The problem with dealers and warranty repairs

bob_nestor wrote:
Not sure if this applies to RV service (it probably does as I've given up on them and do the work myself), but this is the way it works in the auto industry.

Dealerships no longer hire mechanics directly, they're basically contract labor working at the dealership. Their pay for a job is based on the Clinton manual which spells out how long any particular repair should take. So most of the mechanics will try to find short-cuts and work-arounds for any particular problem. If they can "fix" something in less time than it shows in the Clinton manual they can move on to the next job and in doing so increase their take home pay. It's usually worse for warranty repairs because they have to rely on what the factory tells them about how long a repair should take and what parts will be used since Clinton doesn't have the info. And in many cases the factory won't pay for warranty work that is "speculative", i.e. could be one of three failed parts but the dealer needs to identify which one actually failed first, they can't just replace all three.

Generally you fare better with an out-of-warranty repair then an in-warranty repair because of this, and you'll typically receive much better service from an independent mechanic who knows your type of vehicle and charges you for time and material for any repair. Yeah, warranty repairs are no-cost to you and dealership repairs and usually fixed price once they've diagnosed the problem, but as the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for".

Hillary wrote the Clinton manual about Bill. What you are referring to is the Chilton manual. Dealerships generally use either Chilton or Motors for customer pay work flat rate and are required to use the factory manual for warranty work. Chilton and Motors is approximately 40% higher than warranty.