Our first 2020 View 24J

wgh218 · 05-29-2020, 04:47 PM

So my wife and I just picked up our first 2020 View 24J today. We live in Florida and bought from a local dealer. Suffice it to say everything was going very well until we met with the finance guy. This guy was trying to sell us a warranty for everything from the tires to chassis to mold protection on the inside etc. The total cost of all this was another $8,700. He made me feel like a bought a lemon that would certainly fall apart. I almost walked out. The sales manager came in and talked me "off the cliff". But now that I am calmer I am wondering "should I have bought any of this"? If anyone has had a similar experience or just any thoughts I would be happy to hear them.
Thanks in advance.

theSane · 05-29-2020, 05:08 PM

They tried to sell us on $7k of "extended warranties & disinfection services" as well. Turned them down as it sounded like the usual car dealer up-charge services that are a waste of money.

I was buying a used unit with no Winnebago warranty remaining, so the sales attempt at least made sense to me and did not offend.

Winterbagoal · 05-29-2020, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wgh218

So my wife and I just picked up our first 2020 View 24J today. We live in Florida and bought from a local dealer. Suffice it to say everything was going very well until we met with the finance guy. This guy was trying to sell us a warranty for everything from the tires to chassis to mold protection on the inside etc. The total cost of all this was another $8,700. He made me feel like a bought a lemon that would certainly fall apart. I almost walked out. The sales manager came in and talked me "off the cliff". But now that I am calmer I am wondering "should I have bought any of this"? If anyone has had a similar experience or just any thoughts I would be happy to hear them.
Thanks in advance.

If you bought new, Winnebago warrants the coach part for 1 year, and MB warrants the chassis for anywhere from 1 to 5 years or more, including some states that get longer coverage on the exhaust/DEF systems.
You turned down the extra stuff, so you probably did good. Put the $8,700 aside, in an investment account, and use it to fix any incidentals that might occur along the way. You'll be better off.

wgh218 · 05-29-2020, 06:34 PM

Thanks so much for your replies. I feel better, but I have a question. We live in Florida and it gets very hot and humid here. The mh is stored in the shade under a roof in a storage area. Do I need to be concerned about any mold/mildew or other smells. If so how to I mitigate that.
Thanks so much.

**Eagle5** · 05-29-2020, 08:33 PM

If you have power at your storage location, perhaps a powered dehumidifier would do nicely. For South Bend, WA, a simple pancake heater works well, but at those high temperatures and high humidity levels in Florida, I don't think it would do enough for you.
Might I also suggest wheel covers to keep the sun off the tires.
Have fun with your new View!
Eagle5

**creativepart** · 05-29-2020, 10:29 PM

No, you should not have bought any of that stuff. Dealers try to get extra profit by selling worthless overpriced “services”. They want to make you feel bad and that you need that stuff. It’s really a shame, but they’re hoping you’ll fall for it.

wgh218 · 05-30-2020, 07:20 AM

Thank you all very much.

Dmarcian · 05-30-2020, 07:30 AM

If possible install 30 amp power and keep your coach plugged in and your air conditioning on auto at 79 degrees. That’s what I do in South Florida and it makes a huge difference.

wgh218 · 05-30-2020, 12:01 PM

Dmarcian, Thanks for the reply but it is not possible for me to do that. I cannot keep it at home (HOA rules) and I have to keep it in a storage facility. While electric is available in the facility, 30 amp is not in the space I can rent. Thanks again.

peoriacab · 06-07-2020, 12:06 PM

It is a shame that dealers sell an expensive motorhome the same way they sell a used Ford Pinto, they put pressure on you to buy all the stupid extended warranties and protection packages. You did the right thing, just politely decline all of the BS and move on. You will love your new View. Take it out for a ride on nice days, run the generator also, and enjoy the smart decision you made. The new MB chassis is very dependable.
Save your money and spend it on seeing this great country.

thataway4 · 06-07-2020, 04:59 PM

We also live in Florida--do run. the AC year around. But there are other solutions. There are timed ozone generators, which can be set on "low". There are low draw dehumidifiers--just the Walmart kind. Problem is that although they bring the humidity down, they also bring the temperature up.

