First real test of dealer

[Pipers Family]

We still have not gotten any actual work done on our trailer 11 days out. Three camping trips and the bedroom slide quits. We were told these are very common parts that go out on these slides. So why are they not in stock and yet to be shipped? They haven't even addressed the water leaks, and the slide adjustment to keep the vinyl floor from being torn more has not been done. We were determined to be patient for at least 2 weeks, but a new trailer in the shop just sitting while we would like to be camping is trying our patience. Im thinking by next Monday there better be some good news and a pickup date scheduled for the very near future. We purchased a 2500 dollar extended warranty and it will be cancelled if the trailer is not repaired in a manner we approve of and if we have no confidence in the people who are authorized to do the warranty work- might as well cancel and get a refund- which we were told we could do. The dealer is 90 minutes from our house, and so not convenient anyway.

[primetime1]

makes you wonder if they are putting everybody on the back burner to get all those new rv's out that were sold at the show a couple weeks ago. all the pdi that they have to do keeps them away from the repairs.

[another_newfie]

This time of year PT and the dealers are up to their eyeballs in new rigs; that is for sure. However, no excuse. If your dealer made promises, then lean on them to ensure they stand up to them. Last year when we took delivery of our new PT unit in April our dealer stepped into 'it' a bit when it came to promising delivery and installation of toppers. My wife and I held their feet to the fire and did not let up. Luckily our dealer is about 5 minutes from our house, so popping by and 'reminding' them of their promises was easy.


I have to say, that your mention of a 2500 extended warranty is concerning. Those extended warranties that dealers sell are often not worth the paper they are written on. I'd be taking out the magnifying glass and going over the fine print of it for sure.

[Pipers Family]

Thank you all. We had a Hilo trailer for 8 years. Lots of hydraulics and other things that could have potentially had problems. It was wonderful. No problems with it and so we aren't just people who find fault with things. Hilo set the bar high and even though we did not expect this new trailer to have such quality, of course we would have liked it to come close. We continue to try and get our trailer repaired and back for camping during this- one of our favorite times of the year for camping.

[dmax]

prime time quality control not worth any thing 325res water leak loose wiring in breakers wire crimped on insulation of wire to levelup wire just touching conector all failure of quality control they say is next to none dealers no better how come they all say 2week back log an they take 4to 6 wk an still not fix all problem

[another_newfie]

dmax that sucks that you have experienced such things with your unit. I read all too many horror stories about dealers. I'll say that in our case I've had my unit back to the dealer 3 times and each time the work was done on time when they promised it would and done properly as well. Heck I damaged my front baggage door myself and had it replaced at my dealer under a warranty claim. They did it in exactly the amount of time they said they would. Not all dealers are bad, but there sure are a lot of them that are. That is why I'd say you need to research your dealer just as much as the rig if possible.

[jonrjen]

Expectations vs. Reality seldom end in a tie or neutral score.

RV warranty service and parts availability is not anywhere near that of the automobile industry. Most RV dealers cannot afford to keep a well stocked inventory of parts on hand. And in many cases if the part is in stock they will not simply replace the part without receiving authorization from the manufacture who actually warranties the part in question. The dealer doesn't want nor can they afford to be left holding the bill for replacement of a part and labor that is later denied or questioned.

RV service techs are also not always available. It is kind of a seasonal employment job. So finding qualified employees is not as easy as it may seem. Finding someone to wash, clean or sale an RV is easy, but to find someone who knows the electrical system, the hydraulics, water, plumbing and adjustments is another story. Many of these items if not fixed right could only make things much worse down the road.

This time of the year is one of the busiest times for dealerships. New inventory arriving, being sold and then at the time of PDI issues are found and have to be addressed ASAP. Why, because unless then are the new owner will not sign the papers to close the deal, and the dealership doesn't receive payment or funding to keep the lights on, pay the sales staff or replace the inventory. It all comes down to accounting and bottom line numbers.

I know it can be frustrating when things don't move at your expectations. And it makes it all the worse when it happens during that limited time of the year that you can make full use of your RV.

As for expectations of an extended aftermarket pre-purchased warranty having anything to do with quicker service or priority status, I wouldn't count on it. Many time these extended third party extended warranties will not cover anything that is currently under the manufactures warranty time period.

Try to remember it is not personal to anyone but you. Emotions will only cloud things, Keep things social, state your problem, issue and ask for a time frame of when you can expect things to be completed. Again, keep it professional and emotions in check.

Now, let's go be Happy Campers.

FWIW: not all of our RVs have been perfect, matter of fact only one of many ever was.

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by dmax

prime time quality control not worth any thing 325res water leak loose wiring in breakers wire crimped on insulation of wire to levelup wire just touching conector all failure of quality control they say is next to none dealers no better how come they all say 2week back log an they take 4to 6 wk an still not fix all problem

I have / had 2 primetime units. 2013 tracer and 2014 lacrosse.
I had several problems with both units that I feel should have been caught at the factory. My laundry list is too long to list all things here.
On my tracer the factory installed a cracked shower and filled it with gobs n gobs of caulk. Took months to get the factory and my dealer to okay a fix.
On my lacrosse the factory did not put on the rubber weather stripping around my bedroom slide-out. During a rain storm tons of water came in my units bedroom floor. Same thing with the upper fridge vent.
My problem of most condenser now is my slide-out wear that I will have to take care of on my own. I have had that fix a few times now and it still wearing when I stored it for the winter. Prime time and my dealer call it normal, so when it wears out that will be normal too?I call it a future problem of potential wood rot.
After my tracer that had qc problems we shop n shop. Only to find Primetime has the best units for the buck and quality too. Thus we bought another primetime. What does that say about the rv industry???
I think I have worked all the bugs out of it now....I hope.
Primetime has always returned my calls and answered all my questions.
The guys there are great to work with and can help you get a repair done.
We love our primetime lacrosse!!!! Any unit will have problems ,,,just have to work them out.