Extended Warranties, How do I shop?

We are awaiting delivery of our 2012 BH3185 and would like info on extended warranties, Who offers them, how much and which is best for our 5er. Please help with any supporting info.

Not having one, I can't tell you who has the best coverages. I can tell you, from a service perspective, that Good Sam is one of the easiest to work with and absolutely no problems when we discover other items that need repaired after we tear into them. There are a few others that aren't too bad and some that aren't worth having. Read the fine print carefully, particularly the exclusions. Some of them will only cover the initial "broken" part. For instance, if you have a converter blow and take out some of your electronics, a few of them will only cover the converter and not your TV, micro, etc.

Your dealer may offer something, so look there. Good Sam also has plans that many folks have commented on favorably. Thing to look for is what is EXCLUDED from the coverage for the amount you are paying for it. The more they exclude, the less I'd be interested in it. My dealer sold me the Star RV, 5year Diamond coverage. It was not cheap, but it covers everything from stem to stern.

Some will also argue that they are a waste of your money, just bank a few thousand in an emergency fund. All well and good until something goes seriously wrong with your rig, just after you've tapped that fund for some other unforseen problem not related to the trailer. Like a miscalculation of what the IRS wants from you.

Payed BIG bucks for one when we bought the Horn 4 years ago. Up to now it has been a waste of money. Good Sam (I think) has the best one around and is cheaper than most. Also, check with you auto insurance about towing. Some will and some won't pay to have your trailer towed if the TV breaks down. I'm not leaving my Horn along side the road somewhere. Good Sam also has a great road hazard towing package. JMHO

Most of your appliances offer an extension on their original warranty for a reasonable price. That's all I would purchase. Many,many extended service contract (it's not a warranty, it's really insurance) companies have gone under in recent years and I'm sure many more will continue to do so, leaving the buyers high and dry. If you look at the small print on almost all contracts you will find they don't don't cover much that applies to your trailer. They also love to quote grossly inflated repair costs to scare you into buying. I wouldn't waste 2 cents on one...but that just me....Don

Here's what I've been using since 2006. I have had absolutely no issues with this company. From what I've found, it's much cheaper than any other Extended Service Plan and buying it from this company I got the wholesale price vice buying through a dealer, who will mark up the price significantly. When I checked them out on the BBB, they didn't score very high so I continued to dig deeper and found that the complaints dragging their score down was related to their retail side of the house, not the Extended Service Plan side of the house. I felt comfortable buying from them knowning this info, in fact, my current plan is my second one. I bought a plan from them in 2006 on my other fifth wheel and used it quite a bit and never had any issues.

Be sure to visit http://www.americanrvwarranties.com to log-in and view your sample contracts.

Budget Plan
3 Year with;
$885.00 $50 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$830.00 $100 deductible (standard ) (per occurrence, not items)
$775.00 $200 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$745.00 $500 deductible (per occurrence, not items)

4 Year with;
$910.00 $50 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$850.00 $100 deductible (standard ) (per occurrence, not items)
$790.00 $200 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$755.00 $500 deductible (per occurrence, not items)

Best Seller
5 Year with;
$960.00 $50 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$885.00 $100 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$815.00 $200 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$775.00 $500 deductible (per occurrence, not items)

Best Resale Value
6 Year with;
$1,070.00 $50 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$965.00 $100 deductible per occurrence, not items)
$875.00 $200 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$815.00 $500 deductible (per occurrence, not items)

7 Year with;
$1,198.00 $50 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$1,070.00 $100 deductible per occurrence, not items)
$950.00 $200 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
$870.00 $500 deductible (per occurrence, not items)
NEW!!! Electronic E-Z Sign-Up, get instant policy coverage in just minutes!! No inspection required

(The price of the premium shown is for the full term and is not a yearly amount).

