Dear Dave,
My wife and I are considering purchasing a new RV. Do you know if a dealer “exercises” the slideouts every now and then? Also, if a trailer is on their lot for a while, does the dealer inspect and maintain the roof seals and other seals? Thank you. —Bob
Dear Bob,
I can’t speak for all dealers across the country as they all have different opinions of what components on an RV should be “exercised” and maintained.
Plus, there are some dealers such as our local Upper Midwest dealers that have seasonal sales. Basically, everything gets winterized and nothing moves for more than six months. On the other hand, dealers in Southern climates have activity all year round.
Slideouts
There are no slide exercise recommendations that I have come across from the major mechanism manufacturers. I believe that leaving the slide in a retracted state for a long period of time would not be a cause of concern or create any damage.
Also, I have talked with several owners that are full-timing in a permanent location and have the slide room extended all year long with no issues. I do think a periodic application of 303 Protectant on the exposed seal would be a good idea, however.
Typically a dealer will have enough sales traffic that they would demonstrate how the slide room works, so you might get some that “inadvertently” exercise the slide for demonstration purposes.
Roof maintenance
As for inspection and maintenance of the roof, that would be a good question to ask the dealership and get verification as it is an important step in keeping moisture from penetrating the seams.
As I stated earlier, every dealer has its own opinion of what “should” be done for maintaining its lot inventory. When the rigs are sitting on the lot, the different roof materials will expand and contract with temperature changes. The sealant will need to expand and contract, as well, which can cause it to pull away from the seam.
Exposure to the sun will also dry out the sealant and cause it to crack. So, it is recommended to visually inspect the seams periodically and repair anything that looks like it might be compromised.
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Ha, ha, ha…it’s been many years since I worked at an RV dealership, but I’ve never seen or heard of one giving any thought to roof maintenance while units are on the lot. Or slides for that matter. I’ve even seen them moved by tractor while the slides are out. Buyer beware, you’re on your own once you leave the lot unless you find that rare dealer who actually cares. Yes, I’m cynical after 50 yrs of owning RV’s
Yep. I thought the title was perhaps today’s April Fools joke! My bet is that very, very few RV dealers do anything to lot inventory.
While I’ve never seen any requirement to exercise slides, there are requirements for onboard generators, which would mostly affect motorized. You can bet that monthly maintenance requirement is not done. The term “lot rot” ring a bell?
At the larger corporate dealerships, it would take a full time crew just to do the minimum required maintenance on the hundreds of units on their lot.
In fact, most do not even do a proper PDI before selling them.
I recently saw a quote from Camping World for a unit and there was a $2000 charge for some camping package that included the basics like hoses, etc but the real shocker was it listed PDI as part of it. I can’t imagine charging for the PDI
And also battery maintenance.
Thank you to Bob for a great and probably often overlooked question. Thank you, too, Dave, for sharing your answer. This is something that I likely would never have thought to ask. Perhaps I would if considering the purchase of a used RV, but not nearly as likely for a “new” unit on a dealer lot. Have a great day and safe travels!