PDI walk through tomorrow

Looking back on my walk through...it was fair, not great. Sort of a joke, looking back on it. The manufacturers videos are good. Doing a lot of reading the owner's manual. I can tell that DOING will be the best teacher.

dawzie wrote:
Our Camping World experience has been the worst. Bought new in July, used once, been back to them ever since.

Send them the bank payment book and tell 'em since they have had your RV for several months they must really like it and want it back. Let them have it.

Picked up the RV on 09/17/16, Saturday. Went very well for that part. I also bought a 5th wheel hitch from the same dealer. Drove 50 miles home ( one Way )& the whole time I heard a loud clunking noise. The farther we went the worse it became. Spent the night home but did not disconnect the trailer then the next morning went to drop the trailer at a storage yard. After that I inspected the hitch & found it loose. DANG!!! Went back to the dealership 50 miles one way this morning & they removed it & reinstalled it correctly ( I HOPE ). Have not pulled the trailer yet though. Going to a camp site this coming Friday & will check it then. That will be our familiarization trip. Wishing myself good luck.

Our Camping World experience has been the worst. Bought new in July, used once, been back to them ever since.

Well, how did the PDI go? Well, I hope.
rw

It's very likely you'll have few issues that need to be fixed, but that's why you do a PDI just to catch them. And I would think that most dealers are good about fixing them. We had a few pretty minor items that were taken care of before we took delivery. But we needed to get them fixed because we bought the trailer a long way from home, and didn't plan on returning to get something fixed.

Now I am really worried. It seems like when you make a purchase that big there should be NO PDI problems at all. If the dealer takes an attitude with me for asking a lot questions or for any other reason then I am out of there. I am too old & have gone through too much in my lifetime to be mistreated at this point in my life. Being an ex-Paratrooper I don't take much pushing around. Hopefully it will be a nice experience. I'm a little nervous but still looking forward to getting on the road with the new trailer.

d-mac1 wrote:

Lantley wrote:
Curb your enthusiasm. Be prepared to play hardball.
Thoroughly inspect everything. Don't let them rush you.
Every latch ,switch, outlet ,lock,valve door hatch, latch, window, system. Check it all. If you find a problem later consider it your fault!

I dunno about this. Is everyone's dealer really that bad that they won't fix the stuff you notice when you start using the unit?

I've only bought one trailer, so I don't have alot of experiences to draw upon, but our initial walk through (yes, I had a PDI inspection checklist from someone on here and we were videoing the whole thing) was primarily orientation on how the dang thing works.

I've seen someone say 'make em let ya spend the night in it in the lot before you take it home' the above post says look at every last detail including testing every outlet, every latch, every everything. Why?

Are dealers not fixing problems that aren't noticed before the rig leaves the lot?

Dealers will fix problems found later. Except now your at the back of the line. How long it will take to get it fixed and how long your rig will sit on the dealer's lot waiting to be fixed is anyones guess.
My approach keeps the leverage in the buyer's hands. The dealer will PROMPTLY do whatever is necessary to make the sale vs. putting you in line after the sale.
The why is because finding it 1 week, later is no good. vs. finding it during the PDI when it will be fixed right away.
Do you want to discover the hot water doesn't work on your first trip?
Or the exterior outlet doesn't work? How about a door doesn't latch properly.
Do you want to take you rig back 1 week later to have it fixed 2 weeks after that? vs. getting it fixed before you leave.
If you are purchasing from out of state it is wise to spend a night nearby. But if you are buying local a thorough PDI is the best approach. Understand no one at the dealer is concerned about your new rig as much as you are. Do you think they checked every outlet,latch, valve etc.?... Of course not! Which is why you should check before the deal is finalized.

Congratulatios on a new rig. Enjoy

Call RV Inspection Connection and see if there is an NRVIA certified inspector in the area where you are doing your walk through. Pay RVIC to ensure you are are getting what you expect.
Regards,
Tim