RVCRITIC.COM

RV Warranties are they worth it?

(By Sean Russo)

After pondering this question myself I have come to the following conclusion about RV Warranties.

While an RV warranty may seem to be one more added expense after you have made one of or in some cases the biggest investment of your life by purchasing a new or used Recreation Vehicle. You may ask yourself why should I spend the extra money and buy coverage that you may never need. Most new RV’s come with a relatively short 1 to 3 year standard manufacturer’s warranty. Depending on the manufacture, some offer a longer warranty period for the “drive trains”. Once your warranty is expired, you will be responsible for the cost of all repairs your recreational vehicle may require. Now don’t confuse your recreational vehicle warranty with your insurance coverage which only covers your RV in the event of an accident, theft etc. To find out which RV warranty suites your needs, research carefully to find out what the warranty covers and how much it will cost and most importantly read the fine print!

I have read on many occasions rver’s who failed to read the fine print and when it came down to having a particular item covered by their warranty they find out it was not covered from the get go.

A common term for a recreational vehicle warranty is called an extended service contract which usually covers most (Keep in mind the word used here is MOST) of the mechanical components and may also have additional coverage which covers your appliances and some other expenses related to the repairs of your Recreational Vehicle.

You can lower the cost of your warranty by choosing to go with a higher deductible, but don’t make the deductible so high that it would be difficult or near impossible for you to cover it. I cannot stress this enough but you must shop around for a warranty, because the warranty the dealer offers may or may not be the best price and in most cases is far from the best price. Just make sure that you match the level of coverage when you compare costs of different warranties.

Warranty or service contract coverage can include “riders” or additional extra coverage’s such as but not limited to rental car coverage, food, lodging reimbursement, lock out assistance, entertainment and appliance coverage. Find out which of these items your manufacturer’s policy already covers so you don’t pay twice for coverage.