Pleasure Way Warranty

[dgreene62]

My wife and I are considering a Pleasure Way Ontour 2.2 on the Ford Transit. We were impressed that the company states a 5 Year Warranty on the house portion of the RV. The following statement/question in no way diminishes the quality of the RV, but merely trying to understand what is actually covered.
In reading the warranty it carves out many many things that are only covered for 1 or 2 years so I'm not sure what, if anything, is actually left to be covered for 5 years. Does anyone have any idea what is actually covered for 5 years on the house portion (not chassis) of the warranty?

[avanti]

I don't know anything about the Ontour, but I can say a few things about warranties:
There are two different kinds of OEM warranties, "inclusive" and "exclusive". Inclusive warranties list what is covered, and exclusive warranties list what isn't covered.

If indeed your warranty says that it warranties everything except an enumerated list of exclusions, then it is an exclusive warranty. That is good. The reason is that there is a huge list of stuff that you would never think of that is inevitably left out of inclusive warranties. So, you are off to a good start.

Of course, the list of exclusions may or may not be a reasonable one -- the devil is in the details. If you like, you could post the text of the actual warranty and folks can take a look.

There is also the separate question of whether even a good RV warranty is worth much. They always exclude appliances and other items that come with their own manufacturer's warranty. This is not unreasonable--why should your microwave have a longer warranty just because it is in your rig rather than in your house? As for the rest, the whole RV industry is a mess when it comes to getting warranty repairs done. Many owners conclude that it is easier to fix it themselves.

[dgreene62]

https://pleasureway.com/owners/download-manuals/

Definitely an exclusion type warranty, but the exclusions are so vast it's hard to know what's actually covered. Not looking for legal advice but if anyone with one of these units could shed some light as to what is actually covered for 5 years and if you feel the warranty is actually something of value.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by dgreene62

https://pleasureway.com/owners/download-manuals/

Definitely an exclusion type warranty, but the exclusions are so vast it's hard to know what's actually covered. Not looking for legal advice but if anyone with one of these units could shed some light as to what is actually covered for 5 years and if you feel the warranty is actually something of value.

You won't be getting any legal advice from me...

That said, I see what you mean about the long list of exclusions. I started to browse through them, and got as far as #1:

This Limited Warranty shall not apply to the following:
1. In the event that the Motorhome has been altered outside our factory in any way so as, in our sole opinion and discretion, to affect its performance, stability, safety, operation or reliability.

This statement is totally illegal in the USA -- it is forbidden by Magnuson Moss.

First of all, MM forbids "voiding" an OEM warranty merely due to the use of aftermarket parts or modifications. Of course, if such a modification CAUSES a failure and they can prove it, that failure itself would not be covered. But the kind of blanket "voiding" of a warranty due to the modification itself is illegal.

such provisions are deceptive under section 110 of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2310, because a warrantor cannot, as a matter of law, avoid liability under a written warranty where a defect is unrelated to the use by a consumer of “unauthorized” articles or service.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/700.10

Also, the phrase "in our sole opinion and discretion" is equally problematic.
MM puts the burden of proof on the OEM as to whether or not a given claim is covered. It therefore defines such claims to be "deceptive" and thus illegal:

A warrantor shall not indicate in any written warranty or service contract either directly or indirectly that the decision of the warrantor, service contractor, or any designated third party is final or binding in any dispute concerning the warranty or service contract.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/700.8


By most accounts PleasureWay makes nice vans, but either they have a different warranty that conforms to US law, or else the whole thing is amateur hour. If the latter, it probably isn't worth the pixels it is written on.

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by dgreene62

My wife and I are considering a Pleasure Way Ontour 2.2 on the Ford Transit. We were impressed that the company states a 5 Year Warranty on the house portion of the RV. The following statement/question in no way diminishes the quality of the RV, but merely trying to understand what is actually covered.
In reading the warranty it carves out many many things that are only covered for 1 or 2 years so I'm not sure what, if anything, is actually left to be covered for 5 years. Does anyone have any idea what is actually covered for 5 years on the house portion (not chassis) of the warranty?

I have a 2016 Lexor TS. The PW warranty is pretty much for their workmanship and assembly. The appliance have their separate warranties. Most are for 12-24 months. PW warrants how they are installed by PW.

