I am coming to the end of our warranty on our Rv with Cornerstone. Is it worth getting a new extended warranty or not. For those of you out there who have renewed their ins. who did you go with. I did get a quote from Wholesalewarranties.com for around $3000 for 4 years of coverage.

Depending on how much you use your Redwood and what the warranty covers that could be a bargain. It cost us that much just to repair the kitchen slide when the spur gears broke last December and would not retract. We since learned that Lippert redesigned the spur gears with heavier teeth but is not practical to retrofit. Now we carry spare spur gears.

I have had both good and bad experiences with RV extended warranty companies. When I bought my used class A diesel motorcoach I purchased an extended warranty from Easy Care. I never had any issues with this company paying for claims and they worked closely with either my chassis dealer (Freightliner) or the RV dealer depending on the issue.

When that warranty expired I bought extended coverage on the same coach from Wholesale Warranties. About a year into the warranty my Freightliner dealer indicated the bushings on the Holland Neway rear axle had worn causing front tire wear. Cost to repair was $3400.
I submitted this under warranty and was denied as these "particular" components were not listing in the covered items section. Big diesel coaches don't have the typical control arms, coil/leaf springs, etc. on the rear axles and the suspension components listed were typical of a leaf/coil spring or torsion bar suspension not an air suspension. I was very angry about this denial as I felt they sold me a warranty that was really not designed for a diesel coach and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. After reviewing my complaint I have to give kudos to Wholesale Warranties as they did step up and pay the claim.

When I purchased my new Redwood last August I bought a Portfolio Warranty through my dealer. No experience with them so far as my coach is still under the factory warranty so only time will tell.

The message here is to know what you are buying. Read the fine print carefully and review the covered items and the excluded items. Some warranties will only cover the part if it is called the same thing by the manufacturer and I've found that manufacturers will often call a part something other than a "control arm" even though the part functions as a control arm. Each warranty company will usually sell different tiers from basic drive train protection to complete coach coverage so again do your homework and know what you are buying. Many of these companies won't warranty aftermarket non-manufacturer installed electronics such as satellite dishes and solar systems.

Also ask if the warranty it transferable or refundable. A good warranty company will refund unused warranty in the event you sell your rig. The refund is typically prorated based on the time/mileage left on the warranty. Ask about who can perform the warranty work. It's not going to do you any good when you are 1500 miles from home and your warranty specifies you must return to the selling dealer. Ask if towing and emergency expenses are included. I can cost a ton of money to tow a large rig. Since I'm a full-timer now I would also make sure that there are no exceptions for full-time use and if mobile coverage is included for repairs.

One last thing - the most inexpensive warranty is probably inexpensive for good reason. Cheap doesn't mean better. I hope all this helps!

I am coming to the end of our warranty on our Rv with Cornerstone. Is it worth getting a new extended warranty or not. For those of you out there who have renewed their ins. who did you go with. I did get a quote from Wholesalewarranties.com for around $3000 for 4 years of coverage.

If you have been happy with Cornerstone have you asked them to quote you on continuation or renewal of your coverage? Since you are an existing customer they might give you a better deal.

We had a good sam on our Redwood. We never used it so I dropped it, but I remember we could adjust the deductible over the winter in storage so it was minimal cost.

Personally if you have the $3k put in an account earmarked for rv repairs & at the end of the scheduled warranty it's still your money. We never had $3k worth of repairs & what few we did have I did myself with reimbursement for parts from RW, so we were money ahead. But apparently they don't do that anymore, EVERYTHING has to go through a dealer, that in most cases knows less about the problems than I do & for sure cares less of how/when they get repaired.

My extended warranty was paid for - less $100 - when by black water tank chafed through on it's mounting. Well worth it - 2 more years to go.

Personally if you have the $3k put in an account earmarked for rv repairs & at the end of the scheduled warranty it's still your money. We never had $3k worth of repairs & what few we did have I did myself with reimbursement for parts from RW, so we were money ahead. But apparently they don't do that anymore, EVERYTHING has to go through a dealer, that in most cases knows less about the problems than I do & for sure cares less of how/when they get repaired.

I really think it depends on the type of RV you have and what type of risk you are willing to take. There are far less components on a fifth wheel than a Class A diesel motorhome. $3,000 in the bank isn't going to barely make a dent in the bill you will get if you blow an ISL9 Cummins diesel engine or an Allison MH transmission. As I said in my first post rear suspension bushing replacement alone was over $3,400!

Once again I guess you have to evaluate what could break and how much you want to risk paying for it.

What are the most expensive parts on a 5th wheel?

Roof - $8-10k - SHOULD last 10 years unless you got a crappy glue job. Permanent roof products are $6-8k. What happens when you hit a tree branch? That's not covered by a warranty. You need insurance instead.

The refrigerator - A new propane/electric double refrigerator is $5k installed. Usually, it would be a coil pack due to the RV not getting properly leveled. Once again not covered by warranty. You could buy a rebuilt coil pack for $600 and have it installed for another $400. If treated right, the refrigerator would last 10 years.

Axles, brakes, wheels and tires - Probably undersized to begin with. This would not be covered by a warranty. You would have to hire engineers and lawyers and go after the company. Blow a tire and that is a road hazard. The damaged could be $3-5k. Once again, insurance.

Air conditioners. Good for 10 years or so. You'll have to replace the cheap fan motors every 5 years. One might as well change the starter and capacitors while they are at it. Total $150 for each unit. Normal wear and tear. Probably not covered under warranty. Check the fine print.

Water heater - Good for 5-8 years. Anode rods inspected and changed yearly: $19 Non warranty.

Furnace - A new one would be expensive (around $800 or so). Keep the exhaust clean. Probably will last 10 yrs or so. You might have to change the cheap plastic squirrel cage. $150

TV set - $150-300

Dishwasher - $800

Stove - I've not seen a bad one yet. Sometimes the igniter will go out. A few bucks.

Microwave - About $300.

Fireplace - Probably a few hundred dollars. Most likely, a T-Stat will go out - $50

Batteries - Depends on what kind but somewhere between $150-300 each. Its likely the warranty won't cover these since you have a battery warranty. They would likely call that normal wear and tear anyway.

Slide seals - Keep them lubricated. They will last longer than your warranty.

On top of all of this, how long will you keep this unit? The average is 4-5 years. Do you expect problems during this time? Did you buy new? You'll find most if your problems during the first two years and covered by the factory warranty.

Windows - $350-1200. When was the last time one was claimed under a warranty?

Are you handy or do you want to send your rig to a service center where it will sit for 3 months? Maybe longer as they and you fight with the warranty company.

You might consider putting that money in the bank and drawing a few bucks interest. You'll fight for every claim. You'll be lucky if the warranty company doesn't go out of business. You'll want to read every fine line for exemptions and exclusions. Many will require that you take the RV in yearly for a $300 "inspection". 3-4 more months of lost usage time and wasted money on stupid stuff you will do yourself.

Of course, if all items broke down at the same time, it might be worth it. Or time for a good lawyer....

If you are uncomfortable with repairs, it also might be worth it. But keep in mind that many of us here have had our share of issues and I would like to think that any number of us would be able to help you diagnose and help resolve your issues. In the end, I bet you would still have a lot of that money still in the bank after 4 years...Use that money to put on your next rig instead.