Advice Wanted On Extended Warranty

[Paul70668]

Buying a 2014 Journey. I would like to get some feedback on the 40U model. Can you also recommend which extended warranty companies to avoid or use versus cost and service.

[Duner]

Paul, I've had two extended warranties in the last 20 yrs and did not get any satisfaction from either. There are many got-ya's in the fine print.

The first one was not too expensive at $1500 but did not include the steps, jacks, slideouts, awnings and structure issues and that's where I needed it.

The 2nd one included steps, jacks, slideouts and awnings but was more money at $3000. So 1st time I went to use it I found out it does not include any troubleshooting/diagnostic charges. So dealer wanted 2 hrs at $110/hr to isolate a thermostat problem which I fixed myself for a $60 digital one from Home Depot.

I was at a rally in 2008 and my neighbor was furious cause Good Sam Extended Service Plan had just confirmed that they would only pay $180 out of the $8200 for a brake problem they said was a design defect in the Workhorse Chassis. There was discrepancy between owner/dealer/Good Sam with what $$ was pre-authorized.

So be aware and don't just trust the sales guy because he won't point out the "got-ya's".

I've had two Winnies since 1999 and monitor this forum group daily. Don't recall any big issues with the 2014 Journeys. If you don't get 1st hand feedback from Journey owners in this thread, I suggest searching this forum for 2014 Journey and find out who owns one and send a Private Message with your query.

Good luck,
Bill

[Paul70668]

Originally Posted by Duner

Paul, I've had two extended warranties in the last 20 yrs and did not get any satisfaction from either. There are many got-ya's in the fine print.

The first one was not too expensive at $1500 but did not include the steps, jacks, slideouts, awnings and structure issues and that's where I needed it.

The 2nd one included steps, jacks, slideouts and awnings but was more money at $3000. So 1st time I went to use it I found out it does not include any troubleshooting/diagnostic charges. So dealer wanted 2 hrs at $110/hr to isolate a thermostat problem which I fixed myself for a $60 digital one from Home Depot.

I was at a rally in 2008 and my neighbor was furious cause Good Sam Extended Service Plan had just confirmed that they would only pay $180 out of the $8200 for a brake problem they said was a design defect in the Workhorse Chassis. There was discrepancy between owner/dealer/Good Sam with what $$ was pre-authorized.

So be aware and don't just trust the sales guy because he won't point out the "got-ya's".

I've had two Winnies since 1999 and monitor this forum group daily. Don't recall any big issues with the 2014 Journeys. If you don't get 1st hand feedback from Journey owners in this thread, I suggest searching this forum for 2014 Journey and find out who owns one and send a Private Message with your query.

Good luck,
Bill

Thank you Bill. I do appreciate your feedback and intend to read the fine print before securing any extended warranty.
I look forward to typing with you in the future.
Paul

[Mr_D]

Some people buy them and come out ahead, most people buy them and lose money.
Also, the only one that you can buy an "extended warranty" from is the original vehicle manufacturer, everything else is, by law, a service contract. And, like any contract, each party is bound by what it says, not what you think it says or the salesman said.

[TbearKline]

I struggled with what to buy for a warranty or "service agreement" I read about the pros and cons and chances are you will not need the warranty. They are expensive but I looked at it as peace of mind and paying for any major repairs up front rather than when it happens. Sort of adding the expense to the sale of the rig. So if I do not use it I'll be happy for not having problems.

I ended up going with Wholesale Warranties to get an agreement and think it was a good choice. I've used it once for diagnostics and repair of the engine not shutting off. Yes, if you turned the key off it kept running. Wholesale warranties is an agent, not the insurance co. they will advocate on your behalf with the insurance co adjuster when making a claim. In my case there was an electrical issue that took 4 hours to diagnose, and a $6 part to fix. The adjuster did not want to pay for more than 2 hours based on what the service tech wrote up in the invoice. Well, we finally settled on 3 hours, but I learned a lot about the process and was glad to have Wholesale Warranties working the phone with the shop and the insurance company on my behalf.

As far as my experience with my 2013 40u I've had more than an average share of small (less than $200) issues. But I really like the rig. I hope your experiences go without issues.

[Paul70668]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Some people buy them and come out ahead, most people buy them and lose money.
Also, the only one that you can buy an "extended warranty" from is the original vehicle manufacturer, everything else is, by law, a service contract. And, like any contract, each party is bound by what it says, not what you think it says or the salesman said.

