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.
Several readers have written about taking their RV to truck shops for repair work.
Here’s what they had to say:
Truck and bus service centers
Guy D. takes his Class A diesel to a dedicated Freightliner Truck service center. He wrote, “We have a 40’ Tiffin Phaeton and are full-timers. Besides annual service work on the Freightliner chassis and Cummins diesel, which we get done at the Freightliner Oasis locations that specialize in RVs, we get most of the work we need done at the various conventions, such as FMCA, Escapades, and Tiffin Allegro.
“The mobile techs at these venues are all vetted by the organization before they can offer services. Most I see regularly at the different conventions and they tend to be extremely well-qualified. For the past five years, we have always been pleased with the work done. Additionally, many manufacturers have reps and techs at those conventions as well. We have our tires checked by the Michelin people every year as they provide a free inspection service.”
Dan C. likes a local truck shop and wrote, “Have had our 2007 Fleetwood Discovery since 2007. We learned early on to go to a local truck service shop that serves local farmers’ trucks for oil changes and other repairs. They know their business as they have to rely on repeat business from the farmers and truckers in the area.”
Mareen N. mentioned that they took their Winnebago to Freightliner with a myriad of issues. She wrote, “We own a 2011 Winnebago Class A and I’ve never been more grateful to own an RV that is built on a Freightliner chassis.
“This last summer, we were on a long caravan with 24 other RVs and suffered three different issues within a 10-day period, which I’m convinced were all caused by an encounter with a bad road bump. First was a serious airbag leak, then a busted coolant line, and finally a broken shock. Each time, we managed to easily find a Freightliner truck service center nearby that fit us in and got us back on the road so we could catch up to our caravan group. The only delays we had were waiting for parts, but that was only a day or two.”
Ken S. also had great luck with a truck and bus service shop. He wrote, “ATEL Bus & Truck in Greenbelt, MD, has been phenomenal. Their focus is on customer safety and their reputation, which led to our replacing aged-out tires, dry-rotted airbags, leaking seals which in turn contaminated brake shoes, brake drums with heat cracks, bad axle bearings, bad fuel injectors, and more. And they washed my coach and cleaned the interior after the work was done! The owner, Brian, has been great, sending photos and videos along the way and spending hours on the phone educating me on issues and solutions. His team saved us from a potential catastrophe on our upcoming cross-country trip. Repair once, cry once, (continue to) live once.”
John C’s Class C was too small for a truck service center, though. He wrote, “Not sure about whether truck service centers would be a good solution. We had a tire that I could tell was separating and tried to get a few different truck service places (for semis), near St. Marys, GA, and none would help us. They said their gear wouldn’t work on something as small as our 26′ Class C (with 16″ rims). Seems to me, if you can remove tires on semis, you ought to be able to do that on a smaller vehicle.”
Our experience
Truck service shops are a great option and not just for diesel Class As. When we were on our first great escape after retirement in our new-to-us 2004 Coachmen, the brakes were smoking and something was clanking. We had taken a dubious route down a curvy, steep mountain road outside of El Paso, Texas. The brakes had taken such a beating that there was little left to stop at the bottom. As a matter of fact, my husband could not stop the RV at the stoplight at the bottom of the hill.
We limped to Belmont, Texas, and found a truck shop that could get us in the next day. They changed the burnt brake fluid and replaced the brake pads, even though they specialized in commercial diesel trucks.
Now we will always try a truck shop first for mechanical issues. They get us in right away, are sometimes open 24/7, and have access to parts RV repair shops don’t always have. They have the heavy equipment that RVs need.
Truck shops sometimes have local connections for most RV-specific issues, too. We have had a mobile tech working on an issue while the RV was in the truck repair shop. And to top it off, they usually have great snacks in the truckers’ lounge!
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.
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Last week’s Service Centers and Repairs Report:
##RVT1202
We use a dedicated truck shop for the Frieghtliner chassis issues. They have been in business 30 plus years and have seen it all and have “relationships” with parts suppliers built up over years. Have never failed to help us out.
I do not know what John C and his Class C has to complain about. If the truck service centers say they cannot work on small rims, they cannot.
I am sure they would be able to replace the tire with a spare, but ask them to remove the 16″ rubber on their equipment that is designed for larger tires? I do not think so, a regular tire shop could do that.
My thoughts as well. They could do it manually by hand, but I imagine they didn’t want to do that, even though for an experienced tire changer, that’s a piece of cake.
The driver of the 2004 Coachmen needs to learn how to gear down and go SLOW when descending a steep mountain road and not rely on brakes! Glad he made it through the intersection at the bottom without hitting someone.
I almost never touch brakes on steep downgrades. Just gear down and let the transmission do the work. When you do need to brake, stab and release. Don’t ride them.
He has certainly learned his lesson! Now has exhaust brakes!
I use a Freightliner dealer in San Antonio Texas. They are professional, fast and efficient. They have a lot of RVs getting service. Unfortunately, they charge a bonus $75/hour more than they charge for semi tractors.
I’ve had a difficult time finding a truck shop or Rv dealer to work on my GM P-30/454, with an anti-freeze leak. I tho’t a frost plug on the back of the block was leaking. I went to GM garage & Truck centers, Freightliner, and IH, – finally a large Ford truck sales/svc ctr in Fargo, ND would work on it! (Turned out to be a simple block drain plug had fallen out leaving streaks leading to the transmission and back of the block. If in Fargo area – W.W. Wallwork Truck Ctr. (They hate motorhomes – but will help if asked/beg?). None of the other truck centers would do it for liability reasons….
One of the biggest reasons to use a truck shop is they understand the value of time. A commercial truck sitting in the shop isn’t making money for it’s owner – time (and miles) is money for a trucker. and moving down the road is how they make their living. Whereas, to an RV dealer you don’t need your RV until your next vacation, and it’s no big deal if you have to postpone or use a different mode for vacationing.
Thank you, as always, for the compilation, Nanci! It is always interesting reading and usually also informative. Have a great day and safe travels!