Class B RV Warranties compared - October 2013

[markopolo]

Here are the results of a quick scan for warranty information on Class B manufacturer websites today. The warranty info is sometimes published on their websites or it can be found in their downloadable brochures. Please note that this info may or may not be current and accurate. It is what I found today but please check with the manufacturer and or dealer prior to purchase for the most current information.

Note: this is the warranty on the coach conversion. It is not the warranty on appliances and parts and it is not the warranty on the vehicle.

In alphabetical order:

Advanced RV - http://www.advanced-rv.com (checked Feb 2015)
3 years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first)
Transferable to new owner on resale

Airstream - http://www.airstream.com/touring-coaches/ (checked Feb 2015)
Coach must be purchased through an authorized dealer of Airstream motorhomes
3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first)
Transferable to subsequent owners upon approval from Airstream, payment $250.00 processing fee to Airstream; and inspection of the motorhome at the owner’s expense by an authorized Airstream dealer ................

Great West Vans - http://www.greatwestvans.com
3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first)
Transferable to new owner on resale

Leisure Travel Vans - http://www.leisurevans.com (checked Feb 2015)
Two-year (24,000Miles/40,000KM) (whichever comes first) limited coach warranty and a three-year limited warranty on structure.
Transferable to new owner on resale

Pleasure-Way industries - http://www.pleasureway.com (checked Feb 2015)
5 Year Freedom Warranty - 5 years or 60,000 miles / 100,000 kms (whichever comes first)
Not transferable to new owner on resale

Roadtrek - http://www.roadtrek.com (checked Feb 2015)
5 year unlimited mileage/km limited warranty is offered by Roadtrek covering the manufacture of the motorhome only.
E-Trek Extended Warranty
6 year unlimited mileage/km limited warranty is offered by Roadtrek covering the manufacture of the motorhome, appliances, electronics, plumbing and batteries (does not include the chassis)
Update: Both the 5 and 6 year warranties are fully transferable to new owners on resale. This includes the 6 Year E-Trek or E-Trek package warranty.

Safari Condo - http://www.safaricondo.com/index_eng.php# (checked Feb 2015)
5-Year Warranty, on the portion of the vehicle manufactured by Safari Condo - no mention of mileage that I can find.

Sportsmobile - http://www.sportsmobile.com (checked Feb 2015)
5 years/unlimited miles. Appliances, such as the refrigerator, furnace, hot water heater, air conditioner, and 4×4 are warranted by their respective manufacturers. The van chassis is warranted by the van manufacturer. This warranty is effective with orders placed using Sportsmobile prices dated 2/1/14 or later.

Winnebago - http://winnebagotouring.com (checked Feb 2015)
Comprehensive Warranty - 12-month/15,000-mile basic limited warranty
36-month/36,000-mile limited warranty on structure
Standard 10-year limited parts-and-labor fiberglass roof warranty
The Basic Warranty is transferable to new owners if you sell your motorhome during the warranty period.

Let me know of any errors or missing info or manufacturers and I'll update the post.

Edit: some updates Feb 2015

Note: Read through the warranties on the vans you are interested in. Some items will have limitations.

[markopolo]

added Sportsmobile to the list above

[Quanyin]

Thanks; this is useful information. Also, it would be interesting to see which companies have and don't have transferrable warranties. When we were shopping, Pleasureway did not, and Great West did. That was an important element in our decision because of potential resale value.
Paul

[markopolo]

Great point - I should add whether the warranties are transferable. If anyone knows that a particular company's warranty is transferable on resale let me know.

[mlts22]

I can see why WGO offers such a short warranty (although for a "B", it should at least be 2-3 years) -- the price is right, although it would be nice if they could offer an ESP or something, because sometimes one doesn't catch all the teething issues until a year has elapsed, especially winter/summer temperature extremes.

[Rok]

One thing that kept us from buying a Pleasure Way Plateau was the warranty transferrability. Theirs is for the original buyer only. When we were shopping, I actually called our local Pleasure Way Rep (although he was in Canada at the time) and asked if they would make an exception if I would buy one of their new rigs. In other words, I didn't want to have them transfer it to me when I was buying a used one (at first they thought that was what I was asking), what I jWAS asking was that if I bought a brand spanking new Plateau from one of their authorized dealers, would they extend me the courtesy to transfer the waranty to another buyer should I find it necessary to sell it within the 3 years. I made it clear that might be the deciding factor between me buying a rig manufactured by them or buying one from one of their competitors.

