getting a camper worked on

[geraldblizzard]

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?

[kohai]

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?

General RV in Draper Utah is $130/hr.

[AndyW]

When I first purchased my used class C, I took it to a very highly rated heavy truck shop for a bunch of minor repairs, maintenance and modifications I wanted. They did good work, but the bill was quite a bit more than I expected. I looked at the itemized list and found that I was charged $700 to install a brake controller that I provided. I was floored. I guess the chassis wasn't pre-wired (or they couldn't find it...) and it took their tech the better part of a day to feed all the wires front-to-back through the frame.

That was such a simple thing that I easily could have done myself (probably running the wire OUTSIDE the frame...), but decided to add it to the list for the shop since I was having a bunch of other work done. Figured maybe an hour or two of labor costs. Lesson learned.

[toedtoes]

The problem is that dealerships are trying to compensate for all the time spent on warranty work. Of course they have to charge those paying more - because they're only getting paid for 1/2 the work they do.

Both my SUV and my RV go to the same independent mechanic. He has a full shop to support, etc., but he's not putting half his time into warranty work. So, his rates are less than a dealership. His staff is seasoned and knowledgeable.

My RV goes to an independent RV repair shop. He has a full shop to support, etc., but he's not putting half his time into warranty work. So his rates are less than a dealership. His staff is seasoned and knowledgeable.

I do what I can with both on my own. I also have a boss who loves to work on stuff, so he has done a ton of work for me on the clipper at minimal cost to me (well, minimal dollar cost - I have to be nice to him and that costs a WHOLE lot! 🙂 ).

[Veebyes]

Many have no idea of what the costs are to produce a service. If you have never been self employed you most likley have very little idea of all of the overheads.

When I was boat chartering I would get grumbles sometimes on the $150 per hour price. Never from fellow boatowners. More than likely from 'proffessionals' whose per hour rate was much more than mine.

At $200,000 my boat cost as much as some of their educations. Diesel was $9gal. Marketing cost more than fuel. Maintenance was a solid 1 person 1 month per year. For every paid hour there averaged another 1/2hour of preparation & put away time. Somewhere in there somebody, me, had to get paid too.

The overheads add up in any business.

[winnietrey]

Probably about 120 per around here. Which I have no problem with as long as the work is done to a professional level. Some stuff I don't know how to do, and some stuff I just don't want to do. So I buy my way out, of having to do it myself. ( my choice). But probably most repairs I do myself. Depends on my mood

They also probably get beat up on warranty work, so the per hour goes down.

In the words of Red Adair " If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you hire an amateur" I have found this to very true.

[Dutch_12078]

4X4Dodger wrote:

chevyman2 wrote:
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.

What you say is very true. And those figures look real to me. Most people who have never managed a large or medium sized business or owned their own substantial business have no clue how much money it takes each day just to open the doors. Much less make a profit.

Yep, our HD truck shop's non-productive payroll cost alone averaged about $800 per day. Total payroll cost was close to $8,000 per day. That meant one mechanic billing $100/hr worked for 8 hours just to pay for people that did no work that day. Mobile techs have much less overhead, and can bill less per hour, but they're also much more limited in the type of work they can do. Both business formats have their place. Using a mobile RV tech to repair a broken furnace is one thing, but don't expect him to rebuild your transmission.

[4X4Dodger]

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.

While there will always be some time that you are charged for in getting Parts or a special tool. No decent manager is going to let what you describe go on for very long because the dealer actually loses money under your theory of the workplace.

The more units they turn over the faster the more money they make and the happier the customers are. Do dealer want the scenario you give above? It's not in his interest or yours.

Does it happen on occasion? Yes of course but a good manager will be there to step in and ask...When will that 30-footer be done Mac? And get everyone back working.

I think it's in everyones best interests to learn to do the repairs yourself if you are physically able. There is nothing that the average guy with a decent set of tools cant manage. Self Reliance especially when it comes to an RV or a Sailboat is very very good.

[4X4Dodger]

chevyman2 wrote:
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.

What you say is very true. And those figures look real to me. Most people who have never managed a large or medium sized business or owned their own substantial business have no clue how much money it takes each day just to open the doors. Much less make a profit.

[Lantley]

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.

But it gets worse. Factor in taxes,insurance and overhead there is lots of operating expense that you don't witness that are factored into the rate. I don't think you truly understand all the cost that go into running a business.

[jfkmk]

Jasult, that's an impressive repair!

[Tvov]

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.

Have you ever employed people? Have you ever worked for an hourly wage?

$100 an hour is normal around me for a lot of services - vehicle work, plumbers, electricians... landscapers charge $65+ also.

Bulldozer work charges by the hour, even though half the time they are going backwards. Same with the guy snowplowing the driveway - try paying him only 1/2 what he charges, because he had to back up 1/2 the time....

[jasult]

I agree that they are not that hard to work on if you are handy.
I never take things in for repairs if i can help it.

I just pulled out my 14 foot slider to fix a weak water damaged beam and worked out great. Can only imagine what a dealer would have charged. I have about 300 dollars in parts and my time.

[jfkmk]

wintersun wrote:
The RV service operations in my area require a much larger lot and much larger garage buildings and have to spread this over fewer repairs as compared to an auto repair shop. I expect to pay more and only to get charged only for the hours worked and that the repairs are done properly.

The problem is not the hourly rate but rather that real incomes for the 99% have been stagnant for the past 45 years. Had wages kept up as a percentage of corporate income at the same level as the 1950's and 1960's then the average income would be 3-4 times what it is and no one would be worried about the cost of service work on their RV.

Oh boy. It's thinking like this that brings people demanding $15 per hour to flip burgers.

[wintersun]

The RV service operations in my area require a much larger lot and much larger garage buildings and have to spread this over fewer repairs as compared to an auto repair shop. I expect to pay more and only to get charged only for the hours worked and that the repairs are done properly.

The problem is not the hourly rate but rather that real incomes for the 99% have been stagnant for the past 45 years. Had wages kept up as a percentage of corporate income at the same level as the 1950's and 1960's then the average income would be 3-4 times what it is and no one would be worried about the cost of service work on their RV.