Service policy opinions needed :)

Kistler · 07-19-2003, 05:05 PM

In today's mail we receved a letter from the dealer from whom we purchased our 2002 Airstream. The letter offers a "Heritage Platinum Service Policy for up to 7 years".

Apparently Airsream only warrants their product for 1 year after date of purchase....in September that guarantee runs out.

The "offer" is for 25% off the published sheet prices....I am supposed to call if I wish a quote.

Instead of listing what is covered this coverage is listed as THE EXCEPTIONS--

quite a lot apply to motorhomes but here is what applies to our tt I believe: EXCEPTIONS

paint/carpeting
trim
moldings
lenses
bright metal
canvas, vinyl, or fabric
body adjustments
rust or corrosion
hubcaps
physical damage
frame or structural separation
hoses and rubber parts
battery and cable
shocks
body panels
weather stripping
brake rotor/drums
tires/wheels
bumpers
metal supports
nuts, bolts, and fasteners
body adjustments
buttons, handles, door hinges, glass

My question is, if those are not covered is what is covered worth whatever premium they will charge?

With our Fleetwood Jamboree C we had to replace the refrigerator board, electric step board, and hot water heater board.....of course the Airstream has no electric step.

Should we take our chances and just pay out-of-pocket to fix whatever?

What is going to fail on our Airstream do you think?

53flyingcloud · 07-19-2003, 05:21 PM

Whatever happened to the,
"Life Time Warranty Coverage" to the original owner?

Not that it applies to me personally but, in my owner's manuals it's written/stated as such.

Porky Pig · 07-19-2003, 05:25 PM

Airstreams are sold with a 2 year limited warranty.

I'll bet that your dealer is selling you a third-party warranty. Try to get another dealer to honor it ... usually hard to do.

Also, take that list of exceptions out to your trailer and visualize all of those components disappearing as you read them off.

How much of the trailer is left?

I don't believe in extended warranties of any kind. I like to pay as I go.

thenewkid64 · 07-19-2003, 05:57 PM

I belive you would be better off working with the major appliance manufacturer, Dometic, suburban, etc to see if they will offer any additional terms. Those are the big ticket items and pay as you go on the rest.

I do not buy the extended warranties as a rule. The exclustions are extreme in most cases and the hoops that you had to jump thru to maintain coverage are a joke.

I figure with what I have save on warranties in my life I can buy anything I need to replace.

85MH325 · 07-19-2003, 06:12 PM

Hi, Kistler...

We bought an aftermarket policy for our '94 Limited 34' for about $1200 for three years. The side-by-side fridge in ours is $3400 to replace. The water heater electronics and tanks can fail; we had a wiring fire in our Safari years ago; the charging unit can fail; the list goes on and on. That said, our "new" trailer is nearly ten years old, and is mechanically and systems-wise, a complete unknown to us. Yours is relatively new, and it should (hopefully) be a number of years yet before you have any major systems failures.

I generally buy the service policies for cars for the same reasons, and have not yet been disappointed. I would recommend, however, that you shop, shop, shop as the prices, coverage, and reputation of the companies vary wildly.

The company we used and have used for the past ten years is called Warranty Gold, and they have been excellent. They will even pro-rate a refund when you sell your unit.

Roger

Pahaska · 07-19-2003, 06:31 PM

I don't buy policies as a rule and will absolutely not buy a policy from anyone except the manufacturer of the item (GM fo Chevys, etc).

Underneath every policy is two very generous profits and an insurer that will jump through hoops rather than pay you. At least the manufacturer of the item has some reputation to protect.

85MH325 · 07-20-2003, 07:11 AM

It is most definately "caveat emptor" when it comes to buying an extended warranty. I won't buy one for small appliances as the cost-benefit ratio just isn't there. Typically by the time the appliance breaks or dies, there is something that does more and is less expensive on the market anyway. I will, however, buy them on major appliances that are more than $500 that I expect to use for over 10 years, and when routine maintenance calls are included in the contract as a service call will cost over $100 minimum now. I generally don't buy them on new cars either, as the manufacturer's warranty is adequate unless the warranty period is about to expire and I think that the car has continuing issues that will need to be addressed. Used cars/RVs are a different story.

Any extended or after-market warranty is essentially an insurance policy where you're gambling that something (or things) will break and need repair or replacement that are more than the cost of the warranty before the warranty expires. An aftermarket warranty isn't necessary for everyone or for every purchase.

In order to make a sound decision, you have to know the condition of your equipment, what it's service history has been, and how long you expect to keep it. If you plan to replace the trailer/car/etc. within a short time, then the warranty is probably money wasted. If you're buying equipment is out of it's original warranty (as was ours), you have no idea what it's service history is, (as was ours) replacement is expensive (as is ours), and you plan to keep it for a significant length of time, then an aftermarket warranty is a reasonable purchase.

I have suggested to my folks with their 2001 Dutch Star motorhome that they should buy the aftermarket warranty as their factory warranty is about to expire. They had a SMALL problem with their diesel pusher and it was a $500 repair. Imagine what it would cost to pull and replace that engine. The warranty would more than pay for itself with a single repair there.

The difficult part is sorting out how much is reasonable to pay, what company to buy, and which plan suits your needs. That's where doing your homework really pays off.

Most of the companies you can find on the Internet are the same ones that auto and RV dealerships handle. You can save significant money dealing direct as their is no markup for the dealership. Additionally, some of the amounts may be negotiable or they may have special discounts available.

The company we use actually has three or four levels of RV policy so you can tailor your policy to your type of RV. They are mainly for motorhomes with their systems, but the least expensive they offer covers trailers very nicely, and it's very comprehensive systems coverage.

Good luck!

Roger

Kistler · 07-20-2003, 11:10 AM

Thank you everybody for replying; I think I will not do this....especially this particular one.

I had better read my Airstream information--you say you think it has a mfg. warranty for 2 years. I also like the idea of the individual appliance warranties.....

Surely it will be a few years before we have to "rebuild" this number.

Kistler

LLB21 · 07-20-2003, 09:16 PM

I believe that after January 2000 all Airstreams have a full two year warranty.

Also, back in the 70's the "lifetime warranty" applied only to the chassis, rivets and such. Not to appliances. It is still available but only available to the original purchaser.

Extended warranties are good but read the fine print. Many do not cover everything. Some much more than others.