Our local rep ran it up the ranks, and called back a couple of days later with the answer: "NO."

As many of you know, I didn't choose a Plateau. And, as I told the sales rep, that was probably the actual deciding factor.

GW's warranty IS transferrable to another owner during the waranty period.

I wonder how many of the others are? (The MB Sprinter warantee is also transferrable.)

.........Rocky

[Mike]

Are there any stats on who is the best and worst at honoring their warranties?
It really doesn't matter how long a manufacturer's warranty is, and most seem pretty reasonable except Winnebago, if it's a teeth pulling ordeal to get them to fix things that need fixing because they are a legitimate shortcoming in either material quality, construction/assembly, or design. I would also be curious about whether they would consider assisting an owner with problems which are a result of OEM installed equipment with their suppliers? To me, that speaks volumes about how well a van converter stands behind their product. If the manufacturer uses a dealer network for sales and service, it would also reflect well or poorly on the quality of those parts of the process, too, as they would probably play a critical role in the initial assessment of what issues may be covered under the warranties. Will an owner have to escalate an issue to directly to the manufacturer, if they aren't satisfied with the dealer's evaluation, or will the dealer assist the customer to a try to get to a satisfactory result?

[markopolo]

First post updated with as much info on warranty transferability as I could find.

Mike - that would great info to have. Winnebago's warranty (even though short) seems to be no fuss. No mention of the owner having to go to the various appliance manufacturers for warranty issues. Most other Class B Manufacturers have you dealing with appliance warranties yourself it appears.

[Mike]

That's where I was going with my point. Assuming you put some mileage on your van inside the warranty period, most of the problems will probably be flushed out by usage of the various systems, and OEM installed equipment. If Winnebago handles their stuff, plus the other guy's stuff they add during conversion, that's a warranty that I like.
I think the best manufacturer's warranty is the one that says, without any argument, "it's our issue to deal with, don't worry, we'll look into it, and take care of it for you".
Of course, not everything that fails is necessarily a warranty issue. The way their dealer network responds to handling things in a professional manner, like scheduled maintenance care and recalls, and the way they evaluate and explain any problems and the solutions available, says a lot about the integrity of the manufacturer. It creates word of mouth advertising and repeat sales.
After reading comments on different forums from people about their warranty experiences with some dealerships, it's obvious there are good ones and bad ones out there, so rule of thumb, be careful who you choose to deal with.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Mike

Are there any stats on who is the best and worst at honoring their warranties?
It really doesn't matter how long a manufacturer's warranty is, and most seem pretty reasonable except Winnebago, if it's a teeth pulling ordeal to get them to fix things that need fixing because they are a legitimate shortcoming in either material quality, construction/assembly, or design. I would also be curious about whether they would consider assisting an owner with problems which are a result of OEM installed equipment with their suppliers? To me, that speaks volumes about how well a van converter stands behind their product. If the manufacturer uses a dealer network for sales and service, it would also reflect well or poorly on the quality of those parts of the process, too, as they would probably play a critical role in the initial assessment of what issues may be covered under the warranties. Will an owner have to escalate an issue to directly to the manufacturer, if they aren't satisfied with the dealer's evaluation, or will the dealer assist the customer to a try to get to a satisfactory result?

We found Roadtrek's warranty a bit tough to get applied a couple of times. Lots of finger pointing to the dealer and other vendors. Some work was finally done on a trip to the factory when we did our tour. The did come through, after some prodding, with money to fix two fiberglass issues on our van.

The most frustrating for us, warranty wise, was our coach batteries. We bought a brand new, never titled, 2007 C190P, off the lot in October of 2008. The Chevy and Roadtrek warranties started the day we bought it. We discovered that the coach batteries were toast a couple months later. The dealer had just charged them up as far as they would go and didn't tell us they would go flat in a couple of hours use. The dealer, most likely, did not keep them charged up while on the lot, and killed them. The dealer would not replace them and said it was a Roadtrek issue. Roadtrek said it was like the appliances and an EXIDE issue. EXIDE said their warranty starts the day that Roadtrek puts the batteries in the van and it had thus expired. Neither Roadtrek or the dealer would help by leaning on EXIDE, or by offering a reduced price on the batteries, or cost share. They basically said, thanks for your many thousands of $$, but you are on your own now. Yep, two month old, new off the lot unit, and we had to drop $300 on batteries out of our pocket.

