Dealership Additional Warranties???

[jtaege]

Just got a new 2021 Solitude 375RES-R. Our dealer gave us the whole speech about additional warranties that we "need" to cover all of the things that could go wrong after the Grand Design warranty is over and that our insurance policy will not cover.

Is it something we should keep? We can cancel at any time and I am just wondering if others added something similar or passed. For those who did add it, have you used it?

 

[livinthelife]

Just got a new 2021 Solitude 375RES-R. Our dealer gave us the whole speech about additional warranties that we "need" to cover all of the things that could go wrong after the Grand Design warranty is over and that our insurance policy will not cover.

Is it something we should keep? We can cancel at any time and I am just wondering if others added something similar or passed. For those who did add it, have you used it?

Several of us here say "don't do it". We did buy the extended warranties when we bought our rig (sorry, we had never owned a trailer before and it was a bit scary). We cancelled all the extended warranties about 8 months into ownership. We never used any of them.

 

[RoadRider84]

I’m the guy when buying a car at a dealership the finance guy hears only “no thanks”. Only if they offered a killer extended manufacturer, not dealer, warranty on my diesel truck I would consider that.

Video below is worth watching.
https://youtu.be/wyQlfwi2hX4

 

[J Maguire]

Just got a new 2021 Solitude 375RES-R. Our dealer gave us the whole speech about additional warranties that we "need" to cover all of the things that could go wrong after the Grand Design warranty is over and that our insurance policy will not cover.

Is it something we should keep? We can cancel at any time and I am just wondering if others added something similar or passed. For those who did add it, have you used it?

You're unlikely to recover all of the money lost through purchasing an extended warranty; even if some minor repairs are required in the future.

In addition, you'll have to rely on the warranty company involved to actually come through for you in the time of trouble and in a timely manner as well. Thats two strikes against a warranty being purchased up front.

Paying out of pocket later, if necessary, will most likely save you money rather than buying the extended warranty now and you'll have the freedom of not having to rely on the warranty company to keep their promises.

Some repairs are simply cheaper, quicker and easier to do yourself, again bypassing warranty.

It's a "no thanks" for me.

 

[rootusrootus]

An extended warranty is an insurance policy (as are original warranties, for that matter). On average you are likely to spend more on the premium than you will use from the coverage, but you may consider that an acceptable loss to hedge the risk of a much more expensive event that only happens rarely. Insurance exists for a reason.

That said, I probably wouldn't choose to pay extra for a warranty. I'd spend the money on decent roadside assistance instead. My dealer includes a 'lifetime warranty' on every rig they sell, wrapped into the price, but I didn't consider that at all when I was shopping, so I don't feel like I paid anything for it. They were the best price I could find within 500 miles.

 

[RoadRider84]

Keep in mind that there are Manufacturer Extended Warranties vs Dealer Extended Warranty. Very different.

 

[Second Chance]

To state what [MENTION=34261]rootusrootus[/MENTION] said slightly differently.. my wife found a very good description of extended service plans a while back (they are not warranties, but rather insurance policies with lots of fine print). They are another form of legalized gambling. The company is betting that nothing breaks that would cause them to pay out more than you paid for the policy; you're betting it will. As in all forms of legalized gambling, the house usually wins. Otherwise, these companies wouldn't be in business or make a profit. We prefer to set money aside regularly (earning interest) and pay for repairs as they come up.

Rob

 

[rootusrootus]

I definitely like to approach them as insurance policies, since it avoids the automatic stigma that goes with 'extended warranty' and allows for a more reasoned appraisal of their value (or lack thereof). I've bought them before, and rarely used them, but depending on how comfortable I am with the build quality of the vehicle I'm buying it may be worth paying for the peace of mind. Years ago we decided to get a minivan, and we loved the features of the Dodge Caravan, but we were leery of the reliability. It was something like 5 grand cheaper than a Honda or Toyota, so we just spent a bit of the savings on an extended warranty from CarMax and then enjoyed those great stow-and-go seats .

On a related note, I think it's also useful to view original factory warranties as insurance policies, too, but with the premium as part of the purchase price. IMO it makes it a little more sensible when considering the motivations behind how the manufacturer builds things. I have to imagine they have a similar/equivalent way of quantifying the warranty costs.

