moved thread/Newbie here, how about this? From my dealer.

[john777]

I sent this to the dealer who is selling me my 2014 Salem 262BHXL. I'm buying this sight unseen and see the response below...

(they won't let me bring in someone to check out the trailer)



Subject: Re: pictures of Salem
I wanted to set up a time when I can have a mechanic come in and inspect the trailer. I want him to do this prior to my PDI. That way if there is anything that needs fixing, it can done prior to my arrival/PDI.

Can he come on friday? The trailer will need the water tank full, propane full, and electric hooked up.


John












Hi John,

Our PDI, IS the pre-delivery inspection and takes place prior to your delivery date. It is performed by a certified tech and we check and fix manufactures defects at that time. It is against company policy to allow outside contractors access to our inventory prior to purchase. The Salem is a new unit and comes with a 1 year warranty against manufacture’s defects. You can have him inspect it again, once you have purchased the unit if you like. If additional issues arise they most likely will be covered by your warranty.

My service department has also mentioned to me that they will need to order the electronic brake controller from Porsche. Without being able to check your vehicle themselves prior to delivery, they would be more comfortable if you could have the brake controller installed by Porsche prior to arriving. That way, if additional items are needed you will not be delayed by us having to order them. Let me know when you determine what date and time (morning or afternoon) will work best for you and I will schedule your delivery. (NOTE: we do not do deliveries on Sundays). I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Mary

[davel1971]

can't say I blame them. You are buying a new unit with a factory warranty. Make them show you everything working and judge for yourself what is good and bad. Second, why would you want anyone not familiar with a Porsche to mess with the wiring and install a brake controller?

[john777]

I don't see any harm in having someone look over any issues prior to the PDI and it prevents me from waiting a few days to pick up the trailer.

Yes, I agree I will get Porsche to do the brake controller

[RSchleder]

Don't see anything wrong with their approach. Like they said, you can check things out a PDI and you have a 1 year warranty. Most issues show up with a little bit of usage, so do the PDI, use the unit, make a "punch list" and get it made right during the warranty period!

[ebemis]

I agree with Dave...get your Porsche taken care of by Porsche! As for them not wanting you to bring your own mechanic...why do they have to know its a mechanic, just tell them it is your brother in law who knows more about RV's then you do! ;-)

If the dealer is a reputable one, I don't think you would have to worry about things but YES I also agree, if YOU aren't happy with anything on the walk through, then simply don't take delivery or hand over money...wait until the rig is just what you expect for what you are paying and THEN hand your hard earned money over and drive your new toy home!

Also, don't even consider trying to pull a trailer without a WDH, even if you think you are within weight limits, cargo and people change the dynamics quickly. The WDH will provide much needed security and safety...stay no higher than 65mph and simply drive easy..don't push it and you will love the decision to purchase!

[davel1971]

do you think your Porsche dealer would let an outside person come in and play around with one of their units before you own it and tell the dealer what they need to do for you? Absolutely not. If you aren't to familiar with RVs, take a friend who is.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by davel1971

do you think your Porsche dealer would let an outside person come in and play around with one of their units before you own it and tell the dealer what they need to do for you? Absolutely not. If you aren't to familiar with RVs, take a friend who is.

Agreed.

[asquared]

For your original question. I could see having a rv tech look at a used unit but not a new one. The pdi walks you through everything. Do not give the dealer any money until the pdi is completed and any repairs have been completed to your satisfaction. As others have said, I'm betting you don't have a mechanic look st a new car before purchase.

