Extended Warranty for a brand new Roadtrek SS Agile ???

[RVclassB4me]

I was offered to purchase "additional warranty" in various lengths from 5 year to 7 years (I don't have the paperwork in front of me right now. So this is what I can remember). Pricing is around $4500 to $7500 (As I recall).

It's an EXCLUSIONARY with $100 deductible PER TRIP to ANY licensed repair shop (Does not have to be a Roadtrek or Mercedes dealership).

Any thoughts on this "EXTENDED WARRANTY"?

There is already a two years unlimited mileage warranty from the NEW Roadtrek manufacturer. Plus whatever the Mercedes OEM manufacturer warranty.

Any comments? Greatly appreciated.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by RVclassB4me

I was offered to purchase "additional warranty" in various lengths from 5 year to 7 years (I don't have the paperwork in front of me right now. So this is what I can remember). Pricing is around $4500 to $7500 (As I recall).

It's an EXCLUSIONARY with $100 deductible PER TRIP to ANY licensed repair shop (Does not have to be a Roadtrek or Mercedes dealership).

Any thoughts on this "EXTENDED WARRANTY"?

There is already a two years unlimited mileage warranty from the NEW Roadtrek manufacturer. Plus whatever the Mercedes OEM manufacturer warranty.

Any comments? Greatly appreciated.

As extended warranties go, that sounds like a relatively good one (assuming the list of exclusions is reasonable). But, you should read that as damning with faint praise. Third party warranties are zero-sum games. If they make money, you (statistically) will lose money. And, they make money or they wouldn't sell them.

The question to ask yourself is, what in your coach, exactly, has any reasonable likelihood of failing that (a) won't fail until after the OEM warranty expires; and (b) costs enough to repair that you would ever recover the four-digit "investment" in the warranty? That kind of money would cover a LOT of leaky roofs or busted plumbing, and you can throw in a broken TV or two while you are at it.

And then there is the likelihood that, once you discover how difficult it is to book an appointment with a competent repair place, you might just decide to become a DIYer, like many of us.

People will respond talking about "peace of mind". I get peace of mind by putting money in the bank.

[mumkin]

IMHO, all of these are total ripoffs. Take that money and put it into a savings account. In 17 years of RVing, I haven't spent $4000 in repairs.

They do earn the dealerships lots of money, of course, which is why they push to sell them to you.

[Sleeping Dog]

Extended warranties are insurance policies rather than some semblance of the mfg warranty. So it comes down to your tolerance for risk. The EW we were offered was in the same cost ballpark as the one you mentioned and as I asked a few questions, holes began appearing in the coverage. Read and understand the coverage carefully.

If having a warranty makes you comfortable, negotiate the price. The dealer profit on it is ~50%, so there is room to dicker. Also the dealer isn't only game in town, likely the bank has an offer and possibly your insurance company. Plus about a dozen independent companies.

[RVclassB4me]

The "original prices" were twice as much. I managed to talk them down to almost half. They pressured me to buy the EW as I took delivery of the new RV.

The "exclusionary" list was not that long..... The EW will not cover the "consumables such as tires, brakes, windshield wipers, and etc.

I asked specifically about "seals and gaskets" and the computer boards/chips for various appliances and electronics and they said YES.....covered.

I also managed to get them to go ahead and give me a 30 days to decide.

Originally Posted by Sleeping Dog

Extended warranties are insurance policies rather than some semblance of the mfg warranty. So it comes down to your tolerance for risk. The EW we were offered was in the same cost ballpark as the one you mentioned and as I asked a few questions, holes began appearing in the coverage. Read and understand the coverage carefully.

If having a warranty makes you comfortable, negotiate the price. The dealer profit on it is ~50%, so there is room to dicker. Also the dealer isn't only game in town, likely the bank has an offer and possibly your insurance company. Plus about a dozen independent companies.

[themexicandoctor]

I agree that it's a Zero Sum Game, ESPECIALLY WITH AUTO TYPE WARRANTIES.

If they are not out of business when you need a repair in 3 years, they make it very difficult to get "stuff repaired ..." and the Repair Facilities don't like waiting for a cheque.

It's not unlike getting the costly optional extras of the upselling process after you have agreed on the base vehicle - it's all profit & finger crossing.