[Mike]

It occurs to me that I've read similar stories on almost every forum I visit.
I wonder why most coaches that come with house/coach batteries do install them for you, but don't ensure that the dealers maintain them as required. They almost always allow them to degrade prior to sale. I'd prefer if they left the coach battery acquisition and installation to the consumer. My 2002 has a label beside the monitor panel that the coach (auxillary) batteries have been charged by the dealer prior to delivery, or something like that. It doesn't state how old they are or how many times they've been charged/discharged. That sounds like Roadtrek admitting the dealer is responsible for them.
How tough would it be to sell the motorhome with a "batteries not included" label? The dealers could suggest local shops for battery size, capacity, and installation options, leaving it up to the buyer to choose whatever type of (brand new) deep cycle batteries they want.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Mike

It occurs to me that I've read similar stories on almost every forum I visit.
I wonder why most coaches that come with house/coach batteries do install them for you, but don't ensure that the dealers maintain them as required. They almost always allow them to degrade prior to sale. I'd prefer if they left the coach battery acquisition and installation to the consumer. My 2002 has a label beside the monitor panel that the coach (auxillary) batteries have been charged by the dealer prior to delivery, or something like that. It doesn't state how old they are or how many times they've been charged/discharged. That sounds like Roadtrek admitting the dealer is responsible for them.
How tough would it be to sell the motorhome with a "batteries not included" label? The dealers could suggest local shops for battery size, capacity, and installation options, leaving it up to the buyer to choose whatever type of (brand new) deep cycle batteries they want.

I think that is a very good idea, as I, too, have heard of quite a few new rigs with bad batteries.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by booster

............The most frustrating for us, warranty wise, was our coach batteries. We bought a brand new, never titled, 2007 C190P, off the lot in October of 2008. The Chevy and Roadtrek warranties started the day we bought it. We discovered that the coach batteries were toast a couple months later. The dealer had just charged them up as far as they would go and didn't tell us they would go flat in a couple of hours use. The dealer, most likely, did not keep them charged up while on the lot, and killed them. The dealer would not replace them and said it was a Roadtrek issue. Roadtrek said it was like the appliances and an EXIDE issue. EXIDE said their warranty starts the day that Roadtrek puts the batteries in the van and it had thus expired. Neither Roadtrek or the dealer would help by leaning on EXIDE, or by offering a reduced price on the batteries, or cost share. They basically said, thanks for your many thousands of $$, but you are on your own now. Yep, two month old, new off the lot unit, and we had to drop $300 on batteries out of our pocket.

Ridiculous situation to be caught in. Dealer neglect caused the problem and they should have replaced the batteries. Roadtrek should have insisted the dealer to do the right thing. Once you were taken care of then the dealer or Roadtrek could take it up with Exide. That type of behavior is so short-sighted. What are the odds you'll buy much of anything from that dealer going forward? Probably nil.

I like Mikes idea too. Failing that, insist on new batteries at the end of negotiations if buying an RV that's been sitting on the lot for a while. They'll assure you that the batteries are fine then you can reply that's good they'll be able to use them in another rig then but not yours.

[markopolo]

Update: First post edited - Pleasure Way now has 5 year / 60,000 mile warranty.

http://www.pleasureway.com/freedom-warranty/

Pleasure-Way Industries Ltd. Warranties the specified new 2014 Pleasure-Way Motorhome free from defects in material and craftsmanship, on portions manufactured by Pleasure-Way Industries Ltd. under normal use and service. Pleasure-Way Industries obligation, under this warranty, shall be limited to 60 months / 60,000 miles / 100,000 kilometers (which ever comes first) after the date of purchase by the first retail purchaser from an Authorized Pleasure-Way Dealer. For Complete warranty information please contact Pleasure-Way Industries.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Rok

One thing that kept us from buying a Pleasure Way Plateau was the warranty transferrability. Theirs is for the original buyer only. When we were shopping, I actually called our local Pleasure Way Rep (although he was in Canada at the time) and asked if they would make an exception if I would buy one of their new rigs. In other words, I didn't want to have them transfer it to me when I was buying a used one (at first they thought that was what I was asking), what I jWAS asking was that if I bought a brand spanking new Plateau from one of their authorized dealers, would they extend me the courtesy to transfer the waranty to another buyer should I find it necessary to sell it within the 3 years. I made it clear that might be the deciding factor between me buying a rig manufactured by them or buying one from one of their competitors.

