RV forever warranty may give you peace of mind

A perusal of most any RV Internet forum shows RV shoppers want to know how well a given motorhome or travel trailer holds up under the stresses of use. It's understandable, because even when you buy a 'brand new RV,' the issues of what part of the RV is warranted and for how long are deep and murky water, at best. A motorhome chassis will be warranted by the manufacturer for a given time; but if the refrigerator breaks, you're stuck heading back to the 'fridge builder; the same is true for the dozens of other components.

Imagine buying a brand new RV and having many of its systems warranted – for life. It appears you won't have to imagine that, because a new warranty program for RVs hopes to offer just that through dealers across the country. Dubbed the RV Warranty Forever program, this new innovation will allow a few, select RV dealers to offer the forever warranty to buyers at no cost to the purchaser.

Of course, the savvy RV shopper is already asking, "What few things are covered, and what's the fine print?" The fine print is fairly straight-forward: The original customer is covered for as long as they own the unit, provided they follow the maintenance schedule included with the program.

Now as to what's covered. Here's the list of covered systems and components:

Suspension
Brakes
Water System
Heating and Air Conditioning
Kitchen Center
LP Gas System
Manual Leveling Jacks

As impressive as the list is, there's plenty of uncovered country. Electrical systems can be a real issue when things don't work right. And as nice as it would be, it would seem that motorhome drivetrain components would likely be left out. Look the list over carefully, then using your experience and that of other RVers, you can probably see where there may be some significant gaps you'd be concerned about.

Despite some shortcomings, the covered list is fairly impressive, provided the dealers that offer the program don't so significantly bump up the sales price of the rig that it negates the warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get buying a "lifetime warranty" unit. Since the program is extremely limited, in terms of how many dealers will offer it, there could be room for footsy. When we say, "extremely limited," the issuing company says you probably won't find more than four dealers in a state that offer the program, and in some states, as few as a single authorized dealer. Program promoters hope to have all their dealerships set up and running the program by year-end – with a total of 75 to 80 dealers.

Not in the market for a new rig? "Gently used," rigs within two years of manufacture are also accepted under the plan, when sold by authorized dealers.

Want to know more? A full list of the specific system components, what constitutes required owner maintenance, and more are listed on the program website.

Tour a motorcoach assembly line -- without leaving home

Motorhome manufacturer, Thor, recently opened a new facility in Wakarusa, Indiana. They'd love for everyone to come and tour the plant, but that's not practical for all of us. In lieu of a hands-on tour, they've released a nine minute video that shows you how they put their motorhomes together. Even if you're not in the market for a new Thor unit, it is a fascinating glimpse into RV assembly.

What's your RV "suit size"?

The American marketing machine churns out the mantra: "Bigger is better." Is that the case for the RV lifestyle? To quote Gershwin, "It ain't necessarily so." One motorhome owner put it nicely when he said, "A size 52 suit is not the best purchase for a person who wears a size 44, even if they both cost the same. Larger does not necessarily mean better when buying a suit or a motorhome."

So what's your "size"?

If you're new to the RV lifestyle, you'll have to do thinking based on your RVing plans. As a general rule of thumb, 'the longer you stay put, the longer the rig.' There are plenty of snowbird RVers who, when bad weather threatens, pack up the RV and head for some place like Yuma or the Texas Gulf. They drive there, park the motorhome in an RV park, and stay put until the weather changes for good back home. Then they pack up and drive back north. For folks like these, a larger RV makes good sense. You can cram a lot of stuff in a larger motorhome or fifth wheel, and it's all there when you want it.

But other RVers have different plans. When we took our first BIG RV trip, one that had us away from home for nine weeks, we wanted to cover a lot of ground. Our travel plans included multiple stops at different venues, sight seeing, and experiencing the open road. Our average 'put down the anchor and stay there' stay-over was only a matter of a few days. For us that rule of thumb translated to a smaller rig. In fact, we made our journey in a truck camper.

For those doing a lot of road miles, a smaller rig makes sense from the perspective of going where you want. Older public campgrounds, particularly those in the National Park system often can't accommodate bigger rigs. Either then camp sites themselves are small, or the roads in the campground are so tight in turns and overhead that you can literally get a bigger rig stuck trying to negotiate the area.

Experienced RVers often tell those thinking about getting into RVing to come in with a smaller rig, test out the lifestyle, and then see if the need to upsize. That's not a bad idea in principle, but it does mean you may have to buy rig after rig until you find "the right fit." If your budget can afford it, another approach is to rent RVs in various sizes and configurations and try them out to find the right fit. Perhaps it's a shame that RV dealers aren't more like shoe stores – try it out for a fit.

Speaking of fit: If you're shopping for a rig for just yourself and maybe a traveling partner, your worries are fewer. If you're looking for a rig to take the gang with you, be it your family or frequent traveling guests, shopping for the right fit also entails shopping for sleeping comfort. A smaller RV is OK during the day – the kitchen table may be additional counter space when making meals. Later it becomes a card table for a big game. Maybe the kids use it later for coloring projects. But don't think that having a bed do multiple duty will work the same way. A bed should be a bed.

Yes, the couch in many RVs often doubles as a "bed." But how many will it sleep, and how comfortably? A lousy night's sleep can spoil an RV trip. When shopping for an RV, if someone will be using the couch or dinette for sleeping, have the seller set it up as a sleeper, take off your shoes, and lay down on it. Will that "bed" actually allow someone a good night's sleep?

Keep your eyes open, and don't be in a hurry to buy the first rig or two that comes along – unless as Goldilocks found, "This one is just right."