Community Forums

swduns · 01-27-2022, 10:41 PM

I lived in St. Louis, MO before retiring recently
St. Louis MO is the home of Etrailer.
Etrailer is an excellent on-line source for all things RV
Besides ordering from Etrailer they have how-to videos for installation of a lot of their parts.
Etrailer in St. Louis (more precisely Wentzville MO) has bays where they can install some of what they sell
I recently ordered all the many parts required to modify a car to serve as a TOAD.
Etrailer has customer service resources that will review with you precisely what is needed for a particular model/trim car and help you order it.
I had picked out all the parts I thought I needed but after reviewing with their CS techs ... I had selected a few parts wrong ... so this is helpful ...
I asked them to also install all the parts.
I figure that this is all that they do (their installation services) so they will be good at making the mods.
In my case, they hadn't made all the modification to my model car with the specific parts I ordered. So they were willing to do the installation for Free ... in exchange for videoing the installation for their how-to videos.
The trade off is they need to have my car for 3 days to do the installation and video it ... but that was not a problem for me.
So I'm passing along that if you are modifying a car to serve as a TOAD and you buy the parts from etrailer and the car is a fairly new car that they haven't previously Video'd ... and you can bring the car to St. Louis ..... they might be willing to do the installation for free. (I can't speak for Etrailer but it is worth asking)
If you review the tow bar base plate Etrailer videos, what has to be removed in order to mount the base plate … can be extensive.
I’d much rather someone who has done this many, many times ... to work on my car than someone who it is their first time. Also this is primarily body work. It is different from typical mechanic work. And I want someone who has the correct fasteners to put the body panels back together... plus I figure that if they are video taping it .... as a how-to … they are for sure going to try to do every aspect perfectly.
My new TOAD is a 2019 Chevy Equinox Premier
I hope this helps someone else

0rion · 01-27-2022, 10:44 PM

Etrailer is one of those companies that is an asset to our hobby. I appreciate them for all they do and order from them whenever possible. They're not just in it for the buck....they're in it to help people.

Lowflyer1 · 01-28-2022, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0rion

Etrailer is one of those companies that is an asset to our hobby. I appreciate them for all they do and order from them whenever possible. They're not just in it for the buck....they're in it to help people.

I had a bad experience with Etrailer last year when shopping for a receiver hitch for our toad.
Their web site said that it is in stock, so I ordered one.
Then the excuses started. It's in the warehouse behind other stuff, the dog ate the homework etc. silly excuses.
I don't know how many phone calls and e-mails later I had enough. I told them that if it is not shipped by next day, I'll cancel the order. The hitch was shipped that day.
I understand all the supply etc issues we've had over the past year but be honest about it.

0rion · 01-28-2022, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer1

I had a bad experience with Etrailer last year when shopping for a receiver hitch for our toad.
Their web site said that it is in stock, so I ordered one.
Then the excuses started. It's in the warehouse behind other stuff, the dog ate the homework etc. silly excuses.
I don't know how many phone calls and e-mails later I had enough. I told them that if it is not shipped by next day, I'll cancel the order. The hitch was shipped that day.
I understand all the supply etc issues we've had over the past year but be honest about it.

Sorry to hear that. No one is perfect I guess and mistakes are going to be made. I don't think I've ever had an issue with them.

ChrisDParise · 01-28-2022, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer1

I had a bad experience with Etrailer last year when shopping for a receiver hitch for our toad.
Their web site said that it is in stock, so I ordered one.
Then the excuses started. It's in the warehouse behind other stuff, the dog ate the homework etc. silly excuses.
I don't know how many phone calls and e-mails later I had enough. I told them that if it is not shipped by next day, I'll cancel the order. The hitch was shipped that day.
I understand all the supply etc issues we've had over the past year but be honest about it.

I have heard.in passing from my GM dealer that parts are in the warehouses but because of a lack of workers, sick, fnding better jobs, etc., it often takes much longer to get them shipped.

There's not always an immediate communication from the warehouse absent/present status to CS so they might not have been aware it. On top of this, often a workers family is sick so even if a worker is not sick they're staying home to care for others or isolating.

There are many points between receiving a truck at the door and a temporsry putaway.location to an inventory location for picking then shipping where a part could linger due to a lack of workers.

Then you've got carriers who are having similar issues due to sickness.

I saw a sign on the door of my favorite restaurant a while back.picking up my carry- out order that went something like this "please be kind to the workers here because we are short staffed and working as hard as we can to take care of you".

swduns · 01-28-2022, 10:40 AM

A while back when I was talking to a Etrailer CS agent they said they were having a heck of a time getting warehouse workers to fill orders. I guess the labor shortage affects everyone

ChrisDParise · 02-02-2022, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swduns

A while back when I was talking to a Etrailer CS agent they said they were having a heck of a time getting warehouse workers to fill orders. I guess the labor shortage affects everyone

Yes.

The entire supply chain business model relies heavily on temporary agencies to fill jobs

Warehouse or Distribution Centers business models in particular rely heavily on temporary agencies and when those workers find a job for a few cents more an hour or a job with healthcare benefits they're gone, sometimes without any notice.

It is an employees job market today with employers offering bonuses and better wages to attract and retain workers.

George Schweikle · 02-02-2022, 09:04 AM

There are always two sides to a story but I understand your frustration. The hitch accessory I ordered from E-Trailer took several months to arrive. I received several emails from them during this time and was fortunate in being able to wait for the part. I would order from them again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer1

I had a bad experience with Etrailer last year when shopping for a receiver hitch for our toad.
Their web site said that it is in stock, so I ordered one.
Then the excuses started. It's in the warehouse behind other stuff, the dog ate the homework etc. silly excuses.
I don't know how many phone calls and e-mails later I had enough. I told them that if it is not shipped by next day, I'll cancel the order. The hitch was shipped that day.
I understand all the supply etc issues we've had over the past year but be honest about it.

astrnmrtom · 02-02-2022, 10:59 AM

I used one of their videos to help me with the install of a Invisibrake system on our 2013 Honda CRV. It was very helpful. I've also ordered a few parts from them and had good luck. It was early on in the initial Covid times so supply chain, and labor issues hadn't piled up yet.

77Travco · 02-02-2022, 03:14 PM

I love E-trailer.com ... I seriously can't say enough good things about that company.
I ordered tons of stuff from them over the years. I recently ordered an axle flip kit for a cargo trailer and it ended up taking longer than they quoted. I was in no hurry and really didn't care but they kept updating me with emails. They always follow up on their orders.
If only every company could be like them!

Alpine36 · 02-02-2022, 03:30 PM

E Trailer is a great resource for all RV enthusiasts. I've never encountered any issues with them and have always had prompt, professional service.
As far as base plate installations are concerned, any mechanic can take a lid off a Tupperware container, which is basically what you're doing.
Not complicated, but you need one of these right here....

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-35260-P...99612203&psc=1