Mr_D thank you for your reply. I think is more of a peace of mind issue. You want it but you don't want to be screwed when you have to use it. I'm reading the fine print to find all the got-yas. Yes contracts are good if you understand them.

[Paul70668]

Originally Posted by TbearKline

I struggled with what to buy for a warranty or "service agreement" I read about the pros and cons and chances are you will not need the warranty. They are expensive but I looked at it as peace of mind and paying for any major repairs up front rather than when it happens. Sort of adding the expense to the sale of the rig. So if I do not use it I'll be happy for not having problems.

I ended up going with Wholesale Warranties to get an agreement and think it was a good choice. I've used it once for diagnostics and repair of the engine not shutting off. Yes, if you turned the key off it kept running. Wholesale warranties is an agent, not the insurance co. they will advocate on your behalf with the insurance co adjuster when making a claim. In my case there was an electrical issue that took 4 hours to diagnose, and a $6 part to fix. The adjuster did not want to pay for more than 2 hours based on what the service tech wrote up in the invoice. Well, we finally settled on 3 hours, but I learned a lot about the process and was glad to have Wholesale Warranties working the phone with the shop and the insurance company on my behalf.

As far as my experience with my 2013 40u I've had more than an average share of small (less than $200) issues. But I really like the rig. I hope your experiences go without issues.

Thank you for the information. I will check out wholesale warranties. The peace of mind issue is a huge point when buying a used coach. The walkthrough and initial look does not show all the problems until you have left the lot.
Again, thank you.

[Jim_HiTek]

I use to run a service dept and and a staff that sold service contracts. Statistics ran out to 10% needed and used them. That means 90% never used them. Pure profit for my department.

It's likely pretty much the same with RV service contracts with the more tenacious companies working hard hanging onto their money.

So, recommend you take the money you'd spend on the best one you can find, and put it in the bank. Every year, add a few hundred. You'll be self insured and won't have to worry about being screwed by the company.

[Catcoach]

AS I have said many times and will continue to do, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER AGWS

[poppopc]

Just sold a 2013 40 U. Had cornerstone. Winnebago factory will no longer honor
Them . They will not take at the factor and file. Have to pa your self and file on your own. Beware or the. "Schwintec" slide on passenger slide had ours repaired three times. Winnebago upgraded to the power gear the second time.

[Spk64]

I really struggled with this when we first purchased our 2002 three years ago. PO had a warranty and sounds like he used it some and it was supposed to be transferable, I gave up after 3-4 tries of confirming it actually transferred. After it expired I priced it out a couple times but could never be comfortable with the prices they were asking.
Now with 3 years under my belt I can say that not purchasing was a good decision. I keep that money "in the bank" as there are always items that need addressed. One difference is I am a hands on person, so troubleshooting and fixing so far has fell on my shoulders. In 3 years I have spent about $15,000 on upgrades and normal maintenance. Of these cost very few if any would have been covered by a warranty. We got what I felt was a pretty good deal on our coach and I was 30k less than some lesser coaches we looked at. Even with the 15k in expenses we are still ahead.

[Ray,IN]

Check with Camping World on their ESC=extended service contract. We bought a 3-yr contract when we bought our MH (on consignment) from Camping World. At the end of the 3 year contract, it had paid for the purchase price and our $50 deductibles. None of the repairs were for the Spartan chassis, all were for the Winnebago coach part.
FYI, CW has reduced the age limit on RV's to 7 years, at the time it was 18 years old.
Buying an ESC is somewhat like buying personal health insurance, you may never recoup the purchase price, but just that one serious time and your financial position may not recover-or you.

[georgelesley]

As an ex insurance agent I know these things a profit makers for the companies and the idea is that you will lose money and on average, they will make money. Some individuals will come out ahead, more will not. That is how it works.

I have never felt extend warranties are a good "investment" per se. However we do have one on our 2014 Itasca which has the dreaded Schwintek slide and the trouble prone Norcold 1200 series refer. The slide was just repaired and GS warranty and Winnie covered it completely, about $3k

At this point in our life a flat monthly cost that will at least assist is worth it to us. However, they do vary a lot in items covered, so read the fine print and ask questions before you buy.

