Did you have your current RV thoroughly inspected by a professional technician or inspector before you purchased it?
A lot of RVers who end up with lemons wished they had. It’s true that most RVs, new or used, are fine. Oh, almost all have minor issues that are easily remedied. But others, well … they can have serious damage or other problems that are not apparent to an untrained eye and can even render an RV unusable.
With a new RV, a dealer is supposed to look the RV over carefully and fix any issues. But often they do not, unintentionally, but sometimes intentionally, letting the RVer deal with the problem and then bring it back to be repaired. That, unfortunately, can sometimes take months.
So what about you, whether you bought your RV new or used. Did you have it inspected professionally? Please leave a comment if you have a “story” about your experience.
No, only had a couple of surprises on the way home neither which an inspection could have found. The serpentine belt broke and did a couple of years later at which point I changed the Crankshaft Pulley which corrected the problem. Next was the Hose feeding the Air Compressor which had become detached, had to take it to the Cummins Repair Center in Grand Rapids to find that as I was not familiar with Diesel Engines.
We don’t buy new, so we typically stick with good names like Jayco and buy from a really good dealer. They do the inspection before they sell it. Never really had any problems to speak of, other than normal wear and tear, in 25 years.
Let us know when you find a really good dealer.
We are not ready yet to purchase an RV yet but when we are, I know it will be used. I will hire a certified inspector because I don’t know what I don’t know. The report will either give me peace of mind or a list of items to fix that can be a negotiation point with the seller.
If I had the funds to purchase a new motorhome, I would still hire an inspector for the same reasons above. Even expensive RVs from reputable companies are handmade and something could be overlooked in the process.
I bought it new, and already knew it would have faults! lol
I am in the process of purchasing a new Nautica it is a 2023 35MS, since it has been on the Dealers lot over a year, I have concerns. I took my friend’s son who has worked for a motorhome manufacturer and has done several jobs on building new ones with me. He found several things that needed to be addressed. Spots on the roof that could be resealed or caulked and has insisted that new batteries be put in as the ones there were very corroded and neglected. He found several other little things on the outside of the coach and we made a list. I don’t pick up the coach till the end of this month and will bring my friend’s son back to do the walk thru with me.
No, but we had a really good PDI. Have not had any issues since we purchased.
While we didn’t hire someone we did a very thorough inspection – over 8 hours using a PDI checklist I have developed over a couple of decades of owning RV’s. I always recommend to my less handy RV friends to hire an inspector if they are not up to the task. So far in all our purchases we’ve had very few issues post-sale because they got resolved BEFORE we wrote the check. Amazing how much more attentive a dealer is when they are waiting for the moola!
How do you even know if an inspector is reliable?
Check to see if they are certified, check their Google reviews, ask questions, ask about their experience, how long have they been in business, how many inspections have they done, are they insured, etc.
If they would build things like they used to…people would not need to hire any inspectors. Especially for any new junk.
I asked the dealer to put water on the roof to check for leaks since that’s what other buyers had found. They didn’t and I had leaks. There are communities on social media for practically every RV.
I didn’t need one, my little trailers have had only the necessities, fridge, microwave, air conditioner and portable toilet. I inspected it for fit and finish, made sure the seams were tight no gaps in gaskets and doors operated properly. The only problem in the last 8 years was a bolt coming loose, inspecting the trailer before leaving and on long trips will help catch these things.
In 2018 we found our DP motorhome online, 900 miles away. It was exactly what we had been shopping for. We had done lots of research and this rig was the right one for the right price, so we put down a small deposit. However, before buying plane tickets to pick it up, we hired a NRVIA certified inspector, found through a google search. It cost us around $650, but the peace of mind of knowing exactly what we were buying was worth every penny. He provided a 30 page comprehensive report, including over 50 pictures. He even tested the fluids. We knew exactly what we were buying before we even saw it and had the opportunity to walk away before the purchase. It has been a great motorhome.
We knew exactly what we we wanted. I had been looking at rv’s for months before we bought our first one. It was a 24′ Tioga class c in great condition. The only thing I did was to have my Father-in-Law test drive it to check the powertrain. We kept that rig for five years and towed our boat with it almost every summer weekend.- Great memories in that rv!
