Extended Service Warranty

[accordionman]

I am in the process of getting the financing finalized on my new purchase of a 2015 Classic. The dealer is pushing for me to take an extended warranty of 4 years with a company called "First Extended Service Corp". I have never either heard anything good about these or liked them myself. In addition after having checked on line, they have an absolutely horrible reputation in the auto field. She suggests that their rep in RV service is excellent. I find that hard to believe, but anything is possible. It would seem to me that if they are hard to deal with in the auto field they're going to be that way all around.

Anyone have any experience with them?

In addition, am I naive to think that because this is an AS that I'll be OK for a few years anyway ?

Ed

[AWCHIEF]

Take the money you would put into an extended warranty and put it in a savings account. Just like undercoating and the latest wizbang paint sealants they are almost 100% money makers for the dealership. Most policies are loaded with small print and hoops the owner must jump thru every year to keep it in force.

AIRSTREAM's come with a two year warranty and most systems are covered by the manufacturer. I think I can safely say that you will have a hefty list of QA manufacturing defects/issues to deal with. Good luck what ever you decide.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

You will not be ok forever, there will be costs. If the trailer is indeed "brand new" as opposed "new to me" there is a 2 year factory warranty. If it is "new to me" you can hope that the various teething pains were indeed fixed under warranty. Even buying a used trailer from a dealer you *should* get some sort of no added cost warranty as part of the deal. Is it 90 days or is it 1 year? That depends on your dealer.

I have yet to see any third party warranty plan that did any good. Most have so many restrictions and limitations that they cover very little. You also may get into a "service only at these locations" lock in as well. The issue is hardly unique to trailers. They are just one of a long list of items with the same issues. I seem to get a robot phone call or two a day trying to sell me a warranty on this or that.

Simple answer, put some money in the bank to cover issues that come up. Forget about the add on warranty that the dealer gets the big commission for selling.

Bob

[Len n Jeanne]

Maybe an alternative to an extended service warranty would be a really good insurance policy. It won't cover the this & that that go wrong, but it will help you out a lot in the event of an accident-- including something like backing into a tree, or worse. We paid for an expensive insurance policy but are glad we did when Bambi I got in an accident, and we got the full replacement value for our AS-- new-- when the insurance adjuster finally agreed that it was a write-off.

On the other hand we bought Bambi the First used from Can-Am in Ontario, and had all kinds of things go wrong with it, but didn't pay a nickel on repairs due to their really good dealer warranty on their used RVs.

[wulfraat]

I wouldn't touch it... when it comes time that you need an extended warrantee coverage item it always turns out that it's not covered in the fine print... not worth the $$

The dealer is pushing you because they get a kickback (commission) for selling you a policy you don't need.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Thinking about this some more: I would *very* much want to ask the dealer what their standard warranty on the trailer is. To me "none at all" or "30 days" would be pretty major things to think about.

Bob

[pmclemore]

Never bought one, never will.

Pat

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by accordionman

The dealer is pushing for me to take an extended warranty of 4 years with a company called "First Extended Service Corp". I have never either heard anything good about these or liked them myself. In addition after having checked on line, they have an absolutely horrible reputation in the auto field.

That's because the dealer gets a large commission for selling the warranty.
90% of the time, whatever problem you have won't be covered under the warranty anyway.
"My wheel fell off."
"Sorry, wheels and axles are considered wear items, it's all in the fine print."

The only extended warranty I'd consider would be through the manufacturer as an exact copy of their new warranty.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

.......

The only extended warranty I'd consider would be through the manufacturer as an exact copy of their new warranty.

Hi

The big difference with manufacturer warranties is that they pretty much force all dealers to honor them. They also can (to some degree) police the way they are honored. Unless you can get a really good price (compared to your expected usage), they still are not a great deal.

Bob