Sponsored by Wholesale Warranties
Everyone wants RV protection
Spend at least 5 minutes in an RV group on Facebook and someone will ask, is an RV extended warranty worth the money? Another will question, should I get the extended warranty from the dealer, or, can I buy a warranty on a used RV?
We’ll answer those questions for you, but before we do, let’s look at why these questions are so frequently asked.
What Do RV Extended Warranties Cover?
Like any expensive product we have purchased, RV extended warranties give us a sense of assurance. We know that if a major component breaks, we won’t go broke getting it repaired and can get back to RVing.
Signing over that big down payment and making the commitment to buy, drive, insure, store, and maintain an RV is scary. You want to be out enjoying your RV, not worrying about something breaking down. It’s all part of that initial and sometimes frightening process of buying an RV. An RV extended warranty tempers that fear, knowing that we have recourse if something goes wrong.
Keeping your RV in working condition is no simple task. You have to be part auto mechanic, part plumber, part electrician, and part handyman to complete all repairs yourself. The average person has a tough time being just one of those, let alone all of them. Even if you have the skills, most RVers won’t travel with the tools necessary to repair their rig. Having an RV extended warranty in your back pocket can help mitigate some of the trepidation over owning and maintaining your RV.
Should I get an RV extended warranty through my dealer?
Let’s face it, if it was free, we’d all choose an extended warranty every time. Deep down, we all want our RVs to be protected as much as possible and to be free from worry over unexpected repairs.
The most important part of deciding on RV protection and where to buy is knowing your options. Your dealer will almost always offer you an RV extended warranty. Remember, we all want one, so why wouldn’t they? What most RV buyers don’t know is there is an alternative! Whether you’re buying a new or used unit, you can get coverage from an online broker as well.
Thinking about purchasing through your dealer? A few things to keep in mind. Your dealer will offer to roll it into your financing for convenience. This sounds great at first, but that convenience comes at a price. You’ll still be paying for the extended warranty on your RV, years after the warranty has already expired. By the end of your financing term, you’ve paid much more for your RV protection than you likely needed to.
A big part of your overall satisfaction with your RV warranty will be understanding what you’re purchasing. Unfortunately, most RV buyers aren’t willing to scrutinize a long warranty contract while sitting in the finance office at the dealership. The result? Many buyers end up purchasing a contract without knowing what it actually covers.
At the end of the day, most people are elated to be wrapping up the financing and getting ready to take their RV home. Having an extended warranty rolled in doesn’t seem like a big deal at the time, and no one wants to damper the experience by pouring over fine print. This might come to cost you down the road.
So, how do I find the right RV warranty?
Education. Know your options before you head into the dealership. Online providers offer free quotes, and some, like Wholesale Warranties, allow you to work with an RV warranty specialist to discuss the various programs available to you.
Read through the contracts, and learn which questions to ask should you want to consider a dealer’s program. Which leads us to…
What features should a good RV extended warranty have?
A good extended warranty should make it crystal clear exactly what it will cover and what it will not cover. A reliable provider will offer a comprehensive suite of options, and work with each individual RVer to find the warranty policy that makes sense for them.
Your RV extended warranty provider should be known for customer service and support, and it should be easy to contact them, not intimidating. Learn from your fellow travelers by checking out the policy’s reputation with RV forums, consumer advocacy groups, and RV community pillars.
The warranty company should be one that’s been around for a while too, at least a decade or more. A good extended warranty should be an asset, not a liability. It should increase your overall satisfaction with your RV purchase, not decrease it.
Which RV extended warranty should I choose?
Fortunately, if you’ve made it through the process of choosing and buying a new or used RV and are now ready to add on an extended warranty, you have some really great options. There’s the dealer, where a well-researched policy might make sense. There are also online providers who act as brokers, matching RVers up with the policy that suits them best.
One such online broker is Wholesale Warranties, a US-based company that’s been serving RVers for 15 years. They offer competitive pricing and pride themselves on providing the most extensive coverage available in the marketplace.
RV warranty coverage options range from catastrophic coverage to exclusionary plans and may include provisions such as consequential damage, and wear and tear coverage. Wholesale Warranties clients work directly with an RV warranty specialist to receive a full education on what the policy will and will not cover, the simplest way to file a claim, and more, to ensure each RVer feels confident in the choice they’re making.