OPTIONAL: One of the best tire programs in the country! We have 2 programs to offer. SafeGuard Tire Wheel Protection which provides tire replacement/repair to damage/blow-outs, or flats, to all your motorhome, towable, truck or even the towed vehicle. Add the full program Roadside and Towing benefits and be fully covered. Select which program is suitable for you. Tire & Wheel Protection with Full Roadside Assistance Benefits or Tire & Wheel Protection Standard. New or Used - No Age Limit! Your choice 5 or 7 year coverage, Roadside Assistance program offers; 1 Year, 2 Year, 3 Year, and 5 Year terms. Zero Deductible

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Roadside Assistance, Road Hazard, Tire & Wheel Warranty



The Supreme Coverage Plan is Exclusionary and considered Bumper to Bumper
We provide important links to information on your personal quote page, near your pricing, which you will find useful.
Our dealer # is 203733.
Policies are by Prizm Solutions and Insured by Lyndon Property Insurance Company.

WE COVER WEAR & TEAR
You are being offered EXCLUSIONARY COVERAGE as described.
Everything is covered except what is listed in the section 'ITEMS NOT COVERED'. The only exclusions are items listed under 'What Is Not Covered' section of the agreement.
Payment plans are available with only 10% down for 12 or 18 months.
Payment plans are available directly through the administrator. Review the Contracts and Declarations link by logging into our website, then where you logged in at will appear new links. Then simply give us a call to have your contract sent!

To view and download sample contracts please return to our website and log in using the password provided below. Then you will see links for you on the left side of the website (Contracts and Declarations).
Payment Plans and Comparison Charts are also available via these login links provided.

Username = contracts
Password = samples



This program is administrated by: Prizm Solutions - National Warranty of Florida - The Plan, which also puts out XtraRide, and a host of other well-known programs

Plans are fully insured and AMBest Rated A+ by Lyndon Property Insurance Company www.royaladmin.com which is owned by Protective Life www.protective.com. NASDAQ = PL 100 Years of Strength and Service! View the Administrator's program here: www.gswtheplan.com
Be sure to ask your local service center about Prizm Warranty Plan, not specifically us, or the website.

Simple to sign up. Just give us a call and have your contract sent to you!

Supreme - Exclusionary Coverage. Everything is covered EXCEPT the exclusions. Wear & Tear is covered by our agreement

The following parts are excluded applies to both towables and included motorized vehicles. and are not covered: paint, carpeting, trim, glass, moldings, lenses, bright metal, body panels, caulking, grouting, delaminating or discoloring, ornamentation, canvas vinyl or fabric upholstery, walls, wood, panels, tires and wheels, bumpers, metal supports, body adjustments, fiberglass top, weather strips and weather stripping, rust or corrosion, hubcaps, physical damage, rubber hoses, light bulbs and headlights, air bag/supplemental restraint system any repositioning refitting or realigning. All maintenance service and items such as: wiper blades, shock absorbers, alignments, wheel balances, engine tune-ups, spark plugs, brake pads, brake linings and shoes, filters, lubricants, coolants, belts and hoses, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, battery and battery cable(s), manual/hydraulic clutch assembly, normal fluid/oil lubricant seepage, service adjustments and cleaning, body adjustments, exhaust system (excluding exhaust manifolds), retrofits or replacements of any components caused by or due to compliance with law or legislation including the 1990 clean air act, including emission control equipment and sensor(s).

*Transferable - Provides great resale value

*Renewable: The warranty policy can be renewed for as long as you own the RV.

*Roadside Assistance/Service Calls: Are reimbursed up to $75 per occurrence.

*Towing/Rental Car/Trip Interrupt/Meals & Lodging per occurrence.($300 max)

*Food Spoilage Benefit; Are reimbursed up to $75 per occurrence.

