In this column, we summarize some of your emails and comments regarding RV service centers and repairs (we asked you to submit your stories here). We’ll tell you all: the best, the good, the bad and the ugly. At the end of this article, you’ll find a place to submit your own comments. I encourage you to do so.
Keep in mind, we typically only present one side of the story in most of these. Also, any remarks about service centers and mobile techs mentioned are the opinions of our readers and not necessarily RVtravel.com.
Here’s what you had to say:
Our dealer has been good to us
Steve C. wrote us about his excellent dealer and RV service center near Raleigh, North Carolina. “We live in Wake Forest, NC, just north of the capitol city of Raleigh. Within 25 miles we have probably 8 to 10 RV dealers, all with service centers. We chose a dealer close to home in Youngsville, NC, Shaw RV. We’ve found Shaw to be knowledgeable and friendly in all departments, and have gone on to buy our second camper from them as well, North Trail 28RKDS.
“We have had some minor issues with trim pieces as well as a flaw in the front cap. All has been taken care of without issue and Shaw had to get involved with manufacturer Heartland about the front cap issue but had it resolved and had it repaired as promised. They even actually did a couple of small things FREE of charge. They have been great to deal with and I have taken on some smaller issues myself. So far our dealer has been good to us.”
They fix parts, not just replace them
Robert L. had a great experience with the National Indoor RV Center and recommends them. He shares, “I bought a Newmar Dutch Star 40 from National Indoor RV Center (NIRVC) in Lawrenceville, GA (Atlanta area) in June of 2022 and recently arranged to bring it in for repairs at the end of a fairly long trip. I think this was Saturday, May 13th. They have electric hookups. We expected to use Sunday morning to empty the RV and drive home. At 8:30 Sunday morning, the technician was knocking at our door, ready to take the unit into the shop. They have techs working seven days a week, 12 hours a day. The repairs and maintenance were not big issues but they took time.
“About three weeks later everything was done except one item, the Internet router, which has been a continual problem. The service manager (Nick) came out and spent about half an hour or more getting the router working, but it failed again that evening. All the repairs were done well and the coach worked fine on the trip. The router problem will need more attention, but I think NIRVC did all one could expect. Electronic problems can be a bear. I recommend NIRVC to anyone. An appointment date is not just a date for arrival but is also close to when they start work. Also, they don’t just replace parts; things that can be fixed are repaired.”
Jayco just giving them the runaround, too
Danny B. is frustrated with repairs where they bought their RV. He wrote, “We bought a new 2023 North Point Jayco in August 2022 from Crestview RV in Buda, TX. They have given us terrible customer service; their mechanics are nothing to talk about. We’ve had numerous problems since day one and it’s only been nine months. The auto-leveling never works correctly, all TVs don’t work the same, the toilet leaks, the kitchen sink leaks. These are just a few items. We’ve taken it back to the dealer five times and the items haven’t been repaired correctly. We have spoken with Jayco and they give us the same runaround. We have RV lawyers looking into our case since January and no outcome yet. We’ve spent more than $100,000 on a new fifth wheel and are extremely frustrated. Does anyone have any advice?”
Still waiting. Over 1 year and 3 months!
Larry H. said Camping World would get back to him. He is still waiting. He wrote, “Took my camper to Camping World in Byron, Georgia, for roof repair and a corner side fixed in 2022. It was there until 2023—1 year and 3 months! When I was told it was ready, I drove 3.5 hours and got there and looked at it and it was not ready. l was not a happy camper! I stayed there for three more hours and was told it was ready, then got it home and found the air conditioner cover, the new one, laying on the floor beside the bed. I called them and was told that they would get back to me. I’m still waiting.”
Kudos to Taylor Coach
Carol W. is truly a happy camper. She wrote, “We too have a custom-built Taylor Coach. The workmanship is incredible! The floor plan is customizable and efficient. If there is a little something that needs to be tweaked, we take it over to Taylor Coach. They built it, and they know their product. They make it right. This is the way business should be run! Kudos to Brad Taylor and his son Nate!!”
Want quality? Look for it!
Kathleen I. sent some advice for those looking for a new RV. She said, “If you want QUALITY you MUST LOOK for it! You MUST test—open/close EVERYTHING—SEE how it is made. You buy an inexpensive coach, towable or 5th wheel—guess what—IT IS GOING TO BE JUNK! With this said, even the ‘expensive’ RVs can be made cheaply. Again YOU must look/test everything. We saw many coaches we liked until we really looked at them. Found that we had to beef up our choice to find the right coach for full-time living that would last. We could not afford a diesel at the time but found a great Class A that has given us fairly little to complain about!”
