- It’s important to know what RV warranties will (and won’t) cover.
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Are Extended RV Warranties Worth It?
Log in to any RV enthusiast group on your favorite flavor of social media, and it won’t be long before someone asks, “Should I get an extended warranty?” or “What do RV warranties actually cover anyway?” These common questions reveal two things about RVers: they want, or are at least considering, an RV warranty, and they want to know exactly what they’re getting if they purchase one! Let’s see if we can answer those questions.
Things that RV warranties don’t cover
Sometimes, it’s easier to start at the back of the line. RV warranties are not a replacement for RV insurance. If you get in a wreck or clip a tree on your way out of the campground, that’s an insurance issue. If you have lost the air-conditioner-meets-bridge battle, that’s also an insurance issue…not to mention an RV navigation concern.
RV warranties are also not a license to avoid proper RV maintenance. Don’t neglect to perform at least the minimum amount of maintenance needed by your mechanical bits. You might be asking for trouble. For example, suppose you have an onboard generator in your RV. Depending on who you ask, most will agree that the oil and filter in that RV generator should be changed every 100 to 150 hours of operation.
If you have ever had your genny serviced (and we hope you have), then you’ll know that most technicians will note the number of hours the generator had on it when it was serviced. They will write that number right on the oil filter. Of course, it goes in your documented service record as well. Now, suppose that generator is used for hundreds of hours without an oil change and other proper maintenance. If that generator fails, and the service technician notes that the hours on the oil filter indicated that the last service was, say….500 hours ago, that’s going to be flagged as negligence, and won’t be covered by an RV warranty.
Things that RV warranties DO cover
Most RV warranties cover normal failure of RV components under normal conditions. They are designed to cover the mechanical working parts of an RV, and with use, these are items that simply fail over time. Commonly failed items covered by a comprehensive RV warranty include RV steps, awning motors, generators, water pumps, and water heaters.
RV warranties don’t stop at the small stuff, though. You’ll find larger items covered by RV protection plans including slides (both electric and hydraulic), leveling jacks (also electric and hydraulic), as well as major powertrain elements like your engine and transmission components.
When you get a quote for an RV warranty, you should work with a company, like Wholesale Warranties, that provides different levels of coverage. Work with your provider to ensure you’re purchasing a policy that matches your desired level of risk, and covers the components you’re worried about, while leaving out the ones you may want to fix yourself. And on that note…
Will an RV warranty cover items that I self-maintain?
RVers are a handy bunch, by necessity. There are so many components on an RV that blend the disciplines of automotive, electrical, plumbing, and home improvement. Doing things on your own is a popular choice among many travelers, but it’s important to note that an RV warranty will not pay you to perform your own repairs. So where does RV protection fit in for handy RVers, and where do you draw the line between fixing something yourself and holding off to allow a warranty repair?
The first question you’ll want to ask yourself is: how handy am I, really? Are you equipped to fix major appliances and components on your RV, like refrigerators, slide-out motors, or heating and cooling components? Or are you mostly taking care of smaller items?
Additionally, you’ll want to take a look at that limited storage in your rig and ask yourself how much of it you want dedicated to tools and other items necessary to complete those repairs. Most RVers are traveling for vacation and leisure–not for a second job working on their rigs. So, while you may be able to complete those repairs, consider if you want to or if investing in RV protection is a better way to cover yourself for both the cost and headache associated with mechanical failures.
If you are committed to a lot of DIY, a powertrain-only RV warranty is a great option for you. Even a highly skilled RVer is unlikely to fix their own engine and transmission components. Not to mention these breakdowns are the most expensive repairs you might face, so it’s great to have protection from those $20k+ repair bills.
Will any RV service shop or dealer honor my RV warranty?
It’s key to understand what is and is not covered by an RV warranty, but it’s also important to understand how they work. For RVers who travel often and far from home, the value of a warranty often comes down to how easy they are to use.
One of the great things about working with a premier provider like Wholesale Warranties is they specialize in brokering reliable programs that are built around the active traveler’s lifestyle. When your covered component fails, Wholesale Warranties makes it easy to file a claim.