Moreover one has already crossed the first hurdle of buying the base unt & while that can be the bargaining arena, once you start to do the paperwork while sitting in Finance, that's when the Undercoat Protection Plan, the Total Auto Repair Plan, etc are usually introduced because there is no competition or transparency. And most people just want to get out of there, asap.

Each add on is more commission, and, with the internet, there is considerably less money made on the actual base unit.

You were right to fight for a sizable discount!

Now if it was for the 48 inch Smart TV that I bought for my RV, of course I went ahead & bought the 5 year Best Buy plan because I trust Best Buy to deliver &, home tvs are not necessarily made for RV Conditions.

[Want a B]

Originally Posted by mumkin

IMHO, all of these are total ripoffs. Take that money and put it into a savings account. In 17 years of RVing, I haven't spent $4000 in repairs.

They do earn the dealerships lots of money, of course, which is why they push to sell them to you.

I agree 100%

[Want a B]

Originally Posted by RVclassB4me

I was offered to purchase "additional warranty" in various lengths from 5 year to 7 years (I don't have the paperwork in front of me right now. So this is what I can remember). Pricing is around $4500 to $7500 (As I recall).

It's an EXCLUSIONARY with $100 deductible PER TRIP to ANY licensed repair shop (Does not have to be a Roadtrek or Mercedes dealership).

Any thoughts on this "EXTENDED WARRANTY"?

There is already a two years unlimited mileage warranty from the NEW Roadtrek manufacturer. Plus whatever the Mercedes OEM manufacturer warranty.

Any comments? Greatly appreciated.

I bought a used Honda CRV that was still covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Salesman stated how wonderful, reliable and low maintenance the car was. When he tried to sell me an EW I asked him why would I need an EW for a car he has just told me was "reliable and low maintenance"? He didn't have an answer.

Did your RV Salesman tell you the same thing on your Roadtrek purchase?

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by Want a B

Did your RV Salesman tell you the same thing on your Roadtrek purchase?

LOL... could anyone that knows much about RVs hear something like that without falling into hysterical laughter. Things have improved under Rapido, but... there are the normal issues... many from the steep learning curve in the first year. That said, it comes with a 2 year warranty when new. Ease of using it, as always, depends on which dealer you have purchased from. (Ranging from great to abysmal...)

[PleasantonMac]

Originally Posted by mumkin

... depends on which dealer you have purchased from. (Ranging from great to abysmal...)

"Great" dealer? Where is this mythical great dealer of which you speak?

Service departments everywhere are backed up like crazy. I suppose, in their defense, nobody could have predicted the huge increase in demand for RVs by people who otherwise probably shouldn't own them, and it's hard to find RV techs, so...

As a side note, for the OP, if you talked them DOWN to those 4500 prices, I'd walk away. I seem to recall being offered $5500ish for a five-year as their initial offer on my PW Ascent. As a side note, would you buy an extended warranty on your house? Or would you pay for repairs a la carte as things happened? I know that's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's a good thought exercise.

[RVclassB4me]

Thanks everyone for their inputs.

I am leaning towards NOT GETTING THE EW.

I will keep everyone posted.

BTW, I just made a trip of around 1K miles without any issues on my new RT SS Agile. There were some strong cross winds!! The cross wind safety feature kicked in several times as I was going at 75 mph. Not what I'm used to, but it was reassuring. I remembered a few years ago in my new (since sold it) Jayco class C on a Ford gas E450 I had to literally turn the steering wheel the opposite direction of the cross wind for most of the way!! On this new RT SS Agile I did not have to!! Overall much smoother than the class C. But nowhere as smooth as our Lexus LX570 though......Ah, I can only dream if it's going to be also as "reliable"!!!

[Davydd]

You will get extended warranties opportunities galore when your 2 year warranty is about to run out and don’t forget you have your 3 year, 100,000 miles from Mercedes Benz for the van chassis. You have plenty of time to determine if you have a lemon or not. In 16 years of owning Class Bs I’ve never encountered other than initial warranty service and doubt I have had $4,500 of repairs outside of initial warranties.

[jimtwilliams1226]

I have been offered extended warranties on cars, washers, fridges etc for my whole life. Refused all of them. At 86 years old I have now saved enough $ to cover any event.