Dealer says, “That’s the way the RV industry is these days”
George M. writes about his friends’ trials with a 2023 Thor. He said, “Friends purchased a new 2023 Thor Tiburon Mercedes Class C in early Feb. from Roy Robinson RV in Marysville, WA. Took delivery in late Feb. as there were a number of delays ‘getting it ready.’ There were immediately a number of problems. The fold-down dinette was broken, the lights didn’t work and neither did the hot water. Within the first week, he took it back to the dealer (which, by the way, was two hours and a ferry ride away). Got told they have to order parts. Nine weeks later the new mechanism for the dinette came in, wrong part, and so was whatever was needed for the hot water, lights, etc. They jury-rigged the dinette so they could use it.
“They came with us on a three-day break in trip. The hot water didn’t work, the dinette was a pain, and now 12-volt didn’t work unless the engine was running??? And a few other issues. Got back from the trip and returned to the dealer at the end of May. The rig is still there awaiting parts and service. In the meantime, the dealer was purchased by Camping World (ouch)… So out of a bit over four months of ownership, they have been able to use their RV for three days.
“In the meantime, they’ve had to stay numerous nights in motels to fulfill obligations that they were going to use RV for (graduations, baby shower, etc.). The dealer’s response to all of this was, ‘That’s the way the RV industry is these days.’
“Now for the piece de resistance. They asked that when they ‘finally’ picked it up for the ‘last time’, if they could they get another ‘walk through’, since it had been so long since the original, and they hadn’t been able to use many of the features. The dealer’s response … ‘WE’LL HAVE TO CHARGE YOU FOR THAT, BUT MAYBE WE CAN GET YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCOUNT!!!!!'”
Editor’s note
Note from RVtravel.com: If hiring a mobile tech, a small or mega service center, make sure that they are experienced in the issue and have insurance in case something goes wrong. Also, check their warranty policy on the work they perform. Check reviews too and read between the lines—if the review sounds way too good to be true it might be. Compare with several reviews and not just the ones on their website.
Questions for you about RV service
We’ll continue to share stories of your RV service experiences. We want to know:
- Have you had good luck with great service or not so much?
- Did you get good service from knowledgeable technicians?
- Are you waiting to get into a service center or have a mobile tech come out?
- What has been the average time to get an appointment?
- Has your RV been in a service center for a while?
- Are you able to get any mobile techs to come out?
- Are the service centers able to get parts?
- When you do get the repairs done, is the price reasonable?
Please fill out the form below and tell us what your experiences have been like. It can be a horror story, an opinion about what’s going on, a positive experience, or anything else related to the topic. We want to know the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Check back next week for more on RV service centers. See you then.
Last week’s Service Centers and Repairs Report:
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I caught something in the comments that could be a problem, THOR!
Thank you, Nanci! Wow! Some dealers are pretty awful and some are far from awful, wonderful even.
Here in Kalispell we have Bish which went from Gardner….but same people sooo nothing changed….poor service and no follow through on anything so we just moved on from them…Arctic Fox 2019 28 5C which we really enjoy…lot of small repairs at first because of speed assembly. Time is money and bonuses …rv’s are for the most part an add on to life not like a car a must so it will never be a quality item I don’t think….one can hope….
Any corporate “RV” outfit is nothing more than a hole to pour money in so shareholders can have more profits at the expense of consumers. America is full of these capitalistic crooks so buyer beware to anyone purchasing anything anymore. As for RV quality…it went out 40 years ago. No doubt that is an argument awaiting…but facts are facts.
I have a feeling we will never get out of our 2012 Arctic Fox 25Y. Ever! Everything works.
We bought our 2003 Tiffin Allegro Bus when it was 10 years old and have now had it for 10 years. It was built in the era of quality materials and assembly because we have had absolutely no problems with it other than replacing the cooling unit in the Dometic fridge which has nothing to do with Tiffin. We have no interest in buying a newer coach with all the related problems that we read about.
We have been looking at downsizing from our 2013 43′ Newmar. Just recently we found a 2021 Newmar that looked to fill the bill. Especially because it was a pandemic era build, I asked the dealer to send me the warranty and any other maintenance/repair history.
OMG!!! My eyes about popped out of my head! None of the issues were Newmar build…virtually all were LIPPERT products failing and some three times in the short time since the coach was built! Why would I think all those junk LIPPERT components wouldn’t fail again?
Because of their parts market share, that junk is in almost all RVs. Not sure we’ll ever get a newer smaller RV.
Pretty well balanced out reports this week, thanks for sharing them Nanci !
Thor (Warren buffet) is a big part of the problem. They bought and ruined Jayco and many others. Lippert and camping world owners should be in jail. These three companies are just disgustingly crooked, but hide behind the law.
Quality in a Thor product is a fleeting thing. If buying new one must often look behind the label to see who built it. If buying used, one must look for when or if the company was bought out by a conglomerate. In any case, always ask for a full hookups test, their response might be telling.