Winterizing my trailer at the dealer service lot.

[timfromma]

Brought my trailer in for some minor repairs about 2 months ago. Due to parts and labor shortages, it's still there. Since one of the repairs is to the plumbing, I didn't bother winterizing it before it went up thinking I'd have it back long before the real cold weather set in. Well, here we are in late November with no confirmed completion date and my camper is there un winterized. They wanted to charge me $120 to winterize it for me but I've refused since I already had the antifreeze and the process only takes about 15 min. So this weekend, I will drive to the dealer and winterize it myself in their lot. They have told me this is ok and will leave it parked in a place where it will be easy to access. I am also bringing my air compressor to blow out any water they may have pumped in to test the repairs they made.


Aren't campers a hoot?

[darrellr]

I am still in a similar situation. The dealer agreed to winterize it for me at no charge. But they have had mine since July and I still have no completion estimate. Hoot is not how I would be describing it right now lol.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Aren't campers a hoot?

It’s not so much that campers are a hoot, it’s that RV dealers are a hoot.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by darrellr

I am still in a similar situation. The dealer agreed to winterize it for me at no charge. But they have had mine since July and I still have no completion estimate. Hoot is not how I would be describing it right now lol.

I'm trying to fathom what they could be doing that they have had your R/V since July?

I would be there every other day trying to find out what is necessary to get the unit fixed and back in operation.

First, I'd never settle for a "bring it in and we'll get to it." statement.
No... I'll bring it in when you are going to work on it.

Second, if it need parts and the R/V is still towable/drivable, go get it and do whatever is necessary to keep your R/v from freezing or being damaged or whatever.

I'm not defending R/V dealers because 'most' of them are sales oriented and not service dealers so some onus has to be on the buyer when purchasing, knowing if they are not mechanically inclined they likely won't get good service but when I read these posts of "my dealer has had my R/V for XX months" there simply has to be more to the story.

[AlaskaErik]

I just bought a new trailer and there is no way I'm leaving it on a dealer's lot for months on end. I'll pay a mobile RV service to repair it and I'll file a claim with the manufacturer. Even if it's denied, what I saved on buying it 1500 miles away will more than compensate whatever I pay out of pocket.

[Bob K4TAX]

For these earlier stated reasons are the primary justifications for doing my own repairs. When it gets to the point where I can't do my own repairs, I'll sell the darn thing.

I'm fortunate, I can keep our TT at the house, and have made provisions for a reliable and dedicated 120V 30A power source. I keep it maintained with regard to temperature and electricity year around. I do winterize it by draining and blowing out the water lines. This is a 15-minute job and cost nothing as I don't use RV antifreeze. The battery stays in place year-round and is maintained correctly by the converter.

I realize many are not as knowledgeable, talented, and experienced in electrical, plumbing systems, and mechanical systems and thus must rely on others. I'm fortunate and blessed in these regards. I have the time and the talent and no money. Go figure.

Although we are the 2nd owners of our TT, I have fixed or repaired many original factory-related issues. This is great satisfaction knowing it is now better than it came from the factory. I have also added many convenience features that greatly add to our enjoyment. Not to mention replacing the crappy Dometic 300 series crapper along with the pealing vinyl fabric-covered chairs and jack-knife sofa. All lightning is converted to LED dimmable bulbs. This is a 90% energy saving on the 12V DC system and battery.

If I had to keep it at a storage lot, it would be immediately for sale.

Bob

[ppine]

The whole service industry in this country is under staffed.
We need workers.
Winterizing your rig can take place anywhere.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I'm trying to fathom what they could be doing that they have had your R/V since July?

I would be there every other day trying to find out what is necessary to get the unit fixed and back in operation.

First, I'd never settle for a "bring it in and we'll get to it." statement.
No... I'll bring it in when you are going to work on it.

Second, if it need parts and the R/V is still towable/drivable, go get it and do whatever is necessary to keep your R/v from freezing or being damaged or whatever.

I'm not defending R/V dealers because 'most' of them are sales oriented and not service dealers so some onus has to be on the buyer when purchasing, knowing if they are not mechanically inclined they likely won't get good service but when I read these posts of "my dealer has had my R/V for XX months" there simply has to be more to the story.

My wife and I bought our first trailer from a dealer in 2012. Then in 2015 we traded it in for our current 5th wheel. Neither of them were or have ever back at the dealer's lot for any reason the entire time we've owned them.

We've always had mobile repair techs come to us the few times we've needed any kind of repairs that we couldn't take care of ourselves.

[timfromma]

Normally, I have zero issue handling repairs myself but since my season is over and my trailer is still under warranty, I figured I'd let them do it.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by Bob K4TAX

For these earlier stated reasons are the primary justifications for doing my own repairs. When it gets to the point where I can't do my own repairs, I'll sell the darn thing.

I'm fortunate, I can keep our TT at the house, and have made provisions for a reliable and dedicated 120V 30A power source. I keep it maintained with regard to temperature and electricity year around. I do winterize it by draining and blowing out the water lines. This is a 15-minute job and cost nothing as I don't use RV antifreeze. The battery stays in place year-round and is maintained correctly by the converter.

I realize many are not as knowledgeable, talented, and experienced in electrical, plumbing systems, and mechanical systems and thus must rely on others. I'm fortunate and blessed in these regards. I have the time and the talent and no money. Go figure.

