We can cross our fingers all we want, but we know, sadly, that many of you have had to leave your RV in a repair shop for at least a month, maybe longer. Leaving RVs in repair shops for long periods of time seems to be the new norm. Will it ever go back to the way it was?
Has your RV ever been in a repair shop for a month or longer? If longer, how long (tell us in the comments)? And if so, how many occasions has this happened? Just once, or a few times? Yikes…we’re not sure we want to know. Sigh.
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When brand new our 2014 Thor Tuscany xte 40EX spent 5 months in the repair shop after our first 2 week trip. It had 41 defects requiring repair, one of which still has not been resolved! The second long term shop visit occured abruptly as we were driving in Missouri with another week to go before getting home. The diesel engine quit and left us stranded on the side of the highway. Turned out to be a “dropped valve” which destroyed the entire engine. 3 months later they called to say we could come get it. We continue to have awning failures, cabinet doors falling down, leaking slide seals, 2 A/C blower motors failed, every one of the LED ceiling lights failed and had to be replaced at my expense, a hydraulic jack which slowly leaked down, & air blowing in on the driver’s feet despite their attempts to seal that area.
The first year we had our new Tiffin Open Road it was in the shop for almost four months. When I notified Bob Tiffin and requested an extension on our warranty he did not hesitate to add four months on the end. Always heard Tiffin takes care of their customers and that was the reason for buying a Tiifin.
We bought a new 1997 Nash 25S and as usual, it had a few issues. From our house in northern NV it is a beautiful drive to La Grande, OR where Northwood is located. We drove up and NW fixed EVERYTHING, and even did a few upgrades we didn’t ask for. No charge, of course.
Fast forward to 2012. We wanted a new trailer. Because we had such good luck with the Nash we opted to get an Arctic Fox 25Y (which we bought in Salt Lake City). I hate to say, but there was a bunch of stuff wrong (a Friday build…). We turned around and went back to the dealer and he did his best to fix our problems but failed miserably (that dealer is long gone).
So, off to La Grande to have NW do their magic. It took two days (we were able to spend the night in the trailer) but all was fixed. Since then we haven’t had any problems. I can’t say enough good about Northwood Mfg (like the gentleman with the Tiffin MH).
Our Monaco seemed to love the shop and when Monaco went bankrupt we traded it on a Fleetwood which has never been in a shop longer than 2 weeks once. Will never buy another Monaco after that experience. Our Fleetwood DP is now 11 years old and with just minor maintenance does great with a little over 90,000 miles on her.
I hit a deer and the damage required the body shop to keep it for six weeks. I knew this going in so scheduled the work during the spring several weeks before I would need it in July.
I was a master certified rv technician, I have been doing all of my own repairs for the past 20 years.
I have an older toy hauler, fifth wheel. I have done all the maintenance and repairs my self in my driveway. It’s never been in the shop except for tires and state inspections
I’m with you Rudy! I can work circles around those buffoons at the dealer who call themselves technicians. They will never touch our coach.
I had a blowout on the way home from FL. Called around to see who could get it in for repairs and Camping World said “Bring it right in, we’ll start on it right away” (That should have been my first warning sign.) A month later the phone rings, it’s CW and I’m expecting to hear my rig is complete but instead they tell me there was a fire on the storage lot and my trailer was totally consumed.
Working with the insurance company, now for two claims, we discovered CW had not even ordered the parts for the original claim, nor had they expended any effort to do so. They took the estimate from the insurance adjuster and entered it in their file but after a month the status remained “pending quote.” They had no intention of starting work any time soon.
And my Newmar still is pushing 5 months in repairs just because of factory screw ups and waiting for a window shade
And forgot yes it’s camping world, gander of Shawnee Oklahoma
Twice with 2 different motor homes for warranty work. Both times the units sat for several weeks before they looked at them to order parts (something is wrong with that) on one occasion the parts were discovered to be wrong after sitting on their shelf for a few weeks. On the second occasion I eventually told the dealership to stick it and returned to the manufacturer even though it was a 2 day drive.
we suffered a blowout going into Asheville that severely damage the under carriage, wiring to the slide, generator and propane tank. We retuned home and took it to the Fleetwood dealer, General RV the first week of October. There it sat in parking lot until the first week of February due to the high level of damage, the ordering of parts and their “high level” of repairs ongoing at their location in Jacksonville. When they called me to say it was ready, I found that the slide still did not work, our power cord was missing and the propane gauges still did not work. Took another week to “complete “ the work and provide me with another new power cord.