 

[thegreenblade]

You're unlikely to recover all of the money lost through purchasing an extended warranty; even if some minor repairs are required in the future.

In addition, you'll have to rely on the warranty company involved to actually come through for you in the time of trouble and in a timely manner as well. Thats two strikes against a warranty being purchased up front.

Paying out of pocket later, if necessary, will most likely save you money rather than buying the extended warranty now and you'll have the freedom of not having to rely on the warranty company to keep their promises.

Some repairs are simply cheaper, quicker and easier to do yourself, again bypassing warranty.

It's a "no thanks" for me.

So how much does a Refrigerator cost if you need a new one? More then an extended warranty? Seems like everything breaks down on this forum, heaters slides, hot water tanks, awnings etc. Just one of those item will cover the cost of the warranty.


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[Second Chance]

So how much does a Refrigerator cost if you need a new one? More then an extended warranty? Seems like everything breaks down on this forum, heaters slides, hot water tanks, awnings etc. Just one of those item will cover the cost of the warranty.


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Not necessarily. We purchased an extended service plan with our Reflection in 2015. If I recall, the plan cost about $2,000. When the cooling unit went out on the Norcold fridge (out of warranty), the total cost was about $1,200. We paid the $100 deductible and Route 66 paid the tech $1,100. That was the only out of warranty repair on the RV in the 4-1/2 years we were full-time in it. So... we paid $800 more for the policy than we recouped.

Rob

 

[thegreenblade]

Not necessarily. We purchased an extended service plan with our Reflection in 2015. If I recall, the plan cost about $2,000. When the cooling unit went out on the Norcold fridge (out of warranty), the total cost was about $1,200. We paid the $100 deductible and Route 66 paid the tech $1,100. That was the only out of warranty repair on the RV in the 4-1/2 years we were full-time in it. So... we paid $800 more for the policy than we recouped.

Rob

I’m hope I’m one of those lucky ones.


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[J Maguire]

So how much does a Refrigerator cost if you need a new one? More then an extended warranty? Seems like everything breaks down on this forum, heaters slides, hot water tanks, awnings etc. Just one of those item will cover the cost of the warranty.


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We're on our third RV in almost 10 years, just bought the last RV maybe 8 months ago, I haven't had any major repairs at all on any of them. Hardly any minor repairs for that matter. And yes, we used them frequently, locally as well on long distance trips. Cheers.

 

[OmrodWI]

We are on our third full-sized travel trailer (all purchased new): 32’ North Trail by Hartland; 35’ 10” Salem Hemisphere by Forest River; and now 36’ 11” Imagine by Grand Design.
Did not get “Extended Warranty” on North Trail, blew both axels on the road (at different times) that cost about a $1,100 each plus a number of other issues that we had to deal with out of pocket expense. Told myself, “next time, get extended warranty.”
Paid about $1,250 for Extra-Ride extended warranty at the time we bought the Hemisphere. It gave me knowledge of coverage AND a new AC cost me $50; Repaired leaf spring and frame work that cost over $7,000 & I paid $500 (mostly for alignment that wasn’t covered). Savings ≈ $6,400 So, it was well worth it to me.
I paid an extra $1,784 for five years extended warranty on my Imagine and hope I never have to use it.

 

[thegreenblade]

We are on our third full-sized travel trailer (all purchased new): 32’ North Trail by Hartland; 35’ 10” Salem Hemisphere by Forest River; and now 36’ 11” Imagine by Grand Design.
Did not get “Extended Warranty” on North Trail, blew both axels on the road (at different times) that cost about a $1,100 each plus a number of other issues that we had to deal with out of pocket expense. Told myself, “next time, get extended warranty.”
Paid about $1,250 for Extra-Ride extended warranty at the time we bought the Hemisphere. It gave me knowledge of coverage AND a new AC cost me $50; Repaired leaf spring and frame work that cost over $7,000 & I paid $500 (mostly for alignment that wasn’t covered). Savings ≈ $6,400 So, it was well worth it to me.
I paid an extra $1,784 for five years extended warranty on my Imagine and hope I never have to use it.

That’s why it’s smart to get it.