I hired a “certified” NRVIA inspector to inspect a 2006 Monaco Dynasty in Salt Lake City for two days. I paid $950 for the inspection/report and it was a TOTAL waste of money and time. I would have been further ahead to have booked a plane ticket and hotel room and done the inspection myself. He missed so many items of importance that it was obvious to me that he should have turned down the job and stuck to inspecting tent trailers. Never again!
This is exactly my fear with these ‘inspectors’.
All inspectors are not the same. Due diligence is needed to vet any inspector.
I am my own inspector, warranty technician, and maintenance guy. I give it more love and attention than would ever happen at the big chain dealer we bought it from. Nobody else has ever touched a wrench or screwdriver to it but me. I sleep well knowing it’s all done right.
We purchased a beautiful 10 year old Newmar Ventana 3961, 1 1/2 bathrooms. We are in Central California and the Motorhome was in the Reno, Nevada, and our lender required both a Third Party Inspection and we ordered a nationwide inspection company. It was only $300 4 years ago but worth it. The Inspector made the appointment with the Seller, went to his home and did a thorough inspection. He tested all systems from slide outs to electrical to mechanical, drove it, took 97 pictures in, on and under it. Inspected the engine, generator and took photos of each tire inspected. The lender received a copy of our report and it had minor issues. Please consider such a thorough inspection.
My situation doesn’t fit into any of the categories. The mobile RV tech that I used for my fifth wheel was also the RV tech used by the woman who was the original owner of my Lazy Daze motorhome. The tech was helping her to get it ready to sell and he knew that I was wanting to downsize; so he put us in contact with each other. That was the best buying experience that I have ever had.
My wife and I have a multi-page list to check that includes all the specific things we glean from owner forums for the specific brand and or model we are reviewing. She takes the inside and I take the outside. I bring coveralls and a significant tool kit. Yes … I crawl under the motorhome front to back and also go on the roof. I bring fluid sample kits. You should have seen me after doing this on a 40′ DP in Florida in August!!! Good thing I had a change of clothes. In all, our inspection takes about a half a day…so a “person day” worth of effort. We have had dealers tell us we should start an inspection business! 🙂 No thanks! Doing this for our own use is enough.
I bought a new Outdoors RV in Washington state without looking at it in Dec. Since I was going thru medical treatments and in no condition to go to Washington. Hired a NRVIA inspector, she found a couple small issue which the dealer fixed immediately. The NRVIA inspectors resumes were terrible and no reviews of their past inspections. When I received the TT in April I have no complaints, it seems great.
I believe in paying a certified NRVIA so much that I even pay for an inspection on a new diesel pusher. I’ve had several sales people tell me it wasn’t necessary because their techs “go over it completely”. I pointed out that it cost more than most houses and you’d be a fool not to have a house inspected. My inspector found all kinds of stuff that their techs “missed” that needed fixed.
New or used… always get an NRVIA inspection. Period.
Yes, NRVIA certified inspector. New 2023 Winnebago Sunstar 33K. Don’t think it was worth $800. Took about 5 hours? Mostly minor (almost just cosmetic) deficiencies like excess caulking smeared on exterior. I had list and would have caught myself. More serious that wasn’t checked: Battery system didn’t work after dealer upgraded solar system.
RV was winterized, couldn’t be un-winterized for WH/Drains/Pipes to be checked for proper operation/leaks, etc. Hydraulic fluids, engine fluids, not included. He crawled under RV but didn’t note steering fluid on tank, possible leak? Noted that 1 slide needed fixing. Didn’t check jacks auto-level for calibration.
We did not hire an expert to inspect our new Roadtrek. We would not have bought it!! There were many flaws. The warranty was nearly useless. Totally useless as administered by Bish’s.
Paid $400 to have a 2.5 year old motor home inspected by a NRVIA certified tech, took about 6 hours to complete. It passed inspection and I purchased it. That was 6 years ago and my class C motor home has been problem free except for normal maintenance. Definitely worth the money.
My husband and I were rv inspectors ourselves at the time.
Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 No, we did not. We had a knowledgeable friend gp through RV #1 with us, but he died before we got #2. 🙁 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
We did not as this was our first RV and did not know such services were available or needed.
No, but we should have.
I was a member of the great unwashed who did not know better BUT I lucked out. 2019 Flagstaff 21FBRS with only a minor issue that I shamed the lousy dealer to fix. After that, I have been responsible for all maintenance and upgrades made with no further problems.