In staying on the road today, we have a great interview with Stacy from Wholesale Warranties, the extended warranty company that you definitely want to check out.

If you're looking at a new or used RV and then enjoying the RV life, we're going to talk about propane leaks.

Propane leak.

Don't freak.

Then the next stop, we're going to cruise on over to Odessa, Texas, and from there we're going to go into shadows of the past, the towns that once were, and visit Pecos, Texas in RV envy.

We're going to talk about propane lines and look at quality over price.

This is Eric Stark with the Smart RVer podcast, delivering the smarts you need to enjoy the freedom of the RV lifestyle without the fear of breaking down.

So let's talk everything RV, and today is episode 173.

So let's open the door and see what we got inside.

So, Alexis, welcome to the show today.

Thank you.

I'm happy to be here.

That's good.

You sure?

Yes.

Seems like every show's been a workout lately.

Well, I don't know about that.

I've been perfect.

It's all me, right?

All right, so let me see here.

Just in case you don't know, we talk about YouTube and our channel and stuff, but we do this podcast and we obviously have it in the auto ver audio version for a podcast, but also we have it on YouTube.

We do a full video of it on YouTube.

YouTube.

So if you prefer watching it and see what kind of knuckleheads we are in life, real life, I guess, on the, you know, big screen of YouTube.

Yes.

You can check it out there.

And sometimes there's little extra things there that bring it alive in a different way.

So just so you're aware of that.

And also, I forgot about this place in Gallatin, Gateway, Montana.

Gateway.

Gallatin Gateway.

What a name of a city.

I wouldn't live there just because that.

What a hassle.

Where do you live?

Gallatin, gateway.

Say that 10 times fast.

And so it's near Bozeman, Montana.

And the reason why I bring this up is because it kind of fits with our shadows of the past towns.

Now, Gallatin is not a little town of the past.

It's a part of a big old that Bozeman Metropolis place.

But there's a place there called the Antique Barn.

Very cool.

You got to check it out.

They got a ton of inventory.

Massive store.

And the people there are really friendly.

Great stuff.

So check that out.

And as a reminder for your rv, if you're cleaning the insides of the walls.

You know, the.

The panels in the rv, they all have that wallpaper on it, whether it's wood grain or just looks like wallpaper.

You.

You know, citrus cleaners can ruin the adhesive on that and make it peel off much quicker than you'd want it to.

So try to avoid using citrus cleaners inside your rv.

So that's my great tip, how to protect your RV today.

So that's it.

Shows over.

Wow.

There we go.

Short and sweet.

All right.

Just kidding.

All right, as a reminder, check out our YouTube channel for all the other videos we do.

There's always something coming out, something new.

And so now we're going to get into enjoying the RV life, and we're going to talk about propane leaks.

And don't freak.

Why do I say that?

You know, you get a propane leak, and what do you do?

Run out of the rv, scream, I got a leak.

You know, the thing's going to blow up.

My what?

I do catch on fire.

Yeah.

So, Alexis, since you came up with this title, so when you think of a propane leak, do you think of panic?

Yes, to be honest, I did before I wrote this.

Right.

That's why I came up with this title.

And so it's kind of interesting because people do freak out.

They do.

They do.

But you don't need to.

Right.

We're gonna tell you why.

We're gonna tell you why.

Because Eric said that's it.

Okay.

No, seriously, propane, you know, it's dangerous.

It's very dangerous.

Problem product.

When you have a propane leak, it's generally not some massive leak where propane's just spraying out everywhere.

Right.

And you know, I've talked about it, like, my furnace in my trailer, the way they put in the propane hose, you know, that could catch on fire, and it certainly could.

But a little leak with there's no flame around it, you don't have much to worry about.

Right.

It's more of a nuisance.

Yeah.

In an rv, you have a propane line from the tanks going back to the stove, the refrigerator, the furnace.

Anything else you might have water heater.

They're all tied into a manifold or they come off a steel pipe, so the steel pipe's really not going to be an issue.

Okay, so, Alexis, in your research, what did you come up with?

Or do you think that the most common places for a leak would be and let's say a travel trailer?

So unlike something that I have, the biggest culprits are loose Fittings, old wrinkly hoses and damaged regulators.

Wrinkly hoses?

Yeah, because when people bring them in, they're all wrinkly.

Right.

You know?

Okay.

Yeah.

So.

So, yeah, cracked hoses is a better term probably than wrinkly.

You know, that works on who brings the hose in.

I mean.

Just kidding.

Nice.

So typically on a trailer, the hoses that go from the tank to the regulator are the worst culprits for leaks.

Yeah.

Inside of RVs, very rarely are there propane leaks.

It's usually outside.

And then you smell it inside.

Makes sense.

And it's that egg smell.

It's added to it.

It's a nasty smell because propane itself is odorless.

Right.

They add that.

Right.

If you have a leak, it's not time to panic.

No.

It's turn the propane off and figure out where the leak is from.

Well, you know, turn it off, let the RV air out.

Yeah.

Open windows and then try to determine where the leaks coming from.

And the reason why we bring this up is because a simple little leak can ruin a weekend if you panic.

It's so true.

You know, you just kind of, wow, gosh, we just got to go home when.

And the other thing, too, is, you know, it ruins a weekend.

And then you as, you know, the head of the house.

Dad, you look like an idiot.

You do.

Like, your kids are like, wow, we got to go home.

We just got here, man.

Wait a minute.

We had burgers on the grill.

What the heck?

Now we gotta leave.

