For the newbies considering buying an RV...

[tomkatb]

The current rv industry will take every shortcut in the world to build a unit.

They are expanding exponentially and good workers are scarce.

Quality runs the gambit from zero to 80%.

While the check is in your pocket they will do anything to get it.

Thus during the walk thru you are responsibility to make sure everythingk is correct. Or no check.

Warranty work is frustrating. My dealer requires a reservation for filing a claim. You wait 1-3 MONTHS for an appointment. Take the rig back and wait again for manufacturer approval. The parts are ordered. Then you make another appointment for service. The process takes months.

So the pre delivery inspection is real important. Sometimes not. There are a few dealers that care. Mine was near perfect. Feeling lucky?

It is very important.

Shop wisely!

[AWF1945]

Interesting read to say the least. I've owned campers/motorhomes for over 35 years. Cheap ones, not so cheap, and very expensive ones. I don't count on dealers, or most repair shops to fix my problems.

I usually fix my own stuff. I would love to have wire and plumbing schematics from factory and would be willing to pay for them! Don't think that will happen. When my 2015 is labeled as an older unit, that makes me a little nervous. Seems like everyone that built the "older" units are gone. In my case and others as well, we will depend on the factory to help us with the problems we can't figure out, or necessary parts that are exclusive to our units. Least I hope we can!

We really like our DX3 and plan on keeping it. Yes... I've had issues here and there but that goes with owning any motorhome. I do like this forum and the help it recieves from Dynamax factory personnel. Thats huge! Thanks for that! I'm a fan.

-slim

[xrpb11a]

By the time you get the post sale pre delivery walkthrough, isn't the financing and down payment stuff all sorted out? Hence no check in your pocket, just at the mercy of the dealer?

Originally Posted by tomkatb

While the check is in your pocket they will do anything to get it.
Shop wisely!

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by xrpb11a

By the time you get the post sale pre delivery walkthrough, isn't the financing and down payment stuff all sorted out? Hence no check in your pocket, just at the mercy of the dealer?

All they had was a deposit. They didn't get paid until after the PDI/walkthrough was done and I had a list of everything needing to be fixed and an appointment set.

[tomkatb]

ditto bikendad

No tickie, no washie as was said.

The cashiers check is in your pocket. to be signed by you and them.

After they have the check repairs will take months!

They make no money on warantee repairs and do not want to do them.

[MoJoe1003]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

ditto bikendad



No tickie, no washie as was said.



The cashiers check is in your pocket. to be signed by you and them.



After they have the check repairs will take months!



They make no money on warantee repairs and do not want to do them.

After 39 years in the automobile (Ford) and motorcycle (Harley-Davidson) business as an operator and owner, it never ceases to amaze me how this myth that dealers make no money on warranty continues to perpetuate. The manufacturers in almost all cases pay the dealerships the same hourly rate to do their warranty work as the dealer charges for non-warranty work. All those years my profit margin was the same on hour of warranty work as it was on an hour of “customer pay”.
The only caveat I would throw in would be that warranty work can be a bit more hassle if approvals are required. The RV manufacturers should take a lesson from the automotive world and allow their dealers “self approval” on most warranty repairs, then monitor them for compliance with their standards. Wait times, repair times and out-of-service times would drop dramatically while improving customer satisfaction. However, this would require trusting your dealers to make good decisions, hmmm? The current system of: bring your unit in for diagnosis, we’ll submit to the manufacturer for approval, then we can order the part, wait however long for the part to arrive, then wait to get worked back in the system to have it installed, is antiquated, out-dated and extremely inefficient for the dealer, the manufacturer and most importantly the customer.
Time to get out of the 1950’s and move into the 21st century.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by MoJoe1003

After 39 years in the automobile (Ford) and motorcycle (Harley-Davidson) business as an operator and owner, it never ceases to amaze me how this myth that dealers make no money on warranty continues to perpetuate. The manufacturers in almost all cases pay the dealerships the same hourly rate to do their warranty work as the dealer charges for non-warranty work. All those years my profit margin was the same on hour of warranty work as it was on an hour of “customer pay”.
The only caveat I would throw in would be that warranty work can be a bit more hassle if approvals are required. The RV manufacturers should take a lesson from the automotive world and allow their dealers “self approval” on most warranty repairs, then monitor them for compliance with their standards. Wait times, repair times and out-of-service times would drop dramatically while improving customer satisfaction. However, this would require trusting your dealers to make good decisions, hmmm? The current system of: bring your unit in for diagnosis, we’ll submit to the manufacturer for approval, then we can order the part, wait however long for the part to arrive, then wait to get worked back in the system to have it installed, is antiquated, out-dated and extremely inefficient for the dealer, the manufacturer and most importantly the customer.
Time to get out of the 1950’s and move into the 21st century.

We already do that. I also don't understand how this myth of "approvals take so long" continues. We have a pretty extensive "flat rate code"...which allows the dealers to "self approve". If its in the book, do the work, get paid the amount. pretty simple. The only time they need approval is when they are "outside" the rate code book or are asking for extra time. We just re-did that book, because we will pay more for things than lets say a stick-and-tin travel trailer to replace a water pump. Maybe ours takes more time for whatever reason...so we can adjust our rate higher.

