Community Forums

rufusfruge · 05-19-2016, 03:33 PM

Hi there, we're owners of a Class A motorhome which was vandalized last October near our home. We took it to a reputable repair facility in Katy, Texas for them to do the work rather than the dealer we had purchased from. Our coach was dropped off with a list of items that needed to either be replaced or repaired on October 29, 2015. I had open heart surgery in November and was recuperating for an extended period of time. The repair facility took until December 7th to come up with an estimate which was reportedly sent over to our insurance however it was late in January before the final approval was given to start the work. Nearly $21,000 worth of damages. The windshield and 4 other windows had to be replaced along with the control panel for the Lippert leveling system. In all six thousand dollars in parts and the balance in labor. Each storage door as well as the entrance door had been prie open by the vandals and had to be repaired by their paint and body shop. They have been working on our unit since the end of January and we're told that it should be finished by the end of this month. Seven months is a very long time to effect the repairs in my opinion. I curiousl to know if some of you have had similar experiences with repairs to your motor home.

Slice · 05-19-2016, 03:40 PM

Seems like a long time. Ask this. Camping world that part of town ?

bailiff · 05-19-2016, 03:44 PM

I never lock anything, the cost for repair easily exceeds the things they would take.

Tha_Rooster · 05-19-2016, 05:07 PM

I know your pain I dropped mine off at a large rv company due to tire blow out damage not CW the first week in December the last time which was the 3rd time they said it was ready it wasn't. They had it 5 months in reality it should not have taken over 2 weeks I ended up redoing 2 items they did and it has to go back for more body work they missed.

jacwjames · 05-19-2016, 06:01 PM

The reality is once they started and finally got approval from insurance they have you by the privates. Not much you can do except keep calling them, but there is a chance it could make things worse.

I had a warranty issue with my Class C, exhaust manifold cracked. Took 14 weeks to repair. When the other side did the same thing and it was out of warranty I fixed it myself in 4 days and that included waiting for the part.

coupevilleDF · 05-19-2016, 06:37 PM

We had a tree fall on our previous TT. The insurance company completed the estimate based on pictures I emailed to them. They authorized an RV Repair company to do the work. This occurred in October and we had it back around February as I recall. The repairs were about $10 grand and within a couple hundred dollars from the insurance estimate. We did have to take it back for a month or two later because after use we discovered that the axle had bent front the weight of the tree and had to be replaced.

gatorcq · 05-20-2016, 03:32 AM

Sorry for the time it is taking. Let's face it, they are NOT working on it all the time.

The only way, for you to get your coach quicker, is to be on site every day and asking why they are not working on it and keep after them.
They are just putting you aside and doing other quicker jobs.

mike brez · 05-20-2016, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bailiff

I never lock anything, the cost for repair easily exceeds the things they would take.

I do the same exact thing.

LETMGROW · 05-20-2016, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorcq

Sorry for the time it is taking. Let's face it, they are NOT working on it all the time.

The only way, for you to get your coach quicker, is to be on site every day and asking why they are not working on it and keep after them.
They are just putting you aside and doing other quicker jobs.

I don't know how a repair shop can operate like this. I own and operate an Auto-Light truck repair shop. When I get a job in here we diagnose it, call the customer with an estimate if they request it and once we have approval we order the parts needed if they aren't readily available. Once we have the parts in hand we do the job and get it gone. I see no reason for a customer to have to wait. We do the jobs in the order they came in unless it is an emergency someone brings in which does happen on occasion.
One of the last things I want to do is to have my money tied up in parts for someone else's vehicle while it just sits around here. I have to pay for those parts they aren't donated to me. I don't want to see a whole yard of partially completed jobs sitting in my yard. I also don't want to have to make excuses every day why you can't have your vehicle back.
Lynn

jstdreamin · 05-20-2016, 12:09 PM

I had a problem with my coach last fall. My issue was that Lippert bought Power gear and it took my shop a couple of months to get the parts because they weren't in inventory and the companies were in transition. Keep in mind that some model year coaches aren't built in large numbers; in my case there were apparently only about 300 built so some of these technical components aren't sitting on a shelf waiting for orders. And every model proves to be a challenge for shops to work on. I was told that Lippert actually had to build the parts I needed.