So we don't want to do that.

No, no.

In most propane lines, you can replace yourselves, even if it's the one that goes from the regulator to the main line.

And now, motorhomes are a little bit different, but they're just as simple.

Sometimes it's just a little more compact to work on them because where they're at, the tank's usually lower.

You maybe have to lay on the ground to access it.

But don't let a leak like that ruin your trip.

Right.

And one way to stay ahead of it is keep in mind that most of the propane lines out on RVs are garbage.

Older RVs might have good ones, but newer ones don't.

They're plasticky lines.

They're just not any good.

So you definitely want to be cautious of that.

And that's something you can get ahead with by buying quality propane lines.

And let me see here.

Yeah, we're going to get to that later on.

We're going to talk about this a little bit More in RV envy.

And I'm going to give you a coupon code and a place to go to buy lines.

And it's not the Jungle website because they sell low quality propane hoses.

Yeah, they do.

It's going to be our website where we make the hoses and these things, everything.

And we.

Everything on our propane hose are made in the United States, so none of it's foreign and it lasts.

They're flexible, they're durable.

You know, you could lift up a car.

No, I'm just kidding.

Just about super high quality, though.

Alexis, anything on that that I missed in your research?

No, I think it's good.

Did we talk about propane detectors?

No, we didn't.

There we go.

So if you don't have one or yours is outdated again, we sell these.

So get yourself one, because it's a really cheap way to ensure your safety.

And they're usually near the floor because that's where propane settles.

It's heavier.

Yeah, it's heavier than air.

So remember that.

That's why they're so low to the floor.

And most RVs, I think, since 1995, come with them because it's a law.

And so when it starts beeping, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a leak.

It could just be the propane detectors aged out because they generally last five to seven years.

Exactly.

Sometimes less, sometimes more.

But it will expire, so you do have to replace it.

So don't skimp and try to save a hundred bucks.

Please don't.

And you know, even keeping a little bottle of leak detector with you or having some spray cleaner, something you can check for leaks just in case anything bubbles up.

Propane leak detector works better.

It does.

But you know what you got to do in a pinch, you know, so.

All right, so there.

We got it covered now.

So there we go.

Now everybody out there is a propane expert.

Yeah, they are.

All right, perfect.

And now we're going to teach you how to save some more money.

Yeah, let your RV burn down and collect the insurance.

Oops, That's a good one.

Actually.

These insurance companies anymore, they don't pay on a whole lot.

No, they don't.

All right, so seriously, joining an RV club can be a way to save some money in RVing, because RV clubs, sometimes they negotiate discounts with parks and different places to go.

So you might be able to save money when you go camping, you know, even if it's not a huge amount.

Saving money.

Saving money as long as it's worth it compared to like the yearly fees.

And sometimes RV clubs, clubs will have other discounts.

Maybe they work something out with an insurance carrier so you can get insurance a little bit cheaper.

Maybe cell phone coverage, maybe health insurance, life insurance, who knows?

Depending on the size of the club, the discounts might be broader and bigger.

So it helps.

And if you're on a tight budget, sometimes these things can make it more bearable if you're RVing quite a bit or if you're living in your RV full time and you're traveling a lot.

So saving that money can definitely help.

And sometimes they have an in on the cheaper campsites because they're scouring.

They're find more campsites than the average person.

So sometimes they find places that are pretty cool, but they're less money.

So it can be a great way to save some money.

Then, you know, they also there's Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome.

Boondockers welcome.

Those are places where Harvest hosts.

They have them here in Hamilton.

And I think the guy who owns the bowling alley, Canute, he.

I think he has something at his place for that.

Yeah.

So.

And it's, you know, they're generally in someone's yard.

I mean, they're decent yards and stuff, you know, but so that can save money as well because they're not have.

They don't have all the overhead.

They just have a space for an rv.

And then you're really.

It doesn't matter where you stay in some ways because you're out doing stuff during the day.

So.

Right.

Just think about that on RV club.

You know, we're not pushing it, but it's definitely can save you some money if possible.

Everything about the propane leak is going to be on our website, the smartrver.com so if you go there under RV Envy, you'll see that this great information there.

Take it, share it with your friends, neighbors, anybody that wants to listen, because it's definitely information that can make life safer and better.

This is going to bring us to staying on the Road.

And we have the interview with Stacy from Wholesale Warranty.

So let's go ahead and listen to that.

So welcome to staying on the Road.

And as many of you know, I've been talking about wholesale warranties in our past episodes and I've had a lot to say about them, but I thought rather than just hearing it from me constantly, it might be better to have an expert on.

So today we have Stacy from Wholesale Warranties joining us on the show and she's going to answer some questions for us that are going to bring the extended warranties to life, take them out of the darkness, make them real and have a good understanding.

So welcome to the show today, Stacy.

Thank you so much for having me.

All right.

Yeah, it's great having somebody here that knows a little bit more about it than me.

Well, a lot of bit more than me.

I certainly hope so.

I'll do my best.

All right, so we're going to start off with some easy stuff.

Okay.

You're just going to lob at ya.

So first off, you know, there's the subject of what is an RV warranty?

And so can you explain what an RV warranty is and what they would cover and what they exclude?

Absolutely.

So that's sort of step one and really understanding what RV warranties are for and you know, if they're right for you.

So an RV extended warranty is a contract that you purchase that helps you to pay for the cost of mechanical and electrical breakdowns on your rv.

So these RV warranties are designed to cover anything that makes your RV go.

