Extended Warranties, MFG coverage?

[davidki]

Just got off the phone with Lennox and in asking a few questions about extended warranties I was told that Lennox does not actually offer the extended warranty, but the dealer sells the policy that is backed by and independent insurance company, not by Lennox it's self. Also, he mentioned that the selling dealer is the one that has to do the service.. Can this be right?

In looking at my quotes and purposals the dealers have put in a 10 year parts and Labor warranty, but now I have to go back and ask who is the warranty with.. Geeze, everytime I look in to this I find something else.. It's like a game trying to figure out all the information.. Anyone have an easy way to get to the bottom?

[BaldLoonie]

Some mfrs have their own extended warranties, others go through Equiguard. Air Ease, which is a Lennox company, goes through Equiguard so it wouldn't surprise me that Lennox does too. While you should use the installing dealer, if for some reason you choose not to or they go out of biz, call the warranty people and explain your reasons for switching. Lennox may insist it be another Lennox dealer for example. Equiguard doesn't, we took over a warranty sold by a consolidator the customer got fed up with.

[mrssb]

lennox has its extended warranty through a company called complete care plus. look up davenet.com and they have a phone # listed there and maybe they can help.

[NormChris]

Another option is to call your local utility (gas or electric) and see if they offer an extended warranty. Usually, they sell one of the other warranty programs that have already been mentioned however, if there is a problem with the warranty the utility is most likely forced to come through. Just another thing to consider.

[davidki]

Actually reguarding Lennox, I need to ask the dealer who the warranty is with, although he is a big dealer, so, Im not concerned of him going out of business. The guy on the phone at Lennox really didnt have to much info, kept refering me back to the dealer, but he also is the one that said it's not Lennox that offers the extended warranty, so, that is confusing in its self.

I need to call the trane guy also, he has added 10 years "Parts and Labor" to his quote I guess I"d better ask who's 10 year warranty it is.

Actually, this whole experiance of deciding what mfg to use and all the details is kind of frustrating for sure.

As for the utility company, we have middle Tennessee electric I dont see anything on their web site that mentions extended warranties.

By the way, when does the Gov. Regs go to 13 Seer for new installs? Will that affect the Mfg pricing and what happens to the 10 Seer units then?

[berad]

It's in your best interest to have the warranty through the manufacturer or an independent warranty company like equigard as an example. When the dealer carries the warranty in house it's like being self insured. You may get substandard parts or procedures so they don't lose to much money on the warranty call. They may even cover up problems to save themselves money. I walked off from my job with a company when I was asked to do work like this for these reasons. When it's someone else's money, like equigards, they don't mind taking the time to do the job properly and aren't tempted to use used or substandard parts.

[mark beiser]

If you get a Trane system with the Trane 10 year extended parts and labor warranty and have a problem with your servicing contractor, you can call Trane to get the issues resolved. Trane even can/will find you another service company if you run into problems with the one that put the system in. As a Trane Comfort Specialist dealer, we have inherited a few such messes.

Equigard and others are ok, but I would rather have something backed by the company that manufactured the equipment...

[davidki]

I am going to start to ask for copies of the extended agreements and see who is issueing them, I think that is the only way to get an understanding of who it is coming from and what is covered! Just like an extended warranty on a car, I also agree that a manufacturer backing the policy is an important bennifit as well.

I actually like the Trane systems, I have changed a little in my thoughts on how I want to aproach this install, I am going away from Dual Fuel all together as in Tennessee the price for Electric Vs. Propane is a better aproach I think. I am also looking at the going to 3 split systems vs 1 package unit and 2 split systems (we have 4' under the house crawl space the split systems I think will be a better aproach for us). I'm not quite convinced on the varriable speed air handlers, I was told that adds about $500 per unit and actually with a heat pump system it does not act the same as with a gas heater..

I am going to go with the 10 year parts and labor warranty if I can get it from the MFG direct, (or at least from a company sponsored extended plan).

I am glad that I did approach another contractor and he ran all the calcs and verified the system sizes using our plans, rooms and sizes..

All in all, I just want a reliable system that heats and cools our home and at the best price performance I can get, and not going overboard... hopefuly I can find a contractor here in the Nashville area that will do that!

Thanks to everyone for your help and comments it has given me something to think about for sure.
Dave

[berad]

Originally posted by mark beiser
If you get a Trane system with the Trane 10 year extended parts and labor warranty and have a problem with your servicing contractor, you can call Trane to get the issues resolved. Trane even can/will find you another service company if you run into problems with the one that put the system in. As a Trane Comfort Specialist dealer, we have inherited a few such messes.

Equigard and others are ok, but I would rather have something backed by the company that manufactured the equipment...

I was just using equigard as an example. I to am a Trane dealer and fully back their warranty program. In MY opinion Trane is the very best a/c and heatpump out there. Just adding my two cents, not trying to start a brand war.

[davidki]

Actually, I am starting to lean to Trane for many reasons, One thing is that our general contractor has been using trane for many years and has a personal friendship with the local Trane contractor and uses him almost exclusivly, I'm still in sticker shock over all this with the respect to the dealers upgrade costs from what we had in our original budget (my generals budget, not the HVAC contractor).

I am just going to have to sit down and look at what is the best way to approach my needs, what I can live with and what I cant live with. I just need to sit down and decided what seer levels I want to "Pay" for, the options and trade offs on the systems. I have pretty much decided not to go with a duel fuel system, I think since we have to use propane the cost would end up more than an all electric system. Electric here in Tennessee is 6.5 cents per KW..

I am also trying to decide on the air handler.. single speed efficient unit vs a variable speed handler, heck for the last 35 years I've lived with a single speed system..

I do want to use a "Factory Backed" extended warranty program, not a dealer backed or hopefully not a 3rd party.. Ill have to ask alot of questions for sure..

I do really appreciate everyones' input, and the decesion is difficult.. but Im going to have to make that decesion in the next few weeks.. hopefully I can come to a good balance of price performance for what we choose..

[airboss]

Extended warranty regulations vary greatly from state to state. Many manufacturers and contractors decide to use outside warranty companies in order to not become invloved in the insurance business and the reporting and tracking which is increasing and in many cases required. The issue here is who is underwritting the warranty. Reputable outside companies use the re-insurance market and limit their exposure and provide you comfort that funds will be available should a claim need to be paid. Outside warranty companies do not reduce the exposure of the manufacturer to be responsive, they do provide an additional source of payment for warranty claims. Check the insurance rating ( BEST Rating )of the warranty company your do business with.