“It’s not our problem”—Playing ping pong with RV warranty work!
Awhile ago, Russ and Tiña De Maris posted an article at RVtravel.com about the difficulty Peggy had with a Winnebago Era Mercedes chassis recall. She was getting told by the local Mercedes dealership to take it to the RV dealer, which is Camping World, only to be told it is a Mercedes issue that they cannot work on. She then called Winnebago and was told to call Mercedes. This has been an issue for years, and I call it the Ping Pong Effect. Both sides had a legitimate excuse. The recall work on the Mercedes van required removal of the holding tanks, which the Mercedes dealer did not want to do as they were not qualified and might not get paid. Camping World could not work on the Mercedes components.
Motorized chassis
This is not a new problem, but rather dates back to the Dodge chassis used way back in the 1960s. These early motorhomes were built on a Dodge chassis and most of the RV dealers that sold them were mom-and-pop RV dealers that sold travel trailers and jumped on the new wave of motorized RVs. They were not qualified to work on the chassis or drive train, and did not have the tools or a facility large enough to handle the weight and height of the RVs.
So the owner had to find his local Dodge dealership, which not only knew nothing about the motorhome aspect of the rig, but also did not have the hoist or service bay that could handle the size of these new rigs. “Go back to your selling dealer.” Ping pong! And it got worse as Chevrolet introduced the P30 chassis in 1974. Also, Wayne Mertes, of the Dolphin Trailer Company, introduced the first Toyota truck chassis in a Micro-Mini that same year.
Ford and John Deere get involved
Ford entered the motorized market in 1989, the same year John Deere decided to get involved. I was on the road in demo units traveling the country training Winnebago and Itasca dealers. Even though I did not have very many chassis-related issues, I did have one time I could not find anyone to look at it in Los Angeles, so I had to leave it at the dealership and fly home.
Workhorse Custom Chassis bought the Chevrolet P30 chassis division in 1998 and revamped the chassis and suspension, but used the Chevy (GM) Vortec engine and transmission. All this leads to a melting pot of parts used and who is going to cover warranty work.
Today we have the Ford F53 chassis available on the Class A gas models and Freightliner, Spartan, and Volvo in Class A diesel. Here is where it gets cloudy on the Class C and B vans, as there are Mercedes, Ford, Dodge, and others entering daily, it seems. The only RV dealers that are authorized to work on the chassis and drive train are dealers that also have a franchise for that brand chassis. I live 20 miles from Winnebago Industries. When an owner comes back to the factory for service work, they send them to Rochester, MN, which is 90 miles away, to have Mercedes work done.
Get to the point!
I get this a lot, but my point is this has been an issue from the very start of the motorized RV: finding an automotive dealer that has the expertise, the shop and hoist big enough for the larger rigs, and willing to work on it!
Just a few weeks ago we received a request from a Tiffin owner with a Freightliner chassis that had a low airbag warning that would not quit even though the airbags were not low. The local Freightliner dealer claimed it was not a Freightliner component, as the dash instrumentation was an OEM component, not Freightliner. The local dealer was not about to touch anything they thought was chassis-related, as they were not qualified and, most important, would not get paid.
Here is the real point. When it comes to the gray area of whose component has actually failed and what labor needs to be performed to get to that component, it could be a combination of two or three different companies and several service centers just don’t want to attempt it. That could be either because they are already too busy or don’t think they will be paid.
How do you fix this dilemma—or avoid it?
I have been conducting seminars across the country since 1989, and my most popular one is the RV Buyer’s Seminar. In that seminar I tell people the most important aspect of purchasing a new or used RV is to interrogate the dealer like they are wanting to marry your daughter! I come from a family of four boys and found that most parents don’t question the incoming daughter-in-law as they just want to get the guys out of the house and annoying someone else!
When it comes to the chassis, ask who they use and will they coordinate the service work. Or do you have to take it there, and what happens if there is an RV component issue, and will they help facilitate the repair and cover the costs.
With the recent Mercedes issue, the local Mercedes dealership in Wichita refused to work on the unit and they cannot be forced to do so. The selling dealership, Camping World, was not authorized to do any Mercedes work, so Peggy got Ping Ponged back to Mercedes.
How to “fix” this warranty work dilemma
The way you “fix” it is getting a good dealership that has longevity and has been through the ups and downs of the industry. Also, make sure it is concerned about your welfare and not just “pushing tin”! Find a dealership that has developed relationships with local certified chassis service centers, and that can provide a seamless service experience.
