Orphan Excels

[LindaH]

The dealership in Mesa, AZ where we bought our Excel this past January is no longer an Excel dealer.

Anyone in this same situation...and, if so, what have you done to find someone to service your rig?

We've already encountered 3 Excel dealerships who wouldn't work on our rig because we didn't buy from them. We can't always be running back to Smith Center to have work done and, even assuming the Mesa dealership was still an Excel dealership, we couldn't always be running back there, either...which we'd NEVER do it in the summertime, anyway.

How do you -- particularly fulltimers -- get work done on your rigs if either you're selling dealership is no longer an Excel dealer, or is too far away to return to?

[LindaH]

The dealership in Mesa, AZ where we bought our Excel this past January is no longer an Excel dealer.

Anyone in this same situation...and, if so, what have you done to find someone to service your rig?

We've already encountered 3 Excel dealerships who wouldn't work on our rig because we didn't buy from them. We can't always be running back to Smith Center to have work done and, even assuming the Mesa dealership was still an Excel dealership, we couldn't always be running back there, either...which we'd NEVER do it in the summertime, anyway.

How do you -- particularly fulltimers -- get work done on your rigs if either you're selling dealership is no longer an Excel dealer, or is too far away to return to?

[wrongway]

If it comes to components that are in the unit, you do not have to take it to a Excel Dealership. Any dealership that is certified in the repairs should be able to handle your issues, re: refer, furance, water heater, air, and more. IF it is related to an Excel Dealership, as I have stated before, we would be happy to work on your unit as a Excel Dealership. I spoke with Kathy from RV Sales in New Mexico and she stated that would do the same thing (would have you contact them for that exact information). Where the heartburn comes from on some dealerships as well as ourselve is when you would live in our backdoor and travel accross the country for a purchase, then Except us to take care of your needs, that makes it tough to swallow. (Just expressing our thoughts). Also I know that with some of our customers that have been south that they have to go to other dealerships that are not Excel related, the dealership has contacted Excel and worked it out with them to have repairs done to there unit.(Here again, you need or the dealership needs to contact Excel for verifacation.) Hope this help and maybe some of these other Excel dealerships may have changed there position in the last month of so. Give them a try again.

[LindaH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wrongway:
If it comes to components that are in the unit, you do not have to take it to a Excel Dealership. Any dealership that is certified in the repairs should be able to handle your issues, re: refer, furance, water heater, air, and more. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Wrongway, I know this, but I'm concerned mainly with warranty repairs for issues like we've run into thus far.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">IF it is related to an Excel Dealership, as I have stated before, we would be happy to work on your unit as a Excel Dealership. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's great, Wrongway...just wished more dealers felt that way!
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I spoke with Kathy from RV Sales in New Mexico and she stated that would do the same thing (would have you contact them for that exact information). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well, here's the thing: this was one of the dealerships that refused us service because we hadn't bought our unit from them.

When we spoke with them (both myself and my husband) in May, we were very clear that it wasn't an emergency...we didn't need to get in "right now." We also told them that we were visiting the New Mexico State Parks (we bought an annual non-resident camping permit) and would be in the state the rest of the year so we would be available to come to their place of business at any time convenient to them when they weren't so busy. We were still refused.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Where the heartburn comes from on some dealerships as well as ourselve is when you would live in our backdoor and travel accross the country for a purchase </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
But how do you know whether or not the person on the other end of the phone lives in your backdoor, if you don't ask them?

In none of the 3 cases where we were refused service were we ever asked if we lived in the state. The only question asked was, "Did you buy your rig from us?" Now, it could be that the dealer just assumed that, because we were calling *their* dealership, we lived in the state. But we're fulltime RVers and don't *live* any place but in the RV.

We bought our rig from the Mesa dealer only because we winter in Arizona and the expected delivery date was in January. We contemplated putting the order out for bid, but were not willing to travel north in the middle of January to take delivery.

[Bob Wilson]

Hi Linda,

I'm an orphan too ... my original dealer in Ohio is no longer an Excel dealer; but I'm also a full-timer who travels regularly, so the odds of me being near Ohio are pretty slim anyway.

On a positive note, when it comes to warranty repairs on the road, Jack has always authorized me to contact any dealer to do the work. He's even authorized mobile repair when I had a problem with one of my jacks. Only downside to using a non-Excel dealer is they've wanted me to pay first and then submit the bill to Excel ... apparently they've been stiffed by other manufacturers. PI has always reimbursed me promptly.

Now the downside ... I've had terrible luck with dealer repair in general. Once, when I asked a dealer to rotate my tires, they tried to use a forklift to raise the trailer from the side under the frame. Yikes!

Another time, at the new Excel dealer in Eugene, they seemed to do a good job on the temporary frame repairs; but to fix a loose carpet they ran tacks down the middle of the walkway, and when they lubed the steps and rear jacks (black) they used spray-on white lube ... looked like crisco all over the place; and then they only did half of the work since I was going to the factory anyway ... their words.

So, PI service center may be out of the way, but it is by far the best choice in my book.

Best wishes,
Bob

[LindaH]

When we've had RVs from factory direct manufacturers who don't have a dealer network, we were always able to find independent RV service centers to make the repair, even warranty repairs. So, like you, I think that will probably be our best option IF we run into a situation where we need a warranty repair done. Hopefully, we won't have any more problems in the year plus that we have left on our two-year warranty (we are taking a trip up to Smith Center at the end of this month to get the bedroom slide problem fixed).

We have friends with the same problem...the dealer from whom they bought their Excel either went out of business or is no longer an Excel dealer. Because they teach at Life On Wheels, they make a trip across country every year, and from what I understand, they stop in Smith Center for servicing. That would be great, except our travels are usually in the Northwest, as they will be next year, so making a run to Kansas isn't that convenient for us, particularly considering today's high fuel prices.