RV Service and Repair??????????????

[SGTJOE]

Am I the only one who is seeing downright bad RV repair/service these days?
My fridge stopped cooling back in June. I called Dometic who gave me a local certified Dometic repair company. He came out, disconnected a wire and said he would be back in a few days to check the fridge. Still waiting for him as of today. In the mean time about 4 weeks later my propane detector went off, I removed it and was told they only last 5 years, the next day my carbon monoxide detector went off and when I opened the door to the MH I smelled the worst smell ever. It appears that my cooling unit leaked out the ammonia. Since that happened I went looking for a shop to repair the fridge. I found one that wanted me to bring the MH in and they would check the fridge, said it would be 60 bucks for a 30 min check. Set the appointment up for 1 Aug and stopped in the day before to confirm the appointment, then the guy says they would need it for 24 hrs to check the fridge and that the labor was 120 phr. I asked about the previous quote and he said I would never say that. Funny thing I wrote it down on his business card. Went home and called and cancelled the appointment.

I drove to several repair facilities to get quotes on a new cooling unit, costs were within a few hundred dollars for the unit and the labor was 4-5 hours. Biggest problem was warranty, all but one was 1 year, then I found one that said the cooling unit would have a 5 year warranty. I decided to go with them, when I stopped in to set it up it turns out the guy that I had talked with was no longer there. They didn't have any info on where he was getting the cooling unit so they said they would look into it and call me. This was a week and a half ago--still waiting. So I went to a Nation wide rv facility and was surprised at the two labor rates--Service @ 145.00 phr and Parts 99.00 phr, weird, huh? Anyway the parts guy took my info for the cooling unit last Thursday and said he would call me with cost and warranty, on Friday or Sat. No call, I called him yesterday and he said he would check it out and call me later, guess what NO CALL. Still waiting today.

So is it just me or has RV service gone to heck in a hand basket?

[pianotuna]

Most shops do not deal with absorption technology.

free radical wrote:
Why use only RV techs,,wouldnt any reputable shop be able to fix a fridge?

I would call the largest fridge sales and repair in the phone book and ask.or two or three.
most repairmen do house calls dont they so they could come to you.

[Community Alumni]

Have you checked with Charlie's Service in Sunset Utah? They can fix it or replace it.

Charlie's Service

Jim R

[Charlie_D_]

That smell was probably ammonia. If so, you will need a new unit.

[free_radical]

Why use only RV techs,,wouldnt any reputable shop be able to fix a fridge?

I would call the largest fridge sales and repair in the phone book and ask.or two or three.
most repairmen do house calls dont they so they could come to you.

[midnightsadie]

drive it down to the amish guys ,they.ll do it over night you,ll be there couple days and on your way.

[pianotuna]

SGTJOE,

This is one company that offers it. But you have to contact them to get the details:

https://jc-refrigeration.com/products/

Look at option #1

SGTJOE wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.

Could you provide more info on this?

[DutchmenSport]

I'm having massive disappointment over the dealership where I purchased my Montana High Country last September. In the past they were excellent at customer service, as we purchased our previous travel trailer from them. They never disappointed and did what they said at the time they said they would.

Fast forward, they built a new repair facility, expanded, and now seem to have gone down the toilet. With the current camper, I've had nothing but wait, wait, wait on them for everything.

I currently have a small problem with my 5er and it definitely falls under warranty as the camper is not a year old yet. But I'm trying to find the part from another dealer and just bite the bullet on the cost. I don't want to wait, I'll just do the work myself and be done with it.

In comes the second local RV dealership I've been so pleased with. They have been absolutely phenomenal helping me get parts and repair service on my previous campers after warranties all ran out. I stopped in last night after work and talked to them about the part I needed, and said say screw the warranty. They couldn't locate immediately the part I needed, as it looks like I have to by all the attached stuff to it to get the part I need. He was going to research it and give me the best price. I waited all day on that phone call. I called them back on the way home and he said he came into work in the morning, shuffled his paper work in order and then everything tore loose. He didn't have a chance to call or explore my part.

First repair shop has been telling me for almost a year now they are short staffed, missing first one tech, and now the latest story, they are missing 2. Second repair shop said they are just swamped.

It's fat business for the repair and parts departments, hell for the rest of us.

[beemerphile1]

There is a severe shortage of RV service techs and now is peak season. It isn't surprising that you aren't getting the service you hoped for.

[Big_Katuna]

SGTJOE wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.

Could you provide more info on this?

Google Amish made cooling unit.

[HadEnough]

Sounds about right. Same experience here when I thought I could save time by paying someone to fix things.

As it turns out, it's always significantly faster and cheaper as well as a higher quality repair to learn it and do it yourself.

[SGTJOE]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.

Could you provide more info on this?

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.

[ReneeG]

SGTJOE wrote:

ReneeG wrote:
Well heck. If you were in Boise, I'd recommend United RV & Repair. They do all our work and are great!

Thanks, I'm in Utah, I'll check them out.

Tell Trent, I sent you. He does all our maintenance work. This winter we will have a new roof put on and new decals.

[Big_Katuna]

It pays to do your homework so you are informed before you get bigger repairs.

Get advice from forums like this or others. Get parts price quotes so you can negotiate with the service entity.

Amish made replacement cooling units are good quality. They might be able to recommend a reliable installer.

I did my own. It’s not hard. Four hours is a fair labor estimate.

[SGTJOE]

ReneeG wrote:
Well heck. If you were in Boise, I'd recommend United RV & Repair. They do all our work and are great!

Thanks, I'm in Utah, I'll check them out.