Above all, Wholesale Warranties makes a concerted effort to educate their customers on what the RV warranty covers, and, even more importantly, what it does not cover. Jeff Shelton, owner and CEO of Wholesale Warranties, puts it this way:
“We have a full time customer advocacy team whose sole purpose is to help RVers work between the repair facility and the warranty company for smooth claims processing, and to get issues resolved as quickly, efficiently, and fairly as possible. We put great effort into educating our customers so they have a good understanding of what they’re purchasing, and we always provide a full copy of the policy before asking our customers for a single penny. We’re focused on protecting your road ahead, and getting you back to your adventures.”
Does my rig qualify?
Both new and pre-owned RVs can qualify for an RV extended warranty from Wholesale Warranties. Motorhomes must be less than 20 model years old with less than 100,000 miles. Towable RVs must be 15 model years old or newer. This flexibility led RVerInsurance.com, a website specializing in insurance needs for RVers, to adopt Wholesale Warranties as their RV warranty provider.
What to look for in a warranty policy
Regardless of where you purchase your RV protection, the goal should be to find a policy that is there for you when you need it most. Buying an RV is an investment, and an extended RV warranty is one of the best ways to protect that investment and keep you on the road where you belong.
If you’re interested in seeing what an RV warranty might cost, working with the experts at Wholesale Warranties is a great place to start. Get a free quote from Wholesale Warranties today and start enjoying your RV instead of worrying about it.
VIDEO: RV Warranty 101 – Top 5 FAQ’s For New RVers
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All around RV industry enthusiast who has been RVing for 8 years and enjoys trips with his wife and dogs in their diesel pusher.
How are these any different from the automobile extended warranty scammers that no reputable mechanic recommend?
Extended Warranties are a must for the RV’er! But, read the fine print. I’ve had both good and bad experiences. And like all insurances, the insurer is ALWAYS looking for a way out. My last breakdown cost me $2,200. We lost a custom made upper radiator hose. Yep WW called it a maintenance item and did not cover! We ended sitting on the side of the road for 12 hours before being towed to the repair shop. Yes the tow was covered but not by WW. They could not respond until the next day.
To begin with, extended warranties are VERY EXPENSIVE. The only parties benefitting from extended warranties are the dealer who makes a very very hefty commission on the sale and thus increasing his profit on the sale of the RV and the insurer who will try to deny your claim or minimize it. However, many RV newbies will swallow the sales pitch and buy in. Only to find out later that they are not covered. I was a newbie once and fell for the sales pitch and paid about 5K per year. 3 years later, no claim. Recently, for “S.. & G..” I obtained a quote. In my particular case, the cost was about 12K per year and I was offered a discount, if I would have purchased a 5 years’ policy. Ha Ha Ha. I am (and you are) better off to put that money aside in a separate account for when I (you) may need it, then giving this money to a dealer/insurer. The best insurance is self-insurance. Of course, there will be replies stating “I saved this much money just during the first year …” – Well, to each his own. My advice is, do not buy it. Period.
You assume in your article that an RV extended warranty is a good idea. Actually, it’s a bad idea!
If you have an older RV beware that you may think you are getting coverage on your RV, but there is a good chance they are only covering the vehicle that the RV is built on. I say this because two years ago I took our RV coverage. I have a 2000 model. They came out and did an inspection and charged me $400.00. It was winter time so they could not check the plumbing, since the tanks were empty. They also could not check my awning, since it had snowed and was frozen. I was told they would come back when it warmed up in the spring. I took out the policy which was in the thousands. I called in the spring for them to come out, they said they did not need to come back. I asked about the water and awning. They said that would not be necessary since it is not covered. Only the vehicle is covered. I asked why did they come out and check everything in the RV if is not covered. I immediately cancel the policy and got a prorated refund and lost the $400.00 for the inspection. So beware.
I broke my own rule and bought an extended warranty (WW) for my RV. When I had an issue they said it was not covered. They had to use a word search and in the paragraph next to nuclear war sentence was the small statement that fastners were not covered (me: but it was a weld that broke. them: But it held the screws that held the motor). So much fine print hiden in obscure paragraphs. Seems like the only thing really covered is appliances (if that).
I’ve had Extended Warranties purchased from the Dealer on the RV’s I’ve been driving for 7 years. I think the best coverage is for tire coverage- they pay to fix flat or slow leaking tires. I had an Automatic Transfer Switch go out once and they paid for the new installation. Had a slight problem with an awning motor that was drawing too many amps and blowing fuses. After determining there was a problem, a new motor was sent but I had to pay the postage. I thought that was petty, but what can you do? So, all in all I’m satisfied, but am wondering if I paid too much, especially since I’m paying interest on it for the life of the loan. Then, there’s the fact that most of the major drive train components are already covered for 3 years, so you end up only using the warranty for 2 years. Has anyone anything pro or con to say about the Camping World Extended Warranty?
