What is longest time at a dealer for repair

DTordoff · 02-27-2019, 04:38 PM

My Forest River Legacy, 40’ Class A is at my dealers for some repairs. Most significant is a slide trapped and not useable, miscellaneous electrical issues, suspension tuning and replacement of microwave. Seems like a L O N G time that they have had it.

Chief T · 02-27-2019, 04:42 PM

So, how looooonnnnnngggggggg has it been?

NMWildcat · 02-27-2019, 04:44 PM

One of the first pieces of advice I have for any RVer is NEVER take your RV to a dealer for service, including warranty.

Take it to an independent service only shop. They can do warranty work also, and will usually deal directly with FR or extended warranty. You will be much happier. You will be looking at hours/days instead of weeks/months. The service will almost always be superior also.

Teetime · 02-27-2019, 05:08 PM

Can't contribute about the longest, but may have the shortest! Pulled in and out with troubleshooting and replacement of my roof air unit in about 2 and a half hours! 2 years now extended warranty on that . Great job Midwest RV St. Louis!

SunseekerFunseekers · 02-28-2019, 02:17 PM

I guess we were "somewhat fortunate" in that we had a l-o-n-g list of warranty items that needed to be taken care of, but nothing that really hampered our use of our motor home.

At summer's end, I contacted our dealer's service department & asked if we could bring it in & get everything fixed/corrected at once. The woman asked me to send her my list (which I immediately did).

She got w/FR & called me back, next day - biggest issue was the entire kitchen counter that I insisted be replaced (it had little chips everywhere on the underside), as well as an outside stripe (decal), that had small chips in it.

She stated the counter would take ~2-3 weeks, but the decal, probably closer to 4-6 weeks to get in, & how did we want to handle.

I told her we would wait for the counter, & could they fix everything else (except for decal) at that time.

Counter did take close to 2 wks, but we took MH right in & they fixed everything perfectly, in 1.5 days; we were very pleased.

That said, I can only suggest calling them first with your items needing to be looked at, & asking how long it should take & when you can drop your RV off, as the woman informed me that a lot of folks simply drop their RVs off, instructing them to "fix everything & call when complete!"

I would NOT go to an independent shop (with warranty issues), as nothing really behooves them to hurriedly handle your repairs, plus they have to turn around & bill Forest River, more of a hassle than many want to deal with - I say this, as a friend of ours went this route & it ended up taking forever/becoming a real nightmare for him...

Good luck!

jimmoore13 · 02-28-2019, 02:52 PM

Brought my PUP in for warranty replacement of roof (delamination). Dropped it off in November. Picked it up yesterday.
BUT...surrendering it in the winter and being patient was part of the plan. This was a rather big deal repair in that the dealer needed to confirm the problem, submit for the replacement parts, and then FR had to ship a roughly 14' by 7' roof to the dealer...crate it and ship it...then the dealer needed to get the unit in line and replace it after the roof arrived.

The only other time I brought it to a dealer was to grease the wheel bearings and adjust the brakes. That took only a few days, but again, I planned in advance.

Otherwise, I've done all work myself.

TryingToLearn · 02-28-2019, 02:54 PM

Took mine in to a dealer 4 hours from home for a slide issue, AFTER I interviewed the manager about specifics on the problem, and was told would have it back in a week. 3 months later (and many many phone calls) I got it back unfixed with a large bill. Called LCI (Schwintek) scheduled a field tech for 9 days out. Met the tech and had it all fixed in 2.5 hours. Never going to a dealer again!!!!

formerFR · 02-28-2019, 03:08 PM

My advice would be to always discuss the issues with the service department by phone, though they will almost certainly tell you the stock answer that 'we need to take some time to check it first, so we'll know what we need to take care of' - so take your RV to your favorite dealer or service center, and have them immediately look it over.
If they say they need to 'hold' your RV, ask them for the date they want to have you bring it over, and then let them know that as soon as they have inspected it and found what they need to do, you will pick it up and only return it when they have ALL the parts, and are actually READY to do the work. You then, and only then, take it to them, with the expectation that they will not 'keep' it more than several days, otherwise you should show up and show your face, expecting to take it home with you.

Don't let dealers hold your RV hostage. They are busy, yes, and they are not always the best at 'scheduling' the real time it may take to handle repairs, so therefore if you just allow them to park it in their service lot, it's guaranteed that other RVs will take precedence before yours, even ones that arrived AFTER yours.
Yes, RV repairs, especially warranty related, take time. The dealer or service center must determine the work to be done, what's covered by warranty, what's not, and the approximate time for the repairs. This does not include, though, the time that it takes for warranty parts to get ordered, get approved, and get shipped. Even the items that arrive may sit on the parts floor for many days before they get checked in and realize that 'your' parts have arrived. They then, and only then, try to see where your RV repairs can now fit into 'their' schedule.

We learned early on that we just simple NEVER leave our RV anywhere, without us being there with it. If I stop at a CW or other dealer during our travels, I let them know that we expect the repairs or service to be done today. We are waiting. We've so far never yet stopped by a CW and not had them look at our rig and do any work, right then, while we waited. CW may not have the best reputation on these forums, but my experiences apparently are not the 'norm', though I'm sure that it's not me, personally, just that we go into it with the idea that either they help us, or we are moving on.

I understand that many folks don't have the ability to wait, or may not can bring themselves to 'demand' certain things, but the idea is that dealers and service centers aren't going to hold my rv hostage, just so their time can trump mine. My rv is for traveling, not for sitting at a dealer.

