Andersen E-Series Window Warranty

The Andersen E-Series window warranty is definitely not as good as many other window warranties that we’ve reviewed. There are a handful of pretty major drawbacks.

Note: This post is talking specifically about the warranty on these windows. You can also find our reviews of the Andersen E-Series windows here.

When comparing window warranties it’s important to understand the limitations of different window materials. For example, wood windows like this one will basically always have much shorter warranties than vinyl windows. That doesn’t mean wood windows are bad or that I’m pushing vinyl, but it is important to understand the differences.

Here we’ll start by looking at how long the warranty lasts, what is covered and what is not covered by this warranty. First, we’ll look at how your rights under this warranty are limited and how you can change that if you act fast.

How does Andersen limit your rights under this warranty?

The very fist paragraph in bold specifically says you can’t be involved in a class action suit and you can’t elect to have a jury hear your case if you were to sue. I’m no lawyer, but these don’t seem like restrictions you’ll want to agree on.

One can only assume they try to limit your rights in this way because they’re concerned about an expensive class action suit. That may not be a great sign for the customer. You can maintain your rights by opting out of this restriction and I would suggest that everyone do that asap. If you wait you might be out of luck.

How long is the Andersen E-Series window warranty?

You might see this advertised as a 20 year warranty that that would be partially true. The longest coverage is 20 years on the insulated glass units and some other components. 20 year coverage on insulated glass is a long time, but many manufactures offer lifetime coverage so it’s not remarkable.

The wood and composite portions of the window frame come with much shorter coverage.

As you can see above, the composite frame is covered for 10 years and the exterior wood frame is only covered for 5 years. For windows this expensive that’s pretty short coverage. 5 or even 10 years will go by pretty quickly and then you’ll be out of luck if there’s a problem.

For all the talk about the composite frames from some of these salespeople I would have expected to see longer coverage.

You’ll also see the coverage on blinds and screens is pretty short. Can you believe the warranty on the retractable door screen is only 1 year? I bet that’s not included in the standard sales pitch.

Note some commission based in-home salesmen might tell you that “lifetime” warranties are actually only 7 years. This is not true, but it’s something we’ve ben hearing these guys say for many years. Andersen does not offer a lifetime warranty on these windows.

Can you transfer the Andersen window warranty?

You don’t need to transfer this warranty. One way that many manufacturers will make warranties sound long is to require them to be transferred when you sell the house. They know people will forget to do that and then when there’s a problem there’s no warranty coverage. This is a little tricky in my book, but many manufacturers do it.

To their credit Andersen does not require you to transfer the warranty. The warranty stays with the windows when you sell the house and there’s no work required. That’s an advantage to this warranty over many others.

What is not covered by the Andersen E-Series window warranty?

There are limitations to any warranty and this one is no different. Andersen doesn’t cover things like glass breakage some other manufacturers will cover. Most of the other limitations are pretty common. For example, there’s no coverage for labor and no coverage if bugs get through the screen.

Interestingly there’s no coverage at all for paint on adhesion of paint or stain to wood products.

There’s also no coverage at all for trips to your house to show you how the windows work. If that sounds silly to you it does to me too. They actually list this twice in the same list of warranty exclusions. Maybe they get a lot of calls looking for in-person instructions on how to use windows?

What’s the bottom line?

Overall this warranty isn’t great. That’s especially true considering the cost of these windows. As I mentioned in the Andersen E-Series windows reviews the windows are really pretty.

If you want the look and you’re less concerned about the price and the longevity these might be a fine choice. Otherwise I’d look elsewhere. If you’ve already bought these windows be sure to opt-out of the limitations on your rights. It looks like you only have 1 year to do that. I don’t know if that would hold up in court, but that’s what it says. Good luck out there!

Other Andersen window posts you might find helpful:

• Why you should NEVER buy Andersen windows
• Andersen windows FAQ
• Renewal by Andersen Complaints – What’s going on?
• Andersen sells Silver Line and American Craftsman brands

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

• The BEST replacement window reviews
• Why you should NEVER buy Simonton windows
• Is triple pane glass worth the cost?
• Can you get window prices online
• How to find a great window company