I'm guessing if you have a Porsche it is the cayenne. A quick search shows a wheel base of 114" and a max tow capacity of 7700 lbs. That is before passengers, fuel and gear. I don't know the payload but that is going to be your weakest link. I'm willing to bet you will be way over on payload and over on your adjusted towing capacity (TV gcwr - tv actual Wright with passengers etc). Having towed a 30ft tt with an Suv that had 123" wheel base and a tow capacity of 9100 lbs (810 lbs payload), I can tell you from experience if is a bad idea. I was pushed and pulled all over the place by passing cars, trucks and suvs not to mention the semis. Final straw came when I didn't have enough TV to control the tt coming down a 7% grade. Never ever will I let that happen again. You really need a smaller trailer or larger suv/ truck. And with a trailer that size, a wdh is an absolute must. You will definitely exceed your hitch ratings without it (although the loaded tongue weight on that tt will likely exceed them even with wdh).

The tt you are looking at has a dry weight of 5631 lbs and a gvwr of 7600 lbs. You are likely looking at 6600-7000 lbs loaded weight based on averages. This means a potential loaded tongue weight of 840-1050 lbs (ideal tongue weight is 13-15% of loaded tt weight.)

I know that's not what you are asking but honestly, you need to hear it. By the way, my tt was 5700 lbs dry, 7300 lbs loaded. I use a reese dual cam wdh even with a 1 ton truck towing it. Yes you need a good wdh with integrated sway control and not just a wdh with a simple sway bar for that size trailer.

[davel1971]

^^^what he said

[Big Bad Allis]

I also don't think the dealers policy is wrong. It's a new unit and there will always be a couple things you take it back for anyways.

The post a couple above mine should be heeded. It is dangerous and outright uncomfortable to pull overloaded and outside of your TV specs. The suspension on the Porsche will be constantly fighting the load and the P-rated tires will also have a lot of flex. You may even have Z rated tires which are not for towing at all. Even with a 1-ton truck I did not like pulling my 30' TT with the Reese dual cam WD anti sway.

Good luck and don't let these responses turn you off if the RV lifestyle and fun. I think you do need to rethink your trailer selection though

[ironj]

dealer policy is whatever they say......BUT i have found that their desire/need to sell the unit directly correlates to their adherence to said policy. that being said, i realize you are new and want a KNOWLEDGEABLE individual to validate your purchase before you invest..(scratch that...INVEST and RV should probably never be used in same sentence) LOL...anyway, the PDI is the time and place to do this with your "assistant" and if issues that worry you are present they are fixed, arranged to be fixed, or you DO NOT BUY....

if your not comfortable with that dealers treatment/policy, find another that you are......

as for the cayanne issue (if thats even what you have) i dont have ANY experience towing with one of those, but i DO with an x5 50series (twin turbo v8) and anthing more than my boat ( about 4500lbs) is a plain MISERABLE towing experience...and thats with much less frontal area wind resistance to boot...(although my other tow vehicle is an f250 so its relative..LOL

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[Terier]

Sorry but I also don't see anything wrong with the dealer's reply for the reasons already mentioned. I would insist on a detailed walk-through with checking everything out. If there is anything that needs fixing I would leave it there until it gets taken care of. Maybe you can camp close by for the first night or something. I know this isn't the answer you were hoping for but this is pretty standard operating practice for many dealerships.

Good luck and please do keep us updated if you don't mind.

[Oaklevel]

Sorry I too agree with the dealer.

[john777]

Sounds good thanks

[john777]

Originally Posted by ebemis

I agree with Dave...get your Porsche taken care of by Porsche! As for them not wanting you to bring your own mechanic...why do they have to know its a mechanic, just tell them it is your brother in law who knows more about RV's then you do! ;-)

If the dealer is a reputable one, I don't think you would have to worry about things but YES I also agree, if YOU aren't happy with anything on the walk through, then simply don't take delivery or hand over money...wait until the rig is just what you expect for what you are paying and THEN hand your hard earned money over and drive your new toy home!

Also, don't even consider trying to pull a trailer without a WDH, even if you think you are within weight limits, cargo and people change the dynamics quickly. The WDH will provide much needed security and safety...stay no higher than 65mph and simply drive easy..don't push it and you will love the decision to purchase!

