Community Forums

MLiljen · 01-21-2017, 08:48 AM

How difficult is it to do the annual rv inspection on your own? Are roof issues/sealant patching pretty straight forward?

Is there anything you would recommend leaving to the dealer?

I'm having bearing, brakes, tires done at les Schwab. I guess I'm mostly concerned with water proofing the interior. Any good instruction resources you can recommend would be appreciated.

I will lose warranty, but it is difficult for me to get to dealer during the week. Didn't consider that during purchase.

garbonz · 01-21-2017, 08:57 AM

Why would you lose warranty? Inspection of the roof seals and window, etc. is very easy and especially in a new unit problems should be obvious. Resealing is a bit of a chore and depends on meticulous cleaning and scraping the aging sealant without damaging the surface, cleaning and then resealing. That process depends on the type of roof you have and you can search for tips here or in the mfg information that you have. Takes time and care, but is very doable.

drdarrin · 01-21-2017, 09:12 AM

It depends entirely on how much you are willing and able to do and how much you can afford. Lots of people will service their own brakes and bearings. Sealing the interior means annual or semiannual inspections of your roof and exterior caulking. RVs are not particularly complicated, just smaller systems than you have in your home.

As far as instruction is concerned, forums like this are invaluable as is Google. I've yet to encounter an issue that someone else hasn't already encountered and posted about. And then there are the videos, some better than others.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2500HD · 01-21-2017, 05:27 PM

I mean this respectfully but If you have to ask you may be better off taking it to the dealer. Annual maintenance: wheel bearings, brake adjustment,caulking. All straight forward stuff if you are accustomed to doing it your self.

Once you get a feel for your usage and whats happening with your trailer you can do these things more or less often.

MLiljen · 01-21-2017, 07:22 PM

Thank you. It seems pretty straight forward, and we will do the inspection ourselves. If we need to patch an area that looks sketchy, I'll be able to Google for specific answers.

I didn't take your comment as disrespectful 2500HD. Most of the time, it has been my experience that people run into trouble when they make bad assumptions and don't ask questions. Especially, when they are getting into something they are unfamiliar with. Though, I've seen many people get into bad situations who are "experienced" but didn't continue to learn or ask questions.

I'll keep asking questions until the site admin bans me for being too stupid

Doesn't mean I will always take the advice given, but the advice given is always appreciated.

garbonz · 01-22-2017, 08:05 AM

If you come upon a possible issue, take a picture and post it. Worth a thousand words.

schrederman · 01-24-2017, 11:39 AM

I think he's talking about losing his warranty if the unit is not professionally inspected, annually. My TT came with a "Warranty Forever" as a sales gimmick... When I first looked at it, this was touted as wonderful and carefree...

... and I was told the unit could be inspected by me as the owner, because I was an aircraft mechanic in a previous life. The fine print says I have to have it professionally inspected (by a certified RV tech...(?)...) and paper work submitted... Selling dealer says $300- and must be done annually... TT has a 2-year factory warranty, but must be inspected in the middle and end of factory warranty for "Warranty Forever" to be valid. In other words it's a sales gimmick and not worth the paper it's written on... to me, anyway.

So, if the end user isn't handy and mechanically inclined, perhaps doing everything possible to keep the warranty up is the thing to do. For me it's useless, and I won't recommend the dealer to others because they basically held my feet to the fire on this useless warranty... ie. I supposedly had to buy it to buy the trailer, and I didn't want to wait 6 months for the model I wanted by ordering from another dealer. Did I mention that for most it's just a sales gimmick... to make the dealer an extra $300- + per year on your sale...? Not to mention the hassle for me of trailering into the heart of the D/FW Metroplex to drop it off...

cherv · 01-24-2017, 08:44 PM

Don't forget to inspect under carriage for any moisture/leaks. Push on flooring for soft spots. May not be visible in interior but from experience would have never found moisture problem if i did not crawl under trailer....