If you happen to get into a similar situation as the Mercedes, don’t stop. Don’t stop at the RV dealership, the Mercedes dealership, or NTHSA. Contact other RV dealers that sell your product and ask who they use for service work. According to my Mercedes rep, this would have been processed much earlier if the owner would have contacted the Mercedes Customer Service number in the chassis manual provided with the rig.
The end result
Mercedes picked Peggy’s unit up in Wichita on a flat bed, gave her a rental car, and towed the unit to the Kansas City Mercedes dealership that works on these all the time!
You might also enjoy this from Dave
I winterized the RV part of my Class B. What should I do about the Mercedes part?
Dear Dave,
If my Mercedes Class B RV is not going to be driven for several months during the winter in Utah, what should I do to winterize the vehicle? I have winterized the water, etc., in the motorhome. —Nelson, 2022 Coachmen Galleria
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
##RVDT2239
No local Ford dealer will work on any Ford chassis that has an RV on it. Not even oil changes. That is five different dealerships.
Wallwork Ford Truck dealer in Fargo, ND will! The only dealer out of about 10. I have a GM P-30, Class A. Like everything else, not inexpensive!
I’ve had great service on my class A with the F-53 chassis at El Cajon Ford in San Diego’ s east county area
All of the parties involved do this on purpose so the “customer” goes else where and pays for it.
We had a tough time many years with a Winnebago on a Dodge chassis. That was part of the reason we changed to Class Bs over the years and have stayed with Ford, E-350s and now Transits. Took a while to get used to being ‘small.’
“Took a while to get used to being ‘small.’”
I’ll bet . . .
Had the same issue with a 2023 Ford E450 chassis hydroboost recall. RV and Ford dealerships wouldn’t touch it. Finally found a local RV/truck repair shop, repaired in one day. Had to send the bill to a Ford dealership to pay for repair.
If the RV dealer tells you something, have them write it down and in the contract. Anything said while selling an RV could be construed as merely “puffing” — the selling term for lying.
Its a real problem. My water pump went out on my E350 Ford. We don’t work on motorhomes was the answer I got when I called 2 dealers and 3 independent mechanics. Ended up replacing it myself in AutoZone parking lot. Another time the center bearing on the drive shaft went. I called the Ford dealer in Souix Falls South Dakota. ” can you bring it in or shall we send a wrecker? ” 3 hours later I was back on the road. The funny part of it was my local dealer would not touch my motor home but a couple weeks before had repaired a federal mandatory recall.That time he had to. He had the room and equipment but? I said to those I called, I’m not asking you to fix a motorhome, I’m asking you to fix a Ford.
Knock on wood…I’ve had two chassis recalls in 25 years of motorized ownership and no issues.
The first was 1999 with a Bounder on a Ford. Called the Ford Motorhome service number from the sticker on my windshield and they sent me to a Ford Truck center under 50 miles away.
Second was just recently on a Freightliner for an emissions recall. Called a Freightliner Oasis shop nearby and had an appt just a week out. Stayed in their lot plugged in overnight for an early appt. Work done in 2 hrs.
While I haven’t experienced it, I read where Newmar will set up a telecon with involved parties to hash it out if this issue comes up.
Thank you, Dave! RV #1 was an American Revolution on a Freightliner chassis with a Cummins engine. We had three recalls on the Cummins engine. Cummins of Chattanooga did the first, REV Group did the second, and the RV tech at Freightliner of Chattanooga (was an Oasis dealer at the time) did the third one. RV #2 is a New Aire on a Spartan chassis. Spartan has had two recalls since 7/22. We had the first (a software update) done at a Spartan-certified RV dealer (Buddy Gregg of Knoxville, Tennessee). The second (also software update) was done by a Spartan-certified tech.
A family member has a Mercedes and has numerous recalls. Many times the dealer says they don’t have a fix for that yet . So nothing is able to be done. That is simply Mercedes.
A last month we had a major breakdown in our 2017 Journey 42E. Complete loss of electrical power when driving – EVERYTHING went dead; gauges frozen in place, coasted the side of the two lane highway the best I could without going in the ditch (no power steering). Had it towed 50+ miles to Mid GA Freightliner late Fri night, but they couldn’t get to it until Mon morning. But they had electrical hook ups just for RVs. Determined it was not a chassis issue but a Winn issue. Freightliner fixed it anyway but had to have a part overnighted. It was the Chassis Battery Disconnect relay. BTW, Winn”we have never heard that before and can’t help you.” Hat’s off to Mid GA Freightliner!
