By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, Deb, a certified RV inspector from Deb’s RV Services, shares her oddest RV inspection to date. Imagine buying a brand-new RV, ready to hit the road, only to discover a major issue before you even leave the dealership. That’s exactly what happened to one of Deb’s clients during a pre-purchase inspection of a 2025 Coachmen Nova 20D.
This story highlights why getting an RV inspection before you buy is super important.
The unexpected discovery during a pre-purchase RV inspection
The inspection started with a bit of a delay. Deb arrived at the dealership, but the RV wasn’t quite ready. It turned out the tech had to change out the water pump because it was clogged. Red flag number one! After about 20 minutes, the RV was ready, and Deb could start the inspection.
First impressions matter, right? The tires were dated 2024, and the undercarriage looked good. That’s a win! Deb checked the exterior outlets and made sure the GFCI was working correctly. All good so far.
But then, while checking the bug screen on the rear of the RV, Deb noticed a tear. It was a minor issue, but still worth noting in the report so the client could get it replaced. Small tears can let bugs in, and nobody wants that!
Then, Deb moved on to the sink and started a leak test. Turning on the water and checking under the sink, Deb found something unexpected: a wet rag. It looked like a tech had been working under there, maybe fixed a leak, but left the saturated rag behind. Not a huge deal, but not exactly professional either.
Deb removed the rag and double-checked for any other leaks. Thankfully, everything seemed dry. But after turning off the water, Deb noticed something strange with the water pump. Instead of running smoothly to fill the lines and then stopping, it kept glitching and making a weird sound. The unusual sound the water pump was making concerned Deb, so she made note of it in her report.
The inspection wasn’t over yet. Deb found a loose outlet that needed to be tightened. The batteries were also low, likely because the RV hadn’t been connected to shore power or getting a trickle charge from solar panels. Deb noted that the batteries were at 12.3 volts, which is lower than ideal.
It’s worth mentioning that letting lead-acid or AGM batteries drop too low (below 50 percent) can permanently damage them. Hopefully, in this case, fully charging the batteries would solve the problem.
The reveal: What was clogging the water pump?
Now for the really weird part: What was actually clogging the water pump? After finishing the inspection, Deb gave the client a list of everything that needed to be addressed. The client talked to the dealership, and they got a tech to come out and take a look right away. This is key because they hadn’t signed the contract yet. Once you sign the contract and drive off the lot, you’re no longer a priority.
The tech found that the pump was clogged again. But this time, they discovered the source of the problem: insulation-like material in the fresh water tank! The client sent Deb pictures of the filter and the inside of the tank. It looked like pinkish insulation was floating around in the water.
They ended up having to order a whole new tank for the RV. Yes, it delayed the client’s plans, but imagine what would have happened if they hadn’t had the inspection.
This story proves that even brand-new RVs can have significant issues. Don’t assume that just because it’s new, it’s perfect. Dealerships typically do a pre-delivery inspection (PDI), but it’s not the same as a thorough, certified RV inspection. PDIs are often quick walkthroughs to make sure everything is generally working. They don’t always catch the hidden problems that a certified inspector will find.
This experience highlights another important factor in RV inspections: timing. Deb mentioned that many clients want to have an inspection done right before they take the RV home, expecting any issues to be fixed immediately. But that’s not always realistic. Dealerships often need to order parts and schedule repairs, which can take time.
In this case, the client had to stay overnight while waiting for a part to be delivered. If you’re thinking about getting an RV inspection, it’s important to book well in advance—ideally one to two weeks. This gives the inspector enough time to do a thorough job and the dealership enough time to make any necessary repairs before you pick up your RV.
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Is the client responsible for some form of down payment or holding fee? What stops the dealership from selling the RV to another unsuspecting “under prepared” customer while there are parts on order? After all the dealership still “owns” the RV.
Another poor quality build by Coachmen. Our 2024 Coachmen Destination furnace was packed full of floor sweeping sawdust and construction scraps instead of disposing it properly. We discovered the entire heating duct was full óf it too.
Remember the inspector’s don’t catch everything. That was a good catch with the fiberglass in the water tank.
Things don’t make sense.
First, how would insulation get into the FWT, unless it was put there purposely at the factory.
The only holes in the tank are less than 1 1/2 inches. I can see some shavings from drilling the holes, but those would only be the material the tank is made of.
Second, why didn’t the filter on the input to the pump catch the debris?
Stealership PDI’s are a joke for the most part…one stealership I bought a Grand Design Reflection 5’er from in Pasco,Washington back in 2017 had no idea how to calibrate the auto levelers so I had to learn the hard way. Then the heater ducts were a joke,,,not connected. We had so many problems with the thing I got rid of it…no more GD junk for me. I will stick with Outdoors RV…at least they care about what they build.
This was one of the best video’s on rv inpection! When i purchased my new travel trailer, it took about 4hours as i learned to checkout every thing, some items i found, toilet leaking when you flush, tire not having enough air, and the water tank had a crack on top from over filling. Made the dealership fix before signing any papers. O’ yes, i think it was the same dealer in AZ, before becoming Laz…..YS. ?
I just wonder if those who got rid of the “><#@&*^) unit disclosed their issues to the buyer prior to sealing the deal…???
Thank you for calling our attention to the video, Cheri! That is quite the puzzle. No idea of “why,” but the insulation may have gone into the tank during manufacture if it was an accident. Alternately, it was vandalism by a production employee or someone at the dealership. I am too uninformed about RV production to speculate “how” this happened. Certainly made for a notable video, though. Have a great weekend and safe travels!