Long distance purchase needs warranty work

[susanb06239]

We just took delivery of a 15 brookstone 395rl, long distance delivery, PA to CT. We are having an issue with the auto stabilizers/leveling. We also think the black tank may have a small leak. With the dealer 500 miles away we are concerned. They said have a local rv come out and fix and they would pay the bill but we haven't found one who would. Any feedback from owners who bought long distance would be great.
PS- Anyone know how to get the exterior speakers working...turned on all speakers from Jensen device and flipped both switches on main control panel that are labeled speakers but nothing.

[TURBS]

Congrats on your new unit.
When buying long distance sometimes this is the problem you run into. Good luck.




TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "4 nights"

[DaveandSue]

When we bought our 5er last year,we bought about 3 1/2 hours away.I told them when something went wrong,would they send the parts for me to fix.They did and i did all the small fixes.never had to take it back.I found that the local dealers didn't want any part of warranty work.Luckily nothing major as yours may be.Call and talk to one of the techs where you bought it.Just maybe he can walk you through a fix.

[Loraura]

We bought our Coachmen Freedom Express 292BHDS about 150 miles from home. When we found the converter was faulty from day 1 we called another Coachmen dealer 10 miles away and they verified they could do the warranty work. They have completed the work and charged us nothing.

If you can't find a closer dealer, call Brookstone and ask them to help you find the closest warranty repair shop.

[susanb06239]

Thanks everyone!

[D_B Travelers]

X2 on calling the selling dealer. They should assist you in actually locating a local shop that WILL do the work for you. They depend on long-distance sales for much of their business, so they should be happy to make the calls needed and arrangements for service locally.

[stevewise]

I had a warranty issue with mine and the local dealer would not do warranty work because I did not buy from them. So FR said I could get a mobile RV repair company to do the work but I would have to pay and then get reimbursed from FR. The other option was to call Coach-Net because I was still within the 1 year and they arranged everything with a dealer that was close.

Good Luck

[SilverArrowPro]

Not sure how far into Conn. you are, but Alpine Haus is really good, they are right off 84 near port jervis. Outside speakers should work off the unit. On mine, there are three buttons, A,B,C and C is for the outside speakers. The unit should tell you which ones are on. Not sure if that will help or not.

[j free]

Go on forest river web site and look for local dealers that service forest river in your area. They can do any warranty work for you. I bought mine 300 mile from my home but I have a rv dealer that's on the web site and they took care of my warranty work 5 miles away.

[D_B Travelers]

Yes, FR can give you a list of authorized dealers, but I have heard of some that will not service anyone but those that purchased the RV from them. The list is a good idea, but call the dealer and ask. Speak to the Service Manager, not the receptionist or Service Agent. Write down their name for future reference. Just a suggestion.

[waianaegal]

Having read other threads on this topic of local dealers refusing to do warranty work is of great concern to me, currently researching the purchase of an RV in the near future. Knowing that there is a great chance of issues on new units and as the first owner having the responsibility of location someone WILLING to do the work. I was starting to rethink FR as a contender.


Then I read other forums for other manufacturers and find the same concerns.


What happens if you are on the road thousands of miles from your purchasing dealer? How would a "local" dealer react to a request of warranty work?


Just more concerns to think about from a future buyer.

[D_B Travelers]

If you buy FR, they give you one year warranty for the unit. I also found out that for only $75 you can buy a second year of full warranty coverage, but you have to do that withing a few days of the original purchase and no one really pushes this little-known benefit. Read the papers that come with your coach and you will find it discussed and offered.
Also, they offer Coach-Net, road side assistance (Good Sam, and others also have a policies available) which will help with non-warranty isses. If you are on the road and need warranty work, I think most dealers will accommodate you, but I would call Forest River first and tell them what happened. I have heard of them sending a tech out to your location for the repair, or at least making a call to get it taken care of at the dealership nearby.

And the days for automobile/truck manufacturers honoring warranty work at any dealership is gone as well. I bought my GMC about 15 miles away and got 2 years of maintenance free. I tried to take it to the local Chevy dealership that is 2 miles away only to be informed if I didn't buy it from them, they don't do warranty work on it. So, I drive the 30 mile round trip for free oil changes, tire rotations, etc. I WILL not buy anything from the local guy. I called Chevy HQ in Detriot, and they said that the Auto Nation franchise had it written in their contract. So you can't just take a GM car or truck to just anyone either.

[Ham Camper]

I have to correct something D_B Travelers has said. You can take any Chevy or GMC or any GM product into any of their dealerships and they will do warranty work. If you buy in New York but break down in California they have you covered. What he is talking about is the FREE 2 YEAR maintenance program where they will change your oil and rotate your tires free of charge. That is true, you only get that where you buy the vehicle. It has nothing to do with the vehicle warranty.

[waianaegal]

I have read about the extended warranties and as someone who is techno challenged I know it is something on the list when the unit is purchased and reading the fine print is a real need when purchasing.


Thanks for responding, I'm finding so much info on forums such as this, the copy and paste feature works great when finding new info to keep track of...

[D_B Travelers]

Ham Camper, perhaps in your area but not this guy. They carefully explained that their franchise agreement with GM excluded them from GMC warranty work unless they didn't sell the vehicle. I wanted to double check so I asked them again just now. Derek at the service desk said if my GMC needs warranty service I will have to take it to a GMC dealer, they won't do it there. So unlike the old days where you could take any GM car or truck to any GM dealer that was convenient, not now, not at Auto Nation Chevy anyway.

[D_B Travelers]

Originally Posted by D_B Travelers

Ham Camper, perhaps in your area but not this guy. They carefully explained that their franchise agreement with GM excluded them from GMC warranty work unless they didn't sell the vehicle. I wanted to double check so I asked them again just now. Derek at the service desk said if my GMC needs warranty service I will have to take it to a GMC dealer, they won't do it there. So unlike the old days where you could take any GM car or truck to any GM dealer that was convenient, not now, not at Auto Nation Chevy anyway.

Actually "unless the DID sell" not didn't. Dang little bitty keyboard!

[MilCop4523]

try buying out of country. we did and saved almost 20 thousand dollars on our unit. had a coulple isses with the plumbing chafing through and some minor things which one local dealer refused to fix but a second did with us paying fo rthe parts and service and submitting the work done for reimbursement.
got our cheque in the mail and lets say the first dealer will never get our new business this year.

[B and B]

It is a shame they won't service you. Some mega-opulous dealers have a nationwide warranty network they will service anywhere close. In Canada the dealers are so few and far between it is hard to find even two dealers with the same brand in Ontario for example. Save Money up front but when it breaks you pay to get it serviced.

[jjholman]

We bought our Solera 24R from Iowa and live in Washington State. When we needed warranty work we had a warranty authorized Camping World do the work. It did take a 6-7 weeks to have them work on it due to communication/authorization from FR. We also needed warranty work on the Mercedez end. We had to pay for the repair and then were reimbursed from FR without any problems.

Hope you have found help.

[GreenImp]

Originally Posted by D_B Travelers

So unlike the old days where you could take any GM car or truck to any GM dealer that was convenient, not now, not at Auto Nation Chevy anyway.

Well then, it sounds like you made the right choice not buying from Auto Nation...IMHO.