Can Canadians purchase extended warranty coverage through your company?
For a used 2011 Keystone Montana fifth wheel trailer 36feet long with 4 slide outs.
Thank you in advanced for an rsvp
Extended warranties are, in my opinion and experience, revenue stream for the sellers. I bought one through the dealer. Needed it for a broken axle. They wouldn’t pay. Needed it for a burnt wheel bearing. Nope. Never again.
Patrick, this is a commercial, not a balanced report on RV warranties. Wholesale Warranties is really quite awful. I was stuck this summer for 12 days wrestling to get any coverage. They were slow, unkind, and finally denied almost all coverage on nearly $10K of needed repairs. It was one of the most unsatisfying exchanges ever and a very dark couple of weeks. I bought a warranty for peace of mind and experienced anything but.
In case you think I’m a crank here is one example. I had a turbo go out (just one of my mechanical issues) because the wastegate snapped. The claims adjuster said the turbo was covered but the wastegate was not named in the policy thus no coverage. He said if any part was not named in the policy then no coverage. It would be impossible to name every part of every assembly so any piece inside or on a covered part would disqualify you. They also claimed heat had caused the damage but no one ever connected to the ECM to see recorded heat levels. I did and the heat levels have never exceeded the temperature range for the equipment.
The claims staff was a nightmare. The policy had several off-ramps for payment. 1. If you get a repair done before approval – NO. If a part overheats – NO. If the part is not specifically named – NO. My claims agent took over a week to start denying coverage. I was stuck without my home (full-timer with wife and dog) so in a hotel, and he made me wait for an inspector twice. Meanwhile, money is flying out of my pocket. I asked for two weeks running to get the claims manager to call. He never did.
Don’t get me started on the inspectors. He was not a mechanic. His last job was at a parts desk for a diesel shop. He wrote speculative opinions in the report and WW turned it down. Interestingly they send an inspector out when coverage starts too. The guy spends 20 minutes with your rig. Didn’t even open the engine compartment. I should have suspected a problem. I didn’t stand a chance.
In the end, I estimate they were looking at covering maybe 10% of my loss. The only silver lining was WW has a pretty generous refund policy in the first month or so and I was able to get my nearly $6k of premiums back. I used it to pay for my mechanic bills. Now I follow the excellent advice of so many more experienced RVers. Save your money and pay as you go especially if you are like me and your RV is home and office full time.
If your dealer offers Cornerstone Extended Warranty Insurance, my advise is looking elsewhere. They took three months to approve a generator rebuild. Required me to have it torn down for the inspector, then refused to pay the tear down cost. Paid $3,500 out of pocket.
We purchased an extended warranty when we purchased our motorhome, did not research it properly, found out after the fact that it didn’t start after the manufacturers warranty expired but ran concurrently, so basically paid for one year that was already covered by the manufacturer, ideally it should start after the manufacturers warranty expires…
do not by a warranty from Agws they will not no way they will look for anything not to pay even if you give them all documentation they will give all the wrong fax numbers by the time you get the right one time has expired and they will not pay you and an emergency you will have to pay good luck on trying to get reimbursed that happened to me lost 1200.00 had to reimburse my disabled vet friend he paid all expenses
do not by from any dealers
Forget the extended warranty I can’t get RV Country in Fresno calif to fix any thing on my 2 to 3 year warranty on my 2022 Brand New Jayco White Hawk travel trailer same with Jayco dealers nothing nothing just a bunch of bull shit I am 82 years old and a woman never in my life before have I been treated like this
Bought the warranty with my new 2014 DP (at CW). Had a shift controller on the side of the transmission go bad _ worked but did not display correctly and you couldn’t manually downshift from the control pad in the cab. They denied the claim because the mechanic reported there was “moisture” on the inside of the cover plate of the controller housing – on the side of the transmission. The explanation was “water damage” which is not covered. Remember, this is on the side of the transmission, and the cover plate has a gasket which, if installed correctly, keeps water out of the mechanism. And as being under the vehicle, exposed to temperature differences, I would expect some sort of condensation. Regardless, not covered. When I appealed, I asked if my water pump bearing went out and caused a puncture to the engine, would the repair be covered, his response was “NO – WATER DAMAGE, as there is water in the water pump, and it’s not covered”.
After we bought our first MH, I bought an extended warranty from an outfit in Texas over the internet. They offered a full refund if not used after the end of the deal. To save money, I paid out of pocket for some minor stuff. When it came to get the refund, I was told to send me the statement from them, to get it. I never received any paperwork because it was done over the phone and internet. When I threatened to go to the NY AG, they said go ahead. Got hosed.