Our local rep ran it up the ranks, and called back a couple of days later with the answer: "NO."

As many of you know, I didn't choose a Plateau. And, as I told the sales rep, that was probably the actual deciding factor.

GW's warranty IS transferrable to another owner during the waranty period.

I wonder how many of the others are? (The MB Sprinter warantee is also transferrable.)

.........Rocky

I'm not sure I understand the logic of worrying about transfer of warranty to a second owner. I doubt it makes a hill of beans difference in what you can get for selling the B and it doesn't benefit you for the new owner to have the warranty. Warranties are like insurance and have trade offs. It is clear that Pleasure-way is awarding the original buyer with a 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty. It is doing so by shedding warranty obligations to used buyers and just maybe having confidence in building a top-notch quality B. Or looking at it another way, I am out of warranty with my Great West Van in less than 1-1/2 years in exceeding 36,000 miles. If I had a Pleasure-way I would still be under warranty going into a fourth year despite my high mileage use.

[bobojay]

In our experience with our previous RV, a Winnebago Itasca Navion, they are very flexible on that 1yr, 15k warranty. The unspoken stipulation though is you need to notify them within a "reasonable" amount of time after the warranty has expired.
They worked on our leaking windows after the warranty expired by about 6 months, but we had notified them and started a case file at 14 months on them, and we wanted to come back to the factory to have them fixed. No problem with that on their part

[Mike]

I think the ability to transfer the factory warranty may be a big plus if you're trying to sell the vehicle. Many used cars come with "balance of factory warranty" included, and some folks must feel it's a bonus and added security in case something fails as a result of the abuse or failure to properly maintain something by the original owner. It's just a "nice to have" feature for some people when buying a used vehicle.

As for the warranty itself, it's been said that you can have a 100 year, million mile warranty, but it's only as good as what's actually covered under it, and how easy it is to get something fixed that might fail while under it. A warranty that isn't quickly and easily honored by the manufacturer isn't worth much to anyone.
So, you have to ask, what does "free from defects in material and craftsmanship, on portions manufactured by Pleasure-Way Industries Ltd. under normal use and service." actually mean? Does that mean, any assembly, connection, technology tweak or implementation of equipment, that is deemed defective, or any materials from upholstery, to plumbing tubing, that fails? All actual pieces of RV systems equipment and chassis related issues are the responsibility of the OEM? You can bet a lawyer came up with the warranty wording, specifically to allow wiggle room for the manufacturer, in many cases.

[markopolo]

Note: First post in this topic has been updated.

Roadtrek announced their new five year, no mileage, RV limited warranty today

Originally Posted by Jim Hammill, Roadtrek President

We want Roadtrek owners to focus on Roadtreking, not on the mileage on the dashboard.

Media release: http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...hp?f=13&t=2752

[Quanyin]

I'm one of those people for whom a transferrable warranty is a desirable item. We nearly bought a barely-used Pleasureway Plateau but dropped the idea when we learned that the warranty wasn't transferrable. The unit was at a dealer, and I had no idea of previous issues the former owner may have had. All I had to go on was the salesperson's assurances, and we walked away.
The warranty that came with "Peggy", our 2012 GWV, is transferrable, and I hope that should we sell, a prospective buyer would find comfort in the protection offered by the warranty.
Though I feel like a company shill in writing this, one feature I like about our warranty is that with so few Great West Van dealers, we can take our Great West Van to almost any RV repair facility, call the factory for pre-approval, and then be compensated for the cost. This has only happened twice, but each time it worked out just as they told me it would.
Paul

[BradleyC]

I believe the Mercedes warranty is separate from the Pleasureway warranty.
If warranty is an issue this is the one I would concentrate on.

MERCEDES BENZ WARRANTY

3 YEAR 36,000 MILE 60,000 KM
5 YEAR 60,000 MILE 100,000 KM POWER TRAIN
DIESEL ENGINE 5 YEAR 100,000 MILE 160,000 KM
5 YEAR 60,000 MILE 100,000 KM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE