Buying extended warranty

Ostrov80

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Hello everyone!

I'm a new member from Washington State and currently in the process of buying the 2025 Tranquility 19A. The dealer offered a 5-year extended warranty for both Thor and the chassis (about $8000). They also mentioned EcoRV - certified sanitizing to prevent mold and eliminate bacteria, and Battery Forever - fixing all lithium battery problems.

We are new to RVs and would love to hear your advice on whether these options are worth it based on your experience.

Thank you!
Elena
 
Welcome to the forum.

Extended warranties are a crap shoot at best. Some payout and most don’t or they would not exist.

Before purchasing, get the dealer to provide a copy and read the exclusions very carefully. Look for things like if a non-covered item’s (bolt) failure caused a covered item (refrigerator) to fail the refrigerator repair is not covered. Items typically not covered include all fasteners, seals and flooring.

Better option is to put the z8k in and interest bearing rv repair account. In five years you’ll probably have money remaking in that account.
 
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Hello everyone!

I'm a new member from Washington State and currently in the process of buying the 2025 Tranquility 19A. The dealer offered a 5-year extended warranty for both Thor and the chassis (about $8000). They also mentioned EcoRV - certified sanitizing to prevent mold and eliminate bacteria, and Battery Forever - fixing all lithium battery problems.

We are new to RVs and would love to hear your advice on whether these options are worth it based on your experience.

Thank you!
Elena

Just Say NO!
 
If due to finances a $16,000 break down would break you;
Consider the warranty.
That's a 2:1 bet on a WILDLY unlikely if-come.


If cash isn't a rarity in your life;
Skip the warranty because only a fool would make a 2:1 bet on an unlikelyhood.
 
If you are not a dedicated DIY'er with lots of RV experience I would suggest finding an independent RV repair shop and pay them (probably a few hundred dollars?) to do a thorough PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection). Yes, even on a new motorhome but especially on a used one. With the PPI report in hand you'll have a good idea if the rig is really ready to use or if it needs repairs first (which wouldn't be unusual). And it'd be a good bargaining tool for the purchase price &/or cost of the extended warranty.

A generally accepted assumption is that MH manufacturers throw together a kit of parts (from various manufacturers) and expect the dealer to sort it out afterwards. Which means you must choose your dealer carefully. Some are good but overall the RV industry does not have a great reputation for dealer service. This is something an independent shop would likely know about.
 
Paid 2700 dollars for national rv care platinum coverage for 7 year warranty. Saved me close to 15k in repairs in last 5 years. Biggest thing with warranty, gotta have a shop that knows how to file claims. Only thing not covered is flaking furniture.
 
Hello everyone!

I'm a new member from Washington State and currently in the process of buying the 2025 Tranquility 19A. The dealer offered a 5-year extended warranty for both Thor and the chassis (about $8000). They also mentioned EcoRV - certified sanitizing to prevent mold and eliminate bacteria, and Battery Forever - fixing all lithium battery problems.

We are new to RVs and would love to hear your advice on whether these options are worth it based on your experience.

Thank you!
Elena
Not 'JUST' No...!!!
These are the biggest scam on the planet, along with all those auto and home warranties.
You're better off inevesting the $8k or just holding it and using to fix the BS that isn't covered under warranty.
My dealer tried to sell me a $10k on my Tellaro which has a 3 yr 30k warranty on the chassis anyways. I said no and they pressured me only to force me say my work is way better than theirs, so eff off.

As for the rest- the dealer will never see me again b/c they are idiots and only good to do the paperwork for ownership. I wouldn't trust any of their work esp. after seeing how bad Thor assembles these things- better off using a mobile tech if you aren't capable. I spent 2 years rewiring and insulating the rig. If I wasn't 70, I would have just bought a van and made my own.

So that's all I have to say about that...

Now if you can get the kind of coverage that macdaddy got, that might be ok. But I stand by my statement that my work is better than theirs b/c I have a lot more experience than they do.
 
The salvation of these;
Your budget does not allow for castastrophe so you make monthly payments toward potential catastrophe.

It's health insurance for your vehicle.

If you can afford an emergency appendectomy then the monthly you paid to health insurance is wasted money.

EXACTLY the same premise.
 
I have used my extended warranty on several major issues and it has paid for itself. You have to get a good service department manager that can write it up so that the warranty company has to pay for the repair work. Most of the small stuff I repair myself. You can always request a refund on it if you decide during the warranty period it wasn't worth it.

Paul
 
Hello everyone!

I'm a new member from Washington State and currently in the process of buying the 2025 Tranquility 19A. The dealer offered a 5-year extended warranty for both Thor and the chassis (about $8000). They also mentioned EcoRV - certified sanitizing to prevent mold and eliminate bacteria, and Battery Forever - fixing all lithium battery problems.