Something that turns on has a mechanical function.

So examples of that, if we're looking at a motorhome, of course we're going to have your engine and powertrain, but then we're going to get into some of the stuff that makes it comfortable to be in an rv.

So your air conditioning, your water heater, your refrigerator, your appliances, the flight out mechanisms.

One of the things that fails the most often, the motor that makes your awning go in and out.

So these things that serve that mechanical or electrical purpose, more important is to understand what they don't cover.

So an RV warranty is not insurance.

So you have your comp and collision insurance and that's going to be for physical damage, storms or things that, you know, acts of God is usually how they say it in an insurance contract, or collisions.

And so we don't cover anything that's going to be covered under your comp and collision insurance.

A warranty also won't cover maintenance items.

So if it's something that you just regularly have to either do or replace, think like oil changes or cleaning services, things that just help keep your RV in good shape, not going to be covered by your warranty.

And then the last category that we don't cover is going to be aesthetic components.

So again, if it doesn't serve a mechanical function, it's not going to be covered by your warranty.

That's things like fabric, paint, windows.

A good way to think about it is to think about your awning I mentioned that the, the motor that makes your awning go in and out, that would be covered by an extended warranty because it serves that mechanical purpose.

Now, the fabric of your awning, if that cares, or, you know, the sun saps all the color from it, we're not going to replace that.

That's more of an esthetic component.

So those extended warranties are really there to cover the mechanical and electrical components, the things that cost the most to replace, to repair, when they start to fail.

Okay, very good.

So that kind of clears up some of that.

Let me just ask you this.

I know you touched on a little bit.

What's the difference between an RV warranty and RV insurance?

Yeah, so RV warranty is optional.

So that's step one, RV insurance, you got to have it.

RV warranty is an optional coverage.

Insurance is there for physical damages, damages caused by weather events, things like vandalism, things like that, or if you get into an accident, that's all going to go to your RV insurance.

Your comp and collision insurance.

Warranty is for when things start to break.

Because the reality with RVs, it's not if they'll break it, when they'll break and how many things in that RV do break.

And so an extended warranty acts as a safeguard, really, for your travel budget so you don't have to worry about spending on those unexpected repairs when things like your refrigerator just stop working or your slide outs aren't going in and out anymore.

So an extended warranty is an optional coverage for those mechanical and electrical failures.

Okay, very good.

So that sums it up pretty good.

So now if I'm buying an RV and I'm interested in a extended warranty, how do I, or you know, if I go to the dealership, they're going to sell me what they're going to sell me, and that's pretty much going to be it.

And then I could go online, I could talk to wholesale warranty.

So how does somebody approach this?

Absolutely.

So we always lead with education.

Knowing your options and what's available to you is so important.

So with an online provider like Wholesale Warranties, we're a broker, we have access to a couple of different policies and you can get a quote for free.

So if you know you're looking into an rv, whether you're picking it up in six months or next weekend, you can call and get a quote and see what we would recommend.

So what level of coverage, what, what program and what the cost and term deductible, all those details, and you can get an education on what to look for in a warranty.

And then, of course, if you go to pick it up, the dealer is going to make you an offer and they're going to, hey, we have this awesome coverage.

It's usually going to be at the end of a pretty long day, once you're in that F and I office and you're really just trying to get those keys and walk away.

And they're going to let you know what they have to offer.

We love that idea of getting in touch with somebody like wholesale warranties ahead of time so that you know what these warranties do.

You can read the full black and white of the contract.

They're 17 pages.

They might put you to sleep.

I read them all.

But it's really important to know what they do and don't cover what the insurance backer is behind it, really, the black and white details.

So calling to get that quote ahead of time is really important.

And it's also great to know that you don't have to be buying an RV right now or even from a dealer to qualify for coverage.

So with a broker like wholesale warranties, we can actually offer a policy pretty much at any point in your RV journey.

So if you're just coming on a manufacturer warranty, you have another warranty that's expiring, you've owned it for a while, and you notice it's starting to break down a lot more.

We can actually offer policies to vehicles 19 model years and older, so we can go back pretty far, and you don't have to be in the process of purchasing to get an extended warranty.

Okay, awesome.

So that kind of helps that now in choosing a company.

Now, if you're at a dealership, they're going to offer you somebody, but you really don't know anything about their reputation.

Right.

And how does a reputation tie into this?

Yeah, I think it's really important because, again, you want to see the black and white of the contract and you want to, you know, see what their coverages are.

But the most important thing is you want to hear what other RVers have experienced when they go to actually use that policy.

So when you're, you know, working with an RV warranty specialist, I love ours, they're going to tell you all about it.

But what matters the most is do they cover claims the way that the person who sold you that policy said they're going to cover claims?

And the best way to verify that is to have that time to look at the reputation not only of the person Selling you the contract, but of people who have used that contract.

And there's a lot of people involved in a warranty.

You've got administrators, insurance backers, you've got the selling dealer having all that information ahead of time.

Be able to Google it, take a look at what people have to say is incredibly important.

So you know you're getting a policy you can rely on.

Right.

Very good.

And you know, I was just reading something the other day about vibes, you know, and you get a vibe from a company that's generally who you go with.

So you're in the finance department.

The vibe's probably not going to be very good.

Phone and they're helpful, that changes it.

So that's cool.

So that's good things to know.

Now, another thing that can happen when you're at the dealership, you're signing the paperwork and doing all that, they're just going to hand you a contract, ask you to sign it.