While I'm new to rv'ing, I've already learned hat repairs are common and continuous. After all, we are driving our homes down the road at highway (58mph for me). Things break.

My advice is to develop a strong relationship with a reputable, independently owned, repair facility for repairs that you can't do yourself. I've learned that you get what you pay for in terms of quality and service. If you don't need your RV right away, tell the shop. Give them a break so when you do need an "urgent" repair, you will get priority service.

TomandGloria · 05-20-2016, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LETMGROW

I don't know how a repair shop can operate like this. I own and operate an Auto-Light truck repair shop. When I get a job in here we diagnose it, call the customer with an estimate if they request it and once we have approval we order the parts needed if they aren't readily available. Once we have the parts in hand we do the job and get it gone. I see no reason for a customer to have to wait. We do the jobs in the order they came in unless it is an emergency someone brings in which does happen on occasion.
One of the last things I want to do is to have my money tied up in parts for someone else's vehicle while it just sits around here. I have to pay for those parts they aren't donated to me. I don't want to see a whole yard of partially completed jobs sitting in my yard. I also don't want to have to make excuses every day why you can't have your vehicle back.
Lynn

You make solid points. My experience has been you make an appointment to drop off your coach (did this in March for April drop off). I called yesterday and I am slowly moving up the queue. No timeframe given. Good news is this is RV Repair facility only. My Dealer is another 30 miles up the road and the service is even longer.
I guess this really gives a new definition for patience.

Scatterbrain · 05-20-2016, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomandGloria

You make solid points. My experience has been you make an appointment to drop off your coach (did this in March for April drop off). I called yesterday and I am slowly moving up the queue. No timeframe given. Good news is this is RV Repair facility only. My Dealer is another 30 miles up the road and the service is even longer.
I guess this really gives a new definition for patience.

It reminds me of when I called a local RV dealer to get a new washer/dryer installed. They were honest with me and pointed out that while they could get me in, they didn't know how long it would take because jobs from the sales dept took precedence over customers just coming in for service. He told me that if they pulled my rig in to get started on it and someone buying an RV wanted some upgrade or repair done then my rig would get put back outside. I imagine this is fairly common from peoples complaints.

Brian W · 05-21-2016, 05:10 PM

Seven months isn't a record. I had a full wall slide failure on my last coach that spent 6 weeks getting diagnosed by the dealer and factory reps. I was called at the six week mark and told it would have to go back to the factory. The factory notified me it would take 9 months for me to get it back. So 10 1/2 months total from the time I dropped it off to get it fixed.

I met with the owner of my dealership, and I explained I would be seeking legal counsel to go after the manufacturer. The owner stepped up to the plate big time. He gave me more for a trade than it was worth, and sold me my current MH at cost. He then went after the manufacturer himself.

I was so impressed that I put in a part time application, as I was retired. Long story short started working there 3 days a weeks, and now work there 6 days a week.

TomandGloria · 05-21-2016, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian W

Seven months isn't a record. I had a full wall slide failure on my last coach that spent 6 weeks getting diagnosed by the dealer and factory reps. I was called at the six week mark and told it would have to go back to the factory. The factory notified me it would take 9 months for me to get it back. So 10 1/2 months total from the time I dropped it off to get it fixed.

I met with the owner of my dealership, and I explained I would be seeking legal counsel to go after the manufacturer. The owner stepped up to the plate big time. He gave me more for a trade than it was worth, and sold me my current MH at cost. He then went after the manufacturer himself.

I was so impressed that I put in a part time application, as I was retired. Long story short started working there 3 days a weeks, and now work there 6 days a week.

I might be calling you when I'm ready to trade. That's a really great story and proves there are some dealers who put customer service first. Thanks for sharing.