Y’all scare me!

[granvillebarker]

Reading the forums sometimes makes me really paranoid of what’s going to break next on the coach.    In the 15 years I’ve had it, we have had very few problems really.   Never had to be towed or anything like that.   I try to do lots of preventative maintenance, but there’s stuff like the 3 AC’s, I have never had to touch.   8 of my airbags are original, and I’m still on my second set of tires.   Even the Aqua-hot has been fairly problem free, those sticky check valves do need to be tapped from time to time.  
 

I received one of those good sams flyers about their service plan a few weeks ago, and got a quote for the fun of it.   With $100 deductible, they wanted $40000.   I wasn’t clear if that was for one year or what.   I could get a nice used coach for parts every 2-3 years at that rate.

My coach has never been to a dealer for service, hopefully I can keep it that way.

Do any of you get this paranoia?

 

—

Granville Barker

05 Dynasty

 

[Highwayman]

Good Sam quoted me 1,800 a month. I thought they were out of their head. 

[redstickbill]

Granville,

Many years ago when I first joined "Monacoers" the general rule of thumb was to forgo the extended warranty and put a little money aside for repairs, over the years this advise has served me well. I do the normal maintenance items and have always had the funds available for any unexpected repairs.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

[rpasetto]

8 hours ago, redstickbill said:

Granville,

Many years ago when I first joined "Monacoers" the general rule of thumb was to forgo the extended warranty and put a little money aside for repairs, over the years this advise has served me well. I do the normal maintenance items and have always had the funds available for any unexpected repairs.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

We've been doing the same; did it on our last coach and continue to do so with the "new".  

Suggestion to OP:  Set up a separate bank account to be used only for repairs and not maintenance.  If your bank website has the feature, schedule automatic transfer into that account.  How much depends on what costs you expect to have and what you can spare.  Or roll the dice.

If you want to cover tire cost, or other "normal" replacements, add a monthly amount  based on the cost you expect for the items and the time until you expect replacement.  Take inflation into account.

Edited November 4, 2020 by rpasetto

[dl_racing427]

15 hours ago, granvillebarker said:

Reading the forums sometimes makes me really paranoid of what’s going to break next on the coach.    In the 15 years I’ve had it, we have had very few problems really.   Never had to be towed or anything like that.   I try to do lots of preventative maintenance, but there’s stuff like the 3 AC’s, I have never had to touch.   8 of my airbags are original, and I’m still on my second set of tires.   Even the Aqua-hot has been fairly problem free, those sticky check valves do need to be tapped from time to time.  
 

I received one of those good sams flyers about their service plan a few weeks ago, and got a quote for the fun of it.   With $100 deductible, they wanted $40000.   I wasn’t clear if that was for one year or what.   I could get a nice used coach for parts every 2-3 years at that rate.

My coach has never been to a dealer for service, hopefully I can keep it that way.

Do any of you get this paranoia?

 

—

Granville Barker

05 Dynasty

 

If you've had the coach 15 years and only replaced your tires once, you're almost certainly due for another set.
7 years is about the max I'd run tires on a coach.

I agree about setting aside a maintenance and repair budget, instead of paying extra for insurance.

[Mel S - '96 Safari]

19 hours ago, granvillebarker said:

Reading the forums sometimes makes me really paranoid of what’s going to break next on the coach.    In the 15 years I’ve had it, we have had very few problems really.   Never had to be towed or anything like that.   I try to do lots of preventative maintenance, but there’s stuff like the 3 AC’s, I have never had to touch.   8 of my airbags are original, and I’m still on my second set of tires.   Even the Aqua-hot has been fairly problem free, those sticky check valves do need to be tapped from time to time.  
 

I received one of those good sams flyers about their service plan a few weeks ago, and got a quote for the fun of it.   With $100 deductible, they wanted $40000.   I wasn’t clear if that was for one year or what.   I could get a nice used coach for parts every 2-3 years at that rate.

My coach has never been to a dealer for service, hopefully I can keep it that way.

Do any of you get this paranoia?

 

—

Granville Barker

 

 

 

Granville Barker

$40,000? or $4,000?

[granvillebarker]

33 minutes ago, Mel S - '96 Safari said:

Granville Barker

$40,000? or $4,000?

$40,000.00

[Bob Nodine]

16 hours ago, granvillebarker said:

$40,000.00

Obviously not actual insurance as you could replace the whole drivetrain, engine, and transmission for that amount. They would make money on every customer. Real insurance projects profit based on odds. This is a sure thing for the company selling the policy as they have no risk.

 

[throgmartin]

We get extended warranty insurance work at our shop periodically. Good Sam's is the very worst to work with. We have to supply documentation, pictures and explanations as to the scope of the work. More times then not they come back and deny the claim saying the work is normal maintenance or they find some other reason to not pay for the claim. If they do agree to pay they cap the repair at a ridiculous low amount for labor.

Customers pay all this money for this insurance and Good Sam's seem to always find a way to weasel out of paying the claim leaving the customer with the bill. Their road service also is a royal pain which is why I have coach net. My suggestion is to find another warranty company to insure with and in regards to road service go with Coach Net.

