A motorhome warranty is an important part of any purchasing decision. There are so many motorhomes for sale in New Zealand, most offering some form of a motorhome warranty. But, which ones are the best? And what should you look for?
Sometimes, it can be easy to get caught out believing that the longer the warranty is, the better the service is. While in some cases this can be true, others might not offer benefits such as local parts, service agents or even after sales follow-ups. This can quickly become a nightmare, even if it covers you for 3 years!
This is why it's extremely important to find out all the facts and be sure that the motorhome warranty on the product you purchase performs in the way you want it to.
Generally, a motorhome warranty can be broken into four main areas:
- The vehicle
- The appliances inside the motorhome
- The build of the motorhome body itself
- After sales care and parts.
Our Warranties
Comprehensive back up and support is important to us. We've invested in holding more parts, developing our service centres and offerings to ensure that you have the back up and support to enjoy life on the road. If you're interested in learning more about our warranties, click below to download the warranty guide.
The Vehicle
In most cases, the vehicle will be covered by the manufacturer of the vehicle and any claims will be made directly with the dealership network of the vehicle make.
It is important to ensure the vehicle your motorhome is built on has a strong dealer network throughout the country. This creates ease when it comes to repairs, servicing and sourcing parts. Be careful though - not all vehicles are supported in New Zealand. There are some that, once brought into the country, have no or a very limited dealer network to support the vehicle.
You are likely required to its WOF/COF and annual services on the vehicle's engine up to date to ensure the warranty remains valid. Taking the vehicle back to an authorised vehicle agent for the annual service is highly recommended.
The Appliances
Appliances inside the motorhome will range from having a warranty period of up to three years, to having no warranty at all. This includes things such as the fridge, water heater, oven, space heater, microwave, TV, satellites and other appliances.
Depending on the appliance's model and brand, the warranties will alter significantly. Enquire about them when looking at motorhomes to determine exactly what is covered and what isn't. It's important to ensure that the appliances inside the motorhome have full warranties and parts backup. Some products can come with little or no support, meaning fixing them with or without a warranty can be very costly and time consuming.
In most cases, if a part or appliances in your motorhome breaks down, you will be required to return to base (where you purchased from) and give them some time to contact the part's supplier for warranty approval. This can take days in some instances.
Take a fridge for example. It's vital to motorhoming and being without could take you off the road for some time while you wait for it to be fixed. A local, well-known fridge brand will have parts available at any of the big service agents. This means that it can be fixed under warranty and get you back on the road much quicker than waiting for overseas suppliers to organise parts. Keep in mind the current covid supply issues that are impacting industries all across New Zealand at unprecedented levels.
Motorhome batteries
Warranties and issues with batteries are on the rise as more and more demand is required of motorhome power systems. Think ebikes, drones, cameras - everything is now coming with bigger batteries that require more power to charge.
When it comes to battery warranties, most are for one year. However, if the battery has stopped working due to misuse, discharge or sulphation, the battery provider will likely deny the warranty. The reality for many is that they choose to use their batteries, and motorhomes may not permit a full one-year lifecycle.
There are many factors that can affect battery life. These include discharging the batteries below 12.2V, not fully charging the batteries at least once a week, very low temperatures, heavy discharge without full recharge or, storing your motorhome or caravan without fully charging the batteries first.
If you want to extend the life of your battery, be sure to use the built in mains power charger as often as possible. Even better if charged for periods of 12-24 hours, especially during low light.
Beware of the impact high drain items such as coffee makers, e-bikes, toasters etc. may have on your battery life.
More and more vehicles have built in battery data logging, which may assist with fault finding in the case of a warranty claim.
Motorhome build
A good motorhome warranty will usually be broken into two key areas; water ingress and general build quality.
Water ingress relates to any water entering the motorhome, and these warranties can be anything from three to ten years depending on the brand. It's important to note, that in most cases, annual or bi-annual service checks are needed to ensure the warranty remains valid. If the servicing history is not maintained, you run the risk of a claim being void. Also, water ingress warranties, at some point, will likely require thinks like a full roof re-seal as a maintenance requirement. New Zealand's harsh UV rays means that, to keep your warranty valid, basic environment-specific maintenance is required.
General build warranties cover things such as cabinetry and other general aspects. Such warranties will be shorter in nature due to general wear and tear. The build warranty will likely range form two to seven years, depending on the quality of the motorhome's build and backing from the manufacturer.
It's important with any build warranty to ensure the company building the motorhome has an onsite service centre or space available to complete repairs made under the build warranty. Also, a longer build warranty is completely useless if the manufacturer goes out of business. That's why choosing a company with a long history and a strong future is a wise choice.
You can book an annual habitation check (a requirement for keeping your warranty valid at TrailLite) by ringing our service centre on 0800 872 455
Parts and after sales care
Another key aspect to look at before any motorhome purchase, is the supply of general parts and after sales care. The reality is, most of your motorhoming will be done a long distances from where it was purchased. This means that you need to check what they have in the way of an after sales network. If you have issues in the South or North Island, will you have to travel far to get issues covered under warranty?
The other key area to look our for is parts availability. A large number of new motorhomes purchased in New Zealand are manufactured in the UK and Europe. If you need to make a claim on that warranty, will these parts be available in New Zealand for immediate repair? Or, do they have to come out of the UK/Europe, which can sometimes mean an 8-10 week delay. Some good things to look out for when it comes to parts availability on international products include:
- Does the company have a dedicated parts person available to ship and order parts required for the motorhome?
- Is the company big enough to stock a range of commonly used parts or are they going to order one from the UK/Europe every time something goes wrong?
- Who is my contact on warranty and parts? Is it the sales person who may understand the benefits of buying a motorhome, but might not understand the ins and outs of fixing one? Or do I get access to an after sales service centre with suitably trained staff?
There is a lot to consider when it comes to warranties, but if you can remember one thing it is that no matter how good the warranty looks on paper, you want to ensure you trust and have confidence in the company executing it.
TrailLite - we've got you covered!