=====================================================================

Meanwhile, if you have any immediate questions, please do not hesitate to call
us at our TOLL FREE NUMBER 877-248-8265

Additional Information:

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RV Casualty insurance by our friends, RV America
QUESTION: DOES YOUR RV INSURANCE POLICY PROVIDE:

Total Loss Replacement? Unlimited Towing? Emergency Expense Coverage? Follow this link for specialized coverage and to see how much you can save.
WE Encourage you to call RV American and get a no-obligation quote and tell them we sent you for the lowest bid possible. You will see how competitive they are with all your common carriers, even more so as they KNOW RVs!! 1-800-400-0186


RVamerica

Whatever you do, do not accept an extended wrranty plan from the dealer right away. They will sell it HARD and will have a pre-rehearsed response for any reason you might give. I got tired and just said no, because I dont want it, without replying with one of the many things they have a bottled answer for. Well, the price for the same coverage went from $3,500 the first time they offered it to $1,100 three days later. Basically, they tried to rob me of $2,400. Actually a lot more when you add the interest in the financing. I still didn't get it just on principle and will be getting the Good Sam one. No need to pay for an extended warranty that covers motors, transmissions and such when my trailer has none of that. In the end it is a personal decision, but I can tell you that in doing lots of research I believe the Good Sam to be the best value overall.

Thanks for your response. Looks like you put a lot of time into this response so I will put as much time back into researching the product. Looks comprehensive.

I'm not sure how other ext warranties operate, but for RV America Ext Service Plan, I waited until the month before my factory warranty expired before purchasing because the warranty, if I remember right, it begins when you purchase it. If you buy it while your factory warranty is still good, the ext warranty will be all inclusive. If you wait until after your factory warranty expires, it will be more limited.

I just picked up the phone and called RV America and asked for some information on how to compare their warranty with others like Good Sam. All they said was that there is no comparison. I asked again for an easy way to compare, and he had no answer. Strange conversation. Seemed to be bothering him. I just purchased a 2-yr warranty through Good Sam two weeks ago. Then, spur-of-the-moment, we traded ours for a NEW camper. I see that I will get a full refund from Good Sam. Now I wonder if I should opt for the Good Sam for the new one or the RV America. Below, there is a line in the post from them that states, "Does your insurance have Total Loss Replacement?" I asked the guy just now, if it's total loss replacement, can I discontinue insuring our camper with our State Farm Insurance. He stammered around and said, NO. I asked why, and he said it's not that kind of total loss replacement. What does THAT mean? I'm totally confused about which way to go. At first I was only curious as to whether or not to opt for the tire hazard warranty for 3 years for $111 extra. now I'm wondering if I should go from $640 for the best $100 deductible Good Sam coverage for three years including the tire hazard option, or pay RV America about double.

Any thoughts specifically on those two?

I appreciate anyone's help on this. I'm going to cancel Good Sam tonight and need to go ahead and do this. We already have their Emergency Road Service and their Medical Assistance insurance which is really amazing. Might be nice to have everything with Good Sam. YES????

BTW, I have been a member here for almost a year, but never posted.

Kind regards to all,
Angie

Let me see if I got this right. RV America, whoever they are, wants twice as much money and the guy can't even answer your questions.....What kind of service, if any, do you really think you will get from them if you need it? Will they even exist 2 years from now? Would you buy health insurance from them if they sold it? Why not just wait until your factory warranty runs out or is close to running out and make a decision then....to buy something or maybe buy nothing...JMHO..Don

GOTTOYS said:

Let me see if I got this right. RV America, whoever they are, wants twice as much money and the guy can't even answer your questions.....What kind of service, if any, do you really think you will get from them if you need it? Will they even exist 2 years from now? Would you buy health insurance from them if they sold it? Why not just wait until your factory warranty runs out or is close to running out and make a decision then....to buy something or maybe buy nothing...JMHO..Don

Click to expand...

As Timbuktu said in a post below, " If you buy it while your factory warranty is still good, the ext warranty will be all inclusive. If you wait until after your factory warranty expires, it will be more limited." When I bought the Good Sam warranty, my MPG was out of warranty by a couple of weeks. The warranty stated exclusion of pre-existing, and the price also goes up substantially as you approach the end of the factory warranty.

