What Is The Best RV Extended Warranty Plan?

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What Is The Best RV Extended Warranty Plan?

by anonymous

I am buying a new travel trailer and would like to buy a five year extended warranty plan but the dealership one is way to high knowing they mark it up twice as much but wondering if anyone know's of a good company to buy one through?

ANSWER Thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

First let me congratulate you on your new Travel Trailer, I hope you have many years of enjoyment camping with it. When you say new, I am going to assume you mean brand new. If that is the case you do not need to purchase an extended warranty right away, as long as your trailer is covered by the RV Manufacturer’s new RV warranty. Extended warranties are designed to cover RVs that are no longer covered by the Manufacturer’s Warranty. Having an extended warranty on a new RV is pointless. When you are getting close to the Manufacturer’s Warranty expiring is the time to start shopping for an Extended RV Warranty.

The only time that you would want to cover a new RV with an extended warranty is if the RV you are buying is an orphan RV. An orphan RV is a brand new RV manufactured by a company that has gone out of business, so there is no new RV warranty provided. Please take a look at the answers to these questions to get more information on whether your RV would be considered an orphan. Is The RV Dealer Responsible For Warranty When The Manufacturer Goes Bankrupt? and What RV Manufacturers Are Out Of Business?

Even if your new RV is an orphan, other items in your RV such as the TVs, Stove, Microwave, Fridge, Air Conditioners, etc. will be covered by the manufacturer's warranty for those products. In other words if you had a Sharp Microwave and it broke, it would be covered by Sharp under their new appliance warranty. The house portion of your trailer would not be covered, such as cabinets, roof, walls, etc.

You also need to be aware that extended warranties do not cover all the items that a new RV warranty does. So when you are shopping around for an extended warranty you need review all of the information on what is and what is not covered by the extended RV Warranty.

My own personal recommendation for an RV Extended Warranty is the Good Sam Club's Continued Service Plan. The Good Sam's CSP plan is reasonably priced and provided by the Good Sam Club, who has been helping RVers for years. To get more information on what is covered click on this link Good Sam CSP: FREE QUOTE

Important Update: Due to all of the comments I have received on this topic. Including several comments with misleading information on RV Extended Service Plans. I have decided to list the reasons why I recommend the Good Sam Extended Service Plan.

* Covers parts and labor
* Charges deductible per occurrence (versus per item)
* Transferable (without fees)
* Duration of coverage controlled by the customer
* Customized Plans with Deductible Options
* Freedom to Choose RV Repair Center
* Regulated by insurance industry
* Travel Expenses Covered
* Backed by the Good Sam Club the world's largest RV owner's community

Leave your RV repair bills to us—Good Sam Extended Service Plan
I hope that I have been able to answer your questions and I wish you the best of luck with your new RV. If any of our visitors would like to add their comments they can do so by clicking the add comments link near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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What Is The Best RV Extended Warranty Plan?

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Overpriced to get extended
by: J

After searching for some info on Rv warranties I cam across this string. Thought I would like to add my 2 cents for what it is worth.
I am just going to by my first travel trailer, unless an 82' tent trailer counts. To me tent trailer doesn't really count unless it's got a washroom in it. Any ways I am investigating a warranty that extents for 4 years on a 2008 trailer in B.C. Canada. this is from Aviva. As far as the owner knows it is transferrable. I ahve not been a big fan of extended warranties becouse I am very aware that these plans have huge mark ups for the dealer. Anything I purchase new, if the dealer tries to upsell me I will negotiate the warranty price down. This will almost always work! I have received many warranties for at least 50% less than what they originally told me. The warranty doesn't change if they agree to sell it to you for less. I also know that these extended warranties have the purchaser at their mercy. They know you will not take lagal action. I usually walk away and take my chances. My experience is that you may have to pay to fix something, but in the end if you add up all your cost it will always be cheaper than if you purchased an extended warranty on everything. I also realize that some things are easy to fix yourself. So please think about this when you are confronted by the salesman trying to pad his/her wallet! Negotiate, and only take the warranty on your terms and only if it is worht it. My feeling is the extended warranty must co st less than 15% of the cost of the item and it almost alwasy costs about 20-25%.......

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Submitted by: J

Title

Comment
After searching for some info on Rv warranties I cam across this string. Thought I would like to add my 2 cents for what it is worth. I am just going to by my first travel trailer, unless an 82' tent trailer counts. To me tent trailer doesn't really count unless it's got a washroom in it. Any ways I am investigating a warranty that extents for 4 years on a 2008 trailer in B.C. Canada. this is from Aviva. As far as the owner knows it is transferrable. I ahve not been a big fan of extended warranties becouse I am very aware that these plans have huge mark ups for the dealer. Anything I purchase new, if the dealer tries to upsell me I will negotiate the warranty price down. This will almost always work! I have received many warranties for at least 50% less than what they originally told me. The warranty doesn't change if they agree to sell it to you for less. I also know that these extended warranties have the purchaser at their mercy. They know you will not take lagal action. I usually walk away and take my chances. My experience is that you may have to pay to fix something, but in the end if you add up all your cost it will always be cheaper than if you purchased an extended warranty on everything. I also realize that some things are easy to fix yourself. So please think about this when you are confronted by the salesman trying to pad his/her wallet! Negotiate, and only take the warranty on your terms and only if it is worht it. My feeling is the extended warranty must co st less than 15% of the cost of the item and it almost alwasy costs about 20-25%.......