Bought a new Thor Freedom Traveler in June 2020. door would not stay closed while traveling. Took back to CW, started a THREE month debacle. The two CW were of little help. Many telephone calls to CW and Thor only added to our frustration, the so called direct contact with upper level management is a total sham, not only would they not connect you via phone, they would not return calls, as promised, would not respond to email. Their public relations programs are complete shams and flat out a ploy to show unsuspecting investors the quality assurance program. I was repeatedly told CW had no responsibility since my contract was with Thor. CW did nothing to facilitate my complaints, Twice CW said they filed my insurance, twice Thor said they didn’t get it, and when they finally located it, said it was incorrect and not in compliance with insurance requirements.
Experienced a recall issue with the fan on my Newmar MountainAire and it sat at Freightliner for 12 weeks waiting for parts. This particular Freightliner in Pompano Beach Florida is not an RV center so they have no way to provide power to your coach. There it sat. 12 weeks.
I purchased my Forest River, Rockwood Signature Lite fifth wheel in 2015. We took an eight week trip out west and along the way I kept a continuing list of things that needed to be replaced or repaired. The biggest problem, which I found when I returned home were wrinkles along the roof. Closer inspection revealed the rubber roof had not been attached properly at the front cap and wind was getting under it lifting the rubber up with air bubbles. My dealership stood behind the warranty and fixed everything on my list, but it took over a month to get everything done.
Shortly after we bought our current MH, we took it for a three week shakedown trip. I made a list of things to be addressed under warranty. Our dealer, an independent, repaired every issue I identified and a few that I didn’t. The dealer estimated 5 to 6 weeks to get part and make all repairs. A little over 4 weeks later, he called to say it was ready. When I went to pick it up, a tech went over each repair with me.
If anyone is interested, Clark’s RV, Millbrook, AL. Small dealer, great service.
Camping world is the worst. Marcus Lemonis statement used to be if you’re not happy I’m not happy after numerous calls and letters to him and no reply he finally changed his tagline to if you’re happy I’m happy one day I’ll run into him will have a nice conversation
In camping world lot right now! With their system you have to bring it in in order to get in line for repairs. Perfect for us right now. Saving on storage fees. We’ll take it out next month, fixed or not.
Our coach was in the body shop for 4 months following a collision which destroyed the front cap the entry door and damaged the generator. No one was injured! The time was divided evenly between having parts manufactured to order – the front cap – and the necessary hours to rebuild the coach. Once the parts arrived one or more techs were working on the coach every day. The shop could not take on any other major repairs while our coach tied up the bay – it was not moveable.
For ordinary repairs and service my coach has never been in the shop for more than a day since we are full time and won’t go someplace that cannot work on it immediately or on a schedule. We often prefer NON dealer service centers or mobile techs.
Our rig was at the RV dealer for 2.5 months for warranty work then when I got it back I discovered water entering and it went back in for another 2 months. Now it in a body shop being repaired from tree damage after we had a tree fall onto our rig while parked at our storage facility in August, hoping to get it back before Christmas.
It took 3 years to get a service appointment with CW, they kept the RV for 7 weeks and didnt fix either of the electrical issues it went in for 🙁
Thanks to Camping World and our warranty issues it was there a couple of times more than a month. Never CW again!
I refused to leave my RV for repair purchased at Camping World on three occasions. Their reputation was a deciding factor on that. They quoted 6 weeks for a toilet fixture, 5 weeks for an awning motor. On the toilet I told them I was taking the one in the store identical to mine and would return the defective one the next day. Wife and I installed the new one. When the awning motor came in I insisted they pay a mobile technician which they agreed to in order to get me out of the store!! I had to leave my newest camper for 33 days waiting on a new door from the manufacturer. My dealer was proactive and adamant with the mfg who originally stated 6-8 weeks. Warranty manager was great and got us on the road quickly. Thanks Campers Unlimited.
One of the slides came out of alignment – one end “dropped”, so it needed help to open/close without scrounge the floor. It was repaired in less than a month, but the repair facility had plenty of room & let us leave it there over the winter. So that’s a little different than most stores.
