Does Anybody Repair Besides Dealers

[mlsa3]

I know that ALL salesmen will promise you the moon until they get your money and then much of the time you are left on your on...no matter whether we are talking rv's, phones, cars, etc.

I've read so many complaints not only from Forest River owners but EVERY other brand that I've checked out about dealers that won't service or repair a unit they didn't sell.

My question is: What do you do if you need service or repair on your unit and let's say you bought the unit used from an individual or you bought the unit when you lived out of town or state?

Question 1: Do you just start calling around until you find someone that will work on it?

Question 2: Are there places that work on rv's, travel trailers, 5th wheels that are not dealers?

I've never had to take my Aframe back to the dealer I purchased from. I fixed the small problems myself and I know many of you do the same thing but there are SOME things that will take a professional to fix.

David

[Crusadernoob]

We bought ours in another state, we called a local dealer and they have been great to work with, small "mom & pop" store. Brought it back in last winter and is going back again this winter. Overall pretty happy with them.

[youroo]

There are Many Mobile Places as well as Dealers of ?? Brand that will Work on Anybodies Unit! On Used units its on you,on New, You call F/R for Confirmation # and then You Pay for the Repair and they will Reimburse You! Youroo!!

[Crusadernoob]

FWIW , when we did purchase our 5er we had a few minor things we found with it, tried multiple times to get the selling dealer to take care of with just the parts and they promised the world but never came through.

[Witch Doctor]

I refuse to take my trailer back to the dealer for repairs, I found a small shop that build an RV from the frame up. I had to have a hydraulic ram changed. Lippart sent them the jack and paid them to install it. Also Cequents sent the same shop a new Revolution for me. They have no affiliation with any brand, but do excellent work. How I found them was I had an A/C problem the second year, instead of calling FR I called coleman for one of there service centers to have my repair. I know my dealer has no one that could make the repair, They can replace them but they can't repair them.

[ependydad]

I like to use mobile RV techs and RV service centers. I generally don't trust dealers and their service departments.

[Herk7769]

Our local truck repair shop does my inspections and any work that is beyond the scope of my skills.

Highly recommended for anyone in the SE PA area:

Grow's Truck Service Home Page

[johndeerenut]

We got our new Forest River out of state and had trouble with the awning called Dometic they gave me numbers to the Dometic service techs in my area and they came right out just needed to prove who i am and date of purchase. Also when in Fla. There is a guy who comes thru our park almost daily. He to does warranty work on all brands. His name is Doug Rollerson. We stay near Daytona.

[Linnemj]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I like to use mobile RV techs and RV service centers. I generally don't trust dealers and their service departments.

The local dealer we took our trailer to for warranty repairs wanted to charge us an additional 5 hours of labor (@$120 per hour) to remove a line of caulk run along the top of the shower enclosure.


That is when we started using a local mobile RV tech.

[Allzright]

I found this site useful when traveling and also found a good RV repair facility in our home city, we full time and so far the longest we have spent in one place is 4 months.

http://http://rvservicereviews.com

[kjpapa]

I noticed that your location says Pasadena, Tx so you might be looking for someone in the Houston area. We live in Sugar Land and have found that PPL Motorhomes at HWY 59 and west Beltway 8 seems to be repair facility we like dealing with the best. You can actually make an appointment and usually get your unit fixed in a few days. I have never had it in for more than a week. That "few days" part alone makes them different than most of the dealers in the area. I know it is across town from Pasadena, but it still may be worth the drive. I usually talk to David at 800-755-4775 ext. 179.

When we are traveling with our rig we have found mobile service guys wherever we are that are reliable. You can ask at the campground where you are staying.

[jkoenig24]

LOTS of places will work on an RV. If you're looking for warranty coverage, be sure to talk to Forest River (or appropriate subdivision) BEFORE anyone starts working. And just because a shop is willing TO work on your rig, does NOT mean that they are qualified to do so. Ask LOTS of questions and make sure that you AND the shop have a clear understanding of what's to be done and how it will be paid for in advance. Document EVERYTHING

[aviator42]

A private or mobile repair shop is not trying to sell you something new. They make their money by getting your rig back on the road and making you happy.
I'm new at this but it makes common since to me to get someone other than a dealer to do repairs on your pride and joy.

[Wolverine 1945]

The real problem is finding someone that will do Warranty work !!!

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

The real problem is finding someone that will do Warranty work !!!

Only your Dealer who Sold you a unit is Required to provide Warr.Work! Lots of Dealers I would NOT want to work on our unit! Any other Dealer F/R or Not Might want You to Pay and You get paid back by F/R! The VERY First thing is to get a F/R OK and get a Repair # from F/R! Youroo!!

[rblake39]

We ordered our new fiver a month ago. Luckily I found this and other forums discussing how horrible a lot of dealer service is. Since we will be in Florida a majority of the time I did a search for mobile RV repair shops. I picked a couple, checked the BBB and Angie's list. Then called them to make sure they did FR warranty work. So I'm pretty confident that WHEN we do need warranty work, we will be taken care if. I have never even taken my cars back to a dealer for work. Don't trust any of em.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by rblake39

We ordered our new fiver a month ago. Luckily I found this and other forums discussing how horrible a lot of dealer service is. Since we will be in Florida a majority of the time I did a search for mobile RV repair shops. I picked a couple, checked the BBB and Angie's list. Then called them to make sure they did FR warranty work. So I'm pretty confident that WHEN we do need warranty work, we will be taken care if. I have never even taken my cars back to a dealer for work. Don't trust any of em.

I hope for your sake you are right about FR service,,, don't be surprised if they change there tune,,, after you buy a unit somewhere else !!!

Do not trust auto dealership service ???
I think in most cases,,, they are the most trust worthy !!!

[Witch Doctor]

I needed a repair done while on the road when I was under warranty. I called FR, they found a repair dealer in fact two I could choose from. One was located where we were at and the second was the next stop we would be making. I had no problem had it fixed and FR paid them. In and out the sameday they took care of everything. When your traveling it's different then looking for a dealer at home. They FR realizes that and will bend over backwards to help you out.

[keith_h]

I had issues with the dealer installed items and wouldn't go back to them. I needed some warranty work and had troubles with local FR dealers wanting to do the work as I didn't purchase there and it was getting into their busy season. Palomino contacted the dealer I preferred to work with and arranged for them to do the work. They did a good job and I've used them since for parts and winter maintenance.

[youroo]

We are allowed to Name (Good Dealers) God only knows we list (Bad Ones)! Youroo!!