In repair shop

I don't think the 'lemon law' applies to RV's, but it could be a 'state' thing too??

Also, isn't the definition of 'lemon' where the same repair has been done a number of times and there seems to be no lasting 'fix' for it?

If you are having many different things go wrong and they are repaired, but don't repeat with the same exact repair again, I don't think that's a 'lemon' as such.... Just a poor job of QC or a POS trailer to begin with... ;)

My trailer had some 'minor' things pop up on it, and I took it back to the dealer initially, but got tired of that as they were things I could just fix myself and do a better job of it!!

Now, if an appliance went bad during it's warranty period, I would have brought it in... But, I fixed most of my fit and finish stuff with a screwdriver and some additional screws in most cases...

I know it must suck to have issues with a brand new rig, but sometimes the cure (taking it back to the dealer each time) is worse than the original problem (fixing it with a screw driver).

Good luck!

Mitch

I'm thinking that most of the minor issues should have been handled by dealer prep before they handed you the keys.

You might wait until you have a whole pile of "bugs" to get out and have the dealer fix them all.

Not trying to be smart but I wouldn't drive 45 minutes to have someone fix a broken knob. There is a hardware store fairly close to me that has just about everything I need for repairs.

After every camping trip I cleaned the camper and went and got my screwdrivers and started tightening things.

As long as you are an RV'er you will always be fiddling with something on the rig. I've likened them to rolling earthquakes and they take a beating while towing.

I agree with the others, the small stuff I'd just take care of it.

Thanks

Jeremiah

I agree with the idea that if its something you can do yourself, it's easier than taking it to a dealer. If you need a part, see if the manufacturer will send it to you to avoid a trip to a dealer. Then, if necessary, make a list of things that need to be done and try to get it all done in one trip.

After you get the "bugs" worked out, you'll find that everything should be fine, but with an RV, you do have to keep things tightened up and do regular maintenance to avoid future problems. Anyone that wants to own an RV either has to be handy with a few tools or have lots of $$ to spend at the repair shop.

Even though it`s under warranty some thing aren`t worth taking in for repair! unless it`s major it`s not worth the hassle. an RV`er should be able to do repairs on their own, it`s almost a requirement.

dodge guy wrote:
Even though it`s under warranty some thing aren`t worth taking in for repair! unless it`s major it`s not worth the hassle. an RV`er should be able to do repairs on their own, it`s almost a requirement.

I could not agree more.

The whole notion of bringing the trailer back to the dealer must be tempered by what is it to be brought to the dealer for, and if it is a big warranty issue then it would be worth the effort, otherwise it is more fulfilling to get a root canal.

My RV is now going onto its 4th week at the dealership. The problem was the all-in-one radio/DVD/etc. stopped tuning into any radio station since December, and the Suburban oven would not stay lit. After researching these issues on the Internet it became clear that these would most likely be warranty issues so I brought it in. It took them 1 week to get to the diagnosis. Then they claimed that they submitted the claim to FR Warranty and had to get the "okay" before ordering the parts. The "okay" seemed to take another week. Then the parts (entire head unit for the radio & oven thermocouple assembly) were ordered on 11-Apr and the last part was supposed to have arrived 18-Apr. I am now promised to get the trailer back this Saturday - one full month after bringing it in.

The replacement of the radio will take 2 minutes to install and maybe a total of 10 minutes to test all functions. The oven thermocouple will take 30 minutes to install (and that is being generous) and maybe another 15 minutes to test.

So at the end of it all, I will have lost he trailer for one month for the sake of a few hours of diagnostics and replacement.

Contrast with bringing an automobile to the dealer and getting warranty work done - anything more than 2-3 days would be totally unacceptable at the most.

Bottom line, as dodge guy said, it is sometimes worth it in time and aggravation to do the repairs yourself, even if - in some cases - the part is covered under warranty. The more people realise this then the more manufacturer's touted warranties become mere lip service at sale time, certainly not worth the paper it is written on.

Took my dealer from the 16th of July 2013 to the 20th of October 2013 to replace the front cap and a new electric tongue jack. Didn't want to rush into it.

Like they say "If you own an RV you either need to be handy or rich". Fortunately I'm pretty handy. A good example is my water pump quit working last week. (Under warranty) Called the manufacture since my buying dealer is 300 miles away and the closest is 50+ miles away. They are just sending me a new water pump for me to install. It would take me longer to hitch and drive to the nearest dealer one way than it would to install it myself. And Northwood doesn't have to pay to have a tech guy install it. We both save time and money.

It also helps having a manufacture that will work with you. Some dealers and manufacturers are very inadequate. A good example of inadequacy is on our last TT we had, the table in it had a crack. The dealer showed it to me during PDI and said they would order a new one. When the new one came in they called and said bring the TT over (5 mile drive) and we'll put the new one in. When I get there, they take me out to their warehouse and we look at it. It's the wrong color stain. Haul the TT home. Fast forward 3 weeks and they call again. New one is here. I tell them it will be a week or so before I can get there. Drag the TT over again. We go to the warehouse to look and it's the wrong style base and the top is warped because it was freezing out, which is why I told them to wait a week. They then order another one. Mind you it's costing close to $300.00 to ship theses tables from Elkhart Id. They could've given me $300.00 and I would've found one nicer for a few $100.00 more. So now they call again and the 3rd table comes in. This time I leave the TT home and just drive the truck over. We venture out to look and still the wrong table color and style. So we mix and match and I actually end up with a nicer table than before. They said keep the original one that had a hair line crack. 1/2 of these problems were Heartland sending the wrong table even with pics of the original sent with the order. The other 1/2 were the dealer not doing a PDI on the new table before calling.

I guess my point is it's just sometimes easier to pay a little extra and buy your own parts or grab a screwdriver and start turning. Doing you're own work when possible will make it easier when you have issue out on the road.