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Old 08-21-2017, 03:33 PM   #1
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Extended Warranty IF living full time in AS?

Hi,
Newbie...1st post. in considering my options at purchase of the extended warrant offered.....99% of folks on the forum seem to think its a waste of money.But I cant find the answer if you plan to live in it everyday parked for maybe a year or three. This is my first AS (2018 28ft Serenity) and I know the quality overall is there, but I have no knowledge how well the appliances, AC/Heat, stoves, fridges etc will hold up with constant use vs. the occasional camper.
Can anyone offer their opinion/advice etc?
Thanks in advance, Bluebird
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Old 08-21-2017, 03:52 PM   #2
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I am not a fan of these types of add on insurance policies and I prefer to "self insure."

Your most likely exposure that is not covered by your regular collision and comprehensive insurance (e.g., fire, theft, crash, hail damage and the like) will be the post-warranty failure of one of the major appliances such as the Fridge, water heater, furnace, range, air conditioning unit and the like. Your likely maximum out of pocket cost to replace the most expensive item is the fridge at about $2,000. The other appliances would all cost in the range of $1,000 or less.

In general these appliances are all pretty reliable if they make it to the end of their individual manufacturer warranty periods so chances are very good that you'll never use the insurance. How much is the add on insurance policy you are considering? If it's more than $1,000 I'd skip it and put the cost of the insurance into a separate savings account and look to that to fund any major issue you run into down the road.
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Old 08-21-2017, 05:16 PM   #3
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Take the money you would spend on a warranty and put it in the bank.
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Old 08-21-2017, 06:07 PM   #4
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There are many of us who are full timing in our Airstreams, myself included. I did NOT get any extended warranty. I have found that they are not worth anything, especially when you start to read the fine print. Airstream has a very good 2 year warranty, I am pretty sure it is standard on all units. I would just stick with the basic warranty and save yourself some money. However, I would suggest that you do have an emergency fund established, just in case.
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Old 08-21-2017, 06:34 PM   #5
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Hi

If you do go with the extended warranty:

1) Get a full copy of the warranty
2) Read every single page of the darn thing
3) Figure out what it all says (or get a lawyer to explain it).
4) Spend some "quality time" working out what is covered
5) Spend some more "quality time" working out where you need to go to get things fixed
6) Spend even more time working out what will not be covered

Why go through all this?

In general these warranties are pretty worthless. If you believe it would be worth something to you, you need to dig in and see how it would work out. There are *lots* of gotcha's and guessing which one will get you (without doing everything above) is impossible.

If anything, the appliances etc will do better when parked than when moving around. Best guess is that whatever might go wrong won't be covered (it's wear and tear). If the trailer is outdoors all the time some things will wear. The thing that likely will get you (moving or not) will be leaks at seals. Again, I'd bet that's not covered ....

Bob
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Old 08-21-2017, 06:39 PM   #6
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The advantage of an extended warranty is the ability to leverage the dealer to perform required work when you don't have the time or the skills to fix it yourself. However, if full timing, you can't really leave the coach with a dealer as it's your home. It's also not going to be comfortable living in your coach full time if you do not develop good DIY skills. So, I agree that unless your situation is exceptional, the cost of a warranty is best spent to establish an emergency fund. Pat
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Old 08-22-2017, 07:14 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PKI View Post
The advantage of an extended warranty is the ability to leverage the dealer to perform required work when you don't have the time or the skills to fix it yourself. ... Pat
Hi

.... until you hit the part in the warranty that requires an "in network" dealer and those are all a long ways away. Yes, if you got the warranty at the same dealer you are taking it back to, that may not be an issue. I've seen one case where 5 years later the answer was "we aren't part of that network anymore" .... yikes !!! .....

Another side of this is preventive maintenance. No warranty will cover that stuff. You *will* need PM done on a trailer. It *will* be expensive (or take some hard work). It should be (but probably isn't ...) a yearly ritual. How well it gets done has a lot to do with how many issues you will have further down the road ....

Bob
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Old 08-22-2017, 12:23 PM   #8
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Camper Clinic II in Buda (S. Austin) Texas, advertised in the Blue Beret, "Lifetime Warranty" with Airstreams .
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Old 08-22-2017, 02:05 PM   #9
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The only extended warranty I'd consider was one offered by the manufacturer. Third party warrantees are pretty much wasting your money. They sound good but later your claim is denied.
"That's not covered" or "We didn't approve the repair before you had it done" or "the repair shop is not in our network, but there's one a thousand miles away."
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Old 08-31-2017, 12:48 PM   #10
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Well, I might have made a newbie mistake, but I just purchased a used (2008) Safari from the dealership, and I purchased their extended warranty, 4-years, supposed to work at any "certified mechanic" in the country. Since the trailer was not New, and out of the manufactuer's warranty, I felt I needed something to cover any major repairs or appliances.

Hopefully by the end of 4 years, I will have gained some skills
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