How long is service taking

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by OldracerJim

They Finally Called! The coach is going to be done sometime this week. Tech was to complete the last work item yesterday. Service Manager promised he would have the coach detailed after he personally inspected the work and operation of affected systems. Perfect timing for Spring trips.

I guess you could look on the bright side, and figure that you got over three months of free storage . . . assuming your coach wasn't broken into, and the house batteries aren't dead because some idiot left a light on. . . . . If it it warranty work, authorized by the manufacturer, push for your warranty to be extended under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Basically, if your RV was unusable to you because of warranty issues (sitting at the repair facility awaiting parts qualifies) than the manufacturer of the vehicle must extend the vehicle warranty for the period of time the vehicle was unusable). You will have to push, maybe have a letter from an attorney. For three months, it might not be worth it, but that's your decision to make.

[dadej]

If the RV industry had a Honda or a Toyota as a competitor they would sharpen their service skills. When Honda and Toyota hit the market with a quality product, good service and a one price sales approach they got a large part of the big three market share. They are still playing catch up but how big could they have been if they would have taken care of business when they had all of the market before imports.

[THenne1713]

I recommend you look for a MOBILE RV TECH and maybe a truck shop for any chassis concerns?

[dadej]

I will get right on looking for a mobile RV tech in central Nebraska. They are right around every corner. NOT, we are not Phoenix.

[OldracerJim]

Brought my coach back home today. Everything was fixed, I tested it all several times to make sure. The recall was done but I'm not sure the TSB was. It said the ladder brackets in one location were installed in an area away from the bracket designed to attach them. Looking at the coach, I could find no evidence the brackets had been moved and since they are attached with screws, one would think it would be obvious. The other issue is a gouge in my floor, about 1/2" in diameter about two inches in front of the slide when closed. There was a carpet over it when testing the slide so I didn't see it until I returned home. I've notified them about both issues, we'll see how they respond.
The coach was detailed inside and out, propane was filled and none of my equipment was missing. MHSRV in Alvarado did a good job.

[Unclepaul]

Much of the delay in RV service is workshops waiting for parts. Lots of RV parts come from Asia, and they are having tremendous logistical problems getting their parts into the US. Covid had shut lots of them down, and for the same reason many ports are running short handed.

Not unusual for them to order a part and wait 3 months for them to come in, only to find out they are the wrong parts :(

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by Unclepaul

Much of the delay in RV service is workshops waiting for parts. Lots of RV parts come from Asia, and they are having tremendous logistical problems getting their parts into the US. Covid had shut lots of them down, and for the same reason many ports are running short handed.

Not unusual for them to order a part and wait 3 months for them to come in, only to find out they are the wrong parts :(

I am sure that is part of the problem, but locally there seems to be a shortage of repair techs to do the work and of repair bays to do the work in. The local Winnebago dealer that we bought our RV from told us there was a 3 month wait to get some work done and, of course, once we brought the RV in there was an additional wait until the unit got to the front of the line. Then a wait for parts and then another wait for the work to actually be done. Assume 4 months, perhaps 5.

When I questioned why I was told that this was the Phoenix area, it was Winter and full of snow birds, there were a ton of new RVers due to COVID-19, a shortage of service techs and a shortage of service bays. I gave up and took the work to a local shop to get done.

In my view this is unconscionable, but it is what it is. As for myself, I assume it is just best to either try to fix stuff myself (and I am not mechanically inclined) or to take my RV to one of the local shops that are very good, but not so busy. As it turned out I am glad that I got that extended warranty as it makes it easier to use local techs rather than the dealer.

[AlfaBaz]

Originally Posted by AJMike

I am sure that is part of the problem, but locally there seems to be a shortage of repair techs to do the work and of repair bays to do the work in. The local Winnebago dealer that we bought our RV from told us there was a 3 month wait to get some work done and, of course, once we brought the RV in there was an additional wait until the unit got to the front of the line. Then a wait for parts and then another wait for the work to actually be done. Assume 4 months, perhaps 5.

When I questioned why I was told that this was the Phoenix area, it was Winter and full of snow birds, there were a ton of new RVers due to COVID-19, a shortage of service techs and a shortage of service bays. I gave up and took the work to a local shop to get done.

In my view this is unconscionable, but it is what it is. As for myself, I assume it is just best to either try to fix stuff myself (and I am not mechanically inclined) or to take my RV to one of the local shops that are very good, but not so busy. As it turned out I am glad that I got that extended warranty as it makes it easier to use local techs rather than the dealer.