Being very careful and wipe down all surfaces which are touched and used go a long way to preventing mold. Don't leave any food, clothing etc in the unit. Be sure and empty the holding and water tanks. Put in rodent retardant. Palmetto bug bait, take precautions against ants...

What type of power do you have available since you don't have 30 amps--if you have any power?

HappiHenri · 06-07-2020, 05:35 PM

No - you shouldn't have. As others have posted you already have a 1 year Winnebago warranty. Tires always have their own warranty from the tire manufacturer - which is usually longer by both time & mileage. Virtually all of the individual appliances have their own warranties as well.

If you had bought an extended warranty =
* the fine print will tell you that you cannot claim on them if the original OEM warranty is still in effect. In other words - the extended warranty you are paying for now does not even provide coverage for at least a year.

* Extended warranties are almost always written by independent service companies - not the OEM - so there is no guarantee that this service company will even be in business when you might need a few years down the road.

* Also - some extended warranties only apply at the selling dealer - no good when you are on the other coast and something breaks.

* Also - what happens if your vehicle is stolen or destroyed in an accident when you still have several years of coverage? Is any part refundable?

* Will the extended warranty carry over to the new owner if you sell the vehicle?

* But the bottom line is that you will not likely need to use an extended warranty. Instead of buying an extended warranty You will be much better off to make monthly payments into a separate "Breakdown" fund. Then - if you do need any major repairs you will have $$ ready to go to get your own fix. If nothing breaks (which is likely) then after a few years you should have a nice extra savings account accumulated.

Hardroad · 06-08-2020, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmarcian

If possible install 30 amp power and keep your coach plugged in and your air conditioning on auto at 79 degrees. That’s what I do in South Florida and it makes a huge difference.

Exactly. We've lived in Florida for 76 years and RV'd for 20 - Always keep the Air on 80 and the heat on 50. I really don't know how RVERs storing their RV don't have problems with humidity and mildew.

Bobbettyl · 06-08-2020, 08:34 AM

Also buy some Damp Rid. I have four of the 10oz. containers spaced thru out my 2020 View 24D. Just emptied mine and refilled. Lots of positive reviews and no electricity needed.

DowneasTTer · 06-08-2020, 11:11 AM

I'm a believer in Damp Rid as well. Ever since moving to FL 10 years ago I have used the 10 oz containers in both my motorhomes (first 99 Rialta and now 08 Navion IQ) and my home for years. Works great and is quite cheap.

jimkamery · 06-08-2020, 11:53 AM

I also use 5 containers of Damp Rid in the RV whenever the RV is sitting here in TX. Amazing how much moisture they pull out of the air. If you have 120V available, a small dehumidifier would also help, but you would have to drain it outside the RV.

Full Dose · 06-09-2020, 06:08 AM

We also live in FL, this is our second Winn sprinter (navion now view) wise decision not to purchase warranty, we did on first and it was a pain. I decided to learn how to work on my unit. Most items (refrigerator, AC ) replace when bad. They want an arm and leg to diagnose that you have a problem, I have also learned a lot from forums. Enjoy the RV life

Dave-Oh · 06-10-2020, 09:32 AM

Just another view on an extended warranty...aside from peace of mind. It wasn't cheap but DID pay for new air conditioner and hydraulic slide ram replacement when we came back from Wyoming. Over $2k in repairs.

I did call a mobile tech when the front air conditioner failed at the campground near glacier national park. He evaluated it and told me it would need to be replaced as they don't have a "freon" refill valve and the units are generally replaced rather than repaired these days (turned out to be true). I had him check an oily film in the front bay and he found the hydraulic leak and showed me the source (the ram). I called the warranty company to let them know and they told me I had the right to have it repaired at the shop of my choice, and the shop should evaluate and Call them. They gave me an incident number as well.