• I don't want to deal with pre-existing conditions. All of the warranty companies do that if bought after the original expires.
• Why are we paying now instead of just before it expires? Because my husband will retire in two years. We are anticipating our financial picture at that time. We don't think we will have the extra money then, but we have it now.
• Why do we even BUY an extended warranty? It's a great reason! Neither one of us has any mechanical ability. So, when we have even small things break, we have to look to a repair shop. We purchase extended warranties on virtually everything, and have never regretted it. It will be even more important in two years when our income is cut drastically.

The reason I questioned the RV America warranty, is because I was hoping someone had done a close comparison. Why was I willing to possibly ignore the rudeness of the person who answered the phone today? There is usually a huge difference between the sales people and service people. Again, I was hoping someone had experience with the service side, as supposedly it is much more comprehensive coverage.

We consider ourselves newbies still. If these are not intelligent questions, my apologies. Even though we owned the MPG for a year, we felt very .... well, stupid, I guess you'd say. Neither of us ever owned anything that had to be towed, and we don't know how to fix things. So, we have gone from campsite to campsite, being embarrassed because we couldn't back a trailer in a spot without looking foolish. My husband's strengths have always been in the financial world. I don't think it should be such a bad thing when a guy doesn't know how to fix things or back a trailer.

To make it worse, we were just beginning to get used to the MPG. Now we have purchased a much larger TT with the tandem wheels and the Wide Trax Suspension. I guess we'd be good material for a new Ricky and Lucy show.

Angie

Angie, please don't offense to my remarks. I like to call it the way I see it. Over the past few years dozens of Extended Service Contract Companies have taken peoples money, then gone out of business. Choose the company very carefully. Read the fine print and list what they DON'T cover. Part of the sales tactics are to list a bunch of things that don't apply to your unit. It makes the coverage look more inclusive. Most of your appliances on a new trailer will have extended warranty coverage available through the manufacturer at a reasonable price. I am not sure what is meant by "all inclusive" as extended service contracts don't usually cover leaks, de-lamination of siding, roof problems, and many other things. The tire coverage is questionable as the tires on a new trailer are usually of such poor quality that you will replace them within a year or two anyway. I have a background in auto service and have seen many worthless service contracts that many dealers would not accept. If you choose to buy one, check the company out, see what their BBB rating is, check with a few dealers other than the one trying to sell you the contract and see how they are to work with. I don't buy them. I prefer to put some money aside and pay for my own repairs. I always have come out ahead. Good luck...Don

Don, I"m still checking. However, I thought I'd post here what that one company listed as all of their exclusions. They seem to be pretty reasonable. However, not being mechanical, I'm not sure if I'd necessarily KNOW what shouldn't be excluded. Their tire warranty is a different policy.
ALL Exclusionary Plans have the following listed Exclusions:
Hazardous waste disposal fees and other normal maintenance services and parts which include, but are not limited to: adjustments, Alignments, Wheel Balancing, Tune-ups, Sealing Boots, Spark Plugs, Spark Plug Wires, Glow Plugs, Hoses (except Steering and Air Conditioning), Drive Belts, Brake Pads, and Brake Linings or Shoes, Wiper Blades, Shop Supplies and Hazardous Waste Disposal fee. filters, Lubricants, Coolants, fluids and Refrigerants will be covered only if replacement is required in connection with a covered part and only for the amount specified by the manufacturer. Any of the following parts: Carburetor, Battery, Shock Absorbers, Standard Transmission Clutch Assembly, friction Clutch Disc and Pressure Plate, Throw Out Bearing, Manual and Hydraulic Linkages, Distributor Cap and Rotor, Safety Restraint Systems (including Air Bags), Glass, Lenses, Sealed Beams, Light Bulbs, Brake Rotors and Drums, Exhaust and Emission Systems, Windshield Wiper Arms, Weather Stripping, Trim, Moldings, Furniture, Wall Coverings and Walling, Window Coverings, Cabinetry, Countertops, Upholstery, and floor Coverings (such as carpet, tile, wood, and vinyl), Wood Items, Roofs, Bright Metal, Chrome, Zippers, Cup Holders, Ash Trays, Dash Pads, Squeaks, Rattles, Water Leaks, Wind Noise, Mirrors, Mirror Hinges, Hub Caps, Paint, Outside Ornamentation, Bumpers, Body Sheet Metal and Panels, Tires, Wheels, Rims, Wheel Studs.

