Who provides service ?

[Cerevisaphile]

I had an interesting conversation with campingworld and 8 different chevy dealers 2 days ago.

When I was leaving my campsite last weekend my RV did not want to start ( THOR Freedom Elite bases on the Chevy 4500 chassis )

after a while of trying, opening the hood and giving the engine some stern looks it started but the "Check Engine Light" stayed on. We drove home and when I tried to start the RV the next days the "Check Engine Light" turned off ( after the third time starting it )

Since the RV is less than a year old and I am due for inspection and oilchange anyway I figure I would call the closest Chevy Dealer and let them do the service / read the code and see what caused it.

Pretty simple I thought but I was wrong. I called 7 Chevy dealerships and they all told me they dont service do warranty cases for RVs. I finally found one 65 miles away that can service them but he had a nasty additude from the beginning saying that because THOR "cuts the chasis apart it could be anything and might not be covered under the Chevy warranty...

I called Camping World in Kingston and spoke to the Service Manager. He said they do warranty work for Chevy in RVs... then someone said something in the background and he retracted and said they can read the code and see if it was something bad, he also stated he was surprised that I had such a hard time to get someone from Chevy to help.

So whats the deal ? When I bought the RV I was told that ANY Chevy dealer will handle service and warranty issues with the engine...

Does anyone have / had any similar experiences and how did they deal with warranty issues ? ( related to the engine )

[tenbear]

When I first bought my Chevy based MH, I went to the local Chevy dealers for service and was told they don't service motorhomes. I found a local truck repair garage and have been going to them ever since and am very happy with their service, and repair.

[tatest]

Most intermittent "Check Engine" alerts on relatively new vehicles are because the gas cap was not tightened enough for the fuel tank to hold pressure. Leaks in filler pipe or vent trigger the same alert, but that would not correct itself and the alert would remain.

I'm surprised on a vehicle that new, you don't have an "information center" or separate light that says "check gas cap" as a distinct notice. Every vehicle I've bought since 2007 has distinguished this alert from the more general one, though in my E-Series it is an information center notice rather than a separate light.

It is true that most RV manufacturers cut the chassis apart to lengthen it, factory wheelbase options just don't cover their needs. They also lengthen at the rear. This, and things that they do connecting chassis to 12V systems in the house, and running lights, tends to cause problems with wiring particularly (sometimes including things that trigger warnings and interfere with chassis systems like ABS and stability assist), but it should be up to the Chevy truck dealer to determine that, even if the RV manufacturer has to pay for the repair.

That only truck dealers service trucks over a certain size (which would include RV chassis) has been the case for at least the past 50 years. The proportion of dealers in metro areas that handle trucks has shrunk as the number of car-only dealers has grown; bailout rules requiring GM to disenfranchise a large number of dealerships hasn't helped.

We don't notice this problem so much in rural areas because where dealerships may be found only in towns 50-200 miles apart, and more than half of their business is commercial, they are almost all truck dealers. Which means that service will be less of a problem when you travel than it is at home.

Almost any auto parts chain or franchise store has a code reader to see if anything is stored in the computer about that "Check Engine." Most will pull the codes for free, while a dealer may charge a minimum "diagnostic" fee, often as much as 30 minutes labor.

[Dakzuki]

Cerevisaphile wrote:


So whats the deal ? When I bought the RV I was told that ANY Chevy dealer will handle service and warranty issues with the engine...

Does anyone have / had any similar experiences and how did they deal with warranty issues ? ( related to the engine )

Who told you that....the RV dealer that sold it to you? It is pretty typical that you need a dealer that is willing to work on trucks and that's a subset of all dealers.

[IAMICHABOD]

I have had no problem getting service at a Chevy Dealer that has a truck service area.

That may be your problem, while there are a lot of dealerships for both Ford and Chevy only a few are set up for trucks, that is what you have to look for.

If the place where you bought it from said that ANY Chevy dealer would handle service and warranty problems, they lied to you.

[jim1632]

I use Jiffy Lube for oil changes and such without any problems. Their in-floor changing areas mean they aren't concerned by lifting a heavy vehicle.

For anything else it goes to a Ford Truck Dealer or an equivalent. I thing the problem at most dealers is the lack of lifts that can handle the weight of an RV. My Ford truck dealer even attacked a tricky issue with the rear lights that involved portions of the wiring added to the RV in manufacture.

Maybe you should try GMC truck dealers.

After warrenty try to find a good large-truck shop for the mechanical work. I have given up on an RV dealer to do repairs for other areas. I just tinker with them myself until the problem gets solved. When I am too old to climb on the RV roof, I plan to look for other travel alternatives.

[kalynzoo]

I took my Holiday Rambler with a 454 to Desert GMC for warranty service. They have large truck motorhome bays. Since it was warranty service they had to call the local Chevy dealer and offer them the job first. This was many years ago, and GM has since been reorganized. But try a GMC truck dealer.

[derh20]

I have the same problem with my Ford V10. I find it difficult to find a Ford dealer that would even do a simple oil change. I have to take it to a Ford Truck dealer, of which there is only one in the greater Portland, OR area. Finding one on the road when an oil change is needed is almost impossible.