New TT Pick-up Inspection - Should I use a professional?

[AnnMarie]

Hi!
Next weekend I am picking up my new TT and have been preparing. I've compiled a couple of lists and read (and watched) information pertaining to the pick up inspection.

This is my first TT and I don't want to make any mistakes. I think it might be overkill to hire a professional inspector to assist in the pick up inspection, but since I'm so new I don't want to miss anything important.

I would like to think I will have a good relationship with the dealer but also want to protect my interests so, to ensure that nothing is missed do you think it worth it to hire a professional inspector to go over the fine details of the trailer while I go over some of the bigger ticket items with the dealer?

I'm reading through the owner's manual now to make sure I understand that before the big day. 🙂

[AnnMarie]

🙂 The TT will stay in Nevada and I live in California so I plan to spend a week in it before coming back home. I should have a chance to use everything by then.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply!

[js6343js6343]

^^^^

Agree with all the above. My experience with my TT has been a continuing series of failures due to poor assembly and substandard materials beginning from the day of delivery.

At a minimum, bring an experienced TT owner of at least 5 years. Take your time looking through the camper for defects. Check caulking (yes even on the roof), check tires (ours were already partially dry rotted), check basic operation of all systems. Check fit and finish of interior and exterior. You are unlikely to want to fix them on your own later. Keep a list of all defects in the first year and plan to take them back to the dealer to address. We had a list probably a dozen items long.

Then after the warranty expires, plan to routinely spend time and money on continuing repairs. Expect to educate yourself on maintaining critical systems including brake adjustments, bearing lubrication, roofing maintenance/general caulking and suspension joints.

Then go have fun.

[myredracer]

Many would think it's a waste of time and money, but based on what we went through on a previous TT, I would def. hire a reputable independent RV tech if you don't have much experience with TTs. The cost is minimal and could save you a small amount or potentially many thousands of $$ as a worst case scenario.

A number of years ago, we bought a brand spanking new TT and on the 2nd day of ownership I took it to a local RV shop to buy some propane fittings & hose for a quick-connect fitting below the frame. The owner took a look underneath to see what I needed and immediately spotted a major issue with the frame. To make a long story short, after taking the TT to a gov't. certified inspection facility for a detailed inspection, we ended up getting the entire TT replaced under warranty. Lippert initially said it was fine. No inspection list would ever have picked that up.

There are many significant things that can go wrong that even experienced owners would never think to inspect or know enough if something is okay or seriously wrong. For ex., go to the TT forum and there's this thread at the moment about someone with a new Dutchmen TT with a serious issue with the black tank. Even with a warranty, the owner is having major problems with the dealer and Keystone and his TT has been in the shop most of the time since taking possession. Met a couple in a CG that had bought a new Keystone TT. I had a severe roof leak from day one. Several trips to the dealer did not fix it. Got sent to the factory and they only made it worse. Lots of examples out there if you read through enough posts on RV forums.

Even with a warranty, getting things fixed properly by the dealer, RV manufacturer and/or component manufacturer can be difficult. Sometimes they will even refuse to accept liability to do a repair. Some dealers can be inept at fixing things (BTDT with 2 dealers). Sometimes an RV can sit for weeks & weeks in the camping season waiting to get repairs done. Best not to think if something ever breaks it will simply get fixed under warranty or quickly.

It's good that you are thinking about this in advance! TTs in general can have all sorts of quality issues from minor to severe for a number of reasons and it's best to do what you can to minimize the chances of ever getting problems from the outset.

Okay, so now I see that it is a Lance TT... 😞 They are about as good as they get for quality, but are not immune to defects in materials or workmanship. An inspection for a couple hundred $$ would still be a good investment I think.

[TrailerTravele1]

AnnMarie wrote:
This is a Lance trailer that has some special forever warranty (as long as I am the owner and have a annual inspection) on many of the items (I'm not buying the extended warranty) so if I miss something, it should still be covered.

Thanks again!!

