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Old 04-10-2015, 11:12 AM   #1
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What was your PDI like?

Tell us about your PDI experience.
How much time did the deal allow?
How did you approach it?
What was found?
What was missed?
What questions did you wish you asked?
What would you do differently next time?
How were any problems handled?

Thanks!
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Old 04-10-2015, 04:30 PM   #2
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In the past year, I've bought two different motorhomes, and my PDI and walkthrough experiences were very different with each. Last may I bought a Forest River Berkshire from MHS in Texas. They did an exceptional job on their walkthrough. Their tech guy spent about 3 hours going over every detail of the coach with me. Since I was a first time RV owner, he spent extra time making sure I understood all the aspects of how to properly operate one. The minor issues we found were fixed on the spot, and after I left the dealer I did not have any major problems with the coach.


Well, I decided to trade up to an Entegra Cornerstone, and stupidly, instead of going with MHS who I already knew, I decided to buy from LazyDays in Tampa. I'd seen them on that Travel Channel RV show, so I wanted to check them out, plus it was an excuse to take a trip to Florida.


Anyway, in hindsight I wish I had bought it from MHS. From the time I arrived in Tampa, everything I had been told regarding our timeline was delayed. I'm not retired, so I had a fixed date that I needed to leave to head home. Instead of getting a thorough walkthrough and time to live in the coach to find problems before I left, my walkthrough was done at the end of the day the night before I had to leave.


Needless to say the whole thing felt rushed, and I felt like I knew more about my coach than the technician doing the walkthrough (mostly thanks to reading these forums). Because I had to leave before thoroughly troubleshooting everything, I've found numerous small issues that I've had to take care of on my own, which is of course a lot more trouble than if they'd been done at the dealer before I left.


My suggestions would be:


-do as much research about your rig as you can before you pick it up. The more you know about it ahead of time, the more you'll be able to spot if something is wrong.


-if you can, allow plenty of time to stay and troubleshoot, and get any issues worked out while it's still at the dealer. Try to choose a time when you can be flexible. I had a fixed deadline at home when I got mine. I wish I had spent another day or two in Tampa. In the long run, I could have saved myself a lot of hassle.


-one mistake I made is I signed the papers and wrote the check before I ever did the PDI. In hindsight I realize I was pretty stupid to do that. In the future, I won't sign anything until I've thoroughly inspected every aspect of the coach and gotten all bugs fixed.


I hope this helps...
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Old 04-14-2015, 12:01 PM   #3
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Awesome advice!!!
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Old 04-14-2015, 07:12 PM   #4
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I work at a dealership and work closely with our PDI department.

My advice would be:

1. Show up prepared - Any questions you have write down so you don't forget. As mentioned study up before your walk through. This site is a great resource.

2. Film the walkthrough - We see more and more of this with Smart phones. Break the recording down into segments for easy review as needed.

3. Make the tech operate every system - On my last walk-thru I wanted to see every light come on, see that the water pump worked, etc. I even flushed the toilet.

4. Don't let the tech try to rush the walk-thru - If you don't understand something, have the tech go over it as many times as needed.

5. Stay at the dealer - Our dealership, like many others, offer the opportunity to stay at the dealership. If your dealer offers this, take them up on it. That way if you have any questions or something doesn't work you can have it looked at immediately or get your questions answered.

Have fun!
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Old 04-14-2015, 07:58 PM   #5
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After doing a PDI with our Heartland Cyclone 5th wheel, and then again on our motorhome, I will say they both left a LOT to be desired. I thought it was overkill to stay overnight as I bought both within driving distance of the house. However, in both cases I got it home and immediately found issues I missed during the PDI. The motorhome had a significant water leak that did not show up with the water pump running, but flooded the storage bay as soon as I put the hose on the city hook up(the hose clamp was there, but flopping loose and the pex tubing popped off the back of the connector!). I would recommend taking something small to check EVERY outlet, including the GFI's and figure out what outlets are wired to them as well. Not sure if you are getting a trailer, or motorhome, but I found out that none of the outlets on the kitchen wall were wired to work off the inverter, which meant I had to start the gen to make a cup of coffee if shore power was not available. I think it is safe to say that no matter how much you go through things with the tech, you will find plenty of things to be fixed, replaced, etc. after you camp in it for the first time or two. Good luck with everything and don't hesitate to ask questions as needed! This forum is a WEALTH of information!
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Old 09-02-2015, 08:09 AM   #6
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What was your PDI like?

Is it normal for PDI's to only be done Monday through Friday, not available on a Saturday? I'm buying out of state and was told they only do PDI's Monday-Friday. I plan on staying one night in the trailer so guess it works out better but trying to figure out when I can go pick it up. I had planned originally to leave on a Saturday.
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Old 09-10-2015, 07:23 PM   #7
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We did ours on a Saturday. I gave them notice that I'd need several hours to go through it.. I got "no problem" - but they got a little pushy about it after 3 hours.

Make sure they're not talking about THEIR PDI..
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Old 09-16-2015, 08:11 PM   #8
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What was your PDI like?

I was informed they had done their PDI and they would have the guy that did it walk me through everything. The guy I had was great, answered any questions I had, and I never felt rushed at all. He demonstrated that everything worked and how to work it. We finished the walk through and he told me if I found any issues or had any questions to just come and get someone and they'd take care of it. I told them I'd be going through everything myself again and was informed to take as long as I needed. They pulled the 5th wheel out in front of the dealership and connected several 50 amp cords together so we could have full power and so we could leave early before they opened. They told me to just disconnect the electrical cord and slide it under the fence when we left. Sales guy stopped by as he was leaving work and checked to see if we needed anything and if something needed fixed the next day they'd get on it as soon as they opened. We were prepared to stay two nights but left early the next morning to head back to Texas from Alabama.

The finance lady wasn't there when I got there and they told me to go out and start the walk through and I could sign the paperwork whenever I wanted. No rush, no requirement to do the paperwork first. Everyone I dealt with was outstanding and took care of anything. Purchased from Madison RV in Madison, Alabama. Great people, gave me a great price, and everything was as painless as could be in my opinion. It was a great experience and I'd definitely buy from them again. Clay was my sales guys guy and he was outstanding from the moment I talked to him on the phone. Bobby did my walk through, great guy also.
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