[Dr4Film]

I second Chris' recommendation to go with Coach-Net for emergency roadside service.  I've been with them for over 10 years now and have never had a bad service call or trouble with the way that they handled my emergency. Plus I have had multiple tows requiring two large tow trucks each time, one for the coach and one for my 30 foot cargo trailer I was towing at the time. One of those tows was over 200 miles in Northern British Columbia Canada which would have cost me well over $6000. I have also had many tire changes on the trailer and battery problems with my cars.

I don't leave home without my Coach-Net membership card.

[96 EVO]

On 11/3/2020 at 3:54 PM, granvillebarker said:

Reading the forums sometimes makes me really paranoid of what’s going to break next on the coach.   
 

 

Do any of you get this paranoia?

 

—

Ha! Yep!

Maybe it would be better to stay away from RV forums till something breaks 🙈.

Granville Barker

05 Dynasty

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by 96 EVO

[rpasetto]

+1 on Coach Net

[Scotty Hutto]

I'm also a fan of Coach-Net.

As far as the extended warranty, Bill B's advice is spot-on.  Extended warranties are a form of insurance, and those companies have overheads and desire to make a profit... therefore, even if they covered everything they are supposed to (see Chris T's post above), they still have to collect enough money to cover the cost of repairs, plus overheads, plus profit.  The one time I purchased an extended warranty on my wife's luxury vehicle (when I was young and didn't understand money), it was a terrible experience; I made one claim for a faulty steering rack - which they promptly refused - and shortly thereafter the warranty company claimed bankruptcy, leaving me holding the bag anyway...

Said differently, an extended warranty is essentially *gambling* that you will be the exception and receive more benefits than you actually pay in premiums.  Like a casino, there are winners and losers, but the house *always* wins (except when they go bankrupt 🤣 - then everyone loses.)  

[jimc99999]

1 hour ago, Scotty Hutto said:

Said differently, an extended warranty is essentially *gambling* that you will be the exception and receive more benefits than you actually pay in premiums.  Like a casino, there are winners and losers, but the house *always* wins (except when they go bankrupt 🤣 - then everyone loses.)  

It's more like insurance. I've paid way more auto insurance premiums over the years than I've "collected" on repairs or medical bills. I would consider myself fortunate that I've not needed it, not a loser because the house collected more than I did. When we bought our 1997 Windsor, it was a big unknown, so we bought the "insurance". Sure, I only needed a few small things covered, so technically I lost money. But I can also consider myself fortunate that I only needed a few small things covered and didn't have to spend weeks at a repair shop for a motor repair, even though that would let me "win" in your example.

Edited November 6, 2020 by jimc99999

[David Pratt]

I have several friends that have a Service Contract with "Campers Edge Insurance ".  They have used them on several repairs that were covered and none of them had any hassles or issues with them paying.

 

[Scotty Hutto]

2 hours ago, jimc99999 said:

It's more like insurance.

I agree, mostly.  They are very much like insurance, except that in *most* states, extended warranties aren't regulated like insurance. That is, no one is checking the financial solvency of the companies offering them, and there is no "higher power" such as an insurance commission licensing them, enforcing fair treatment, and resolving disputes.   

I know Florida is an exception (and I'm sure some other states), where extended warranties are by state law considered a form of insurance and regulated as such.  Folks in Florida and those other states that treat them like insurance have more protections, and extended warranties are a better deal there. That's an important point since we have so many members that reside in Florida.

The other difference in my mind is the liability and catastrophic failures that insurance covers and extended warranties typically don't.

As with so many things, to each his or her own.  This is simply my personal opinion (and not the official opinion of Bill D's Monacoers 😂)

[jimc99999]

To be fair, the quote of $40K from the OP is pretty ridiculous. 

And an extended warranty that doesn't pay out when something does happen doesn't function as insurance either, and there probably does need to be a lot more regulation of extended warranties to make sure they function more as insurance and less as a money grab.

[Moonwink]

https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/cottleville/profile/auto-service-contract-companies/carshield-0734-310030296

This is a link to the Better Business Bureau's listing for Car Shield.  You may have seen their advertising on TV with celebrities raving about how great their coverage is and how much can be saved by having you car covered with a policy.  The BBB gives Car Shield an "F" rating due to the number of complaints they've received.  Putting your money into a savings account instead of premiums will probably be the best way to use your money.

Quote

From the BBB:  Pattern of Complaint

Better Business Bureau is advising consumers to use caution when considering doing business with CarShield, an Auto Service Contract company.  BBB has received a pattern of consumer complaints alleging misleading sales and advertising practices, rude customer service, failure to cover needed repairs, difficulty cancelling a policy and obtaining a refund, and that the firm made harassing calls or sent harassing mail solicitations.

 

[Dr4Film]

1 hour ago, Moonwink said:

https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/cottleville/profile/auto-service-contract-companies/carshield-0734-310030296

This is a link to the Better Business Bureau's listing for Car Shield.  You may have seen their advertising on TV with celebrities raving about how great their coverage is and how much can be saved by having you car covered with a policy.  The BBB gives Car Shield an "F" rating due to the number of complaints they've received.  Putting your money into a savings account instead of premiums will probably be the best way to use your money.

And they are one of the #1 advertisers on TV for auto repair insurance coverage during prime-time TV! What does that tell you? They spend millions on TV ads to suck in all of those people that watch prime-time TV.