They might have some generic paperwork about what the contract will cover or what the warranty will cover.

So what's your recommendation on that?

Just sign away blindly or read that whole contract?

Yeah.

So you definitely want to take the time to read that contract.

And don't we always say not a brochure, a contract?

So a brochure is going to say all the great things about a policy.

But like I said earlier, what is not covered is the most important thing to understand about any extended warranty.

So definitely don't sign on the dotted line unless you've had the chance to flip through that contract.

You know what is excluded, what's not going to be covered, you know how to use it, where you're allowed to use it.

There are a lot of questions that come into play when you're finding an extended warranty that makes sense for you.

And a quick brochure and chat really isn't the best way to make a decision on a plan.

So taking the time can be really important to really look through the contract and work with somebody who you feel is educating you on the good and bad.

The you know, what's covered, what's not covered, that's really important.

Okay, so along the same lines, if you're at the dealership and maybe they're pressuring you to just sign it, we don't have time for you to read it.

You know, it's just not working out where you can read it and fully understand it because, you know, you can't just read those things in five minutes.

You know, it takes time.

So would you Recommend just kind of passing on at that point in time because they can add an extended warranty anytime after the purchase.

If you don't feel like you really know what you're getting, take your time.

You can go through an online provider.

You can usually even if you went back to the dealer a week later, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't turn you down on selling you that plan.

But once you've had time to make a decision you feel good about, that's when you want to move forward.

And it's so important to know that you have options outside of the dealership.

Now there are dealer plans that are great, that are going to be there for you, that have great coverage.

It's not that every dealer plan is bad, but it really is that last add on that you just don't have time to really make a competent decision on.

And that's why looking ahead of time too.

So don't wait just until you're in that F and I office to look into an extended warranty.

Get your quotes ahead of time, know what questions to ask.

Your dealer can kind of set you up for success.

Okay, very good.

Yeah, so having your options and knowing what they are is very good.

Now the other thing too is you buy an extended warranty, are you stuck going back to that?

Stuck.

Are you.

Are you stuck going to a certain type of RV repair facility or can you have a mobile guy come out?

What's the deal on that?

Yeah, so it really depends on where you buy.

So if you buy from a dealership that does have a repair facility on site, most contracts are going to say you need to take it back to that dealer if your breakdown is within usually 100 miles or something, you know, within that range.

And then most policies will let you take it kind of anywhere.

There are dealer policies that are, that will restrict you to like a certain subset of repair facilities or dealerships.

Something that we look for as a broker when we choose which policies to offer is flexibility.

Because RVers are traveling.

So the whole, you know, that's kind of the name of the game.

And so we don't want to limit you to where you can take your RV when it does break down.

So something to look for in policies is that you can take them to any licensed repair facility in the US or Canada.

Licensed just means that they are in business to work on RVs.

They have a tax ID number.

It can't be your super mechanical friend.

Even though they might do an amazing job, the warranty company is probably not going to want to pay them.

And then also we have policies that not only allow you to use a mobile mechanic, but will pay additional fees for their travel fee to come out to you.

So if that's something that's important to you, if you tend to boondock or you set up camp and you do not want to be packing things up just to get, you know, something relatively small, covered or repaired, look for a policy that allows for mobile mechanic and might even pay for some of the travel fee.

We see mobile mechanics as kind of the future.

We've really seen a huge increase in the number of RVers using that.

So something to look for in a policy as well.

Something that we have in our policies.

Very good.

Yes.

Become a very, very common anymore.

Especially here in Montana, a lot of people lived in their rv, so they need that mobility because they don't want to tear everything down.

In fact, they can't in a lot of cases.

Okay, so very good.

So now when you're buying one of these, is there, you know, do you have to have a note from your mother and you know, 4,000 documents to buy an extended warranty or is it pretty simple?

It's usually pretty simple.

So we just, you know, require some basic RV information.

We'll want to know the most recent odometer, something that is unique to wholesale warranties.

So you won't find this everywhere.

But it's something that we really like, is that we do require on a used unit an inspection, an RV inspection prior to putting that warranty into place.

And what that looks like is we have a.

We work with a company that has a network of inspectors across the U.S.

they come out to your location on your schedule and they take a mechanical review to say everything in this RV is in working condition.

Right now the refrigerator is getting cool.

There's no funky noises when we take a quick test drive.

There's no, you know, obvious signs of rust or water damage or any of those, you know, obvious signs that something is already wrong with the rv.

And once you get that inspection done, you basically have a clean bill of health.

So when you, you know, sign your contract and a week later you have an engine failure, well, you have an inspection that shows my engine was working when that policy went into place.

So you have got to go ahead and cover that claim.

Now with some other policies, they'll do one of two things.

They'll deny pretty much everything in the first few months as a pre existing condition.

And you don't really have any way to tell them no, it was working when I Got that policy.

Or they will have a waiting period.

And so even though you sign today, you can't make claims for 30 days and 1,000 miles.

And depending on the type of RV or you are, 1,000 miles might take you a while to hit that.

So you might not be making claims for, you know, several months of your policy.

So that is the one thing takes a little bit of time.

But we do love that inspection because it really protects the owner of the RV from those early denials due to preexisting condition.

Yeah, and that's interesting because a lot of people will have a brand new RV inspected before they ever buy it.

Yeah.

And interestingly enough, they find a lot of problems and they end up passing on that rv.

So how much more so would it make sense to have it done for a used rv?

Now, does the person who's talking to you guys about a policy and having the RVs inspected, do they pay for that inspection?

