Wholesale Warranty extended service agreement

Mandalay Parr wrote:
I would put the money in the bank and pay for your own repairs.

Thats a great idea until you have to pay 20k for a new engine or transmission. There are some horror stories out there about doing just that with a supposedly well taken care of coach. I feel better with the warranty. It may be smarter to save the money but I sleep better so it's money well spent in my book.

Mandalay Parr wrote:
I would put the money in the bank and pay for your own repairs.

X-2, I've been RVing since 1976 and never have bought one!

Those who have spent the money on "service contracts" will support them, but you generally only hear from those who have had enough maintenance issues to have made them worthwhile. The companies that sell these aren't non-profits - they're selling insurance and betting that you'll pay them a lot more than they'll pay out. I've been full timing for 10 years in a fairly complex MH, but I'd have paid thousands over the years and gotten little in return. Lucky? Maybe; and if it gives you piece of mind and can afford it than buy the insurance. But for most of us it doesn't add up to a wise financial decision.

We're almost into our second year of owning a new MH. Have yet to use ours, mainly because the new MH warranties covers stuff for two years on the Freightliner chassis and engine through Cummins for 5 years and Allison for a couple. The actual Fleetwood built items and accessories are what the warranty will cover (for now) if something arises after the first year.

It's going in this spring for a slide out clunking noise when opening the slide as it drops down. That will be under the warranty most likely.

Will I use what I paid for the warranty before the 5 years is up? I don't think so, but with my luck, we might. I didn't want it but the wife insisted on buying the warranty. If I were buying used I would strongly consider it.

So they claim the problems on the internet were not RV related? A simple Google search will dispel that myth.

I disagree with putting your money in the bank..where it will earn you .0000001%. And, before the warranty haters come on....these are NOT warranties, they are SERVICE CONTRACTS ! Ok...now that all the caveats are done with, here's my take.

My feeling is it depends on your situation and reading between the lines, I think your situation is similar to mine. I have been turning wrenches since I was 12 but that doesn't mean I want to do that today. While I do a lot of work on my coach myself, there are times and things I don't wish to tackle. If you can afford to leave your coach sitting next to your house while you save enough money to repair it then go ahead and put some $$ in the bank. That said, you better have a bunch saved cuz at $120/hr it'll go out pretty damn quick.

I have had two extended warranties. The first for two years and the current one through WW for five. I'm into my second year on the WW contract. We bought our coach a year old and it was a repo so I felt the service contract was a valid purchase. I had the selling dealer pay for half of the first contract. During the four years so far the service contracts have paid out over $10,000 in repairs, the most recent was $1900 for a new A/C unit I had installed at a campground. They also paid $733 for a new tire when I had a blowout in September. No questions asked. I sent them the bill and they sent me a check. I've also had them pay for a new rear end on my coach as mine started making noises. They paid without a whimper. Two years ago, my Norcold failed and they paid for a new Amish cooling unit...$3,000 installed. Again, I lost four bolts out of my turbo...8 hrs labor to fix it. Do the math. So, yes, I've gotten my money's worth out of the contracts. I do have a $50 deductible so it's pretty easy for me to simply say, "fix it". We full time, so I do not have the luxury of having a place to work on the coach or be able to just drop it off somewhere. Most service contracts allow for mobile techs to do the work, but you do have to follow their instructions to the letter. I've never had them turn me down....Dennis

I agree with Mandalay Parr, take your $3600.00 up front money and your $4000.00 in installments and put it in a repair fund.

JMO

I would put the money in the bank and pay for your own repairs.