Sadly, not a single warrantable failure has occurred near my selling dealer so to interrogate them strikes me as a futile effort.
The R/F wheel speed sensor is currently toast on my 7 month old F-53 chassis. “We’re not set up to work on coaches” has been the reply even though it’s a friggin’ wheel speed sensor, not a macerator toilet that needs repair.
Ford has a 1-800 number you can call but all that does is what a Google search will do. You still have to call each dealer and get out their refusals. It’s a friggin’ joke that I wasn’t expecting. I’ll probably fix it myself and Ford can brag about having the fewest warranty claims….
This just seems to go against everything customer service is supposed to stand for. I would have thought that both the dealer and Mercedes would have knowledge of the proper number to call. I just wonder if it was buried in some generic verbiage in the owners packet. Glad it was resolved. I seem to remember the saying: “customer service doesn’t cost, it pays.”
Seems to me that this is a problem of economic interests: On warranty issues, the various service centers (be they for the RV or chassis) are hesitant to get sucked down a possible diagnostic rabbit hole because they know that unless it’s something real simple, they won’t likely get paid for the time that they’re going to spend to resolve the issue. For example, the recall says that it should take a Mercedes shop X hours to modify the exhaust system, and that’s what they’ll get paid for even if they have to spend another 4 hours messing with RV systems that they probably aren’t familiar with. They’d rather focus on jobs where they know they’ll get paid adequately.
The model is bad.
Well, there ya go! I have never and will never purchase a rig from cw….(small case on purpose). I also will never purchase anything made by Mercedes-Bent…..
I have a neighbor who purchased a ride based on MB…
Without going into everything he has felt pain on his purchase. He and his wife are not happy campers.
So sad, we are supposed to be having fun..eh?
I’m a newer reader and my take seems obvious but it may be too much to ask for. This is where Winnebago needs to involved and help the owner. The selling dealer (CW) and the chassis shop need to coordinate the repair. If the chassis requires work that is hidden by coach components, then CW needs to remove them and then the chassis work can be completed. Likewise, the chassis shop may need to remove something for the coach shop.
None of these companies would have work if the industry didn’t exist. If they don’t want to support the customer than stop participating in the revenue.
I’m being pingponged now with my Coachman Nova. No power to jack and rear view digital goes on and off. Only had the thing for two weeks. Fretz RV & Coachmen sent me to dodge its a chassis problem. Local dodge dealers are say they can’t accommodate. Dodge said I need a “business link” dealer since its considered commercial. They were “business Link” dealers. Put in claims with both Dodge and Coachman. My Nova is a 2023 and had 600 miles on it when we bought it. How does nobody notice the mirror is messed up? Seems a little shady to me.
What a nightmare. Companies push us to become more aggressive if they don’t want to comply with their own warranties. Reading the articles here and at the Consumer Protection Agency gives me hives about wanting to purchase another rv. I hope you get them to live up to and fulfill their end.
Will the chassis manufacturer repair the auto and the RV builders repair their added on segment? It sounds reasonable for the rv repair to drop the holding tanks, the auto portion be repaired by the auto company. Whichever part failed and if under warranty, the company that built that portion (like engine issue) repairs broken part as well as transportation from and back to the rv company who will then reinstall the tanks. ??? They’re all trying to get out of responsibility for their defected items.
I spent $100 RT on gas to bring my 35′ 2017 Newmar Canyon Star on an F53 chassis to a Ford dealer who said he’d look at our ABS warning light issue. All the nearby Ford dealers in the San Jose, California area refused to service it because of past liability issues of employees damaging both the RV and other vehicles in crowded parking areas. Code reader said it was the left front wheel sensor. They didn’t have the $294 !!! part in stock, neither did any other dealer, apparently because of the labor strike. My friend Joel helped me pull the sensor, a 15 minute project. $153 part on Ebay. (He paid about $35 for his new sensor several years ago.)
So, to continiue saga, I have a claim w/Dodge…we’ll see how that goes…and surprise surprise there is an open recall on the parking brakes? The dealer sold it with an open recall. That is not what I call reputable, no matter how long you’ve been in business, Fretz.