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Extended warranties, YES!!!!
by: Bigfingers

Not having owned a RV (YET) means doing research before committing to spending thousands of dollars. I have read and reread all the comments
on this page and am in total agreement with Al.
We can not afford new so are looking into slightly used. Als' thinking closely parallels my own which is a plus in my mind. Thanks for truthful and common sense adice Al.

Smiles,
Bigfingers

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TEND TO AGREE WITH AL ON THIS ONE
by: LULU

I work at an RV dealership but I work in the service department. I deal with extended service contracts on a daily basis and I know there is not one out there that will cover everything a manufacturers warranty will. I also know what pressure is put on our finance department to sell the extended service contract and finance it in the deal because we make so much money on them. Good Sam is a great one to deal with from my end because they pay us directly with a credit card and we don't have to wait days or weeks in some cases to get paid and the customer doesn't have to wait to get reimbursed. Another great one that is very much similar to Good Sam is CWCare or Freedom Care. I would stay far away from Heritage because they are taking up to two years to reimburse customers. National Warranty of Florida is also one that makes us jump through hoops to get items covered. Do your research for yourself and you will be fine. No one person has all the answers just our own personal experiances. Happy Camping!!!!

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Extended Warranties
by: Anonymous

Generally, what is the price difference between purchasing a extended warranty at time of purchase
or in our case, after 2 yrs from purchase date.

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Agree with Sean
by: Anonymous

There are a lot of different warranty policies available & waiting until a manufacturer's warranty has expired on a new unit, thereby requiring an extended policy priced for a now used unit does increase the cost & shorten the term of the warranty.

It would make more sense to go ahead & pay LESS for an extended service policy the day you buy the new unit, regardless of how it is paid for. Generally speaking, manufacturer's put a 1-2 year warranty on the unit; the individual appliances are subject to their manufacturer's warranty, which is anywhere from 6months to 2 years. Furthermore, extended warranties work differently. Some policies require that an owner pay for all work done upfront & submit reimbursement, whereas others will pay the repair center directly so the only money that ever leaves the customer's pocket is the deductible. I would rather pay a little bit more for a policy in which I wouldn't have to wait for reimbursement. Some questions to keep in mind when researching a policy include whether the policy is cancellable (with a pro-rated refund), can it be transferred, who can work on the unit if something goes wrong, & is the policy/company rated well? Too many warranty companies are going under these days with little/no warning to customers...leaving the customer with no warranty & no refund. Lastly & perhaps most importantly, a GOOD extended service policy WILL cover everything that a new manufacturer's warranty covers.

Comment From RVing Al: Again I must jump in here and not let mis-information be given to my visitors. You state that "a GOOD extended service policy WILL cover everything that a new manufacturer's warranty covers". There are no Extended RV Warranties or Continued Service Plans that cover everything that a RV manufacturer's new RV warranty does, they do not exist.

Even if you choose a plan that has optional premiums that you can purchase for additional coverage, they still do not cover everything a new RV warranty covers. In fact if anyone can give me the name of a company that offers an RV Extended Service Plan that covers everything a new RV Warranty does, I will be more than happy to include that information on this page after I confirm that the coverage is available.

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Submitted by: Anonymous

Title

Comment
There are a lot of different warranty policies available & waiting until a manufacturer's warranty has expired on a new unit, thereby requiring an extended policy priced for a now used unit does increase the cost & shorten the term of the warranty. It would make more sense to go ahead & pay LESS for an extended service policy the day you buy the new unit, regardless of how it is paid for. Generally speaking, manufacturer's put a 1-2 year warranty on the unit; the individual appliances are subject to their manufacturer's warranty, which is anywhere from 6months to 2 years. Furthermore, extended warranties work differently. Some policies require that an owner pay for all work done upfront & submit reimbursement, whereas others will pay the repair center directly so the only money that ever leaves the customer's pocket is the deductible. I would rather pay a little bit more for a policy in which I wouldn't have to wait for reimbursement. Some questions to keep in mind when researching a policy include whether the policy is cancellable (with a pro-rated refund), can it be transferred, who can work on the unit if something goes wrong, & is the policy/company rated well? Too many warranty companies are going under these days with little/no warning to customers...leaving the customer with no warranty & no refund. Lastly & perhaps most importantly, a GOOD extended service policy WILL cover everything that a new manufacturer's warranty covers. Comment From RVing Al: Again I must jump in here and not let mis-information be given to my visitors. You state that "a GOOD extended service policy WILL cover everything that a new manufacturer's warranty covers". There are no Extended RV Warranties or Continued Service Plans that cover everything that a RV manufacturer's new RV warranty does, they do not exist. Even if you choose a plan that has optional premiums that you can purchase for additional coverage, they still do not cover everything a new RV warranty covers. In fact if anyone can give me the name of a company that offers an RV Extended Service Plan that covers everything a new RV Warranty does, I will be more than happy to include that information on this page after I confirm that the coverage is available.