I put this up here for discussion... if anyone is so inclined. I'll report back at some point as to what I buy.

ASHL

Angie, I did make a previous post on this thread. That policy sounds like it does not cover much. The things that go wrong with most MH/trailer's are what they list as "exclusions". I will say this again. Go look at Good Sam insurance and their road hazard policies. You will be money ahead.

I agree with Bob. If you must buy a Service Contract at least the one from Good Sam is reasonably priced compared to the others, is with someone you've heard of and has a good reputation for service. I don't think any of them cover much of the things that can really go wrong but you have to make compromises...Don

GOTTOYS said:

I agree with Bob. If you must buy a Service Contract at least the one from Good Sam is reasonably priced compared to the others, is with someone you've heard of and has a good reputation for service. I don't think any of them cover much of the things that can really go wrong but you have to make compromises...Don

Click to expand...

Right on, At least Good Sam will most likely be in business if you do have a claim. Remember you are just paying in advance for a few minor repairs. Nothing serious is going to be covered.

I've looked at both... printed and marked the things that are the same. Both are exclusionary, but one is more direct in description. The good thing about the Good Sam is that every single item starts with {paraphrasing}, "... All parts installed by the manufacturer are covered EXCEPT..." American RV has specific things listed in one paragraph not covered. Someone asked a slew of questions about certain items, and they included that in their FAQ's. Some of the items he questioned were excluded and some not. Some they said were attached to other items, etc.

Actually, I just recently added several additional "warranties/plans" provided by Good Sam, as I thought it would be nice to call them for EVERYTHING. It seems the Emergency Roadside Service does take up where the warranty leaves off. The sales rep gave me a complimentary one year of the ERS, and I plan to continue with it. It appears that we will not be renewing our AAA RV Plus coverage, as we will have it all with Good Sam. I love the unlimited towing, etc. We even opted for the Emergency Medical plan as well. As we are retiring soon, we could picture us being stranded out somewhere, and not being able to get home, or ME not being capable of getting the RV home or grandkids, etc., if something happened to my husband. He's had one heart attack (Christmas week 2009) and one scare a month ago. So, today I will be covering my new NT21FBS with the Good Sam Extended Warranty.

Still not sure about the tire warranty. We are sure uneducated about tires/wheels/chocks, etc. We had to go to the dealer to ask for an explanation about the Lug nuts. We had NO IDEA we had to buy a torque wrench. Seriously! And now we have to decide if we follow the advice of 120# OR 150# tightening them. You guys should be thankful for your years of experience. It's overwhelming to need to learn so much at once now. The mention of the tires being cheap and possibly needing early replacement was also a shock. I thought we needed the tire warranty because we are such bad backer-uppers. Ha. Curbs and other hazards are probably going to come into play more than we'd like. Not sure, but any help on repairs will probably be a GOOD thing for us.

Too bad we can't meet you guys someday and thank you properly for your help.

Best,
Angie

I'll be asking lots of questions in the near future on all sorts of issues. I so appreciate any info you all can help us with. We are soaking it all in... making notes, etc. Thanks for being patient with us.

Angie & Larry

When I purchased my Raptor, The dealer offered me a 5 year warranty for $1250 and If i took it, it would reduce my interest by .25%. In my case, the warranty costs about $7 per month, but over the life of the load was free with interest considered. I took it.... maybe this might help someone else...//heartlandowners.org/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif