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:
Warranty requires $200 dealer inspection yearly. Miss the date and void the warranty
Craig K. says his warranty is a waste of money. He wrote, “I have had issues with the Warranty Forever program. I have to have my RV inspected yearly by my dealer at a cost of $200 for something I can do myself. Last year we were traveling and did not get back in time for the yearly maintenance inspection (3 weeks late).
“This warranty that I paid for was the main reason I purchased the RV. When I contacted the Warranty Forever company I was told that since I did not have it completed by the service date my warranty was now void. The dealership had assured us that we would have a year from our previous inspection date. Apparently not. They weren’t willing to help us out but gave me a number to call and wished me good luck. I now save the $200 to put toward any repairs that I can probably do myself or have RV friends who can help. The RV is only three years old. What a waste of money for a warranty with such stringent restrictions. Fortunately, I still have two years on the manufacturer warranty that is not hitch to bumper coverage.”
This Camping World did exactly what they said they would do!
Bill O. tells us about the good warranty support he got at Camping World. He wrote, “Contrary to the horror stories you read about dealership service and warranty support, we had a very pleasant experience with our new Forest River unit bought from Camping World in Council Bluffs, IA. Our issues weren’t huge (door and screen not closing properly, bay latches not securing, USB plugs coming loose, etc.). We scheduled our RV for warranty service and had to reschedule twice due to our medical issues (one at the last minute).
“The Camping World schedulers were super easy to work with and very understanding. When we got the RV in, the repair folks went over the issues in detail so they were conversant with the problems and made sure we understood the process they had to follow. They did exactly what they said they’d do—kept us apprised, did the work without challenge, and surprised us with a call within a week that our coach was ready.
“When we picked it up, they went over each repair in detail, explained what they did, and then told us about a repair they’d made that we hadn’t noticed. The repair manager we worked with then spent his time talking about some suggestions we might want to consider and answered some other questions we’d thought of. Throughout this experience, we felt like we were their only and most important customer. 10 stars out of 5! Will return to this Camping World for service, gladly.”
RV DOCTOR did some very good doctoring!
Charles P. writes to us about his good experience with RV DOCTOR: “Recently I used RV DOCTOR, in Rockwall, TX, for some extended warranty work in repairing a full wall slide (FWS) and a collision mitigation device (CMD). They were on site quickly, disassembled the dash, repaired the CMD, and reassembled the dash. Then on to the FWS, where they diagnosed the control board as being bad, ordered the part, replaced the part, and reprogrammed it. The best part was they did all the dealing with the warranty company and kept me advised. Great company!”
Stands by his work. If there’s a mistake, he fixes it
Jeanette W. has a good review about a mobile RV repair service that when they made a mistake, they stood by the customer. She wrote, “We had excellent service from a mobile repair in Central Florida. First, they replaced a leaking hydraulic slide ram. We then asked them to reseal the roof. It was not leaking and I want to make sure it doesn’t. They used a popular product.
“We went to South Florida and when I got on the roof to clean and wax it, I discovered the product they used did not adhere to the product used in the manufacture of the motorhome. I texted to let him know and told him which product he should use on this brand of motorhome. I sent him photos of the reseal job all bubbled up and coming loose.
“He called and said he would refund all our money or redo the job with the other product. When we got back to Central Florida, he removed the one product and applied the correct one for this brand. We are totally satisfied. Reliable Inspections & Mobile Repair of Leesburg, FL, we found to be honest, on time, responsive, and dependable. They are RVIA Certified.”
Want it done right? Do it yourself
Mike O. does not respect the term “certified RV technician”. He wrote, “The term ‘certified RV technician’ is the greatest oxymoron ever. I cringe every time someone writes a post about an RV problem and one person after another responds with ‘you need to have it looked at by a certified RV technician.’ A certified RV tech has never fixed my camper right on any occasion. If you want it done right, you do it yourself.”
RV sat in the dealer service lot for a month… then found an outstanding mobile tech
Gary B. did not have a good experience with dealer service but the campground manager suggested a great tech. He wrote, “We had the misfortune of a malfunctioning grey water drain valve on our brand-new 5th wheel. The dealer was worthless, [the RV] sat in his lot for a month and they hadn’t even looked at it. I picked it up because we weren’t going to leave it there forever.
“Last summer while camping in NH, we noticed a stream of water coming from the underbelly. I asked the campground manager if they could recommend a good mobile tech. Boy, did they! They put us in touch with Kennett Equipment Services, and we scheduled an on-site visit for the same day. Got a call when the tech was expected. Troy Kennett showed up, I showed him the problem. He crawled under and went to work. He explained (and showed me) that during assembly, the gasket between the grey water tank and gate valve got folded over and obviously wasn’t sealing.
“He went to his truck, pulled out a tub of Vaseline and started massaging the gasket. After about five minutes of massaging he went back under and using both legs and arms wrestled the seal back into place. He left the coroplast underbelly open and said to leave it opened until we got to our next destination in Vermont. He said the few days and the drive to Vermont would help dry things out. He left us with several strips of 4” wide tape to seal the bottom back up.
“All in all, it took Troy a couple of hours of work. He gave us a very reasonable invoice and was able to accept my credit card right there. The RV hasn’t leaked since. I can’t speak highly enough of Troy Kennett—the man knows trailers. His wife does all the scheduling and can be reached at (802) 771-7024. They service all of central NH and this is their website. Even though this was a warranty issue, the cost was so reasonable, I’m not going to even bother fighting.”
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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We have the “Forever Warranty” on our 2020 GD Solitude. We are required to have it inspected once a year by a certified inspector not the dealership. We’ve found it easy to find an inspector and keep the Warranty active which thus far has paid for itself. Not to mention the couple hundred dollars spent yearly for a new set of eyes is worth it to us.
Just asking but you’ve paid or paying for an extended warranty that you have to pay on a yearly basis, an additional fee to keep it in force? As for the “Forever Warranty”, is this actually forever or how many years is it good for?
We also have the warranty on our 270thle. You do not pay for the warranty, but it may come out of the $ you pay the dealer. I think actual the inspection cost is set by the dealer. Ours is not $200, but we get the warranty inspection and state inspection done at the same time. We bought the trailer in December and have the inspections done in October since we put the trailer in storage for the winter.
I’m sure if you would have made a call to NWAN prior, they would have made an exception. BTW, you have 30 days from the inspection anniversary to submit the claim.
This warranty is good for the life of the RV as long as the inspection is done every year. This warranty is not transferable if you sell the RV.
This warranty covers most items, like Refrigerator, Air Conditioner, Furnace, Water Pump, Water Heater, LP System
It does not cover Power Converter, Jacks/levelers, Slide outs, Roofs, Springs or axles
The inspection can be done by any registered RV service. A dealer, a mobile service or an inspector. The requirement is when the coupon is sent in to NWAN RV warranty forever it must be accompanied with a paid receipt form the inspection company. The price is set by the inspection service, and some companies may include a tube or 2 of roof sealant or not. There is no requirement for that.
The reason for the inspection is you didn’t pay for the warranty and this way you will have a little of an vested interest in making sure your RV is kept in good shape.
The so called “warranty forever” is a farce. I had the baloney scam on a new Grand Design fifth wheel in 2017 and it was the biggest hassle I ever saw.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Always great to get additions to the mobile tech list. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
I regards to the story about not getting the inspection done in time and it was canceled. Several things are incorrect with that story. I am a Mobile Service who deals with NWAN Lifetime warranty. First issue – If you were having to pay for an inspection every year, you did not pay for that warranty, it was a freebee to entice you into the dealership to purchase a RV. If you paid for it, then no inspection is required. Second- if you are late they will give you a 1 time oops or forgiveness, and reinstate it. 3rd – if you have factory warranty then a extended service/warranty will not cover or pay for the repair. 4th – The NWAN lifetime warranty is a very limited warranty.
My situation was a little different. I bought the trailer in December (Western PA). The dealer made arrangements with NWAN to allow me to get it inspected in October, before the snow flies. Same time I get the State inspection done on the trailer.
He also stored the trailer until March at no cost to me. One nice thing about buying from a private dealership.