In the case of FR Steve (which the OP is considering), they absolutely will work with anyone, including the end user, on warranty claims. I feel no sympathy for local dealers who feel the need to retire on every sale. They've been getting away with this for so long, it's about time for a reckoning. By the way, Couch's is a brick and mortar dealer. I was there. I even camped in their lot overnight as I did my PDI. Great people. Great dealer. I saved over 9k on my rig. I'll do a LOT of my own repairs for $9500! Like I said, I'd really prefer doing my own repairs anyways. Who wants to hook up and bring your RV to a dealer for say a water pump or loose cabinet door. Tow it however far. Let it sit on their lot for two weeks waiting for some inadequate tech to fumble through the repair all the while forgetting to put a screw or two back in and wearing his muddy shoes on my carpet. Been there, done that. Now I won't take the labor end of warranty work for free if it's offered. Just give me the part and stay out of my rig. Remember Steve, you are not the average tech....

 

The RV buying/warranty thing is a mess. Much more like a cottage industry. I agree with all your points.

Just want folks to be aware there is variations in attitudes when it comes to warranty work. I normally don't do warranty work, but recently tried to help a new owner out on a new high-end fiver. Dealing with the manufacturer was, in my opinion, a joke. They followed through with nothing they promised and ultimately the owner had to take his fifth wheel to an authorized dealer (an authorized dealer who did not have a single new model on the lot).

And yeah, I am not average, I am way crazier than most RV technicians. It is the only way I can stay sane!

Steve

 

I bought my first trailer from my local established dealer and I got a 47day wait for my slide leak. I ended up giving up waiting selling it, buying another from the cheapest dealer and two years later zero issues. These day I don't think the dealers want to service them, seems like they have the model backwards to the auto dealers we are so used to.

FWIW I have a sunset trail 290bh and love it, but not enough not to have ordered a new 356qb.

 

You may be crazy, but you're an intelligent thinking person. The dumbing down of the nation is very obvious in most of the RV industry. Whether it be the buyers or the dealers or the service techs. RVing seems to attract a certain type.

 

I liked the floor plan of the cruiser better. I think it would be more functional day in and day out.

 

Agreed 100 percent...

Almost everything GENERALLY speaking is simple to fix.. Ive fixed everything ive ever had issues with myself..Unless its a catastrofic failure Im not going to dealer.PIA all the way around..Rv industry is a complete joke quality assurance wise.

 

I think as long as folks keep buying based on floor plans and upholstery colors, quality control will stay about the same as it is. Right now sales are in the stratosphere and when I go through ultra-light models at a show I think to myself "you've got to be kidding me".

The reality is to build a better box, drastic changes would have to be made in terms of size and features. Flat screens are easy to add, the parts that count, not so much, in my opinion.

Steve

 

Holy crap Rodney, you were right to deal with Jeff Couch! I talked to my rep and they quoted a much higher end Vibe unit for less than the one I posted above and for $4k less! Out the door I'm going to be at $23,141 plus having it delivered to me. I'll end up paying nearly $6k less than buying the same model here.

What a great recommendation my friends. We are moving forward with the Vibe 308BHS.

It's still being built, but should arrive in Mid July.

By the way, which RV did you end up with?

 

That's awesome! Did you deal with Brannon? We have an XLR 395AMP...

 

I was actually assigned to Brian after I submitted my online quite request. He sound to be just as good as or rep. I've been very impressed! Pm me your info so I can let them know who referred me to them. They might give you a free footprint gas pedal or something nearly as nice

 

Ok, so I'm getting the largest Vibe they make which is a few models higher than the original one I posted. Question (and looking for a very honest opinion), should I get the extended warranty for an additional 5 years for $1650? Matches bumper to bumper warranty and even covers leaks. Plus all the roadside and onside repair options included. Thanks

 

How much deductible?

 

PM sent but to reiterate my thoughts... no, I would not. I'm not a believer in extended warranties. Most of the appliances etc. have their own warranties that go beyond the 1 year FR warranty anyway. Also, I feel if anything big is going to go wrong with the rig itself, it will happen before the first year is out. However, if you did want a cheap second year, you can get it through FR directly. I think on the Vibe, it's only $150 which is cheap piece of mind. The dealer usually won't mention this as they don't make any money off it. However, there should be a form to activate it with the owners manual packet of the new rig. Sometimes it's not there and you just contact FR direct and they will email you the form. On the XLR that I have it would have been $250 for the extra year as there are more systems that could fail, but I passed on it.

 

The only place you can get really hurt after the first two years is on the big stuff and I think the extended warranties offer the illusion of covering something that either it does not, or is impossible to find.

Some folks, however, feel better having a warranty so there is an emotional component that is hard to measure.

There is an article discussing extended warranties in the last issue of RV Business in which all of the extended warranty companies discuss their policies. According toe Good Sam, a huge player in the industry, 80% of all policy holders file a claim within the 1st year. Now I am just quoting here, but if that is true it speaks directly to how much is covered by the original warranties (and to how bad quality control is at the manufacturing level).

Now the industry really pushes these because the profit margins are huge. If you have ever had to battle trying to get enough for something repaired that was covered by insurance you know why.

Having a warranty is also no good unless you can find someone who will accept it and that can be much harder to do than is implied. I never accept anyone's, nor does any independent technician in my area. My largest dealer will accept coverage on the one they sell, but do not want warranty work from any other.

The reason I asked about deductibles is because many policies have them and in many case the deductible covers so much of the repairs I make, the return the policy holder realizes is pennies on the dollar. If you think about it in dollars and sense (spelling purposeful) the way these companies make money is taking in more than they give back.

Finally, any time there is a real repair, they bend over backwards to hold the cost down by pushing for cheap cuts and doing things in ways I would not do on my own RV and that is why I don't accept warranty work. I have to call and get approval from a nitwit who most often does not know what a screwdriver looks like.

So some folks love warranties, but if you can do at least some of your own work, there is no way they make financial cents/sense. Take the money you would spend and set it aside in an account. Then find a technician you can trust and who charges a reasonable rate.

My two cents worth,

Steve

 

Agreed Steve. With all the money I've saved on extended warranties in my life... trucks, cars, AV equipt, major appliances, small appliances, ATV's, sleds, motorcycles, RV's, tools, and the list goes on, I could literally buy a new vehicle with the savings. I don't like gambling that I'm going to loose. If the odds are you will need it, they couldn't make money selling it. I'm what I refer to as "self insured..."