We Are Almost Proud Owners of a GD Imagine and Have Extended Service Questions

**CardOneConcepts** · 03-01-2023, 04:15 PM

Hello everyone,

My name is Brandon and my wife Michelle and I are about to be proud owners of a brand new 2023 Grand Design Imagine 2500RL.

We are very excited to sign off on all the paperwork next week and eventually take true ownership of our new camper when the snow melts. My wife Michelle and I live and have been camping in the Upstate New York Finger Lakes Region with our two children Lily and Anakin (yes we are Star Wars fans) for over a decade now. We started out with a tent, then bought our first used Coleman Pop-Up Camper that we quickly outgrew and upgraded to a used 2007 Keystone Outback 25RSS. Fast forward an amazing 9 years later of priceless family memories with lots of RV learning along the way and so we are so thrilled that we have decided to purchase a NEW travel trailer. After a lot of research, footwork and shock at how many modern amenities I have been missing out on as well as plenty of standing in showers and sitting on toilets and watching countless hours of the RV Nerd on YouTube. I can say for a fact that we did not have Grand Design on our radar until the minute I walked into one. Ultimately from that point on I know we made a confident "Grand Decision" to go with a "Grand Design".

Michelle and I are looking forward to the years of camping and adventures that await us and we look forward to hopefully meeting some of you along the way!

So for my first post in this forum I wanted to pick everyone's brain on the extended service contracts we are now being presented with from our dealer that we must make a decision on purchasing if any at all when we finalize the paperwork next week. I can honestly say my wife and I have never purchase anything completely brand new before in our lives so I did not know how much weight an extended warranty carries over the factory warranties we will have when it cones to buying something new vs used.

Obviously it is always a good idea to get extra coverage if it makes sense and it is affordable and has always made sense to me when purchasing second hand. But I am not sure the same consideration goes for buying brand new?

I am curious what your general thoughts are on purchasing extended service contracts right out of the gate wit a brand new purchase.

I am more curious if anyone has any opinions or experience dealing with and working with the specific warranty company "RV Americare" that our dealer is offering to us for coverage.

Do you feel these kind of extended service contracts are worth it? Some of them seem a bit unnecessary?

Or just what your thoughts and or opinions are on this subject matter in general would be appreciated.

Or maybe you just want to say hi that is always welcome too!

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I am attaching a copy of the service contract for reference. And what the dealer is offering us for service packages and prices for them and I really would like to know if you think it is worth it or not for some of these?

Click image for larger version.

Name: Extended Service Contracts.pdf
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• $4,057 dollars for the 5-year parts and labor service agreement
• $795 for the 5-year Coach-Net roadside program
• $595 for Tire and wheel protection
• $1,545 for the Appearance Pkg which is 5 years as well. I am told the Appearance pkg is a Dealer Installed Ceramic Coat that helps protect from UV rays, Bird dropping, and Tree sap. It makes it so you do not have to Wax your vehicle. I am not really sure this is a necessary option considering where we live we have always stored our camera with an RV cover in the winterized months and I don't mind washing it because that's a good way to inspect it and keep a close eye to detail.

I look forward to hearing your feedback on all of this and thank you for your time.

**NB Canada** · 03-01-2023, 04:45 PM

Imo say no to all of it
Waste of money

Take that cash and put it away and it will be there if you have a major failure

**Second Chance** · 03-01-2023, 05:09 PM

No, no, no. These are money-makers for the dealerships and you have to do barrel rolls to meet the requirements to keep them in force.

"Hi," and welcome to the forum.

Rob

**Hoopy Frood** · 03-01-2023, 07:47 PM

Those two have hit the nail on the head IMO. Those are huge money makers for the dealer and there are usually so many if's, and's, and but's that they can get out of fixing pretty much anything. Remember they only make money if they don't give it to you.

**FjClay** · 03-01-2023, 07:48 PM

$7k?? You can pay for a lot of repairs yourself for way less

**LanerC** · 03-01-2023, 08:04 PM

I have to agree with all of the above, I just dont believe the extended warranty works for your benefit. Ear mark half that amount for maintenance and repair and you will probably end up using it for fun add ons. Welcome and happy camping! The the ceramic coating isnt anything special, you will still want to use some kind of wax after a year or so.

**sande005** · 03-01-2023, 09:00 PM

Having now owned two different RV's over 10 years, both bought new:

1. I have NEVER needed a repair that would be covered by an extended warranty. It was either mfg warranty, a maintenance item, or something not covered (mostly things I did to it myself that caused work needing to be done).
2. Tire and wheel? There is already a good warranty on the tires themselves. Price out new tires at Discount Tire, etc. and you'll see that their price is 2/3 of the way there already.
3. Ceramic coating? Never. As a matter of fact, I am real lazy, and only wash my trailers about once a year. Have only waxed once. A 2022 Imagine just pulled into the site next to me today. Quality of finish, lack of fade, etc comparing my 2017 model to the 2022 shows no difference at all. Wash and wax if you like, but run away from the coating scam.
4. I DO like Coach-Net, and it seems to get slightly better reviews than Good Sam for road assistance. I got stellar service from them the one time needed. But both are a mixed bag, with each getting their share of bad reviews. Go online and see what their offers and service levels are for new owners, before committing to a package deal from a dealer. Make sure the coverage level is comparable, and what you want.

Since all tend to be very high profit centers for the dealer, they frequently can be negotiated down drastically. You may even be able to get for free, if you are prepared to walk away from the purchase (and they are something you really do want).

**Probe1957** · 03-02-2023, 08:25 AM

In this rookie's opinion, over the entire length of time you will own this RV, you won't even get close to spending $7,000 on repairs that would be covered by these ESCs. Just say no.

**Soundsailor** · 03-02-2023, 08:33 AM

Hello Brandon - @CardOneConcepts, welcome to the forum. Lot's of good advice here, avoid those add-ons. But keep coming back to the forum to keep us updated about your new coach and to ask for help if you need it, there are a lot of friendly folks here with plenty of RV experience.

**Overtaxed** · 03-03-2023, 04:58 AM

7K is absolutely ridiculous. I'd consider it at 1000, no at 2000 or more.

When you hear people talking about things breaking in an RV, most of the time they are relatively minor $$ issues to repair. There are some exceptions, if the walls delaminate, that's not a DIY repair, and it's very expensive to repair. But odds are good if that is going to happen, it will happen in the first year (or in the 20th year, long after any warranty expires).

Given how backed up and awful more dealers are, other than the ability to order parts that fail for free, I see almost no value in a warranty today. Sure, you have a warranty, our next opening for service is November. If that doesn't work, we can fit you in sometime in April 2024. That's a bit of hyperbole, but not as much as you might think.