Here in California, it is definitely lack of techs! The LARGE dealership that I just bought a brand new Thor Omni from, said they are 2-3 months out on appointments. A good friend owns a private RV repair shop, and has been desperately advertising for new techs for over a year. As a retired high school teacher, I have told both they need to recruit a mechanically inclined kid, and train them on-site. The dealership answered that he runs his ad PERMANENTLY, and at this point if he could find a kid able to chew gum and tie his own shoes, that was willing to work, the kid would have a job!

[jjrbus]

Originally Posted by dadej

If the RV industry had a Honda or a Toyota as a competitor they would sharpen their service skills. When Honda and Toyota hit the market with a quality product, good service and a one price sales approach they got a large part of the big three market share. They are still playing catch up but how big could they have been if they would have taken care of business when they had all of the market before imports.

The Japanese took advantage of American car manufactures and cheated. They built dependable cars that people actually wanted to buy, totally unamerican.



If not for the Japanese we would be driving cars that fell apart in a year and had return for deposit stamped on the bumper.

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by jjrbus

The Japanese took advantage of American car manufactures and cheated. They built dependable cars that people actually wanted to buy, totally unamerican.



If not for the Japanese we would be driving cars that fell apart in a year and had return for deposit stamped on the bumper.

When the Japanese cars first started coming over in the early 70's, they were terrible. Multiple mechanical problems and body's that only lasted a few years. The Honda Civic was a perfect example. A few years and it was time for the recycle bin.

They were not designed for the way we drove here and the salt on the roads during the winter.

They saw the problems and rectified them. The US manufacturers did not care to keep up with the challenge.

It wasn't until the early '90's that the US companies finally started building dependable cars that lasted.

[frank1018]

MY .02 is Lazy Days took way too long for the amount of work done. I understand the parts can be hard to get. I was going to upgrade suspension and shocks. They could get half the back and half the front due to supply issues that were going to take weeks. I will wait until late fall and try again. I am going to find a mobile tech next. They are not real common where I am but there are a couple. Try and find a good truck shop for the suspension work. Left time and wallet on the table with them. not impressed.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by frank1018

MY .02 is Lazy Days took way too long for the amount of work done. I understand the parts can be hard to get. I was going to upgrade suspension and shocks. They could get half the back and half the front due to supply issues that were going to take weeks. I will wait until late fall and try again. I am going to find a mobile tech next. They are not real common where I am but there are a couple. Try and find a good truck shop for the suspension work. Left time and wallet on the table with them. not impressed.

My issue with similar situations, is this: If the shop knows for sure that they are going to do specific work, for instance replace tires, shocks, microwave, etc. They look at the vehicle, ascertain which parts they need, and order them in advance. Example, you want to replace shocks. It will be 6 weeks before they can get you in a bay to do the work. They "triage" you vehicle (takes maybe an hour to confirm which shocks they need), order the parts NOW and when you come in for your appointment, the parts are on hand. That will also cut down a lot on vehicles taking up their repair bays that are awaiting parts, but can't be moved out because they are disassembled. If the shop is concerned about the customer not coming back for the repairs, and getting "stuck" with the hard to get parts, then have the customer agree to pay for the parts ordered when he pays for the initial "triage". If the customer does not agree, then customer needs to find another shop.

I realize that other stuff may still come up at time of actual replacement, some of which may have to be ordered, but if the person doing the triage is competent, and looks at other typical stuff that needs doing with shock replacement (in this example) it would cut down a lot in customer waiting time.

Of course, if you shop is fully booked up all the time, the business model of treating your customers like garbage may WORK for them. But I, and many others here on the forum have long memories, and in times when their shops are NOT backed up, I will still chose to go elsewhere . . .

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

They "triage" you vehicle (takes maybe an hour to confirm which shocks they need), order the parts NOW and when you come in for your appointment, the parts are on hand.

This is exactly how the independent RV repair shop around me worked with my broken backup camera. They bought the vehicle in, found what was wrong, ordered it and allowed me to take the RV out. Then they called me when the parts were in and I had the unit repaired and out the door the same morning.

On the other hand the local RV dealer requires that the vehicle be dropped off and left on their lot for the entire time - waiting for the vehicle to get to the front of the line, determining what is wrong, waiting for the parts, waiting again to get to the front of the second line and then the repair. And that is why I no longer use them, even for warranty repairs. I am unwilling to give up a working RV for 2-3 months so they can fix it.