We are new to RVs and would love to hear your advice on whether these options are worth it based on your experience.

Thank you!
Elena

Ask the Dealer if they can prove to you why you should have the 5 year warranty... if they are successful, don't buy the RV, or make them a new offer for $8k less and buy warranty if they accept your new offer.. Also, what happens in 5 years? How much to buy a new extended warranted on a coach that is 5 years old? If you find a plan it may be $12k -16k.

My RV is exactly 5 years old now. When new, I refused to pay $7500 for the 5 year warranty offered. I had the money, but I kept it in my pocket. Each year if the warranty was not used I spent $1,500 buying stuff I wanted and making mods for the RV. I never used the extended warranty, not one damn dime in savings. The Mfg OEM warranty was used a few times, but all within 1st year or two. Note: I had some things covered by Mfg as goodwill long after the warranty was over. But as stated above, I will do anything to avoid RV Dealers.

Warranty sales will always be around and pitched because like going to a casino a few will win and the casinos want all to know; so more will gamble and lose. If I didn't have much money to begin with, I would NOT be gambling. Walk away from warranty plans. I counted I have 8 engines and 8 transmissions that any of which could go out any day now. If I had to buy and maintain an extended warranty for all of those it prolly would explained why I did not have money saved up to bail myself out of an emergency. I hadn't even addressed the legalese about what may be covered and the hassle to which to process the claims.
 
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What Mark54 said.... The finance guys at dealerships are probably making 50% of the warranty price as profit. Funny to me how if you turn it down they will drop the price and try again...I really get aggravated with the pressure tactics of these people. The other racket they have going is selling financing. The finance guy got aggravated when I asked what the "buy rate" was. That is the actual cost of the financing,,,, not what you are paying. For example they offer you a 6% interest rate but the bank is only charging 5.75% so somebody makes extra money on the deal..5.75% would be the "buy rate".
This kind of sxxt goes on all the time at car/rv dealers. That is why they really like it better if you finance and don't pay cash.
 
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What Mark54 said.... The finance guys at dealerships are probably making 50% of the warranty price as profit. Funny to me how if you turn it down they will drop the price and try again...I really get aggravated with the pressure tactics of these people. The other racket they have going is selling financing. The finance guy got aggravated when I asked what the "buy rate" was. That is the actual cost of the financing,,,, not what you are paying. For example they offer you a 6% interest rate but the bank is only charging 5.75% so somebody makes extra money on the deal..5.75% would be the "buy rate".
This kind of sxxt goes on all the time at car/rv dealers. That is why they really like it better if you finance and don't pay cash.

My son is a finance officer for a multi-dealership auto group and they push these warranties because they make big money on them. $8000 dollars will go a long way with a mobile RV service. My guess is you will not have any failures during the warranty period that will justify the $8000 cost. Most of the problems you will have will not be covered and you will be referred to the OEM for the chassis or the house. They use scare tactics to encourage you into buying them. We have purchased two new automobiles in the past 3 years and our mail box is constantly filled with letters trying to scare us into purchasing an extended warranty. Most of them are so obvious they go into the shredder without ever being opened. We purchased both of these from our son and he never mentions extended warranties because he knows what my answer will be.
 
Hello everyone!

I'm a new member from Washington State and currently in the process of buying the 2025 Tranquility 19A. The dealer offered a 5-year extended warranty for both Thor and the chassis (about $8000). They also mentioned EcoRV - certified sanitizing to prevent mold and eliminate bacteria, and Battery Forever - fixing all lithium battery problems.

We are new to RVs and would love to hear your advice on whether these options are worth it based on your experience.

Thank you!
Elena

My wife and I bought the RV Complete extended warranty with "exclusionary" coverage meaning that pretty much all components are covered. The cost was $4746 for 5 years. I agree with others that extended warranties are a gamble but I have had great return on investment on every auto extended warranty I have bought where I had more covered repairs than the cost of the warranty. Your cost of $8000 seems high but I guess it would depend on the cost of the coach.

Make your own decision but definitely get a PPI before you buy the RV!
 
My wife and I bought the RV Complete extended warranty with "exclusionary" coverage meaning that pretty much all components are covered. The cost was $4746 for 5 years. I agree with others that extended warranties are a gamble but I have had great return on investment on every auto extended warranty I have bought where I had more covered repairs than the cost of the warranty. Your cost of $8000 seems high but I guess it would depend on the cost of the coach.

Make your own decision but definitely get a PPI before you buy the RV!

Here are the results of the extended warranty I bought for my corvette. Granted I could have lost on the warranty but I did not.