I made an appointment at my dealer in PA (I trust them) to check the issues on our way home. They did this when we arrived 5 day, called the warranty company for approval and we took the rig home to unpack and they made an appointment to install everything in 2 weeks.

Finally: Even though the repairs cost close to what I paid for the insurance, when we traded that rig in for our current 2020 View, we still got significant dollars back for the unused portion of our warranty agreement period. The warranty paid for itself and, with the rebate, for a good chunk of the new warranty on our View.

Yes, we could have put the money aside as well. We did fine buying a warranty. I do understand the concept of putting the money aside in your own fund as well.

An extended warranty/service agreement isn't necessarily a scam. Nor is it necessarily the best alternative, but if you simply first call your warranty company if you have a problem and let them know, they'll reinforce what you should do to get the claim executed.

If you're handy, great. I"m not as handy as I used to be, so it was worth it for me.

best,

Dave

AJMike · 06-10-2020, 03:03 PM

After market warranties sold by the dealer are huge profit centers for them. To give you an idea about how much profit is in such a warranty consider our experience when we bought our last RV.

We initially decided to buy a new 2018 Winnebago Era Class B. Gave them a deposit and went to fill out some preliminary paper work. They told me about this wonderful 3rd party warranty that would cover all of the features and told me it was only $8000. I think I actually laughed when they told me the price, and I declined.

A couple of days after that we went to take another look at the Era and realized that there was no place for us to store our equipment, so we told them we wanted to look at something different and they said OK. We picked a Class C and went back to do some more paperwork and when they got to the 3rd party warranty they asked me if I was a veteran. When I said I was they said that there was a special $4000 veterans discount on the policy so it was only $4000. Again I said thank you, but no.

When we went to pick up the RV and finalize the paperwork they told me that they found a special coupon for a further discount on the warranty - another $1000 off, so only $3000. So, if they were going to make a profit on $3000 they were going to make a much larger profit on $8000.

Out of curiosity I looked up the warranty company when we got home and clicked on the Dealer link, and that took me to a page that said that these warranties were a way to really boost the dealer's profits from a sale. It may be worth buying at a greatly reduced price, but they are huge profit centers for the dealers.

Dave-Oh · 06-10-2020, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJMike

After market warranties sold by the dealer are huge profit centers for them. To give you an idea about how much profit is in such a warranty consider our experience when we bought our last RV.

We initially decided to buy a new 2018 Winnebago Era Class B. Gave them a deposit and went to fill out some preliminary paper work. They told me about this wonderful 3rd party warranty that would cover all of the features and told me it was only $8000. I think I actually laughed when they told me the price, and I declined.

A couple of days after that we went to take another look at the Era and realized that there was no place for us to store our equipment, so we told them we wanted to look at something different and they said OK. We picked a Class C and went back to do some more paperwork and when they got to the 3rd party warranty they asked me if I was a veteran. When I said I was they said that there was a special $4000 veterans discount on the policy so it was only $4000. Again I said thank you, but no.

When we went to pick up the RV and finalize the paperwork they told me that they found a special coupon for a further discount on the warranty - another $1000 off, so only $3000. So, if they were going to make a profit on $3000 they were going to make a much larger profit on $8000.

Out of curiosity I looked up the warranty company when we got home and clicked on the Dealer link, and that took me to a page that said that these warranties were a way to really boost the dealer's profits from a sale. It may be worth buying at a greatly reduced price, but they are huge profit centers for the dealers.

Nevertheless....I was able to negotiate the price down, had a price from wholesale warranties on-line to help with the bargaining, and I did get a good value based on my experience with the dead air-conditioner and failing slide ram. As always - your mileage may vary as well as your costs. I feel I did well, and then got money back from the unused warranty even after making a significant claim.

The dealer likes to make a profit, so be prepared to deal, decline the warranty, or put the money aside just in case....but you actually need to put the money aside.

Just sayin' it's not all bad. It is insurance and a convenience that you can easily forgo based on your preferences, skill level, and budget.

Now go camping!

best,

Dave