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[gerryball]

Well I'm up in the air about warranties. I did listen to the finance guy at our dealership and the truth be told I was, as many of us are, overwhelmed with all the figures. So I did buy the extended warranty. He made it sound simple and was only about $20 more on the payments. BUT after figuring it out after getting home I think I made a mistake. Never the less I now have an ease of mind for at least the next 6 years. Unfortunately our '20 303rls has been in the shop 3 of the last 13 months we've had it. Even though all the repair have been minor ones it has been a stressful situation. So bottom line is "It was bought" and I can now not worry about it. Would I do it again? Probably not.

 

[PTParker]

Just got a new 2021 Solitude 375RES-R. Our dealer gave us the whole speech about additional warranties that we "need" to cover all of the things that could go wrong after the Grand Design warranty is over and that our insurance policy will not cover.

Is it something we should keep? We can cancel at any time and I am just wondering if others added something similar or passed. For those who did add it, have you used it?

I tend to agree with the camp of not buying them and putting some money back just in case. Reason is, I have had 4 Trailers, the last one the only new one and only had it about 6 months. But, most extended warranties are in the neighborhood of $2000 dollars, and I have not had 2000 dollars in repairs on all the trailers I have had in the last 30 years! Maybe I am lucky, but had the same luck with cars and trucks. I never bought the extended warranties on vehicles either, but with about 12 new vehicles over the years I have only had about 4000 dollars total in repairs. If I had bought extended warranties on all those, I would probably be out about $20,000 dollars! Just don't add up for me! I have put many miles on most of those trailers and vehicles. Some of the vehicles had about 200,000 on them before selling. All GM vehicles.

 

[Danfiver]

I tend to agree with the camp of not buying them and putting some money back just in case. Reason is, I have had 4 Trailers, the last one the only new one and only had it about 6 months. But, most extended warranties are in the neighborhood of $2000 dollars, and I have not had 2000 dollars in repairs on all the trailers I have had in the last 30 years! Maybe I am lucky, but had the same luck with cars and trucks. I never bought the extended warranties on vehicles either, but with about 12 new vehicles over the years I have only had about 4000 dollars total in repairs. If I had bought extended warranties on all those, I would probably be out about $20,000 dollars! Just don't add up for me! I have put many miles on most of those trailers and vehicles. Some of the vehicles had about 200,000 on them before selling. All GM vehicles.

I think it depends on how handy you are and how good a job you do on maintenance. I bought a warranty on my first fiver and never collected a dime from it

 

[Wandering5thwheelers]

I agree 100%. We purchased the extended warranty on our last unit, and literally one month after the original warranty ended, our bedroom slides/motors went, as did the kitchen slide gearbox. Just these three issues cost well over what we paid for our EW. Our first trailer, no, we didn’t get one, but everyone else we have done so. We also try and get the one where if you don’t use it, you get a full refund. I’m in Canada, and have no idea how much things cost to replace or repair in the US, but I can tell you a fridge up here is extremely expensive. In my opinion it’s worth the piece of mind...but it’s an individual person’s decision to make.

So how much does a Refrigerator cost if you need a new one? More then an extended warranty? Seems like everything breaks down on this forum, heaters slides, hot water tanks, awnings etc. Just one of those item will cover the cost of the warranty.


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[Jenihogue]

We never buy them. Your better off making a camper fund that you save for when you might need it for repair or camping fun and supplies.

 

[RoadRider84]

If someone sleeps better bc they have an extended warranty and/or other warranties and plans then who is anyone to say NOOOOO! I personally am extremely reluctant to pay into any of them. Do they occasionally pay out yes. Most of the time they don’t.

It’s like going to the Casinos. Walk in with a few hundred dollars and have fun spending it. Most of the time one leaves with $5-10 left. Occasionally one wins or breaks even. To say I’m going to the Casino to win $5k tonight rarely happens. (This is where someone says I always do it.). The House is in business to separate one from his/her money. That is why the House financially wins at least 75% of the time.

Same can be said about Insurance policies and Extended Warranties. We may put money into it but the House bets either you will hardly use it or find a loophole why not to pay out. Occasionally it does and then that person will continue to swear by them for the one time it did pay out back in 1944.

Regardless just be realistic about what it is and isn’t and what the odds are one will benefit from it. Again, do whatever helps you sleep better at night.