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Old 05-24-2021, 08:25 AM   #85
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Originally Posted by rikadoo View Post
Being a retired mechanic at a local Ford dealer that over the years many of us old timers kept telling managment to give us some apprentices so they could learn from us, they Flatley said no! There excuse was they could not afford The financial burden, which i get to a small extent, however you look at the cost of a trade school, then the cost of tools, let alone having to pay for food and a place to live! Only to get slightly more than minumum wage, i cant blame kids for wanting to work for costco.
For me i began to see the shift in the education system years ago stating the kids then should all be getting a formal education an get “A better quality of life” HORSE FEATHERS i say! That as a tradesman there is not a Damm thing wrong making a living with your hands! Then throw in legalized marijuana, that **** takes the drive from them!
Kids today just cant catch a break, there whole system has let them down an we have no one to blame but ourselfs! There are some that are trying to help, but face it... it takes a village an frankly who among us will guide them? We the people have failed in that we have all been in such a hurry to make our own lives that we failed to listen to those who saw what was happening an be able to act!
I often wonder why my path took me to working with my hands, but then i look at the “guides” that helped shape me, it wasnt just one person, however the journey was rife with several fine folks that knew they couldnt do everthing to help, but they could all do something an they did. If we could all remember to reach DOWN from time to time an help someone up... just a little, how far that great act of kindness would imprint others to do the same.
It would be Soooooo easy to blame so many for the failures of our kids, grad kids, neighbor kids... i can say this, “we are the leaders we have been waiting for” we have paid for where we are, dont be affraid to get involved! One of my favorite sayings is “Give a man a fish an he eats for a day, however teach a man to fish an he can feed himself forever”
I promise to get off my stump, however in closing i will say writting this just helped me to understand “i can do more”...
Sorry but that “It takes a village” crap is what screwed up all these kids! Participation trophies, no score sports games so no ones feelings are hurt, etc. I spent more time Un teaching my son all the crap they fed him in Public school.

Now he is a successful young engineer working in the aerospace manufacturing industry working hand in hand with many others building stuff. It has never been easier for young people to stand out from the crowd as the crowd is so pathetic as a whole. I always told my son the extra 5-10% is what separates the go to people from the easily replaceable. Attitude is everything!
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Old 05-24-2021, 08:42 AM   #86
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Yes I did.
But not in this country. All the other countries in the World most college graduates would make more than a plumber or RV technician!
Plumber won't be poor but if a plumber is making more money than my daughter in law who's a board certified medical doctor, there's something seriously broken with this system.
From a PROFESSIONAL PLUMBER. I can BLOW YOUR HOUSE UP, BURN IT DOWN,FLOOD YOU OUT, and POISON YOU TO DEATH, but it's only plumbing. So do it yourself, hire a HACK HANDYMAN, or get a friend of a friend who "has a guy". It's only plumbing and anyone can do it. Be my guest. And don't call my cell phone which is on 24/7.
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Old 05-24-2021, 09:03 AM   #87
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I do all my own work. If I'm not sure, I do ALL the necessary research. I figure if I take it somewhere... Some goof ball like me is gonna be doing it. i leavened at an early age, I can count on myself, every time. Then when "you know what" its the fan... I will figure it out.
It usually breaks at the most inappropriate time in life. That's when you got to do your best work. These kids today never got placed in a situation where failure was not an option. Do your research take your time. take pictures. be methodical. Be patient. Most important PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS!
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Old 05-24-2021, 09:21 AM   #88
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RV Tech Training

We were told recently by Matt Miller of Newmar Corp. that the major mfrs were forming a training institute for RV Techs. While I’m not sure if there’s been a graduating class yet, that should fill the void in both dealerships and independent repair shops. I agree that the manufacturers need to vastly improve their Quality Control and pre-delivery standards, the dealers need to up their game in PDI examinations and support factory-sponsored training for their techs. I admit that, of course, it’s always “Buyers Beware”, but we all do our research, pay high prices to well-established companies and expect a good quality product when delivered. We cannot control Wall Street-types from coming in, buying up companies, cutting costs for the sake of their shareholders and sacrificing the long-established reputations of the brand. Once the word gets out, that’s when it’s time to vote with your feet.
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Old 05-24-2021, 09:40 AM   #89
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This is nothing new! First trip after buying a new '15 Entegra Cornerstone, we were going west and had a recall notice so we scheduled it in Tucson. We made reservations at Lazydayz KOA in Tucson, one of the best KOA's we ever visited. On the way out, there were lots of bugs in West Texas and we got into some rain and found the windshield washers did not work. Driving west on I-20 in the late afternoon with bug sludge all over the windshield required frequent stops to clean. Lazydays RV is an Entegra dealer and their Facility is right outside the fence from the KOA. Went to the LazyDays Shop service desk and explained my problem and told them I could not find a fuse for the washers. He said there is no fuse and it runs through some sort of module in the front. The first question they asked is if I bought my Cornerstone from Lazydays. I told them no, we were from Texas and going on our first trip to California. The advisor told me to go to the scheduling desk. The clerk asked me the same thing, then told me I could make an appointment, but they serviced the RV's the sold first but I could make an appointment. The first available appointment was three months out.