It's not easy, sometimes, but those who allow the dealers to hold their RV in anticipation that 'magic' is going to happen after they leave, are probably just asking for aggravation. When dealers and service centers don't have us sitting around waiting to take our RVs home can easily fall into the 'something else more urgent came up' syndrome, or even 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality.
It's common. And many times we let them do it.

TheWolfPaq82 · 02-28-2019, 03:13 PM

OP never replied as to how long it's been there. One day ? two weeks ? 9 months ?

**bikendan** · 02-28-2019, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

OP never replied as to how long it's been there. One day ? two weeks ? 9 months ?

Its been less than 24 hours since they started this thread. So let's give them some time.

Rmstack · 02-28-2019, 03:25 PM

It pays to be patient, but after a week, I'd call to check on the status. If that does not work, then I have been known to drive to the dealership and personally check on the progress. When I take it in for warranty or other work, I, also, tell them when I definitely need to have it back.

dahagen · 02-28-2019, 03:42 PM

The biggest problem with dealer service centers seems to be parts orders. After a week or so make them prove the part(s) are on order or back-order. One situation i had was a part was on 'back-order' over two months, then a new parts manager took over and told me she couldn't find any order for me. And as others have said "Find an independent repair shop." My son works at one and says FR is easy to deal with. FR will honor the factory warranty at his shop.

brannon · 02-28-2019, 04:07 PM

When I was under warranty I always let the dealer know I would drop off on Saturday and pick up next Saturday. Sometimes it was fixed and sometimes not. Dealer was close so no big deal for me. Never missed a camp out.

MR.M · 02-28-2019, 04:29 PM

The biggest delay is the way dealers are forced to deal with warranty . the list you give is a starter . then a tech has to go over everything on the list do a write up as to what needs to be done , what parts are needed and then expected time involved . then it goes the the warranty gal that gets a hold of FR or what ever division she needs to for the RV . has to get approval , then get pats ordered , hope all the right parts come in and none are broken , then deal with the tech that complains that 13 minutes is not enough time to replace that kitchen faucet or what ever the issues are . then get another approval from warranty to justify the extra time they made need . then sit and wait for parts . sometimes a week some times 2 weeks or more . once parts are in TECH say great now i can earn some money , cause in a flat rate shop up until now he's not earned a dime . so gets the 5 other units in front of you that the parts came in on done then pulls your unit into the bay and gets to work . fixing most things untill he get's the that counter top , what ever and part is broken or wrong . then starts over . can't blame the techs , can only blame the people who coordinate these jobs and that's 9 times out of 10 the manufactures

HangDiver · 02-28-2019, 05:03 PM

We have a small local dealer here in town who are very helpful & welcoming. When I need a part but am unsure of what will fit, they give me the whole assortment to take home, do the repair myself, and bring back the ones that didn't work and pay for what I used. Every January I drop my trailer over there for some preventative maintenance and its usually ready within a day or two.

Holiday RV in Poncha Springs, CO. Hope its ok to put that there.

Sharon455 · 03-01-2019, 12:17 PM

Just shy of 7 months when we brought our Stealth Toyhauler in for water damage. Dealer claimed FR sent the wrong cabinets and facing, but I suspect they ordered the wrong units.
In by mid November, out the beginning of June. We live in Arizona, so that was like losing it for an entire season.

5picker · 03-01-2019, 12:24 PM

I guess I don't understand these threads?

Why would you take your R/V to a dealer for repairs and leave it there without knowing a time frame for return in advance.

I read these threads where someone dropped off their R/V in November and still didn't have it back in March. That is as much the owners fault (if not more) than the dealer.

Communication must be non-existent?

If they are not fixing it to your satisfaction, go get it and take it somewhere who will or call a mobile tech.

These dealers will only get away with what you let them.

bob213 · 03-01-2019, 01:09 PM

1st trailer we had(SOB) was in the shop 7 months out of the first 12 we owned it. Best was Motley RV Repair in Oklahoma City where I pulled into the parking lot and the owner did the factory recall on the refrigerator, let me leave the trailer to go to OKC Memorial and then told me no charge but I could put a donation in their jar for their organization of the month. That was impressive!

NMWildcat · 03-01-2019, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5picker

I guess I don't understand these threads?

Why would you take your R/V to a dealer for repairs and leave it there without knowing a time frame for return in advance.

I read these threads where someone dropped off their R/V in November and still didn't have it back in March. That is as much the owners fault (if not more) than the dealer.

Communication must be non-existent?

If they are not fixing it to your satisfaction, go get it and take it somewhere who will or call a mobile tech.

These dealers will only get away with what you let them.

X2. We have refused to use dealers for any service (including warranty) for almost 8 years. Much happier.

**bikendan** · 03-01-2019, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5picker

I guess I don't understand these threads?

Why would you take your R/V to a dealer for repairs and leave it there without knowing a time frame for return in advance.

I read these threads where someone dropped off their R/V in November and still didn't have it back in March. That is as much the owners fault (if not more) than the dealer.

Communication must be non-existent?

If they are not fixing it to your satisfaction, go get it and take it somewhere who will or call a mobile tech.

These dealers will only get away with what you let them.

Some background to my post.
We bought our first trailer from a Chicago dealer 2000 miles away.
So for any local warranty work, I had to accept that I was at the back of the line. I was fine with this, since we didn't use the trailer during the winter.
And they were happy because I wasn't making any time frame demands.
So I got free winter storage, they didn't have to rush the repairs and I didn't have to push it with them.

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