Community Forums

robtcathy · 07-06-2018, 05:26 AM

Hi Everyone. CJ and I want to thank everyone who has responded to our messages and given advice. Our first week has been very challenging. We learned all that we did not know and how important maintenance to our RV is. The people who sold us our RV did a very poor job preparing us for the road. We knew very little and they did almost nothing to help . We also had a disappointing experience with Camping World. Got the run around by a service manager that promised help and blew us off. We spent 2 wasted days waiting for service that we never got. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF AN HONEST AND RELIABLE COMPANY THAT SERVICES RV'S IN THE NEW ENGLAND OR MANCHESTER NH AREA. WHO DO YOU TRUST TO SERVICE YOUR RV???

What is a reasonable amount of time to wait to have your RV brought in for service?

We have had moments when we felt elated to live this lifestyle and times when we wondered if we have bitten off more then we can chew.

Our RV is an old (2000) Safari Zanzabar that was well taken care of by its one owner, but it shows signs of aging problems. Mileage is low for its age.

We also noticed that the roads on the east coast and New England are terrible. At times we felt the bolts that held our RV together would pop off due to shaking and rattling.

Thanks for listening and share your thoughts.

Robert and CJ

affreeman · 07-06-2018, 11:08 AM

I've never been to a Camping World myself, but I've never heard anybody say anything nice about them.

I lived most of my life in New England and bought the current motorhome while living there, so I guess the roads were just what I expected. Never had any great trouble. I've certainly been on worse roads elsewhere. Illinois comes to mind.

The RV industry is in a surge right now so any dealer with a good service department is going to have a big backlog of work. That's just an ugly fact.

I didn't see where in New England you are so this is likely not of much help. but... The only RV service place I had any dealings with before I left New England was Major's RV Service Center in Bourne, MA (just over the Canal on the Cape). The got top dollar but seemed to do good work.

okmunky · 07-06-2018, 11:40 AM

My best advice is to head west. Roads are better, people are friendlier, and RV parks are more plentiful and cheaper.

Not all RV issues need to be repaired by an RV mechanic. Seek out repair shops that deal with the specific problem. I would never use camping world based on what I’ve read. Can you possibly fix some things yourself? The folks here on IRV2 have helped me solve and fix many things.

Don’t get discouraged. These are just speed bumps.

okmunky · 07-06-2018, 11:46 AM

It is really helpful if you'll put your RV info in your signature lines. To do that click on UserCP in the upper left of any page. Then from the left column choose "Edit Signature". Enter your info then scroll down and click on "save changes".

Dmrad · 07-07-2018, 12:04 AM

Sorry we haven't made it up to the New England area yet so can't be of any help there.

HOpe you don't get too discouraged. We've been retired and full timing since May of last year and absolutely love it. This is our very first RV of any kind (we bought a 30' TT) so it was a steep learning curve for us as well. Thankfully the dealer we bought from knew we were newbies and took a lot of time with us the day we picked up the Travel trailer. I've heard horror stories about Camping World so would probably avoid them like the plague if and when anything goes wrong with our unit. Good luck and hope you find reliable service!

Sue46 · 07-07-2018, 03:06 AM

Rather than go to a dealer either fix it yourself or find an independent to do the repair. There are also mobile mechanics that will come to your rig.

You still have much learning to do and will get frustrated, it is part of the RVing life.

robtcathy · 07-07-2018, 07:04 AM

Hi Everyone...we appreciate your advice and help.

Shelby Tom · 07-12-2018, 04:10 PM

We've owned motorhomes more than 25 years. Early on we did have CW do some service work a few times. NEVER had a satisfactory experience. Maybe "The Profit" Lemonis should spend more time rolling up his sleeves to create an excellent customer service experience rather than doing reality TV?

In any event, for maintenance and repair of "little" things (furnace won't light, water heater won't light, breaker trips, etc.) you should use the forums here, google, etc., there is an abundance of knowledge as well as countless helpful DIY you-tube videos. And in my experience the little things most of the time are relatively simple fixes, i.e., a blown fuse, loose wire, bad ground, etc.

For major repairs I have never trusted our current coach to anyone other than manufacturer. In your case Safari was part of the merger/consolidation mania during the last major downturn and the Beaver/Safari brand was absorbed by Monaco. Monaco has service locations in Indiana and Oregon, I would contact them if you need major help, my guess is they can help. They may not have manufacturing documentation going back that long, but in my experience the service techs at factory service centers are former line workers building coaches. They've seen everything! And can usually figure out a solution.

For chassis work, what engine do you have? If Cummins, they operate a nation-wide network of "Coach Care" centers to service motorhome chassis. It could be a CAT as that seemed to be the Beaver/Safari preference back then. In which case I would suggest finding a Freightliner service center that is factory authorized to work on CAT.

I'm not familiar with east coast; we stick pretty much west of Mississippi River. But a general rule of thumb we follow is to steer clear of big chains (CW, LZDays, etc.)...we try to find individual, independent RV service with stellar reviews. Again, Google is your friend. Google searches come with review ratings. Read the reviews.

Good luck. And remember the longer you do this the easier it will get. But owning an RV and full-timing can be a steep learning curve. Have patience

VanSully · 07-12-2018, 04:34 PM

Robtcathy, not sure what you might need done but we have used LBP -Towing in Londonderry NH for several years for oil changes, safety checks, etc. not sure what else they do. Hope you can find the help you need.

TJFogelberg · 07-12-2018, 07:00 PM

There are good people out there (maintenance and repair)...it takes time to find them. Once you establish a relationship with a good shop or 2, things will get easier.

We traveled East coast last year, 6200 miles. Most of the interstates were in good shape. I guess it depends on where you go. Bad roads are a real deterrent to RV travel.

slowmachine · 07-12-2018, 07:07 PM

I use B&B Auto and RV In Farmington, NH for things that I cannot do myself. They are a small shop, and very busy during the peak season, but are thorough and professional at what they do.

http://bbautorv.com

**TonyDi** · 07-12-2018, 07:27 PM

I have a mobile RV mechanic 15 miles from here and I either take it to him or he'll come to me for repairs.
I have a mobile truck service mechanic who is certified on Spartan chassis and he is only 4 mile away.
I have never been back to the dealer. They get the work done.

twogypsies · 07-12-2018, 10:54 PM

See if this site can help you. Wish more folks would do a review on places they've used. It would be so helpful to others.

RV Service Reviews

waspp · 07-14-2018, 01:38 PM

My wife and I are full-timing starting in september, she is going to try travel nursing for a while and we purchased an even older Safari motorhome to live in. We have spent the last 5 months rehabbing the MH and updating both in inside and outside. I have found a safari owners group at yahoo groups that has been very helpful with certain issues with safari coaches. I hope things settle down for you and have smooth sailing ahead.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...tions/messages