It's part of the warranty.

So we take an initial payment to cover the cost of the inspection and then that's part of the overall cost of the warranty.

Now if you have that inspection and they find a lot of things wrong and you say, hey, I'm actually not going to move forward with that policy after all because I'm not buying that RV.

It's not a refundable down payment, but it is $450.

And if that saves you from buying a, you know, $150,000 RV with a lot of issues, we've had people thank us for it.

So it is that initial payment and, but then it is part of the overall cost of the rv.

And it's especially great if you're still process of purchasing it because if they find some minor things, you can still usually get your dealer or the private party that's selling you to take care of those before you take possession of the RV.

Right.

Actually, $450 is pretty inexpensive compared to a lot of inspection services.

So that's pretty good.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Now, so somebody, let's say somebody buys a new RV and so that has a manufacturer's warranty on it, on the RV itself appliance, while the appliances and so forth are through the manufacturer of those appliances.

But so they buy your warranty and there's going to be an overlap there.

How does that work?

Yeah, so when your RV is brand new and you have that manufacturer coverage, you will have an overlap with the extended warranty if you put it on the RV at the same time.

And the manufacturer warranty will take precedence.

So if you still have that manufacturer policy, they're going to ask you to go talk to the manufacturer first.

So a lot of people will say, well, why would I get it at that time?

And the reality is, the warranty companies, the adjusters who price out those policies, they know you have a manufacturer warranty if it's a 20, 25 right now.

Right.

A current model year.

And so they give you the best rate, the highest level of coverage, and the longest term you will ever get on an extended warranty is when it's brand new, when you're still under that manufacturer warranty coverage.

And so while you will have somebody else to talk to during maybe that first year, and then other stuff starts to drop off.

Right.

So your engine may have a couple of years, but your refrigerator may have six months.

And it's a little bit all over the place.

You can go to your warrant, your extended warranty once those manufacturer policies drop off.

Now, if you don't want that overlap in coverage, you might pay a little bit more for it.

But that is one of the benefits of having an alternative to a dealership at the time of purchase.

You can come to wholesale warranties.

If your manufacturer warranty is expiring or it's up, we'll just do that inspection, and that helps us get your policy into place.

Okay, so there's some good points in there because some things do drop off sooner.

So you're covered.

Yeah.

And now let me ask you a question, though.

Just let's say it's the interior lights of an rv.

They have touch lights, and every light proves to be defective, like within the first year, and the manufacturer says, no, we're not going to warranty these.

And the lights are just some generic, you know, offshore light.

You can't find a manufacturer or anything.

So would wholesale or would an extended warranty cover that?

So it really depends.

If it's considered a defect, a manufacturer defect, then that wouldn't be covered.

But if it's an issue that is not covered by a manufacturer warranty, and that's a mechanical and electrical issue, you can definitely turn to your extended warranty.

And your coverage is in place from day one.

So as those things either fall outside of manufacturer coverage, or you have that manufacturer coverage dropping off on certain things, you can absolutely go to your policy.

You can also use it for additional benefits.

It comes with.

So a lot of the policies will come with like a little bit of towing, lockout, service, fluid delivery.

Our policies all come with tire and wheel protection, and that Starts day one.

So you don't have manufacturer warranty, but that says you can use your extended warranty for it.

Okay, great.

So that even is an example of a question you can ask when you're looking for a warranty.

You know, things like that.

Because that happens sometimes.

The manufacturer said no or they can't get them anymore.

You're on your own.

So that's good to know whether you're covered or not, because you don't want to have the attitude that you're covered with.

You're not.

Right.

You'll look at it differently.

Okay, perfect.

Now, the other thing too is, let's say I'm going to buy a used RV and I'm going to buy it from my neighbor.

I'm not going to go to the dealership.

So can I get a warranty from wholesale warranties?

Absolutely, yes.

We do a ton of warranties on private party purchases both ways, actually.

So you could also transfer your warranty.

A lot of people will put a warranty on their unit to have it have a higher resale value when they do sell their vehicle.

Private party.

And for people who are buying a used unit from a private party, that's one of the times that I absolutely probably wouldn't move forward without a warranty because even if it looks like it's in great condition, you really don't know what's been going on with that rv.

So we can definitely do a policy on a private party purchase.

That's where that inspection comes into play.

Really big, really great to have that a third party go in and take a look at everything, make sure it's all in working condition and.

Yep, absolutely, we can do that.

All right, perfect.

So, you know, one of the things that you, you mentioned that buying a used RV and it looks really good.

I hear it all the time.

I just bought this used rv.

It looks absolutely wonderful, you know, and I go out and look at it and I find.

Start finding things right away.

Within seconds I'm, oh, that's bad, that's bad, that's bad.

And so they really didn't get the deal they thought they got.

That's where that extended warranty would come in.

The inspection actually would really alleviate some of that pain later on.

Absolutely, yes.

Okay, now on the inspection, is there a big process of that or pretty much just you guys send someone out and they take care of it and go through the checklist?

Yep, we send someone out.

They'll contact you.

They can go to a dealership or to, you know, wherever the RV Is located.

So if you have it, you already have ownership still come to your house or your storage facility or they'll work with the dealership.

So they'll go and they'll usually the dealership will want to have a sales rep or somebody out there with them.

And they walk through.

Takes two to three hours.

You have to have access to shore power, so they can kind of test everything.

You want to turn it on a couple hours before the inspection.

So things like the refrigerator have a chance to get cool.

And they just.