We had a few issues with our new Jayco Pinnacle but nothing so serious that we couldn’t use it through our first camping season. Made arrangements with our dealer (Whitehorse RV, in NJ) to have the warranty work done over the winter months. Dropped off our 5er on Jan. 3rd and told them I needed it back by 1st week of March for our first scheduled outing. That gave them 2 months to fix 9 issues ….which they appreciated. They sent me a text on Feb. 28th that all work was complete and ok for me to pick up. EVERYTHING was fixed as promised. GREAT DEALER …and very happy camper.
We purchased a new 2017 Redwood 5th….last trip was for major repairs and another suspension (at least this time Keystone changed from leaf spring to MorRyde IS after 4 suspension failures). Was the 5th trip to a factory shop and the longest. 6.5 months. Never again a Redwood.
No but it could have ,had I left it there. They wanted me to drive around back and drop it. They would get around to inspecting it, order needed parts and repair it. I told them “go look at it now, see what is needer,order the parts and call me and ill bring it back for repairs” I was not going to leave it unused because my oven wouldn’t work. The rest of the camper was ok. It worked out.
Once for over 2 weeks, but we were able to stay in it at night. Still doesn’t make it any less hassle though.
I tell this to anyone who asks about the RV lifestyle — don’t buy one unless you are a competent DIYer. Stuff will break, rattle loose, leak, etc. You should not expect reliable and timely service from the vast majority of RV dealers. Bring tools and fix stuff as needed. Perform routine maintenance yourself. Over time the repairs required will generally diminish. Buying a used RV from a competent DIYer will save the buyer a lot of the “shakedown” problems.
WE tell everybody the same thing. That also goes for the ability and readiness to update things like floors and cabinets.. Today my husband putting in a new radio/ipad docking and Im making new front seat covers..
Once, with our 1989,19′ Toyota Dolphin. It was ancient and falling apart but we absolutely loved it. Wish they were still made. We bought a new TT and it’s great but the love is gone!
Unfortunately my dealer sets an appointment, asks “When do you need it?” and then will not even look at it until a week before the “need by” date, even though he KNOWS he will need to order replacement parts he does not have in stock! And this is what he calls “preferred customer status.” Really frustrating to me. Now looking at a smaller shop just three miles from my house that has what looks like a nice service area. Will go there for my next service.
I’ve refused to leave my RV at the dealer waiting for parts or for them to get to my RV. Fortunately though, our dealer is pretty good at getting things done in a timely manner, but one time I had to wait 4 months for parts to come in. We used the RV during that time even though it was broken. I told the dealer to call me when the parts came in. I still don’t know whose fault the delay was, the dealer or the manufacturer, as they both blamed each other. Someone dropped the ball and things weren’t ordered. We were fortunate though, that most items that were broken didn’t keep us from using the RV. Since the RV is out of warranty now, we just fix things ourselves. I will add that all of the many items that broke during our first year of ownership were due to very poor quality or incorrect installation on the part of the manufacturer. The components were fine, but when they aren’t installed correctly or shabbily, it’s a problem.
Took my 5th-wheel in on July 10th because refrigerator had a code displayed and I took it to Camping World and the rep said the unit “was fried” and that I need a new one. Authorized order. Unit installed when it came in. I went to pick it up and the same code was still there. I asked about it and they said a tech would check it and they would call me. (August 5th) Call stated new unit was bad so they ordered another one. On September 18th they called and said unit was ready. Went to pick up and same code still appeared. Since we had a trip already planned I took the unit to a small independent dealer and in less than 15 minutes he diagnosed a malfunctioning inverter. An hour later the inverter and battery were installed and we were happily on our way. I immediately severed ties with all our CW affiliations and have never been back. Even sent a letter of dissatisfaction to Marcus Lemonis but never got a response.
Its never been in the shop… We did get a new awning put on after we lost the old one driving in a wind storm.
So, how do I answer? We have a 2021 Reneagade Villagio made by Rev. On our first trip, we made a punch list of defects/repairs needing to be addressed. Two of the major issues are that the shower wall is bowed out the full height and the second is that the electric shuts off numerous times while on shore power or generator (doesn’t make a difference). It has been in shop three times for repairs and diagnostics. Now that they finally “found” the issues, they will repair those two as well as the other punch list items that I pointed out. They have had the coach since 10/2 and will have “everything done” when I pick it up in January 2021. I figured that I will give them enough time so I don’t hear the excuses plus it saves me on storage fees. BTW, the dealer is in S/W Florida. On the other hand, I received two recall notices from Mercedes Benz and both were handled by Sarasota MB with in hours.
