RVerDiane
Madison, Wisconsin
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Joined: 07/02/2005
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I just had a new Norcold frig put in my MH. Of course the staff wanted me to buy the extended warrantee. After the technician showed my the features he too pushed for the extended warrantee. He stated that the newer frigs don't last as long as the older ones did and that I could easily have problems a couple of years down the road, like in 2-3 years.
Has anyone had a problems with the newer Norcold frig?
Thanks.
PS I didn't get the extended warrantee.
Diane
Madison, WI
'94 Horizon 21 1/2'
towing '04 Honda CRV
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JJBIRISH
Butler, PA, USA
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Joined: 10/06/2002
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Mine has been working for almost 9 years non stop now…
They are more prone to have a problem as they add features to them…
Personally I like the Norcold fridge…and have had good service from them…
I am not sure what he means by newer though… they are installing lock out devices on them now to prevent fires instead of making a higher quality cooling unit that won’t crack and leak… I do think some of that comes from the caviler approach some take to leveling them…
Love my mass produced, entry level, built by Lazy American Workers, Hornet
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Chris Bryant
DeLand, Florida, USA
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Joined: 03/26/2003
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The two items I always recommend getting the manufacturers extended warranties on are LP refrigerators and rooftop heat pumps.
-- Chris Bryant
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2oldman
Winchester WA
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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RVerDiane wrote:he too pushed for the extended warrantee. He stated that the newer frigs don't last as long as the older ones did and that I could easily have problems a couple of years down the road, like in 2-3 years.. Nonsense. He's not looking out for you, he's trying to sell a high-profit item for the store.
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c.traveler2
Moreno Valley,Ca.
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I have a Norcold 300.3 it's ten years old and the absorption coil is being repaired right now. My cost will be 400 dollars, that's includes removeale of the refrigerator and re-install.What appears to happen is the hydrogen has finnaly diffused enought so the unit can no longer function. Matt at Kona Cools told me that all of the makers of absorption units have go to thinner wall tubing and the boilers on many of the new units are made in China
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The Texan
Cascade or Meridian, Idaho
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Joined: 01/16/2004
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We just got rid of the piece of junk Norcold that was in our 6 year old coach. Norcold has the worst reputation of any fridge on the market. Yes, by all means buy the extended warranty and I do NOT like extended warranties. There is NO way I would ever buy a Norcold or even an RV with a Norcold fridge in it, with the reputation Norcold has among the RV community today, plus the service we got from our POS Norcold 1200.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi,
I would take Chris Bryant's advice. He is a straight shooter, and provides loads of information on his web site for free.
Bottom line--you may need the extended warranty.
But then, I did suggest a residential fridge.
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts Unisolar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 2500 MSW watt inverter.
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Old-Biscuit
Across the USA
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Joined: 06/20/2009
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Chris Bryant wrote:The two items I always recommend getting the manufacturers extended warranties on are LP refrigerators and rooftop heat pumps.
This advice is from an RV Tech that is very knowledgeable.
I would think twice about NOT having that extended warranty....especially when it comes to a newer NORCOLD refrigerator.
2007 RAM 3500 QC LB SRW 5.9L CTD 48re 4:10 4K in bed 'quiet genny'
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larry cad
ohio
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Joined: 05/23/2004
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Yes, Norcold has had a bad run of cooling unit failures and their solution is, as stated above, to lock out the unit in case of a problem, rather than fix the actual problem. Unfortunately, when a cooling unit fails, there is frequently a fire and fire in an RV is bad news. Many who have a cooling unit failure replace the cooling unit with a third party system, many made by Amish craftsmen. The reason for that is because the Amish have gas refrigerators in their homes. It is virtually impossible to find any complaint with an Amish made cooling unit, including that they work better than the factory ones.
It might be worthwhile to check into the cost of converting your Norcold over to a third party cooling unit now, rather than suffer the concern about a failure, which is essence what you are doing right now. It would be money better spent. Both ways it is insurance, but one gets you a new, reliable cooling unit.
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Pogoil
Oregon Coast
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My Norcold is 17 years old and works great. Yes it will die some day.
They have had many problems with the newer ones I understand.
When mine fails I will put in a new cooling unit. I would get the extended plan on a new one and usually do not buy the extended plan.
Pogoil
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