# Extended Warranties For Outback Appliances



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

I just got another letter in the mail from Dometic this past Friday. They are offering a warranty extension on the refrigerator, past the initial 2 years. One year is about $90 and 3 years is about $190.

My question is this - are these warranties worth the money? I know that a new fridge would cost about $1300, plus installation. But how long do they typically last? We had a popup with a small 3-way Dometic fridge (AC/DC/GAS) and it lasted through seven seasons just fine, with the exception of a tune-up after about five years (adjusting pressures, etc.).

I hate to spend needless money, but then, I'd rather spend the smaller amount up front than a $1500 repair bill down the road.

Can anybody convince me one way or the other? What's the experience out there?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Mike


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## chbcso (Dec 2, 2006)

I bought the seven year warranty when I purchased my TT. I figured I would rather be safe then sorry in the long run if I had to shell out that kind of money. Its nothing you can expect to use but, if you don't have it then you will pay for it if something does break and you didn't purchase it. I'm a worry wart that is why I purchased it, the peace of mind that I have it if I need it.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Mike,

You will hear as many pros as cons on this.

We also bought the Extended Warranty when we bought the TT and for the same reason. In many ways, it's our peace of mind we bought. Like any other kind of insurance, it costs money up front - we're buying something we may never need to take advantage of, but its too late to buy it later if/when we _do _ need it. In fact, like health, car, & homeowner's insurance, we hope never need to avail ourselves of the benefits but, if we need to, we'll be able to.

btw, we apply this principal to ALL big ticket items and, in fact, have made use of them all....including on the Outback. Some of the issues would have cost us BIG money if not for the coverage - fortunately, our application for the TT has been minor....lets hope it stays that way. I don't like to throw $$ away either...but, in this case, I don't mind it at all.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

chbcso said:


> I bought the seven year warranty when I purchased my TT. I figured I would rather be safe then sorry in the long run if I had to shell out that kind of money. Its nothing you can expect to use but, if you don't have it then you will pay for it if something does break and you didn't purchase it. I'm a worry wart that is why I purchased it, the peace of mind that I have it if I need it.


X2!


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## Campforthenight (Apr 1, 2007)

I'm with Clark Howard. No extended warranties. Its most likely to break before warranty expires. 
Does your extended warranty come with a deductible?
Does it cover installation labor? 
Does it pro rate anything?


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## chbcso (Dec 2, 2006)

No deductible at Keystone dealers and a $50 detuctible at any other.

It covers labor as well.

Don't know about the pro rate.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Generally speaking they are not a great deal. I'm on a review panel for Norcold and Dometic, this month was on this very subject. I told them when I buy a product I expect a quality product to have a long warranty, IMHO a mediocre product has a short warranty and offers an extended warranty.

One thing to know about things like a Fridge warranty is there are some specific things that must be done and documented each year. As I recall the 3rd year requires that a factory trained and authorized person do the inspection otherwise the warranty is void.

All that said I have purchsed the warranties before. As noted read about deductibles and service requirements. Find out if there is a pro-rated refund if you sell the RV or if it transfers to the new owner. In my case selling our Outback with the warranty probably gave the new buyers some peace of mind - ask OregonCamper - he bought ours.


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

We also bought the extended warranty in case any of the big ticket items do fail, but with ours it is 100% refundable if you never submit a claim. It is also a 10 year warranty and is bumper to bumper. So when those warranty cards do come in the mail, I just shred them. If I didn't have the extended warranty, I would probably still shred them. As soon as any warranty expires is when things break for me, so I know I am getting that full amount back, and buying a new Outback the next day







.


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## NAturedog2 (Jan 29, 2007)

We bought the extended warrentee with ours, I told the wife we didn't need it she won. I didn't feel like arguing with her and figured if I didn't get it and something went wrong I would hear about it for the rest of my life. that being said me thinking is this. I am pretty handy and the trailers are pretty simple, The dealer scared us with the fridge is cost almost as the whole warrentee if it goes wrong. Even the fridge is pretty simple item unless it leaks fluid then you will need to replace other wise it is just a electric coil that heats up or a small gas burner. It seems to me most of the time the warrentee excludes things that will actuall be a big deal like delam issuse or someithing the like. Just my $.02


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We generally don't buy extended warranties. I agree with naturedog,the trailer is pretty simple and I'm handy so any maintenance issues I'm able to deal with. The most expensive items are the stove, refrigerator, water heat and AC. The most expensive would be the fridge at about $1100 but any part that goes bad can be replaced and even if the coil goes, you can buy a new coil for around 500.

To replace any one of the appliances would cost less than the cost of the warranty. The chances of having to replace more than one appliance over the life of the trailer is pretty slim so from that standpoint they're not worth it IMO.

Now a motorhome with all it's mechanical systems, an extended warranty probably wouldn't be bad idea.

Mike


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

There is a great reason why dealers push so hard to sell you the extended warranty. It's exceptionally profitable. And that begs the question...Why is it exceptionally profitable? Most of you already know the answer.

Still, we all must do what we think is best with our hard earned dollars, and there is undeniable value in "peace of mind". How much that value is worth is up to you.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I found this website dinosaur electronics for replacement ignitor boards and rv cool for replacement cooling units. These are the two major things that go wrong with this type of refrigerator and both repairs can be done pretty easily for a lot less cost than a new unit.

Mike


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll pass on the individual extended warranties and inquire what type of extended warranty my dealer might have available. Depending on price and coverage, I may go for the "peace of mind" factor. Then again, I have lots of tools and more than an average aptitude for this kind of stuff (I develop troubleshooting procedures for Cat equipment).

You folks are GREAT! I can always count on someone wiser and more experienced giving sage advice, or at least, helping to sort out the issues and point out things I hadn't thought about. This is truly a great forum!

Mike


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Maybe not always wiser......we are good at helping you think the decision you make is good. It is always helpful to listen to others pros and cons when unsure.


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## photosal (Nov 16, 2004)

Has anyone considered the Good Sam "Continued Service Plan"? They say it covers almost everything. Example, water system, tanks, heat & A/C, appliances, etc. We got a quote from them for this plan. It's $258 per year for our rig. About the only thing we could find that it did not cover is body work in case of an accident.

What do you all think?

Photosal


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

photosal said:


> Has anyone considered the Good Sam "Continued Service Plan"? They say it covers almost everything. Example, water system, tanks, heat & A/C, appliances, etc. We got a quote from them for this plan. It's $258 per year for our rig. About the only thing we could find that it did not cover is body work in case of an accident.
> 
> What do you all think?
> 
> Photosal


Great minds think alike! I just got an advertisement from Good Sam about this very insurance. I've always disregarded them in the past because we've always had a pop-up. But now - it seems like there are a lot of things that could go wrong with the Outback - as per another thread I started earlier today. The microwave went kablooey over this past weekend. Worked fine for baking potatoes and a few minutes later, everything went south the next time the DW hit the "Start" button. It's still under warranty, so I'll let Keystone (or Dometic) cover the cost of this repair! But in the future . . .







.

Mike


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