The dealer is Camping World

[Big Bad Allis]

Originally Posted by john777

The dealer is Camping World

Then I would still take it to a Porsche dealer. Camping world tech do not have the expertise to work on your vehicle.

Good luck

[john777]

Originally Posted by anaro

For your original question. I could see having a rv tech look at a used unit but not a new one. The pdi walks you through everything. Do not give the dealer any money until the pdi is completed and any repairs have been completed to your satisfaction. As others have said, I'm betting you don't have a mechanic look st a new car before purchase.

I'm guessing if you have a Porsche it is the cayenne. A quick search shows a wheel base of 114" and a max tow capacity of 7700 lbs. That is before passengers, fuel and gear. I don't know the payload but that is going to be your weakest link. I'm willing to bet you will be way over on payload and over on your adjusted towing capacity (TV gcwr - tv actual Wright with passengers etc). Having towed a 30ft tt with an Suv that had 123" wheel base and a tow capacity of 9100 lbs (810 lbs payload), I can tell you from experience if is a bad idea. I was pushed and pulled all over the place by passing cars, trucks and suvs not to mention the semis. Final straw came when I didn't have enough TV to control the tt coming down a 7% grade. Never ever will I let that happen again. You really need a smaller trailer or larger suv/ truck. And with a trailer that size, a wdh is an absolute must. You will definitely exceed your hitch ratings without it (although the loaded tongue weight on that tt will likely exceed them even with wdh).

The tt you are looking at has a dry weight of 5631 lbs and a gvwr of 7600 lbs. You are likely looking at 6600-7000 lbs loaded weight based on averages. This means a potential loaded tongue weight of 840-1050 lbs (ideal tongue weight is 13-15% of loaded tt weight.)

I know that's not what you are asking but honestly, you need to hear it. By the way, my tt was 5700 lbs dry, 7300 lbs loaded. I use a reese dual cam wdh even with a 1 ton truck towing it. Yes you need a good wdh with integrated sway control and not just a wdh with a simple sway bar for that size trailer.

Great input here. This is not your average SUV. This is a 5800 lb, extremely powerful vehicle 450HP, 460 TQ. I'm going to jump over to a Cayenne forum and do more research on this too. All of your input is extremely helpful.

Got it. I paid a 1000$ deposit, so I will bring the cashiers check for the rest. I have this feeling the next thing is going to be : "you need to finalize the purchase before the PDI"....

[john777]

Originally Posted by Big Bad Allis

I also don't think the dealers policy is wrong. It's a new unit and there will always be a couple things you take it back for anyways.

The post a couple above mine should be heeded. It is dangerous and outright uncomfortable to pull overloaded and outside of your TV specs. The suspension on the Porsche will be constantly fighting the load and the P-rated tires will also have a lot of flex. You may even have Z rated tires which are not for towing at all. Even with a 1-ton truck I did not like pulling my 30' TT with the Reese dual cam WD anti sway.

Good luck and don't let these responses turn you off if the RV lifestyle and fun. I think you do need to rethink your trailer selection though

I will jump over to the Cayenne forum and do further research. Thank you.

[john777]

Originally Posted by Big Bad Allis

Then I would still take it to a Porsche dealer. Camping world tech do not have the expertise to work on your vehicle.

Good luck

Here is a good side note... I bought the Cayenne used from a dealer in OH with a 2 year warranty. It was burning lots of oil and after the first year of monitoring the consumption, Porsche agreed to REPLACE the engine (shortblock) ($25000 job) no cost to me because it was under warranty.
While it was in the shop I told them I wanted to get a brake controller installed, and for whatever reason, they asked that i have the trailer dealer install it. So I am going to go back to Porsche and insist they get it installed.

[ChooChooMan74]

I am all for towing small (look at my profile), but the trailer you're looking at is well into 150/1500 territory. Maybe something like an evergreen rv trailer may be a little better off.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using the FRF mobile app.