Repairs covered on my 2005 Corvette by 4 year Assurant Contract (March 2020 to March 2024)

5/19/2021 - $3590.51 - Rearview mirror, Body Control Module, Trunk release switch, sun visor (Both replaced), oil pan gasket,

7/19/2022 - $407.07 - TCM (Transmission Control Module)

11/1/2022 - $970.79 - Window regulator for drivers side

6/29/2023 - $2363.47 - Harmonic Balancer and all related work such as alignment, Battery cable assembly

2/20/2024 - $4931.98 - Torque Tube, Front Leaf Spring Pair, Steering Rack, Steering Pumps and Hoses, Full Vehicle alignment (required after steering rack replacement and rear cradle removal for drivetrain repairs, Pressure Hose, Starter

Total -------- $12263.82

Paid for contract - $3134.42

Paid deductibles - $1250.00

Total realized profit - $7879.40 after cost of contract and the $250 deductibles
 
Hello everyone!

I'm a new member from Washington State and currently in the process of buying the 2025 Tranquility 19A. The dealer offered a 5-year extended warranty for both Thor and the chassis (about $8000). They also mentioned EcoRV - certified sanitizing to prevent mold and eliminate bacteria, and Battery Forever - fixing all lithium battery problems.

We are new to RVs and would love to hear your advice on whether these options are worth it based on your experience.

Thank you!
Elena
Lazydays?
It is a gamble. We did buy one: Here is what it had covered with$100 deductible: washing machine, roof ac unit, propane furnace , entrance stair actuators, still have 2 years or coverage. The problem is that if you are within a certain distance of the selling dealer you must take it to them.
 
A very large majority, bordering on ALL of my extended warranties from couches to washer and dryer to microwave to vehicles to our rv TO OUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE...have paid me better than I paid them.

I do not buy the Walmart or harbor freight warranty except in specific circumstances because some things are just easier to throw away.


I tip very well when my purchased services are special. I tip well when it isn't particularly special due to my 'but for grace there go I' type of thankfulness about how we didn't screw up life so badly that MY spouse is supplementing her ss by slinging hash(look it up) for 10 hours a day.

An rv warranty is about the same percentage of purchase price as a tip on a dinner.
$100,000 rv...$5,000 warranty...
YOU MOOCHED YOURSELF OUT OF A 5% TIP! (A tip that has the potential to be returned to you partially or beyond fully)
You'd likely be embarrassed to leave just a 5% tip to a stranger...yet you screwed yourself for some reason.
Most of you paid more in tax on the purchase than you will for the warranty.
Warranties are cheap and cancellable by federal law and have potential.

or don't buy one.
No one cares about your warranty situation but you...

Some folks go to church, some don't.
I'd like to think other folks give their opinion about this...then everyone does what seems right for them.

Some here are getting a bit preachy
 
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Those are all cash cows to the dealer, be careful of the dealer song and dance.
Never ever

Other than a profit to the dealer
Do you have a reason to not buy one?
Their profit margin hasn't a thing to do with anything but some sort of
imagined self-righteous right to buy at a wholeslae level.

I don't care if they get them for free if it benefits me to buy a
Warranty
House
Insurance
Umbrella policy
Car
Groceries
Clothing
Toys
Antique.
 
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Other than a profit to the dealer
Do you have a reason to not buy one?
Their profit margin hasn't a thing to do with anything but some sort of
imagined self-righteous right to buy at a wholeslae level.

I don't care if they get them for free if it benefits me to buy a
Warranty
House
Car
Groceries
Clothing
Toys
Antique.

In the Casinos, all of the books I have read (not too many) say that Insurance is a Side Bet and Side Bets are often referred to as Sucker Bets.

I think that there is point of return where the Insurance may at least break even, but most will never have the data to know that point; but the Dealers know.

I have never directly bought an extended warranty in my life for Auto, Boat, Motorcycle or RV.

I have owned 4 seven year extended warranties two of which were transferred to me on boat & harley davidson. I had both the entire 7 years. Never had anything come up with the Harley and the boat had 4 issues as I recall but only one was actually covered by the warranty. The one item that was covered on the boat was the fridge in the galley. The boat was docked at a marina. I had no trailer and even I did, I had nothing big enough to pull it. Anyway the warranty company said I had to take fridge to an authorized service center. It was $700 for them to pay someone to come out to Marina to take to the Service Center. The fridge was about $550 brand new at West Marine. So I figured out how to get the fridge out and take to the service center myself. 2 weeks later they tell me my compressor was out and it needed to be replaced it was a $480 repair. I had $100 deductible; so the warranty company would have been out $380. I asked if I use the $380 and but a new one. They would not allow so I had it repaired. My Lincoln came with the 7 year warranty. So to answer your question, I see no benefit, and I have never even had to pay for one, only a financial lost for the vast majority. It is akin to those that are unfortunate to only be able to buy things via their credit cards knowing they must make monthly payments and pay all of that high interest, let alone the excessive fees if they make a mistake and be late one month, or worse be out of job and can't pay, the bills just get higher.
 

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