Warranty Issues and denials

[jetjocka7]

In my other thread demonstrated how I usually learn my lessons, THE HARD WAY.
When it comes to warranty issues, I now know that there is no such thing as the one year warranty that salesmen brag about; the manufacturers of RVs don't warrant any sub-components that they install in their RVs - the makers of the sub-components are your only and best source for warranty reinbursement.
The sales and service companies won't tell you the whole story either; in my case the service department would rather the customer pay their $125/hr for time to repair which is more than they would get doing the repair under the rules of a sub-component manufacturer, AND full marked up prices for parts which they are not allowed to do under warranty rules of a sub-component manufacturer. In other words they get less money if they help you find the right person to approve your repair under warranty.
New to all this, I pitched a fit and raised my BP for nothing when I should have....
put your warranty issue or part failure problem here or on another RV forum FIRST! Likely as not, a more experienced RVer has had your experience and can steer you in the right direction BEFORE you go off the deep in.
Take it from this old nasal radiator (Naval Aviator), this is the place to start when you have a problem! Thanks to all those who lend us new guys a hand in learning the best way to care and feed an RV.

[richfaa]

Most have good warranty experiences. We have not had a problem first year manufacturers, extended warranty, dealer, mobile service over a 7 year period of being on the road..
many dealers will tell you they will not repair your Rv if not purchased there and that usually occurs during the manufacturers warranty period because the dealer does not get full repair rate on warranty work. If it is on your buck they will find time. Call the manufacturer first and let them set up a appointment with a dealer. That works.

[MrVan]

soren wrote:

MrVan wrote:
There is no such thing as a good warranty repair experience.

Oddly enough, I have had several, and I doubt I'm alone.

Having to go to take the RV out of service due to problems, pull it to the dealer, possibly have to leave it there for a period of time, deal with possible disagreements on the repair, return to the dealer to pull the RV back home and then find the problem may still exist is not what I would call a good warranty experience. No failures under waranty at all would be a good warranty experience.

[BillB3857]

We did buy the extended warranty when we got our 5t wheel. A little over a year after delivery, saw an extreme wear pattern on one rear tire. Took it to the selling dealer to have it checked out. They said I had bent the rear axle by hitting something. I asked which direction and they said it was bent toward the rear. My next remark was that if I had backed into something, it would have been bent forward and I I had hit something going forward, it would have been the front axle that was bent, not the rear. Warranty company replaced the axle.

[Jettech109]

I had problem with our new Laredo. Winterization valve was not plumbed correctly. I was going to just fix it myself but on the next trip out I noticed that 2 of the 4 brakes were cold to the touch. So I decided to take back to dealer for repairs just I case brake prob needed parts and was not just loose connections. I called and scheduled an appointment for Jan 2. I had the camper at our hunting ground for the season so I scheduled a trip to get it to them. I called them after not hearing anything for 2 days. They told me they had not gotten to it yet because they were busy getting ready for the RV show the next weekend. Obviously new sales are more important than customer service. When I went to pick camper up they just handed me keys and said it is outback. I went to raise landing gear and battery was dead. I thought this was weird but just wanted to get it home. When I got home I realized after truck had charged battery that they left water pump on after testing plumbing repair. I called to ask them about how long the pump could run dry with out causing damage and to express my concerns about what happened. All I got was him saying well that is the last step to turn off pump they would not have left that on. I expressed my concerns about coverage of damages later down road. All they said was sorry. I can't wait till warrenty is over I will be hesitant to take back for anything in future.

[Duck]

goducks10 wrote:
I suggest finding a manufacturer that will warrant your RV thru any dealer or repair facility. If you have to rely on your purchasing dealer then what happens when you're on the road? Or what if you buy from a dealer out of town/state? Finding a manufacturer that will be flexible for warranty repairs is the best way IMO. It ultimately comes down to the manufacturer anyway.

All of my warrantee repair work has been done by a mobile repair service or a independent repair shop, not a dealer. I find that the work is done correctly and usually quicker.
Don

[richfaa]

These post are educational at least they should be. It is a fact that during the manufacturers warranty period ALL warranty issues are done by the manufacturer Via a dealer or otherwise. It is also a fact that better results are achieved by dealing directly with the manufacturer as they have more influence with your dealer than we do. We call the manufacturer first then they clear the way to the dealer.

After the manufacturers warranty period many of the vendor items have a longer warranty period and we should deal with them direct. In fact I have dealt with the vendor direct during the manufacturers warranty period with better and quicker results.

These are RV's and a entirely different world than our trucks and cars in terms or warranty issues.

[goducks10]

I suggest finding a manufacturer that will warrant your RV thru any dealer or repair facility. If you have to rely on your purchasing dealer then what happens when you're on the road? Or what if you buy from a dealer out of town/state? Finding a manufacturer that will be flexible for warranty repairs is the best way IMO. It ultimately comes down to the manufacturer anyway.

[soren]

MrVan wrote:
There is no such thing as a good warranty repair experience.

Oddly enough, I have had several, and I doubt I'm alone.

[MrVan]

There is no such thing as a good warranty repair experience.

[laknox]

As I said in the other thread, CW is the one common entity that let jetjock down. They =should= have explained the warranty situation, very clearly, during the sales process, THEN CW didn't contact the WG mfr for warranty, but contacted Keystone who, of course, denied the claim. Marcus Lemonis? Are you reading this?

Lyle

[skipnchar]

My last two travel trailers have needed only a single warranty repair which was don't on the road in Texas. They were very happy to handle the repair on my thettford toilet and save me the $40.00 it would have cost had I not still been within the two year warranty period.
Good luck / Skip

[Oaklevel]

2008Wildcat wrote:
I've used the manufacturer's warranty a few times within this first year, no problems or arguments from the selling dealer.

Maybe it is just your dealer.....

x2

[Old-Biscuit]

'jetjocka7'

Yes....warranty issues can be very frustrating and more so when it comes to RVs.

The various components that make up an RV do have their own warranty/duration/limits BUT the mfg. supplies the overall coverage and should handle all issues within their warranty time frame (which is typically less time than the components) and the 'dealer' is the one that should be handling the middleman contact, authorization, repairs etc.

CW let you down, Keystone let you down and therefore YOU have to grab the horns and get the repairs done and contact the component mfg. to deal with their warranty procedures. Shouldn't have been that way.
Like I said......CW was the first failure in the process. As your dealer they should have handled the warranty issues...period.

[soren]

I can't stress enough that the dealer is the deal maker in a lot of this.

We owned a Sunnybrook, built Prior to the Winnebago takeover. It had severe leakage due to a manufacturing error at the roof edge. Sunnybrook's person in charge of the situation was an absolute scumbag. He went so far as to question if the rig was stolen, since they had no record of it, and accused me of attempting to claim accident damage as a warranty issue, since the screws show in the pics. I sent were "not the kind they use while building the unit", which was also total Bull.

I contacted the owner of the very large dealer who sold the unit. He called the CEO of Sunnybrook, and basically said, "stop this garbage now, or you will regret it". The following week my unit was picked up in PA, shipped to In, and repaired, and inspected with a fine tooth comb. The water heater was replaced, a kitchen window was replaced, several upgrades were added, and it was returned to our house a few weeks later. Had the dealer not stepped in, the situation was not only pretty bleak, but getting worse with each conversation I had with the factory's lying SOB.