It was interesting, I had lunch with a guy that ran parts and service for one of the largest automotive groups in the US. Now in RV's, he was analyzing the delays. There is a mis-conception (according to him) that it is parts related. Yes, he said, parts can be an issue, but most parts come in within two weeks. But what happens is they park that unit, parts come in and they are busy working on other things and it just gets left. There is not a good scheduling system to get those back in on time. Some dealerships are good....many are not.

[MoJoe1003]

Originally Posted by bclemens

We already do that. I also don't understand how this myth of "approvals take so long" continues. We have a pretty extensive "flat rate code"...which allows the dealers to "self approve". If its in the book, do the work, get paid the amount. pretty simple. The only time they need approval is when they are "outside" the rate code book or are asking for extra time. We just re-did that book, because we will pay more for things than lets say a stick-and-tin travel trailer to replace a water pump. Maybe ours takes more time for whatever reason...so we can adjust our rate higher.



It was interesting, I had lunch with a guy that ran parts and service for one of the largest automotive groups in the US. Now in RV's, he was analyzing the delays. There is a mis-conception (according to him) that it is parts related. Yes, he said, parts can be an issue, but most parts come in within two weeks. But what happens is they park that unit, parts come in and they are busy working on other things and it just gets left. There is not a good scheduling system to get those back in on time. Some dealerships are good....many are not.

Hats off to you for taking a progressive role and allow self-approvals for the dealers. It is not unexpected that you are out front on this issue at Dynamax. Not all RV manufacturers do that. I know two years ago Airstream did not have that system in place. I also know that Justin Humphreys, COO Airstream, was studying the issue, especially now that they have 17 or 18 Airstream exclusive dealerships.
I also believe dealers perpetuate some of these myths as a stalling tactic because, as you said, they do not have a good scheduling system. So, let’s just tell the customer we’re waiting on approval or we are waiting on the parts order, which is very short-sighted on their part. They think they are dodging the bullet when in reality they are diminishing the brand they represent and themselves at the same time.
Since we are talking about service and warranty approvals, I must commend Brian Meeks for his efforts on my behalf. He is always prompt in returning my calls and emails, he is very patient and easy to work with and will try to get anything I need sent to me very quickly. My experience with our coach and my attitude towards Dynamax would have been very different if it had not been for Mr. Meeks, Mr. Dobecki and yourself. It seems fairly easy for me to deal with Brian and get approvals, so I would imagine it would be easy for dealers to get the approvals when needed from their contacts at Dynamax.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by MoJoe1003

Hats off to you for taking a progressive role and allow self-approvals for the dealers. It is not unexpected that you are out front on this issue at Dynamax. Not all RV manufacturers do that. I know two years ago Airstream did not have that system in place. I also know that Justin Humphreys, COO Airstream, was studying the issue, especially now that they have 17 or 18 Airstream exclusive dealerships.
I also believe dealers perpetuate some of these myths as a stalling tactic because, as you said, they do not have a good scheduling system. So, let’s just tell the customer we’re waiting on approval or we are waiting on the parts order, which is very short-sighted on their part. They think they are dodging the bullet when in reality they are diminishing the brand they represent and themselves at the same time.
Since we are talking about service and warranty approvals, I must commend Brian Meeks for his efforts on my behalf. He is always prompt in returning my calls and emails, he is very patient and easy to work with and will try to get anything I need sent to me very quickly. My experience with our coach and my attitude towards Dynamax would have been very different if it had not been for Mr. Meeks, Mr. Dobecki and yourself. It seems fairly easy for me to deal with Brian and get approvals, so I would imagine it would be easy for dealers to get the approvals when needed from their contacts at Dynamax.

Thank you for that, I will certainly pass that on. And YES, I absolutely agree, most of it is a stall tactic. I can't tell you how many times I have answered an upset post here "well, my dealer has been great but they tell me they are just waiting on parts and it could be 6 weeks". So I go look and nothing is on order. I tell the customer and miraculously, we get a parts order from the dealer the very same day.

There are some dealers, I think Performance RV in Ohio, DeMartini out in California...and there are more, but those are the first that come to mind. They are of a mindset, Let's take care of the customer FIRST, figure the rest out later.

We had an issue with a customer on an AC, they were already handling it before even reaching out to us. Performance will pull it from another rig and then get stuff from us later.

At the end of the day, we forget 'The DEALER is who sold you the vehicle". Yes, they want paid for warranty, BUT, if they do not get fully reimbursed for something because they over-nighted a part without authorization or whatever. That is the cost of doing business and superior customer service. We often eat warranty charge backs or shipping costs because we did NOT follow company XX's procedures. But in some cases I don't have time to follow procedures, we have customers to take care of. A GOOD dealership will be doing the same thing. And we will always back up a dealer that is looking out for the customer first.

(PS. Our flat rate approval is not just Dynamax. That was a Forest River initiative.)