Starting the RV lifestyle comes with many learning curves, containing challenges that range from figuring out your leveling jacks to managing waste and water tanks. While some aspects of life on the road aren’t as pretty as others, at the end of the day you have purchased a home-on-wheels that can take you to amazing sights. An important part of RVing that is often overlooked, however, is how to maintain the longevity of your coach. As with anything else in life, RVing comes with some hard facts, especially when it comes to incidents that will keep your vehicle off the road and in digging into your wallet. RV Breakdowns are unfortunately eminent, and with the ever-rising cost of RV repair it is understandable why so many travelers are turning to RV Extended Warranties to protect themselves. The hard part is finding the best contract for you—and learning all of the new vocabulary that comes along with purchasing an RV Warranty. To help you keep things straight and make an informed decision, we will use this blog to break down RV Warranty definitions, and identify these sometimes confusing contract terms:

Manufacturer’s Warranty

A manufacturer warranty is the only true form of a warranty, as warranties are affiliated with the manufacturer of the product. These manufacturer policies will protect your rig for anywhere from 1-3 years when purchased brand new. These are not extended warranties as they only cover up to a certain amount of time or miles.

Extended Warranty

When it comes to the products most RVers are familiar with (as well as the contracts we offer), the term “Extended Warranty” is actually a misnomer, because a true “warranty” has to be associated with the company who manufactured the vehicle. Using “Extended Warranty” is a simple and recognizable way for RVers to understand these protection contracts, which often offer similar or better coverage to the manufacturer warranties we are all familiar with. You will almost always see these contracts referred to in this manner.

Extended Service Contract

This is the correct term in regards to what Wholesale Warranties and similar companies offer. Our policies for coverage are called RV Extended Service Contracts because they are descriptive contracts that define what is and what is not covered on the coach. “Extended” is key because unlike manufacturer warranties, extended service contracts between 1 and 7 years of coverage, and can be placed on vehicles that are not brand new. These contracts add an extra layer of financial protection to your RV budget by covering the most common and expensive mechanical failures, leaving you to solely pay your deductible.

However, not all RV Extended Service Contracts are created equal, and you’ll want to do proper research on any contract you are looking to purchase. For instance, RVers should always look for extended service contracts that are backed by stable insurance carriers to guarantee claims are paid out efficiently.

Other Common Terms

While “extended service contract” is the correct identifier for these products, there are similar terms that get thrown around which RVers may come across. Some policies may refer to themselves as “mechanical breakdown protection” or “extended service agreements” when they are in fact extended service contracts. The most important difference is to distinguish between a true manufacturer’s warranty, and an extended service contract.

We know contract jargon can be confusing, and we hope these definitions have helped to clear up a few of the common misconceptions in the RV protection business. We encourage our readers to be responsible and savvy when shopping for a policy, which is why we have a section on our blog committed to covering specific topics on extended service contracts. Keep up to date with this blog category and more for our best tips and tricks on the RV lifestyle!