I have had my Lexor for 5 plus years. Lots of upgrades. I will have to say PW does a very good job of putting these vans together. The appliances are so, so. Pretty much par for the industry. I have replaced, the AC, water heater, generator, etc. Not because they failed but because I wanted improved performance. AC and genny too loud. Water heater went from regular temps to cold and than scalding hot. I have looked at the electrical and plumbing. Much better workmanship than other brands.

Some owners on FB have said PW does not offer as much warranty help/aid as in the past. I would not purchase a PW for the warranty. I would purchase it for the quality of the workmanship. Go to FB and read the complaints about other brands.

[mkguitar]

I bought my Lexor long after the warranty was over.


IMO the quality of the layout and systems ( 120 VAC, 12 VDC, LP Gas, Plumbing) is good, much of it excellent. I discovered 1 whoopsie which wasnt an issue for the first 15 years.


Each of the appliances chosen was of good quality and the fridge, furnace, cooktop & water heater still function fine. As does the ac/dc converter.



My neighbor bought a newer PW a few years ago- he had many warranty issues the first year- in some cases impacting the ability to use the RV for wees- these were all Mercedes failures incl. the emissions system. Waiting for parts to sail across an ocean his van was "bricked".


When shopping I looked at the systems of other brands and found them lacking. on one brand the quality of the work was shockingly poor, blind screws, rough wood cuts in the structure underlaying the cabinetry. all seen by lifting cushions or looking under with a flashlight.


Good luck in your search

[Rocinante]

Yeah, think about the 5yr warranty as something that probably covers things they actually built, such as the cabinets, basic plumbing, basic wiring, etc. All the actual RV components will be covered by whatever warranty that manufacturer offers for the part. For example, water heater, air conditioner, a faucet, a water pump, etc. Airstream plays the same game with their 3yr warranty. The list of "What is not covered," meaning it's either covered by the OEM warranty or no warranty at all, is similarly impressive.

[RansomGray]

We recently purchased a new PleasureWay Ontour 2.2 on a 2022 Ford Transit chassis. I was also impressed with the 5 year warranty, but in the past 6 month we have found it is not what we thought. We have had two major and 4 minor issues with our new RV. Of the two major items, they were covered under the OEM warranty, not from Pelasureway, and we have had a nightmare trying to get warranty service. For the items related to the "house", that is the other four issues. One was resolved quickly, but Pleasureway is fighting us on the other three which are building defects in our minds. So our experience is the PleasureWay 5-year warranty is of little value - we wished now we purchased an extended warranty when we purchased our vehicle new. We will now for future problems.

[Punkinhead]

If you're having trouble getting satisfactory resolutions to warranty problems under the standard warranty how would paying to extend that warranty be worth the money?

[Rlum]

Originally Posted by RansomGray

We recently purchased a new PleasureWay Ontour 2.2 on a 2022 Ford Transit chassis. I was also impressed with the 5 year warranty, but in the past 6 month we have found it is not what we thought. We have had two major and 4 minor issues with our new RV. Of the two major items, they were covered under the OEM warranty, not from Pelasureway, and we have had a nightmare trying to get warranty service. For the items related to the "house", that is the other four issues. One was resolved quickly, but Pleasureway is fighting us on the other three which are building defects in our minds. So our experience is the PleasureWay 5-year warranty is of little value - we wished now we purchased an extended warranty when we purchased our vehicle new. We will now for future problems.

I do not think purchasing an extended warranty will resolve this issue. I believe there is a shortage of parts and skilled technicians. Your best solution is to try and find a very skilled rv technician to diagnose your issues. Have him provide a solution. You can present this to PW and see if they will resolve it under warranty. If not, unfortunately you will have to pay out of pocket to get it done. I did not have a PW warranty with my purchase. Have changed out the generator, ac unit, water heater and performed many upgrades. All done because these appliances have been greatly improved. The key is to find a great rv technician. You might find one but they could be so busy, they will not have time for new clients.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by RansomGray

We have had two major and 4 minor issues with our new RV. .

Interested in knowing what type of failures you've experienced.

[avanti]

Yeah, buying an extended warranty would be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

Even if they were worthwhile (which they generally aren't), they almost never cover things until their OEM coverage expires, so you would be in the same fight.

[ilmor]

I would not worry about the warranty. I am on my second pleasure way and they are the best built motorhomes I have ever owned in 20 years. The pleasure way warranties and the way they handle them or better than any other manufacture in this price range. for example, check out Winnebago on the Facebook forms and see the problems all these people are having and the lack of response from winnebago.

