Extending caravan equipment warranty
Hello. I'm thinking of extending my Bailey caravan components / equipment warranty before it the manufacturer's warranty runs out next January (after it is three years old). The cost is about £430 and I'm having some difficulty deciding if that's worth paying for. What have others done about extending this kind of warranty (as opposed to the body shell one)? I'd be interested and grateful for any views, for or against!
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I guess a lot depends on just what the £430 will buy you and the length of cover it will provide.
I'd study the terms very carefully to establish exactly what is covered and where you have to go for repairs.
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Until we sold up a few weeks ago I have had four new caravans and two motorhomes and not extended the warranty on any of them. Are you the sort of person that buys extended warranties for household appliances? If so it would be no different but I suspect many don't bother. Its a risk verses cost question which no one can answer with any certainty. Over a 36 year period I would not have got value out of any extended warranty but then I could have just been lucky?
David
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Thanks to both of you, David and Tinwheeler. The warranty would add another three years after January next year. I'm not the sort of person that buys household appliance extended warranties but I think there are caravan specific items included in the extended warranty (which would be from MB&G, not Bailey). I will give this some further thought.
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I have an uncle who in the later years of his career was the principle buyer of white goods for Littlewoods. Prior to this he was production manager at GEC. He had his finger in many pies.
He always advocated NEVER buy an extended warranty. The industry expectation was that if a part failed it would do do very early in it's product life, no matter what the area. Extended warranties offered a very lucrative return for the seller.
Colin
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Sorry if it what I said sounded a bit rude, it wasn't not meant to be. I used to sell extended warranties on large household electrical appliances and Colin's post does ring true in my view. I suppose I would add that the money spent on the extended warranty could be better spent on a better quality appliance where you are less likely to have an issue. However we are talking caravans and motorhomes here not washing machines! The two vulnerable appliances in a caravan that would likely cost you a lot to put right are the Fridge/Freezer and the Heating System. Not sure I have seen many instances of problems with either but if you do it can be expensive. Have seen a few with Truma heaters when the electrical elements go which can cost £600 to put right. A PCB can go and will cost about £200 for a new one, perhaps less if you look online. To replace a complete fridge can be expensive, perhaps a £1000. But, how often do these items go that wrong. As I say you don't see many instances. Obviously an extended warranty will give you peace of mind. alternatively you could put the cost of the warranty in a savings account and accumulate a little bit of interest and call up on the money if you do get a problem.
David
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Colin. Thank you. That is interesting what you uncle says. The Cooker and the fridge may well last the life of the caravan. I think it is more the other components, such as the heating, that may be a concern. I am trying to find the exact scope of the warranty cover to get an idea of its scope. Then I can look at the risk.
David. No need to apologise. You didn't sound rude to me. You make some good points - thank you. I'll ask others that I know for their view. At the moment, I'm leaning away from taking that warranty out.
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With motorhomes the equipment warranty is separate from habitation warranty and is usually limited to one year. I assume that it’s the same for caravans so it’s quite unusual to be offered extended equipment warranty and this can only be done through third party insurance which is known to be expensive. In thirty years of owning caravans and motorhomes I have only once experienced a fridge problem and it was easily fixed. The Truma boiler system failed in two months on a new Motorhome which supports the view that most failures occur early in the life cycle. Don’t buy the extension but make sure the damp warranty is protected.
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As David says above, the one and only thing - with the benefit of hindsight - that I would now consider insuring - would be the Truma heating system. However, I assume the Bailey will have Alde, therefore this wouldn't apply. Based on the fairly heavy usage our van gets, the heating elements only last about two years and last time they were replaced, it cost me £750 to get it repaired!! That's more than double what it was the time before. I'm just hoping that the modifications that Truma have recently made to the elements and their housing, will give them a longer lifespan.
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Yes, richardsandros, it is an Alde system and we hardly use it (see my post about this at https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-together/discussions/information-technical-tips-advice/caravans/caravan-noise-when-cooling-or-warming-up/), so I'm now questioning the value of extending the warranty. I am still unclear of the scope of cover and so will investigate
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