[litewave]

I have had GS extended warranty program for 4 years now and have not used it once. We have paid approx. $7200 in premiums in that time. Reading the fine print of the GS policy, I find that it covers only the basic factory installed equipment and none of the accessories or seals or gaskets or fan belts, etc., etc. Some items are covered better then others and you are required to keep your unit serviced per the manufacture's service schedule and keep all records to prove it. Add to that a $500 dollar deductible, unless you want a larger premium, and I'm beginning to wonder f I am throwing good money after bad. My unit is 12 years old and only has 31,000 miles on it. I do all my own maintenance and light repair so I would probably be better off dropping GS and putting the money into a savings account.

[Journey39n]

Its all about piece of mind. We live in our rig, and consider our GoodSam Gold plan a sort of catastrophic insurance policy. The little stuff we will pay for anyway with a $500 deductible. You do need to read the print of the contract for the exact coverage's and how to process a claim. We have used it over the years, 1st a Norcold cooling unit replacement, 2nd, leveler hydraulic hoses and a slide seal that Winnebago factory replaced, and a month ago, replacing an alternator. Considering we have had it in force since our rig was new, I figure we have received about half what we have paid in premiums. Not a great investment perhaps, but there is that peace of mind, should something big really happen.

[D Lindy]

Paul, we have a 2012 40U and LOVE IT!!!!! one thing we did was remove the slide out dining table and use a double drop leaf 36" round pedestal table we bought from Home Depot, also we had the Amish make another medicine cabinet and removed the mirror in the commode room and put it there. This way she has the shower room one for her stuff and I use the commode room one for my stuff. You'll find little things to change and make it yours. We leave full time this Aug 22. Also we went with a 7 year extended warranty thru Wholesale Warranties and have used them once with no issues.

[rockriver]

newbie here. in all regards.
buying the prism was hard enough..
buying the service contract was tough.

my final decision on the matter was that I think we may move up in a few years. I had looked at several used mh and always wondered about what if the XX or the yy failed one month after I bought..

so, I bought the 7 year warranty. supposedly it will transfer.
the second owner will have some peace of mind if he buys this prism and
will therefor pay me top price for the used mh.

time will tell.
rr

[Paul70668]

Originally Posted by rockriver

newbie here. in all regards.
buying the prism was hard enough..
buying the service contract was tough.

my final decision on the matter was that I think we may move up in a few years. I had looked at several used mh and always wondered about what if the XX or the yy failed one month after I bought..

so, I bought the 7 year warranty. supposedly it will transfer.
the second owner will have some peace of mind if he buys this prism and
will therefor pay me top price for the used mh.

time will tell.
rr

Rockriver,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, time will tell since we also decided to have the peace of mind one has taken some steps to prepare for the worse. Travel safe.

[Paul70668]

Originally Posted by Journey39n

Its all about piece of mind. We live in our rig, and consider our GoodSam Gold plan a sort of catastrophic insurance policy. The little stuff we will pay for anyway with a $500 deductible. You do need to read the print of the contract for the exact coverage's and how to process a claim. We have used it over the years, 1st a Norcold cooling unit replacement, 2nd, leveler hydraulic hoses and a slide seal that Winnebago factory replaced, and a month ago, replacing an alternator. Considering we have had it in force since our rig was new, I figure we have received about half what we have paid in premiums. Not a great investment perhaps, but there is that peace of mind, should something big really happen.

Journey39n,
We selected to have peace of mind. I don't think the protection plans are designed for the purchaser to make or save money on the plan. This will at least, to give one a sense they have taken some precautionary steps to ward off disaster. Hope to have safe travel and freedom from consequence. Thank you for the feedback.

Originally Posted by Paul70668

Rockriver,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, time will tell since we also decided to have the peace of mind one has taken some steps to prepare for the worse. Travel safe.

[Paul70668]

Originally Posted by litewave

I have had GS extended warranty program for 4 years now and have not used it once. We have paid approx. $7200 in premiums in that time. Reading the fine print of the GS policy, I find that it covers only the basic factory installed equipment and none of the accessories or seals or gaskets or fan belts, etc., etc. Some items are covered better then others and you are required to keep your unit serviced per the manufacture's service schedule and keep all records to prove it. Add to that a $500 dollar deductible, unless you want a larger premium, and I'm beginning to wonder f I am throwing good money after bad. My unit is 12 years old and only has 31,000 miles on it. I do all my own maintenance and light repair so I would probably be better off dropping GS and putting the money into a savings account.

Litewave,
I hope I have invested in a trouble free plan with the investment we made. Our plan was over 8K. Thank you for the feedback.