Once you’ve chosen your shop or mobile mechanic, simply follow these steps to file your claim, let the warranty pay for covered repairs, and get back on the road.
Conclusion
Like any contract or agreement, you should examine yours carefully before it’s needed so you can properly manage your expectations. Wholesale Warranties works very hard to ensure there are no surprises for their customers. That means taking care of the RV warranty items you would expect and making sure you understand which items won’t be covered before you sign up.
Stop wondering what RV warranties actually cover and find out. Visit Wholesale Warranties for a free quote today.
Related articles:
- RV Maintenance 101
- RV Extended Warranties: What RV Buyers Need To Know
- RV Warranty Protection: When Should I Buy?
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The only problem now days is how long it will take a repair company to even work you in to fix the problem. A month to get a repair done is not uncommon. Where do I stay for a month and what about my dog and two cats?
Love this company!! Wholesale Warranty hasn’t let us down yet! They’ve even covered replacing our convection/microwave oven that our repair tech said probably wasn’t covered.
The two best things? They gave us a thorough inspection so we knew what needed repairing. The second thing was our coverage can be transferred…which would give a buyer great piece of mind that our RV maintenance has been kept up.
Great company and easy to deal with! Never had a problem with any claim being paid for repairs directly the techs.
The problem is that my mechanic does not want to ty up his bay waiting for a reply. It’s a stupid system.
11 years now, maybe 3 major claims. Yo won’t know what’s covered until you go for a claim and learn that even though a major unit appears to be covered lots of the internal parts to that unit are not. These companies are in a cash flow/investment game and sell service contracts not insurance contracts. More and more facilities won’t work with them. Read what they are selling carefully and start a repair savings account. Overall my reimbursement has probably been about
50% of actual repair costs. Dometic reefer; AirXCell Airconditioner/Heat Pump; Total Hydro-hot replacement; Dimensions Inverter replacement (“we cover the inverter but not the controller”). Life is too short for that kind of crap.
Another consideration is how long it will take to have a repair approved, since if you break down while on a trip you may need to be out of your coach for the period beginning when they tear down the unit to the time the repair is completed. In our case, the insurance company had 2 business days to approve, and they had the right to send an adjuster. We had a breakdown on a Wednesday, tear-down occurred on Thursday. The insurance company does not work on the weekends. They replied on Monday that they were sending an adjuster out to appraise the work, which took another 2 days for approval bringing us to Wednesday. The parts were then ordered and the repair was finally completed on the following Monday . We were in a hotel for 12 days, which cost almost as much as the covered repair. You should also check with the shop before bringing your unit in to make sure they will work with the insurance company. Not all shops are willing to go through the process.
I have had a VERY crappy experience with the extended warranty company for my truck. So, when we bought our new trailer, I expressed my frustration with that to my dealership. The dealership assured me that since they were the repair facility I would be using they would work closely with the warranty company to get the work I need done in a timely manner. It remains to be seen, since I have yet to put it to the test.
This article is very timely for me. I am a newbie MH owner and recent widow. Good Sam has been inundating me with requests for me to buy their Extended Warranty Insurance. My husband and I never bought EWI for our previous three travel trailers and were lucky not to have any major problems with them that our wonderful dealer couldn’t fix. Now I’m faced with maintaining my new MH by myself. I have it covered by State Farm Insurance, but they don’t cover
repairs for problems with components that might brake. I’d love your recommendations on how I should go on this. I haven’t checked out what the price of these extended warranties yet. Could be wasted money!
I just used my extended warranty for the first time. It was for the right, front landing jack on my fifth wheel. While they did pay for the jack, what they didn’t cover was the shipping and crating, which was approximately $350. They only gave the shop 1.5 hours of repair time and it took them 2.5 hours to repair. Unlike cars, the extra repair time is on you. So while the warranty company paid about $1200, I ended up paying about $600 out of pocket. In the long run, one more repair like this and the warranty will have paid for itself.
It’s always been a well known fact that after market warranties cover everything except whatever goes wrong with your RV.
The main question is “what is the maximum age of the RV ” 20 year old RVs likely are not covered by ANY warranty.