They kind of walk around.

They have their full checklist.

You get a copy of it afterward as well, which is really nice.

So that comes with lots of images and lots of, you know, pass, fail, or, you know, something was a little weird here, but it's probably gonna pass a lot of notes on there.

They do have a test drive if it is a motorhome, which is, you know, nice to kind of get a couple of miles under your belt.

The inspector doesn't do that part, so somebody does have to drive it.

But it.

It's a really easy process to set up.

Takes just a couple of hours.

And it protects you, you know, on kind of from every front, from purchasing it and from getting the warranty and making sure everything's going to be covered.

Yeah, so that sounds pretty smart.

So listening to what you said, I would think that if you're going to buy a used rv, maybe from a private party, even a dealership, sometimes dealerships aren't as cooperative as a private party might be.

You know, I've heard of that.

I've seen it where they just don't want to do everything.

But a private party, if you reassure them that all they're going to do is come inspect it, they're not taking things apart.

They're not going to, you know, pull your roof off to look at the inside, anything like that.

But also, when it's all said and done, that person who's selling it now would have a list of anything that is hindering the sale of it that they would already know they'd be able to.

It's discovery is what it is.

Yeah, absolutely.

It really covers everybody.

It's a benefit that we, you know, built into our policies because it helps us get you that day one coverage.

We don't want to deal with waiting periods and things like that.

But the more that we offered it, the more we realized it with helping customers in so many parts of their, you know, RV buying process, the warranty buying process, and it's been a really great Benefit for our customers.

All right, great.

So now Wholesale Warranties is just an online brand, you know, like so many others.

That sounds so bad.

Who really is Wholesale Warranties?

What's the background of the company?

Yeah, so Wholesale Warranties was founded by Jeff Shelton, the owner.

He was actually a full time rver when he sounded Wholesale Warranties.

And so he had that firsthand experience of having breakdowns and how costly they were and how much of a pain they can be.

And he also had the experience of growing up around RV and boat dealerships with his family.

So he had, you know, known people who sold warranties.

He had an idea of that.

He saw it go through the dealerships and saw that people didn't really understand what they were getting.

Again, it's the end of that long day in the sni office.

They were feeling frustrated with their policies and he thought, you know, why don't we just go direct to the customer?

Let's, you know, cut out the middleman, get him the best price possible.

And then the thing that really sets us apart, and I think this is because he has that firsthand experience of having those, those failures while traveling.

We have a, an internal customer advocacy department, a customer service department, and we don't process your claims in house.

We're a broker.

We work with a couple of different policies.

But if you ever have an issue, if something isn't being covered and you think it should be, if you just forgot who you're supposed to call, you're stuck on the side of the road and you're stressed, if they're covering, you know, 90% of the claim and you're wondering why that last 10% isn't covered.

We have a staff dedicated to just that.

They're going to work with you.

They'll talk to your repair facility, they'll talk to the warranty company and they'll smooth out any issues and get anything that should be covered is going to be covered.

We go to bat for our customer.

We don't work for the warranty companies.

We, you know, if they are not treating our customers well, we will discontinue using them.

And so we really put the customer first.

So hold on.

Warranties is all about protecting your, your RV travels because we're founded by somebody who knows how great they are.

Right?

And so everything that we do is really education and customer service focused.

And we want to make sure that you understand your policy, you know how to use it.

And if you run into any issues, you're not, not alone.

You know, you have somebody to turn to.

That's going to go to bat for you, make sure everything that should be covered is going to be covered.

All right, that's excellent.

Because I know there are times, I know from experience here in our business that RVers come in, they think it's covered and it should be covered.

You're reading the contract, but they're coming up these little loopholes, why it's not now, and they're just stuck.

It's between them and the warranty company or us in the warranty company.

You know, we don't really have any skin in the game, so they don't care about us, and they've already got their money.

So you kind of don't care about the customer sometimes.

So that's great to know.

Yeah, absolutely.

All right, so I think you've covered everything.

You've answered a lot of questions.

I'm sure there's more.

Many people that are listening to this podcast are probably coming up with a zillion questions of their own.

So if you have any questions or you want to get a quote, you can.

In the description of this podcast, there's a link to wholesale warranties to contact them.

And so use that link.

It'll take you right to them, and you can ask all your questions, get a free quote, everything you need to know.

So, Stacey, I really appreciate you stopping by today.

You answered a lot of questions for us.

I think it's very clear how extended warranty will work for an RV and also explore your options like you brought out.

Those options are very important.

So really, again, I want to thank you again.

Thank you so much.

It was great to be here.

Great to chat with you, and we look forward to answering any other questions that come up.

That's what we're here for.

All right, so that was a great interview.

Stacy.

Really brought to life a lot of the information and the.

The details of getting an extended warranty or rv, even the pros and cons.

So if you want a quote from wholesale warranties, there's a link in the description of this podcast, and it'll take you to their website where you can get a free quote.

So we appreciate it if you use that link and it makes life easier.

And if you're serious about an extended warranty, they are the guys to talk to first.

All right, now this brings us to the next stop.

So, Alexis, are you ready for Odessa, Texas?

Odessa.

Oh, mama.

Have you ever seen that SNL skit where the old people are calling the Alexa every name but what it is?

No, because this reminded me the name when they're like, odessa, tell me the weather.

So that's why I picked it.

I'm just kidding.

So anyway, with that intro.

Let me read you a little a better intro about Odessa because I thought this was really interesting.

So I'm just going to read this bit.