Great dealer!!!
Last time at Camping World.
I had my classA Winnebago in for a slide out repair, they kept it for over three months, promising to have it done that week for the next ten weeks
They had a very bad attitude the whole time, knowing I was at their mercy. I was polite the whole time. I will not be taking my rig to them again
I answered “Yes, once” because after that time I never took my camping trailer in for service again. I’ve been able to do subsequent repairs and/or replacements myself, so far.
Nope!
I have a 1990 LaSalle by Champion 32′ Class A and because it’s 30 years old I find that a number of mechanical issues have to be addressed as components come to the end of their life. The one issue that has resulted in the longest stays with my mechanic has been engine replacement. The original engine gave out at just under 50,000 miles. I replaced it with a rebuilt engine from Jasper and that engine gave out after less than 1,000 miles. Jasper replaced it under warranty but that engine gave out after 50 miles. Jasper replaced it and at the same time I decided to have the transmission rebuilt. I haven’t put a lot of mileage on this engine yet and I’m hopeful that it will provide me with the kind of mileage that a Jasper engine is supposed to provide. Right now my RV is in the shop getting 2 SoftStarts installed on the A/C units, the generator housing tightened up and it’s carburetor checked and possibly a resonator installed on the exhaust to make it quieter.
My mechanic is also going to see if he can get the power steps working properly to save me the cost of new steps. He’s a mechanical whiz so I suspect he’ll get it fixed for significantly less than the cost of replacing the steps.
Our dealer has us make appointments, knowing they won’t get around to the unit for some time. I know they are busy, but this seems unfair to the owners. When it was in for a warranty issue a few months after purchase, they kept it while they first contacted the manufacturer to see if it was covered (they sold us the warranty, they should have known). Secondly they contacted the manufacturer to order parts, already three weeks into our unit’s stay at their facility. A month later they said they still had not received all of the parts. Finally, after nearly four months we got our rig back. I am a retired nurse. We also asked people to make appointments, but with the idea that we would get to them pretty quickly.
When our 2017 Winnebago Navion was manufactured, someone accidentally punctured the fresh water fill tube. It dripped water into the storage compartment and we finally recognized the problem when mold appeared. Winnebago fought us for months, but finally agreed to repair when they realized we could have health issues they might have to pay for. Winnebago Junction City Oregon tore out the rear 1/4 of the rig to clear all the mold. Three weeks in the shop seemed to solve the problem for three years, but we have recently seen suspicious brown stuff coming from under the wall between the bathroom and bed. We hope it’s not a recurrence.
My 2018 Coachman FR3 was in the shop for over a month because this past summer it was very difficult to get parts. Between the mice and the squirrels, they had chewed the gas line and a complete electrical harness. The electrical harness was not available at the time and we had to wait until the shop could get one.
Yes, once for us. It was planned, though. We knew it would take a while when we had the cabover of our class C rebuilt. We didn’t mind, we saw it as a “gift with purchase” of free indoor winter storage!
My RV has been in the shop since July.
This July I sideswiped an obstacle and damaged the driver side siding, water connection and grey tank. It went in July 22, 2020. I talked to the service manager today 10/28 for an update. We’ve been waiting for a side panel from Keystone. Supposedly the panel was on back order and is due at Keystone this week. Maybe I’ll get it back just in time to winterize it (I live in MI).
Yes, when we first purchased(used) we were given Campers Inn as a place Fleetwood said was on their list of repair shops. They had it 4 months telling me that they will look at it “soon”, then they were “short handed”, finally I went in to see what was going on and only then was I told that they had no technician who knew how to fix the levelers. Why I wasn’t told that in the first month is beyond me. I found a shop (who has since closed down due to health issues) who diagnosed the problem 2 days after I took it in, had the parts in 3 weeks and repaired 3 days later. Now I’m on the hunt for another shop. Not many in the Phila. PA area.
