getting a camper worked on

I have found that RVs are quite simple beasts. There is not much that you can't figure out for yourself or find out about somewhere online. You don't need a university degree to work on it. You do need to be physically able & not afraid to get your hands dirty.

First resort for so many seems to be 'take it to the dealer'. Uh...no, not happening here. My Alpenlite is an orphan. It is kept in MD. Bought it from a dealership near Denver where the owner of the dealership had bought it for personal use. Liked it better than anything he had on his lot but his DW did not.

Had my share of little things going wrong in well over 100,000 trailer miles. Needed proffessional service only once. Fridge replacement. Could not do that by myself. Paying $100hr to diagnose & replace something like a sheared bolt on a slide drive shaft would hurt too much. Likewise rebuilding 5er landing leg innards or brake servicing.

aruba5er wrote:
I guess if you can't fix it yourself than you must pay the piper. But what gets me is that in an hour, what do you get? coffee break potty break, talking to fellow employees, foreman brings in a customer so he can ask you a couple questions, and on and on. Don't forget the walk over the parts counter and the wait and then find they haven't got the part thats needed and the delay that goes with that. May even have to put it back together to get it back outside to get in a differant unit to work on while parts are ordered. All that goes on your bill.THATS NOT RIGHT. Out of an hours charge you may get 25/30 minutes labor.

Why don't you complain to the Shop Forman or better yet, the owner about them stealing your money? Complain when you get to the shop with your camper, and I bet you will not have to worry about paying the excess. They will show you the door and go to the next customer.

They charge what people are willing to pay and what the competition (or therefore lack of) is charging.

If you can fix it yourself, then why not?

I guess if you can't fix it yourself than you must pay the piper. But what gets me is that in an hour, what do you get? coffee break potty break, talking to fellow employees, foreman brings in a customer so he can ask you a couple questions, and on and on. Don't forget the walk over the parts counter and the wait and then find they haven't got the part thats needed and the delay that goes with that. May even have to put it back together to get it back outside to get in a differant unit to work on while parts are ordered. All that goes on your bill.THATS NOT RIGHT. Out of an hours charge you may get 25/30 minutes labor.

Lets say this. Everyone seems to think that all "new" dealers (car/boat/RV/ETC) is ripping customers off. I used to think that also. UNTIL I started working at one. Then I learned that with 15 service employees (this includes the lot porter and detailer). Our shop with 3 service bays must cash in an average of $5000 a day to operate in the black.
You can not even fathom the downtime at a repair facility just waiting for parts "or" for the next RV to be moved in. Not counting the (real close to $20k a month utility bill). Not to mention the MFGR warranty will only pay a flat rate for anything--regardless of "actual" cost.
Yes service depts. at dealers are always a loser. It is always sales that keeps dealers a float.

geraldblizzard wrote:
is it just me or is getting your camper worked on a nightmare?...hundred dollar an hour charges?...get out of here...these arent rockets.......is it like this everywhere in the US?

3 words
RV MOBILE REPAIR

I refuse to have to give up my RV for days for a pimply faced kid with no experience work on my coach for $100.00 or more per hour period.

I use RV Mobil Repair for EVERYTHING on my RV. Inexpensive, done right on site usually finished in a couple of hours, all parts needed are right on his truck AND done by the most experienced RV mechanics I have found.

Quit going to "RV dealers. Everyone seems to think they are the ONLY one that can work on an RV. :R

Moved from Forum Technical Support

Actual wages are about $20 per hour give or take. Add on to that 6.5% social security. Then add worker comp insurance. Maybe the owner provides health insurance. That would be nice. His cut for that can be $500 to $1000 per month.

Insure the shop. Turn the lights on. Provide air conditioning or heat.

I think about $100 per hour is about right for a little bit of profit.

Now, if they are padding the actual hours worked, that is highway robbery.

Keep track of the hours worked and it's a fair shake.

I try to do all I can myself. There really isn't too much you should have to
pay for, if you can turn a wrench on your own.

If you can find a mom and pop shop with very little overhead, you might bring that hourly rate down.

You might find an even better price from an individually owned mobile RV tech. You can add the convenience of them coming to your door too.

I'll have work done if it's something I can't handle myself. Not only do I save money, but the RV dealer I trust is over an hour away.

not any different than a car price. learn to do the repairs , only pay for the big stuff.