Odessa, Texas, was founded in the 1880s as a water stop and cattle shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway.

Its name is believed to come from Ukrainian immigrants who thought the region's flat, open plains resembled their homeland.

The discovery of oil in the 1920s transformed this town into a booming oil hub, attracting workers and businesses eager to.

To cash in on the.

On the money.

So despite its rough and tumble reputation in the early years, Odessa actually grew into a thriving city known for its cowboy culture, oil industry, and even a touch of Hollywood fame.

Did you know this?

The Friday Night Lights.

This is where it was filmed, so.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

So I thought that was interesting.

Pretty cool.

Yeah.

So there's a lot to do there.

There's quite a few museums, really neat museums.

One of them is the Odessa Meteor Crater and Museum.

Very interesting.

That's open from Tuesday to Sunday.

And they offer a glimpse into cosmic uniqueness.

That's what it says.

Cosmic uniqueness.

Oh, man.

I don't know.

It sounds a little hippie dippy.

No, I'm just in Texas.

Cosmic Uni.

And then there's an art museum.

Ellen Noel Art Museum.

Let's see.

It's a Smithsonian.

Smithsonian affiliated institution.

I don't really know what that means, so we're gonna move right along.

You can also go to their theater.

It's a globe of the great Southwest.

I've heard a lot of things about this place, too.

This is pretty cool.

There's a lot of really good shows at this theater.

So if you're in the area, that's definitely one.

And the address is pretty cool.

It's 2308 Shakespeare Road.

So I love that.

So for those art lovers out there, theater lovers.

Okay.

Yeah.

And then there's.

We always talk about food.

Okay.

And I found some really good ones this time.

When you're in Texas, I always think barbecue.

Okay.

So the first one we've got is the legendary Barn Door Steakhouse.

Sounds so good.

Obviously they have steak there.

Another one is Brantley Creek.

Barbecue.

Anything you can imagine as far as barbecue goes.

Baked beans, cornbread, coleslaw, just.

Oh, sounds so good right now.

And then let's talk about RV parks, because this is for RVers.

So Mesquite Oasis RV Park.

Is one of them.

Lots of spots, lots of opportunity to wash your clothes if you don't have.

If you're not a fancy person and don't have a washer and dryer in your rv.

And then there's Park Place, RV resort.

It's got basketball courts, barbecue grilling stations.

They've got a big place with a pool table, shuffleboard, tv, lounge area.

So just everything that makes you feel like home.

So this place really is cool.

It's very, very neat.

Texas in itself is a very unique state.

I've never been there.

My husband has, he says the cleanest, like, highways he's ever seen.

So that's kind of cool.

So the infrastructure there is really, really nice.

So I recommend a visit.

You know, we started off a little shaky there, but you got a little better.

Thank you.

You sold it a little bit better.

Yeah.

It makes me think of that show on tv.

It's a cartoon about the family that lives in Texas.

The guy sells propane.

His son's name is Bobby.

Oh, yeah.

King of the hill.

Yeah, King of the hill.

Aren't they from Odessa, Texas?

Probably sounds like that.

So Odessa, Texas, like a cartoon city?

I don't know.

All right, so anyway, so anywhere in Tex, Texas has got to be good.

Everything's big, bad.

I mean, they got barbecue stations.

I.

I mean, what do they like, back up a cow and.

Well, I probably do slice and dice it right there.

That's.

That's the best.

Fresh off the ranch.

All right, very good.

Now, your husband's name is Cole?

Yes, it is.

And they have Coleslaw there.

Yeah, I call him that sometimes.

So I kind of like that.

Coleslaw.

Coleslaw.

So Cole's in the room right now, and he's kind of looking like, oh, man, these guys.

He's our director.

He's mean to us.

He's shaking his head.

Right.

Amazingly enough, we're going to talk about Pecos, Texas, which is kind of right next door.

Kind of.

There's.

What was that?

Fort Stockton in between.

Yep.

If you're in Odessa and you want to go to Fort Stockton on your way to Pecos, you can.

Now, Fort Stockton, I think is just a gas stop.

Really?

Pretty.

Pretty much, yeah.

Nothing too exciting there.

At least that we know of in our vast research.

But let's.

Let me tell you a little story about Pecos, Texas.

Okay.

It just so happens I have one of these.

Remember the last podcast?

Think I said I had a book of these?

Yeah, you did.

And I just keep pulling pages out from Grandpappy Grandpappy.

Popeye.

All right, here we go.

So this is the dust and the glory of Pecos.

Pecos, Texas, squats loan the the Chihuahuan Desert, where the Pecos Rivers carves a stubborn line through the dust.

Back in the 1880s, it was just a speck, a cattle camp where cowboys watered their herds after long drives up the river.

Then the Texas and Pacific Railway rolled in in 1881, and Pecos Station was born.

A depot hammered into the dirt by men with calloused hands and big dreams.

By July 4, 1883, those cowboys had something to prove.

A friendly bet turned into a wild spectacle.

Roping, riding and bronc busting were right there in the open scrub.

Folks came from miles around, cheering under the brutal sun.

And Pecos claimed the world's first rodeo.

The town swelled with pride, its name widespread alongside legends like Judge Roy Bean, who dispensed justice with a whiskey bottle in hand at his Jersey Lily Saloon.

The 20th century brought booms and busts.

Irrigation turned the desert green with cotton and cantaloupes, sweet, juicy orbs that put Pecos on the map.