[bobcat66]

It’s mostly a marketing tool. As pointed out it does not cover items like appliances.

Also, the warranty is not transferable.

[reilym]

Like RLUM, I also have a 2016 PW Lexor, my first RV. Since I bought it used in 2019 and the PW warranty does not transfer, I was on my own from the start. It is a really solid RV and I'd buy one again and highly recommend them.

The first and only major problem before it was 5 years old I had was a failed battery separator along with blown charging cable fuses. PW phone and email support has been helpful in sorting out missing information and inconsistencies in the manual but I had to trouble-shoot the charging problem myself. As I generally have a burning desire to know how things work, I didn't mind this. I got to intimately understand how alternator charging house batteries works, and I was able to re-design the system using a DC-DC charger (with a lot of help from this forum). I am very pleased with the outcome and think it's better than the OE system. 2016 was a transition to lithium year for PW and that was part of the problem - they were going through a learning curve. I am pretty sure PW uses DC-DC chargers between the house batteries and the alternator now. On top of all that, the closest PW authorized repair location is 3 hours from my house, so it would have been difficult to get warranty service anyway.

I am not sure what, if any, warranty work was done by the original owner, but as far as things PW would probably have covered, I can't think of one thing that would have been covered under the 5 year warranty period. At 6 years old, I have had to adjust one of the drawer latches, and the locks that hold the cabinet doors open are starting to fail and I'll be replacing them with better mechanisms. I consider these annoying but trivial DIY fixes that result in improved performance once completed.

I tend to feel that warranties are overrated and I prefer to buy out-of-warranty, especially when it comes to vehicles. Most problems do not occur during the warranty period and if they do, the original owner has probably gone to the trouble to have them taken care of. That said, I certainly understand that not everyone wants to tinker and view warranties as valuable.

[Estoniankid]

Originally Posted by RansomGray

We recently purchased a new PleasureWay Ontour 2.2 on a 2022 Ford Transit chassis. I was also impressed with the 5 year warranty, but in the past 6 month we have found it is not what we thought. We have had two major and 4 minor issues with our new RV. Of the two major items, they were covered under the OEM warranty, not from Pelasureway, and we have had a nightmare trying to get warranty service. For the items related to the "house", that is the other four issues. One was resolved quickly, but Pleasureway is fighting us on the other three which are building defects in our minds. So our experience is the PleasureWay 5-year warranty is of little value - we wished now we purchased an extended warranty when we purchased our vehicle new. We will now for future problems.

I was planning on purchasing a new PW this year but declined to do so due to their lack of warranty support for new owners. From following this forum for years, it seems from posts from new owners that PW had much better warranty support pre- Pandemic than presently. I can save $30-50k and buy many other good vans knowing I will be on my own, and that the manufacturer will abandon me the second the unit is off the lot. Save that money for out of pocket repairs you know will be forthcoming.

The other option is to buy one of the luxury or custom built vans, but only if any of those manufacturers actually will pay for in warranty repairs. I’m trying to ascertain the warranty track records of these specialized manufacturers.

As consumers, it is pretty astounding that we tolerate and accept that the most expensive purchase we will ever make (excluding affixed housing) are products without any enforceable guarantees by the producer that they will
operate as they represent them in the marketplace.

Do owners know of any maker of Class B vans that provide buyers with an effective warranty such as all automakers provide?

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by Estoniankid

As consumers, it is pretty astounding that we tolerate and accept that the most expensive purchase we will ever make (excluding affixed housing) are products without any enforceable guarantees by the producer that they will operate as they represent them in the marketplace.

.. which is one of many reasons to find a good condition used van and do the maintenance work on it yourself. I could put gas into mine for the rest of my life for what people are forking over for a new van.. one that's poorly made and unreliable.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by Estoniankid

Do owners know of any maker of Class B vans that provide buyers with an effective warranty such as all automakers provide?

Roadtrek has a decent 2 year warranty from the new owners, but how quickly and efficiently fixes are done is highly dependent on which dealer you purchased from... they range from hopelessly abysmal to outstanding.

[Rocinante]

Airstream brags about a 3-yr transferable warranty on their RVs, but (1) you're definitely going to need it due to disappointingly poor build quality and (2) it would be a very good idea to know exactly what this warranty covers (e.g. whether it's more like a PW warranty, or a genuine 3-yr warranty for all RV aspects of the van).