The only times that our RV has been in the shop for repairs is at Camping World of Chattanooga. Despite all the CW horror stories we’d heard, we naively thought that CW of Chattanooga’s service department was an exception. Sadly, it was not. Since then we have primarily used the manufacturer’s service center. Additionally we have used Artic RV in Fairbanks, Alaska; Northgate Parts/Choo Choo RV in Chattanooga; Fireweed RV in White Horse, Yukon Territory, Canada; and Bucars RV in Balzac, Alberta (near Calgary). All these made repairs in a timely (1 day, or less) manner. We now habitually avoid all CW service departments and have not had a 4-week, or more, stay at any service department since. 🙂
Yes twice, but both times were in the winter and we were not using the camper for the winter and did not rush the repairs. First time I dropped off the TT on the way back from a trip in October. Told them to repair waste water tank straps and we would pick it up when the weather was clear. Second time was a discovered leak in late September. Insurance replaced the roof on a slide out. Neither time kept us from camping trips.
This is a usual occurance for us to have our unit tied up in the shop for simple repairs. Recently our motorhome has been kept in the shop since early June trying to get the basement air conditioner replaced. The Coleman- Mach unit arrived with shipping damaged from a dealer. After repairs and installation it was found to be defective and was returned. Still awaiting a new unit ordered from the factory. Not looking good for me to get it in before having to put the motorhome back in winter storage. Neither I or my installing dealer can’t seem to get any information from the factory because they don’t answer the phone or email.
We were victims of the derecho in Iowa and our entire roof needed replaced because a tree fell on it.So from August 12th to October 22 it was in the repair shop. Due to the extensive repair we were not surprised about it. It was in a building. We were kept updated on the progress. We had insurance so it was all covered except our deductible. GoodLife RV Service Center in Webster City Iowa were super!
So far I’ve been able to fix what’s needed to be done. Being 43 years old, there are no high tech electrical issues to deal with.
My truck got T-boned in MS last Feb, luckily while not towing the trailer (my fault … STUPID! No injuries.). We ‘were’ fulltiming for 2 yrs. Been 9 months and an ongoing suit with body shop. Paid by insurance and $1100 more by me. The truck appears to have been parted out! but no proof, no truck. Local sheriff and police refuse to help in any way. Then our lawyer got burned out! After 6 months at an RV park, I had to have my 5er towed to SC (to family) from MS, cost $1200 + some other expenses, but less than back to CA. Now renting a house storing trailer in back (I have no idea what we would have done back in Bay Area, CA!) At least I stayed healthy while in MS by walking 2 mi to Walmart with my backpack and 30 to 60 lbs. of groceries, etc. On top of CoViD, it’s been an ‘interesting’ year, and still ongoing.
We had a big problem with our travel trailer awhile back. The repair shop got it in the spring and told us, sure we can fix it. A couple of months later they finally admitted (because I twisted their arm) that they had no idea how to fix it. Eventually they did find someone who could solve the problem but then they did a lousy rush job on the spring check up that we requested.
Needless to say we found a much better tech after that.
Our current rig is at the dealer for warranty work. Waiting on parts. They were up front with us before we even bought our RV that parts were often taking awhile to get in so we were ready for it. Thankfully we have no winter travel plans.
We are now entering the 11th month in the shop. They have not been able to figure out why our Dometic fridge cuts off intermittently. The shop has kept it for so long that our warranty will no longer be honored by Dometic, even though it was brought in during the warranty period.
yes, only because of COVID had closed the factory service center down in March
Our new Jayco North Point has been at the shop for 9 months now for a slide out leak and a window leak, while it has been there they wrecks our unit and it has spent 2 months in the body shop, I have contacted Jayco several time because the dealership never calls us back or answers when we call. We are at our wits end and don’t even know what to do anymore
Not with our current Vanleigh Vilano, but the unit before, 2013 Denali, spent most of the first 18-months in the dealer’s shop for repairs. We selected the Vanleigh in a large part because of having a service center in MS that we can be to in a two day drive. Plus, they have full hookup so we can stay with our RV.
They’ve had my RV for 10 months! It’s basically stolen at this point and no clue how to get help getting it back. We already paid $6k for the engine work and I’m worried it’s sitting in sun being destroyed.
We bought our 2021 Entegra Accolade 37K brand new in Jan ’21. Of the 15mos we’ve owned it, it has been in the shop for 8 of those months! Ridiculous!
Winnie Travato, 2+ months, ceiling fan housing cracked during original installation. We found small water drips while sitting in driveway, first trip, heavy rain water everywhere. Winnie would not replace soaked insulation. It stayed in shop being ripped apart then dried out with heaters. They found the rather large crack and replaced the fan housing. Same time thermocouples bad, NO replacement in this country so shipped on slow boat from Germany.