Oil rigs sprouted like mesquite in the 1920s, and sulfur mines roared in the 60s, pumping life into the streets.

But when the mine shut down, the wind took over, whistling through empty lots.

In 1962, Billy Sol Estes, a local tytoon, got nabbed for fraud, a scandal so big it shook Washington.

Pecos weathered it tough as the land itself.

Today, Pecos sits at the crossroads of i20 US285, a gritty hub of ranching and oil, and the west of the Pecos Museum, guarding its past in an old hotel.

The rodeo still kicks up dust every summer, echoes of the first one ringing out on quiet nights.

You can hear the river murmur and the train rumble.

Reminders of a town forged by sweat, stubbornness and a little bit of glory.

Wow, that was just amazing.

Pecos, isn't that.

Where is Paul Bunyan?

Someone's got to be from there.

I don't think so.

Is Paul Bunyan a real person?

I think it's a fiction.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

All right then.

Yeah.

I don't know.

Pecos has been named in so many movies and stuff and westerns, and so it's just got to be one of the places to go.

And also near there is, we've talked about in the past, the Big Bend National Park.

Yeah, so?

So you've got Odessa, which is just a hub to every gather group together.

And you got Pecos, you got Fort Stockton.

You Got Big Bend national park and there's another one right next to Big Ben.

Then there's another little ghost town in between those two national parks.

We were going to talk about that, remember?

Yeah.

Remember what it was?

Yeah.

So that came and went.

You can check out these articles on our website, the smartoveryear.com under the next section, Odessa, Texas and Pecos.

And you can learn a little bit more about them, get curious and do a little exploration of your own there.

So now that's going to move us into RV envy.

And today we're going to talk about LP lines and the quality over price.

When you're buying propane lines, do you buy by quality or do you buy by price?

And price is a huge thing anymore.

And we go to websites online, we buy cheap, low quality lines because they're cheap, save a few bucks, get free shipping and is it worth it?

You know, and they only last six months a year.

You know, I just did a video that's on YouTube maybe a couple months ago and showed some propane lines that weren't very old and how the fitting just blew out of one.

So the crimp comes loose and it doesn't look like it's loose and the fitting pops out.

And so that's dangerous.

Yeah, very.

Because that's like a real leak.

Yeah.

And other lines, they just crack so quickly, you know, six months a year.

We see it all the time in the store.

Yeah, we do.

And I always ask people how old they are, where they got them, if they remember.

And it's always low quality lines.

And even a lot of the RV stores sell brands that are not good brands.

You know, we sell MB Sturgis for the lines that we sell over the counter.

And it's an okay brand.

I mean, we haven't really had any issues with them at all.

We haven't.

And they seem to hold up.

People aren't coming in.

Well, I bought these here a year ago or six months ago.

We don't hear that.

No.

But we decided to make our own lines because we've been making propane lines for, I don't know, 40 years.

And the quality is just better.

They're going to last.

They outlast anything out there and you're just kind of done with it.

And that's what we recommend is buying quality lines.

It's just hard to find.

Like currently the hose we're using is made by Parker, which is American company, huge company.

They provide propane line for massive industries, the railroad, I mean everything, anywhere you got propane lines.

They're there trucking, so they've been around a long time.

They know how to do it.

And their lines are good.

They're thicker, they're rubbery, they hold up in the sun, the elements.

I highly recommend finding lines like that.

If you can find a place that'll make them, that's the way to go.

Because generally when they're making them, they're selling a better quality line than the stuff you get from most stores and on the Internet, because all that stuff comes from overseas, from China primarily.

And it's whatever.

They sell it and that's the end of it.

You know, propane line, like we said earlier, you know, don't panic, don't freak.

But yet, why deal with it if you can just avoid it?

It.

Yeah.

And so what we're doing on our website, the sunpromfg.com and there'll be a link to it in this podcast description.

If you use the promo code pro kit, you'll get 10% off, and that'll last till April 2nd.

So that's 10% off, and that'll be two lines and a bottle of leak detector.

So that's pretty much it is.

Yeah.

You know, and these are good lines.

Oh, yeah.

These ain't no jungle lines.

Jungle lines.

There you go.

Or the we're gonna get canceled.

Or the online garage sale.

Yeah, that too.

You know, they sell all the fake and counterfeit stuff.

So I don't want to get too negative.

There are some good companies online that do on sell good stuff.

You know, some are just worse than others.

But anyways, let's get back to the reality here.

You got to have good propane lines.

It's a necessity.

It avoids or helps you avoid problems when you're out on the road.

And that's what we want to do.

Avoid those problems.

So Again, go to sunpromfg.com or actually use the link in this description.

You'll be able to use that promo code, prokit, and save 10%, and that'll last until April 2nd.

All right, so that's bringing us to the end of the show today.

This next episode will be in two weeks.

Episode number 174.

We had a great show today.

Alexis told us all about Odessa, Texas.

Yes.

And Bobby and Frank are happy.

Bobby, what's the dad's name?

Hank.

Hank.

Yeah.

So what a great.

And we got coleslaw.

Coleslaw.

All right, so we had a great show today.

A lot of good information.

If you can, you go to the smartarver.com all that information is there so you can read it and do with it what you will.

But it'll definitely perk up your curiosity about traveling, do a little bit more and taking on problems on your RV and the wholesale warranty side of it.

So it's great stuff.

All right, everybody, so this is I want to thank you for stopping by today.

This is Eric Stark with the Smart RVer podcast, your go to guide for smarter RVing and unforgettable adventures on the open road.