Although we are the 2nd owners of our TT, I have fixed or repaired many original factory-related issues. This is great satisfaction knowing it is now better than it came from the factory. I have also added many convenience features that greatly add to our enjoyment. Not to mention replacing the crappy Dometic 300 series crapper along with the pealing vinyl fabric-covered chairs and jack-knife sofa. All lightning is converted to LED dimmable bulbs. This is a 90% energy saving on the 12V DC system and battery.

If I had to keep it at a storage lot, it would be immediately for sale.

Bob

I agree, Bob.

In a more general sense, just as in using RV dealers to service or perform warranty work on your RV, the more you rely on dealers to service your car, contractors to work on your house, financial advisors to take care of your money, etc., you are opening yourself up to dissatisfaction, receiving bad service, or being cheated.

In the case of RV repair and maintenance, I avoid the drawn out service scenarios such as that described by the OP by learning to, and doing all my own service and repairs. That often includes the warranty work, too. Whenever bad dealer service or long delay episodes are described by a forum member, I just nod and think yep, there's goes another one; glad I don't need to put up with that, or I'd possibly just sell the RV.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by Bob K4TAX

For these earlier stated reasons are the primary justifications for doing my own repairs. When it gets to the point where I can't do my own repairs, I'll sell the darn thing.

Bob

K. 2021 trailer here. Bought it in March, 2021. By June, 2021 the Lippert In-Wall (formerly Schwintek) slide was failing due to faulty installation by the manufacturer. Scheduled warranty repairs were scheduled for months later due to parts and labor backlog issues (I think it was repaired in November, if I remember correctly). So I guess you would have just sold the darn thing at a loss because it had a barely operable slide system and only a complete fool would have bought it?

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

I agree, Bob.

In a more general sense, just as in using RV dealers to service or perform warranty work on your RV, the more you rely on dealers to service your car, contractors to work on your house, financial advisors to take care of your money, etc., you are opening yourself up to dissatisfaction, receiving bad service, or being cheated.

In the case of RV repair and maintenance, I avoid the drawn out service scenarios such as that described by the OP by learning to, and doing all my own service and repairs. That often includes the warranty work, too. Whenever bad dealer service or long delay episodes are described by a forum member, I just nod and think yep, there's goes another one, just as expected.

I have to admit when it comes to home repairs, I learned my limitations a long time ago and know when it's time to bite the bullet and call in a professional for certain things. Especially my house where one small project can lead to finding multiple other issues that need to be addressed.

Saves a ton of time, aggravation and the shame of having to call in the pro once I've messed up even worse trying to fix it.

I tried to install a bathroom shower/tub once in my house. It was never quite right and we ended up paying someone to just gut the entire bathroom and re-do it. Much, much happier now.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

K. 2021 trailer here. Bought it in March, 2021. By June, 2021 the Lippert In-Wall (formerly Schwintek) slide was failing due to faulty installation by the manufacturer. Scheduled warranty repairs were scheduled for months later due to parts and labor backlog issues (I think it was repaired in November, if I remember correctly). So I guess you would have just sold the darn thing at a loss because it had a barely operable slide system and only a complete fool would have bought it?

If that trailer was mine, before going to the dealer or selling the RV, I would have made every attempt to repair it myself. It's possible through modifications that I could have made it better than a dealer repair would. Maybe I couldn't repair it, but I would certainly try.

I have had experiences with other vehicle types (boat, motorcycle) where I allowed the dealer to do warranty repair. Their efforts ultimately failed, and I then personally made repairs that succeeded and were lasting for as long as I owned the vehicle and beyond. Often times, warranties are rather worthless and DIY is better.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by timfromma

They have told me this is ok and will leave it parked in a place where it will be easy to access. I am also bringing my air compressor to blow out any water they may have pumped in to test the repairs they made.

Make sure to have a generator as I can 100% imagine them putting it somewhere that you won't have access to electricity.

[timfromma]

They told me it will be plugged in.

[timfromma]

Good thing I went. They had filled the plumbing with water and temperatures dropped into the teens last night. I ended up having to fully winterize from scratch which includes bypassing and emptying the water heater, blowing out the lines with compressed air and pumping in anti freeze.

[moose074]

I started trying to get my trailer in for minor repairs, and a few small cosmetic repairs that were missed on the PDI. In march they took it in April (There wasn’t a PDI it was delivered to my house, never went to local dealer. )Anyway it was mostly plumbing issues they said probably be done before end of that week. I was pretty sure the hot water heater was done for and they had to replace a few outer storage doors. I finally got her back a week ago tomorrow. Between supply issues, warranty approval process and two service managers. Yes we missed a summer worth of use but the problems discovered by them resulted in new leveling system landing jacks went out the day I dropped it off. Frustrating not to have it but mid August to first week of November I work 80 plus a week. So I wasn’t going anywhere

[cbari]

Don’t make the same mistake I did. Had mine at the dealer when it suddenly turned cold. Went to the lot and did the full winterization there, including bypassing and draining the water heater. Took it home a few days later and plugged it into power for the rest of the winter. In the spring, dewinterized it, refilled the water heater and thought I was ready to go. Guess what - no hot water! I had forgotten to turn off the switch at the water heater, so the electrode was burned up and the over temperature relays were shot! An expensive lesson to learn!

[gsv55]

It seems to me that if the dealer has been holding your trailer hostage for that long with no completion date they could at least give you a courtesy winterize.

[The Newsoms]

We took our boat for service. Was told they would order parts for it and it may be awhile. We were going to bring it home and have them let us know when to bring it back. They absolutely would not put it on the “books” unless it was left there which we reluctantly did. I don’t know why but maybe camper repair is the same.