The most important call to make when buying an RV
 

Dear friends, I just made a call that I wish I would have made BEFORE buying my RV:

I called the service dept., and said I want to bring in my RV for some warranty repairs. Their reply? "Have you ever used our service dept. before? We operate on a first come , first serve basis. We only accept RVs in for work on Tuesdays with an appointment, and it will be a minimum of 4-6 weeks before you will get it back."

"But I haven't told you what is wrong yet"

"No matter, we will discuss that when you bring it in. Bring it in the second Tuesday from now, and it will be at least 4-6 weeks before you will get it back. Thank you."

Is this what everyone gets? The "other place" told me (before sale), that their repair dept. can fix most things on the spot, just drop in whenever you like.

Oh well, I guess it will be like free storage for whatever time my dealer has it...

This is why, previously, I always make a list, including state inspection, and schedule my service for the first week of November, after the end of our season. The dealer can keep it for as long as they want as long as it doesn't run into the following April. If I feel like they dragged their feet, I leave my RV on their lot until way after they have screamed at me to come pick it up because they have no room on their lot for it. Payback's a b@$#h.

Bruce

No, it is not what I get. I have a very good dealer that you can drop in on at any time and they will address the issue in a timely manner. Most issues have been "fixed on the spot" and those requiring FR authorization and parts were handled with in one to two weeks.

The only delay I've experienced has been setting up an appointment for some touch up paint work. That involves a third vendor, a local paint and body shop, and required a bit more time to coordinate at roughly three weeks.

I think choosing a dealer is a just as, if not more, important than choosing your RV. You have to live with both of them and either can be a real PITA if you make the wrong choice.

Absolutely agree, and if buying from a distant dealer, insist they identify a local service center where I can verify willingness to care for my camper before I make the purchase.

We bought out of state but we set things up with our local dealer for service and cant say enough about the GOOD SERVICE from Vancouver RV, in Vancouver,Wa.

Very interesting way to do business (or not do business, I guess). Who is the dealer?

Fun Town RV, Houston (Wharton) Tx

Crestview RV in Buda, TX gave me a similar line.

My dealership is not fantastic but not nearly regimented as you describe.

Well, add that to the list of dealers I wouldn't buy from!

I had an issue with the dinette table in our new fifth wheel (the legs are wobbly, and it's obviously an issue with the table legs themselves).
The local dealer, that I purchased the 5th wheel from, required me to make an appointment (for 2 weeks later) to look at the issue, and it took some persuading to get them to agree that I didn't need to bring in the 5th wheel just for them to look at the table (and that I could just take in the table itself instead).

They did look at the issue straight-away (ish) when I arrived for the appointment tho', and after half an hour had agreed (with what I said in the first place) that they just needed to order a replacement table (which I'm still waiting for).

I think that part of the issue with them is that they have very limited parking space for the service dept, and so can't handle more than 2 (or at most 3) RVs around their service dept, so can't handle people turning up without appointments.

My dealer often fixes things the same day, and even fixes things that weren't the reason we brought it in. Been very happy with them. That is why I buy from small, independent dealers.

I have been in and out of my dealership multiple times over the past year. They always get me in within a couple of weeks, quicker if it's an urgent issue. The trailer gets back to me quickly too. It depends on parts (whether in stock or need to be ordered). Only time I had a real issue, a call to Forest River got it straightened out. Now my old tt was bought from a different dealership (think the Wal-Mart of the camping world :roflblack:). They took forever to get me in and more than a month to get it back to me each time. I have learned to find out about the service department before buying as they will be who you deal with.

Who is this?

I have had an awsome experience with my local dealer. I did not buy from them, we did not even go to them when we were looking because they dont sell toy haulers. We ended up there after we had a conversation at the Traverse City RV show last spring with the service manager as to weather or not they had a policy about serviceing units they did not sell.He said "it doesnt matter where you bought it or if its warranty or regular service.If Forest River built it,we will be glad to work on it". We stopped in a couple weeks ago to see if the deal still stood,and took the 315wp over a few days later with our long list of warranty items.He went over the list and then we went out to the trailer and went over the list again,all this with no formal appointment.He showed us where to drop it and by the time we got back in his office he was already on the phone with FR.He told us that there were some of the things that he could not fix there,but that he would get back with us in a few days,after he sorted it all out.He did just that and we went over today to see what was up. He told us that the warranty dept at Cherokke determined that " the repairs were not possible at the dealer level, They wanted the unit back at the factory. We got a contact person to finalize all this but have been playing phone tag this afternoon. Anyway,he has to have at least 4 hrs in on this for a unit he did not sell and for all he knows, will never even see again.So, all dealers are not condesending of units/people they did not sell. Hats Off to FreeWay RV and Mark Wilson in Waters Mi. I told the office person that they had a customer for life now!

