Isata 3 warranty service availability

[xgarys]

I'm considering the purchase of a slightly used Isata 3 that is still under warranty. The problem is that the two Isata dealers in my area are about 150 miles apart and I'm halfway between them. There is a very competent local shop near me that I've used in the past, will Dynamax/Forrest River allow them to do warranty work and pay them for it?

[V8vic]

I use a non-dealer for warranty work. They are authorized by forest river. Ask if that's the case with your shop.

[xgarys]

Please forgive my poor form, I'm new to this forum stuff.

Is there someone who represents the manufacturer that could pre-authorize my local shop to perform warranty work in the event that I need it? Although the unit I'm considering is fairly new I'm pretty certain that there will be a few warranty issues and it would be great if I didn't have to take it to a regular dealer in another state for service.

[caswelld]

Originally Posted by xgarys

Is there someone who represents the manufacturer that could pre-authorize my local shop to perform warranty work in the event that I need it?

That's a great question and one of our concerns before taking a leap of faith & ordering an Isata. My last MH, a Tiffin was so easy to get warranty work approved, just a call from a RV shop to Tiffin.

[mlmay12]

I ran into the same problem when I bought my Isata 3 in June 2016 at a dealer in Mesa AZ. I am in San Diego CA and had very few Dynamax dealers within a hundred miles. I actually drove the 550 miles back to the dealer to get one issue resolved. The Dealer paid for my gas and overnight stay at an RV Park. Cudos to "Desert Autoplex." The dealers that do sell Forest River are so busy that they only work on the ones they sell themselves. I currently have a water heater issue and my appointment is 10 weeks out at a local dealer.

Dynamax has been really good to work with and sent me a check to pay for a problem that had to be resolved by Mercedes Benz on the Chassis. I called Matt Swihart at Dynamax and he sent me an email listing of all the dealers within 100 miles that they work with. It was a big list and helped quite a bit. Dynamax has several times sent me replacement parts free of charge.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with an Isata 3 especially if you are pretty handy with tools. I have 14,000 miles on mine in 18 months and love it. The biggest issue I have is the cost of service to the MB Sprinter chassis. Even though the Service Interval is 20K miles, I am not comfortable with that. I plan to service it at least annually and the first one cost me $637 for an oil change and Fuel Filter Change (which they recommend annually). This was at 12K miles. You could do the Fuel Filter Change yourself for under $100 instead of $376 if you are willing to buy the special tools (MB Crimpers). I will probably do that soon.

I plan to change the Transmission Fluid every other year at probably a 24K mile interval. I have been monitoring the Trans Temp with an Ultragauge on my smart phone and it is rarely under 200 degrees while towing my Jeep and usually in the 215 - 230 degree range. These RV's are almost always at close to Max Cargo Capacity (11,030) or Max Combined Capacity (15,250) just the nature of the build.

Good Luck with your purchase.

[milkman55]

I just bought an Isata 3 from a dealer 3 hrs away (closest one). I have a non-dealer RV service center about 1/4 mile from my house who has been around a long time. He is authorized service for all the utilities and appliances I have on the Isata. I plan to use them for anything except problems with the "house" itself. Mercedes will have to correct any power train issues. I have a good MB dealer who also services RVs about 40 min away, but also have a Freightliner shop nearby that services Sprinters.

[caswelld]

Sounds like a good plan milkman, kind of cobble together a warranty system. But during the second year when the Dynamax warranty takes over it sounds like we're looking at a long expensive trip for repairs




Milkman, is your Isata the cabernet exterior? That's what we ordered. Looks great!



Dave

[milkman55]

We had planned to get the Cabernet, but ended up getting a Granite unit because it had the Mojava Ash wood which we liked. The Texas dealer had about 12 on the lot to pick from and we got a deal for end of model year and it had all the options we were looking for if we ordered.

Not sure about how the 2 yr warranty is handled, but I am retired so it's not a big deal to go 3 hrs for a service call. So far we have had zero issues with the Isata 3, so hopefully that will continue.

[caswelld]

Originally Posted by milkman55

So far we have had zero issues with the Isata 3, so hopefully that will continue.

Wow! That's great to hear. I know on the forums we mostly hear about the problems, but it's good to hear when things go right. I suspect there are lots more Isata 3 owners out there with your experience

Happy camping.



Dave

PS: We really liked the granite also, great looking coach!