This goes way back. I had a 2003 HR Imperial, and in 2006 we were going to Gatlinburg, TN and on I-40 west of Memphis going up a slight grade, the engine staggered and the Traction Control light came on. Continued on through Memphis and it did it again. Slowed down and it got to the point it would barely make it up a hill. Called HR and they told me to take it to the nearest Monaco dealer, which was Lazydays in Nashville. Finally got their late Friday before Labor Day and checked in at the KOA next door to Lazydays. Had to wait until Tuesday and was sitting at their gate when they opened. The service writer came out and I explained what the coach was doing. He said "we don't work on HR's and the nearest HR dealer was Atlanta, GA. I told him Monaco who owned HR told me to go here. He said, "Do you see HR on our sign? It says Monaco. We don't work on anything but Monaco." Called Cummins and they sent me to the local Cummins dealer who diagnosed the problem as a stopped up fuel filter from some bad fuel.


When NIRVC first started, they were not selling RV's, but found it more profitable to sell than service and store. Customers raved about their service. It didn't take them long to become overloaded with service and I have seen post on Facebook saying they won't service RV's they did not sell. It doesn't take long for the service department of a RV dealer to get to the point of keeping up the promises the sales department makes. Wiith Covid, Service it is getting worse! Friends tell me they can't get parts for Coleman roof AC's much less replacements. They seem to be few and far between!
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Old 05-24-2021, 10:18 AM   #90
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Interesting topic and many good ideas and opinions posted. I worked at many auto dealerships over 40 years (master diagnostic tech,team lead, shop foreman, now thankfully retired). I’ll add my 3 cents, some the same others noted.
High school friend who was RV dealer told me during a reunion- buy a diesel pusher but not new, with lowest miles you can find. The depreciation rate surpasses anything you’ll ever buy- with good reason! Quality is poor and RV support practically doesn’t exist for many reasons even on a $300K+ motorhome. Getting and retaining young kid techs is harder than the auto industry. Support and training from manufacturers not as established as automotive. Toyota, Honda and big three have established training centers with regional community Colleges across the country for certification, which helps establish tech, expert, pro and master tech levels. This may help technicians to demand a higher wage from dealers but pay levels and work conditions at many dealerships is poor across the country. The work and hours are sometimes brutal. Warranty pay rates are set too low and sometimes non existent. End result as with a lot of industries- there’s no one to fix your high price RV. The old guys are getting out. The smart new kids go elsewhere or get other careers. I know how the manufacturers are in the auto industry... and 10 times worse in RV. Until there’s a major crisis or people QUIT buying, this problem will get far worse. My tech background will help me fix my Monaco. If you cannot...you better have ‘Your Guy’.
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Old 05-24-2021, 10:59 AM   #91
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Couple of thoughts:

I'm a dad to 14 and 17 year old young women. I remember being surprised when attending back to school night at their elementary school when the guidance counselor said that 4-year college was not necessarily the right track for everyone, and that there is a need for folks in a trades / blue collar track.

I agreed with her... I was just surprised that the school was stating it so matter of factly. And I've always told my kids that while I think college is valuable, I will never be disappointed in them if they instead choose a trade or other direction, as long as they are self sufficient and happy.

And I always do all my RV repairs. There is no way we could afford ownership otherwise. By now I could probably work as a junior independent tech (said half-jokingly)...
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Old 05-24-2021, 02:04 PM   #92
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When I bought my motorhome many, many years ago, the salesperson hit me with the ‘buy local and get local service’ line. Not wanting to have to drive to the next closest dealer, a 170 miles round trip, I paid top-dollar to ‘buy local’. Within three or four months of purchasing, the dealer closed to become a Toyota franchise. So much for the salespersons’ promise to me… -RT
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Old 05-24-2021, 06:37 PM   #93
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My grandson in Gainesville, Texas just graduated from High School. He is going full time as a mechanic at the shop he attended a school program with. I told him he is learning a valuable trade that will serve him well. College is not the be all and end all!
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Old 05-24-2021, 08:38 PM   #94
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RV dealers not servicing transient customers

I think this is very short sighted on their part. They should reserve a portion of their repair compacity for mobile customers. Though I have experienced this first hand with my diesel boiler where they list a number of service locations in the semi-truck field and RV dealerships. The standard RV response was yes we can give you an appointment in 60-90 days and the semi-truck peoples response was oh your unit is hydronic; we only work on the air heaters.

Thankfully as a private aircraft owner I never encountered this always got service as soon as possible with their (AOG) aircraft on ground (out of service) mindset.

Maybe you should pull up in front of their service center, remove the tires and tell them that you will move it when they fix your problem?
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Old 05-24-2021, 10:22 PM   #95
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Only Ford dealer in Knoxville taking Motorhomes is 4 months out, going to take it to dealer in North Carolina, the other one in Knoxville isn't taking any Motorhomes.
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Old 05-25-2021, 01:54 AM   #96
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The more of a mess the current RV industry is that I see and the mess with modern cars, the more I'm glad I grew up in a different era and can still fix or build what I need myself....
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Old 05-25-2021, 04:27 AM   #97
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Originally Posted by doubleplay View Post
Yes I did.
But not in this country. All the other countries in the World most college graduates would make more than a plumber or RV technician!
Plumber won't be poor but if a plumber is making more money than my daughter in law who's a board certified medical doctor, there's something seriously broken with this system.
Nothing wrong at all with that scenario. I am a commercial flooring contractor and can tell you that trades pay well and then, if you got the drive, being your own trades contractor pays even better. Way more than I would ever have made through college and I never went into debt but actually got paid to go through an apprenticeship program. Crazy idea I know.
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Old 05-25-2021, 05:01 PM   #98
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Service Centers were already backed up prior to the record sales year. This was bound to happen.
local muffler shop owner bought rv shop close to his year ago, can't open ,.. can't find rv tech,. can't even find help at his shop.. said he might never open that rv property...
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