Hi AnnMarie! When we picked up our new Lance 1685, we used Woodglue's PDI found on the Lance Owners Forum. Here's the link. Woodglue's Lance Trailer PDI

We spent a few hours going through everything meticulously with the dealer - he showed us how to operate all the systems, even as mundane as inserting a CD into the stereo. Then he recommended we camp a couple of nights near the dealership since it was far from home just to make sure we didn't discover anything else. We found a couple small things and dropped by the dealership on the way home to get them corrected. I don't even remember what they were, that's how nitpicky they were. 🙂

Enjoy your Lance trailer! I can strongly recommend you join the Lance Owners Forum for some Lance specific information.

[downtheroad]

My experience with 5 different (new) trailers is:
You can inspect it to death....every nut, bolt and screw and then once you actually use it you will find something you missed.

Yes, careful inspection is a must, but actually camping in it will tell you even more.

Good luck with your new rig, Congrats and enjoy it.

[RedRocket204]

AnnMarie wrote:
...Luckily, I do have some mechanical aptitude and will plan to have someone with me that is familiar with RVs. It guess it won't hurt that I'm very observant and picky in this case.

If you are new to RVs, that is a good plan. Someone with RV experience to know what to expect and run through the routine of using ALL the items in the RV. I know when I bought my first RV, it was very daunting learning about it without any prior RV experience, and yes, there were many items I would have more thoroughly checked over knowing what I know now.

FYI, bring blue painters tape and tear off a small piece to mark something that needs fixing.

[AnnMarie]

Thanks so much for the replies. I felt that if I do the inspection myself, I'll learn a bit more about the TT than if I gloss over areas and leave it for someone else. I just didn't want my newness to be a hinderance. Luckily, I do have some mechanical aptitude and will plan to have someone with me that is familiar with RVs. It guess it won't hurt that I'm very observant and picky in this case.

This is a Lance trailer that has some special forever warranty (as long as I am the owner and have a annual inspection) on many of the items (I'm not buying the extended warranty) so if I miss something, it should still be covered.

Thanks again!!

[evanrem]

Just bought a tt and followed a detailed PDI form. This is what I found.
Loose connection water pump
Tear small in underbelly
Some sketchy caulking in places
Scratched access panel
Loose trim

This is what I missed
Bathroom door needed adjustment to not pop open
Water channels on slide top corners were broke. This are hard to see and only visible with slides closed. Old tt didn't have them.
Fireplace broke a few days after we left.

If you go slow and take your time I don't think you need professional unless you have zero mechanical aptitude.

[Tvov]

It seems like you are doing your homework and will be prepared to do your own inspection.

To me, a professional inspector is really better suited for when you are buying a used camper.

Pick up your camper and go camp!

[Lantley]

If you do not feel you are capable of inspecting the RV yourself it is not a bad idea to seek assistance. Many people fail to understand the importance of the PDI and gloss it over.
THe PDI is you one chance to inspect your RV and ensure the entire thing is 100% in working order.
Too many time people discover deficiencies after the fact and end up waiting/taking weeks and months to get things straightened out.
Some never discover obvious defects until it's too late and significant damage has occurred. Often times the source of the problem existed on day one but was not detected because a thorough PDI was not performed.
THe PDI is the one chance to make sure the unit has been assembled correctly be sure to use it to your advantage

[azrving]

After reading about some peoples experiences in here maybe a lawyer would be better. 🙂

[rdhetrick]

I'm not a proponent of "inspectors" either. Sure, they will find things, but they'll miss things too.

You will probably miss more "problems" than an inspector would. But the fact of the matter is that a RV will always need maintenance. And my opinion is that a new one will need a lot more fixes in the first few years than a used one would have.

My best advice is to save the money you would have spent on an inspector and put it towards fixing things after the warranty expires. Enjoy getting out and using it, and know beforehand that things will break - it's just part of the deal.

[craig7h]

I think that you may be over thinking this just a little. First off there are alot of good "pdi" forms on this site. Some are more in depth than others, i would get the most detailed one possible. I would then get with your dealer and provide them with a copy of the pdi form so they know what to expect from you. The hardest I have found is for the dealer to have it hooked up to water.

I would have someone else take videos of the items you may forget how to operate. Like how to by pass the hot water heater. Or light the oven. As its your first I would take video of most evrything that you will have to turn on or adjust. You may want to take a video of how to hook and unhook from your vechile.

I do not think hireing a professional to look at things is needed.Good luck and enyoy your new TT