Might come back to bite you. Most dealers do not use their top mechanics to jockey RV's around the lot and I haven't seen too many dealers with excess parking space.

We purchased our Salem at Bill Thomas RV in Wentzeville, MO and they've been very prompt in servicing it. Their service manager is attentive and will go over everything they find. Very little wait time in getting it in once you've made your appointment. They even have paved sites with electric for you to use if you require emergency service while on the road. They also have a fenced storage yard for those units waiting on parts, or service. They're along I-70 about an hour west of St. Louis.

a lot of dealers will allow anytime drop off if you bought the rv from them. If you bought it somewhere else then they hit you with the appointment and long waits.

We purchased a TT and then upgraded to a 5 er from Orchard Trailer Whatley Ma. Their service dept. is great . They get me in and out quickly never had to leave the unit overnight .

We didn't call our dealer's service dept first but we did go in for a visit before ordering. We spent about an hr there talking to the 2 service guys and the warranty lady. It is a 3 generation Mom & Pop dealer (Dolney RV, Kawkawlin, MI) and in my opinion, after 4 rigs purchased from 3 different dealers over the last 25 yrs, those are the best.

That ain't a business model tailored for success. Appears to be a canned response from an inadequate/mismanaged service dept.

First, my dealer uses the exact same script when I called for service. They have no idea why I am bringing it in. Second, leaving it on the dealers lot for payback wouldn't work for me. They start charging storage fees after a few days for units not picked up.

I bought from my local, private dealer, somewhat due to their sales tactic of stressing the service department.

When the trailer was a month old, the slide quit working. I called and they gave me a similar response. They said I could drop it off 4 weeks from the date I called and that they would then have to order parts, taking a few more weeks.

Mind you, brand new camper, start of the best part of the year for camping, and I was not going to be camping that whole season!

I did some research and spent an hour or two under the trailer, finding the inline fuse. Apparently, this is a very common thing, and I expected the service department could have literally fixed it over the phone.

I'm VERY disappointed.

YEP, very common if you follow the "BUY LOCAL" mantra.
i'm sure there are some good dealers out there but your experience is not rare.

Stay away from Boat n Rv in Hamburg Pa

2012 V-cross
2003 Chevy 2500

I got a new Wildcat fiver from Camping World in Houston last February and when I wanted them to look at one of the slides and make an adjustment it was bring it in four weeks from now. They also asked when I needed it back and I told them three weeks and I picked it up in 2 weeks and 6 days. It is my understanding that most of the area RV dealers are about the same. I have had the same experience with RV Station in Cleveland, TX.

This will be my first service call with my dealer. Will take it in day after tomorrow. I will report back with my experience. My thread was started with the hopes of hearing what others are experiencing, so I thank you all for the replies. The dealer has not disappointed me yet, so I hope I didn't discourage others from using them so far. It is a very busy dealership for sure, there were about 6 others waiting for finance to be approved when we bought ours. I am really hoping they stay true to their word and I report back with a good result, as they seemed to be courteous and honest so far.

We have 4 dealers within 100 miles. There is only one with a good reputation. Therefore I bought a class C from them, when I wanted a class A. The A I want is sold by a dealer over 150 miles away. The local dealer charges $25/hr more to work on an rv not purchased from them and their customers get first priority. They are always quick to get me in and taken care of.Might be worth driving 50 or 60 miles to a dealer that really values your business.

I'm a little late reporting back. We got it back the week after Thanksgiving, so approx 2 months repair time. They had a big item to fix (we had busted the slide front), so I would say they were good to their word.

We bought the full 5 yr warranty when purchasing, so they handed us back the key and said if you are satisfied with the work, we are done. I'm happy.

This was Fun City in Wharton, Tx.