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Extended Service Plans
by: Carrie

Thank you Al - I think I'll follow your recommendations regarding the purchase of an extended warranty on our slightly used 2003 33 ft Coachmen Aurora - after paying for it outright, (a) I dont want another HUGE outlay of dollars for repairs OR the warranty. Thanks for the advise and the link for free quote from Good Sam's Club. ...appreciate you -

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Al Doesn't Have a Clue
by: Sean

Folks I just wanted to clear things up with what Al had to say regarding Extended Warranties. First of all if you purchase a brand "New" Motor home or trailer yes you get a manufactures warranty, but only for a few months to a year. Companies offer you a extended service contract because it makes great sense. When a motor home or trailer is considered new the cost of a contract is considerably less then if the manufactures warranty had run out. Plus the duration of the term is considerably less if you decide to buy one later. Other things people don't consider is that the contract can also be financed into the loan just in case you are running on a tight budget and want to protect your purchase. People are more willing to pay a few dollars more a month then trying to cough up a huge expense later trying to pay the contract in full. Yes you pay more interest but it's your choice and you don't have that choice if you decide to purchase one later. Something else I wanted to point out is to do your research. There are a lot of great companies that offer contracts but it's you who needs to be asking the questions as to what it covers, what the deductible is, and who can work on it. I know you have done the research on purchasing the unit, It just makes sense to research the warranties too.

Comments From RVing Al: When you start off a comment with "Al Doesn't Have a Clue" I must respond. Unfortunately you have mixed many facts with a lot of fiction. Here are some facts.

Fact 1: Most RV manufacturer?s warranty their new RVs from 1 to 3 years not just "a few months".

Fact 2: Many RV Dealerships sell Extended Service Plans to increase their profits and mark them up from 100% to 200%.

Fact 3: You suggest that the new RV owner should buy the extended service plan from the dealership and include it in their RV loan and then state "Yes you pay more interest but it's your choice and you don't have that choice if you decide to purchase one later". So, you are advising new RV Buyers to add this over priced extended service plan to their RV Loan and now they are paying interest on an overpriced policy and you accuse me of not having a clue?

Sorry Sean I stick with my recommendations in the answer I gave to this question.

Happy RVing
RVing Al

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Submitted by: Sean

Title

Comment
Folks I just wanted to clear things up with what Al had to say regarding Extended Warranties. First of all if you purchase a brand "New" Motor home or trailer yes you get a manufactures warranty, but only for a few months to a year. Companies offer you a extended service contract because it makes great sense. When a motor home or trailer is considered new the cost of a contract is considerably less then if the manufactures warranty had run out. Plus the duration of the term is considerably less if you decide to buy one later. Other things people don't consider is that the contract can also be financed into the loan just in case you are running on a tight budget and want to protect your purchase. People are more willing to pay a few dollars more a month then trying to cough up a huge expense later trying to pay the contract in full. Yes you pay more interest but it's your choice and you don't have that choice if you decide to purchase one later. Something else I wanted to point out is to do your research. There are a lot of great companies that offer contracts but it's you who needs to be asking the questions as to what it covers, what the deductible is, and who can work on it. I know you have done the research on purchasing the unit, It just makes sense to research the warranties too. Comments From RVing Al: When you start off a comment with "Al Doesn't Have a Clue" I must respond. Unfortunately you have mixed many facts with a lot of fiction. Here are some facts. Fact 1: Most RV manufacturer?s warranty their new RVs from 1 to 3 years not just "a few months". Fact 2: Many RV Dealerships sell Extended Service Plans to increase their profits and mark them up from 100% to 200%. Fact 3: You suggest that the new RV owner should buy the extended service plan from the dealership and include it in their RV loan and then state "Yes you pay more interest but it's your choice and you don't have that choice if you decide to purchase one later". So, you are advising new RV Buyers to add this over priced extended service plan to their RV Loan and now they are paying interest on an overpriced policy and you accuse me of not having a clue? Sorry Sean I stick with my recommendations in the answer I gave to this question. Happy RVing RVing Al

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What Is The Best RV Extended Warranty Plan?

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What Is The Best RV Extended Warranty Plan?