Extended Warranty and Protective Coating for 2016?

[MAJORJDB]

We bought our first Thor product in 1996 and the extended warranty was worthless then and from what I've read not much better now. Must issues will occur with the first two years anyway and should be covered by the standard AS warranty. Hopefully, you've have a good dealer that will take care of you, that is worth more than an extended warranty. Insofar as the "protective" coating, from our experience, the factory coating if taken care of lasts(before peeling) from 6-7 years, seen some that have lasted much longer. Our "89" has a bit of coating peel above the awnings but sides are in very good shape. We keep ours under cover(carport) and wax it a few times a season. You probably could recoat your AS once it starts peeling for what it costs to buy the "protective" package now and you would get a few more years of a nice coating that you may or "may not" get out of your package $$$. Also, you have to consider how long you plan on keeping the AS, you may outgrow the one you have now and decide to upgrade, I don't think the extended warranty transfers to a newer unit, not sure though. Finally, a lot of AS owners accepted their units as they "age" and see the dings/dents and peeling as badges of honor, lots of memories and a signs of happy travels. Save your money and enjoy your purchase!!!
Safe travels,
JDB

[gecko]

Originally Posted by BFamily

Congratulations!
We live in Palos Verdes and own a 2014 30ft bunk.
If your service is from one of the local dealers, I would think twice.
This is our second trailer and if you look at our name, you will find a trail of issues.
We just dropped her off again yesterday and the sales manager and our sales person did not have the courtesy to stand up from their desks and offer assistance.
My experience is to use the dealer for warranty issues, but anything that requires attention to detail go to C & G . They are in Bellflower and worked on Airstreams exclusively for decades.
IMHO.

We're also in Los Angeles and had s much better experience-with the "old" dealer (formerly based in Irvine and not to be confused with the Orange County branch of Airstream Los Angeles.) The new dealer has a huge staff turnover, which makes me uncomfortable. We also do all of our LA based servicing with Rod at C&G in Bellflower. They are knowledgeable, honest, and pleasant.

In the summer, we are fortunate to be in Hood River which is where Lew Farber locates for the summer months. There is none better!

[Boxite]

Extended warranties are merely profit-products for sellers. Save your money. The original warranty is designed to correct any factory defects...which is what you really want, right? Any wear-and-tear items you expect to pay for whenever you buy any product, but extended warranties prey upon a subconscious desire/fear of large bills for wear-and-tear sometime down the road. Think about that. You do plan to properly take care of your property... right...??? Then why would you pay for repairs in advance that may never be required.... and that may be disqualified anyway because you failed to perform some minor service you overlooked and that is likely unnecessary anyway?

That protective coating is nothing more than clearcoat.... which is already on the product and which you can touch-up with a fingernail-sized bottle of clearcoat bought at WalMart or most any auto parts store. That should cost you about $3. ... not a thou$and.

[FCStreamer]

I paid $449 for a 1 year service plan on a 2014 Airstream. I am not a big fan of extended service plans. But this thing cost a lot of money. You have to make a decision what your risk tolerance is, what your ability to pay for repairs, what the plan costs, what you are protecting costs, etc. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, because it depends on you.

If I pay $449 and never use it for the entire year, was it a waste? How much is my peace of mind worth?