weight to justify the use of Tow haul just about all of the time. Repairing or in the worst case scenario replacing the trans will run 3 or 4 thousand dollars. :S

Also every time I have been passed by a class C going like a bat out of hell, often 75 or more it is a rental... renters just don't care. On the plus side the rentals out of necessity do get good maintenance but they know more about the coach than you and they want it gone after just 5 years which is well below the working life of a C that has been properly operated and maintained. Hmmm, kind of makes you wonder. :h

I am assuming that your 30' Magestic is probably on a Ford E-450 chassis with the V-10 and a 5 speed Torque Shift transmission. This combination when not abused is close to bulletproof so you gotta ask yourself one question...Do you feel lucky, well do ya?

I am not a fan of extended warranties and you might just be better off to put that $1,798 in a bank account and add to it periodically thus increasing your coverage when you are financially able. Use these funds ONLY for coach repairs as needed and make sure it is in an account you can easily access {especially while traveling}.

Chances are that if you have a mechanical problem you will be out on the road and not in your driveway. Who is authorized to provide warranty repairs and where are they located ? If you self insure you can get service anywhere and if they cannot get to you quickly or the estimate is high you can keep shopping for a better repair facility.The V-10 should cause you no grief but as noted transmission repairs get pricey in a hurry.

This and other RV Forums are full of horror stories about folks trying to get service with extended warranties with their coaches often stuck in repair limbo for extended periods of time.
For the record my 2012 E-350 24'Nexus C has been trouble free for 6.5+ years and 60K+ miles but it has been very carefully maintained and never abused in any way and yes, I use Tow Haul about 90 percent of the time.

I hope this gives you some perspective on the pros and cons of going either way and...
As always... Opinions and YMMV. Good Luck!

:C

I've never seen the point in spending a bunch of money on a repair before you even need one. Why don't you put the money in the bank and add to it when you can.

They are a huge money maker, the majority never get used. Like in Vegas, you are betting against the dealer and he almost always wins. Put the money in an emergency no touchee account and use it as necessary.