Hi All, I own a 22 foot TT, just purchased in June 2016. My wife and I took about 7 trips with this TT, all within New England last season. Does it make sense for us to have this TT "serviced" by the dealer with a multi-point inspection "package" (brake check, furnace, water heater, plumbing, roof and window seals, battery, etc) for $500 ? I currently have the TT in for a small repair and to have the electric brakes checked anyway.thoughts?thanks, Phil

Solid question, makes sense to ask it. And the answer to this is simple, how cheap are you. lol. The breaks can easily be checked by yourself, you just pull the wheels off, the little bearing disk thing, then you can check the pads that go around the drum type thing, if they are low, replace them, if not, put it back on, jack up your break controller to a high amount, move forward a little, and see if you can skid the tires. If you can, and the pads look good, check, you just did what they WONT do. Furnace can be checked by pulling off the outside box (or inside), you're looking for rust, and tight fittings. Check the gas line going into it, make sure it's empty, drain it, etc. From here, you're just tightening fittings, ensuring the gas line isn't leaking , and giving it a once over. The same applies for the furnace blower, which will always be inside, make sure the fittings are tight, this is where you live, it's inside, so it's pretty important. I imagine you used the heater quite a bit up north :) water heater is the exact same way. It's likely an electric heater, look for RUST, tighten fittings, give it a once over. you can pull the elements out, see if they look good and spay. Each unit is obviously different, they should ALL have owners manuals. if you have an enclosed underbelly... might be best to let them check for the plumbing if they go under. That will be a royal pain. If they do not, you can check EVERY fitting, going to just about everywhere, including your tanks from under the tt, same goes for inside. Every two times i go out, i check specific fittings after I had a leak, it's no longer an issue. Check your sink, under bathroom sink, check the access door under the shower , tighten, and look for past water access. The roof and window seals is important. I don't know HOW they check them, but i spent all weekend at my parents house because they had more broken seals on the roof than i've ever seen. personally, all you should have to do on the roof is inspect, it hasn't been long enough you shoudln't have any broken / cracked seals really. Do you store it outside without any cover? The heat will murder your roof, literally. If / when it does come time to start replacing seals, I took a shiv, and took off all the existing sealant ( all but a little anyways ), and re-sealed everything on the roof ( my parents ). While you're up their, check the edges around the edges, press down, does it feel hard / sturdy like the middles ? Also check the front where the cap meets the roof, this is a huge fail spot, see if it's tight still in their, it will likely have a **** load of sealant, look hard, just look for cracks, if you find any, and it's minor, just re-seal, if you can stick your fingers in the seals where the cracks are, start taking the sealant off and just re-sealing completely. Don't forget to check the seals on the slide if you have any, the roof of the slide likely doesn't have an awning if it's 22 feet, if it even has a slide, check the roof for the slide! If you don't wanna do all that, just pay the 500 bucks, a GOOD inspection with NO fixes needed on your end, should take 2 - 3 hours. Fo you think 500 bucks is worth 2 - 3 hours of your own time ?

Remember, that 500 dollars is all labor and pure profit to the dealer. Personally I do/would not trust a dealer to do a good job. For maybe 50 dollars in material for a couple tubes of Dicor I can inspect and reseal almost every outside seam on my trailer. The rest just takes time. But, if your not handy I guess you will have to spend the money.

Check with a local mobile rv guy for a price. Follow the guy around, ask questions. Then, do it yourself.You Tube!!!Pat

There are two opposite schools of thought. My friend takes his vehicle into a dealer every 6 months and has it looked at. I do most of the work myself so I am familiar with the operation. For boondock camping it helps a lot to be able to fix stuff.

Hard to 'get to know' your rig when you don't spend some time fiddling/figuring out how things work.$500 is great price....for dealerHigh profit for very little involvement.If it ain't broke.leave it beIf it's broke----see if YOU can fix before having someone else do the repairsLots of 'help' hereLots of info available here and via goggleBut if no clue on stuff.....then mobile rv repair PRIOR to dealerr

Service "Package" for TT Spring Inspection | Good Sam Community

ppine
Explorer II
Mar 28, 2017
Mobile service guys are great. There are some things on an RV like a furnace that is really not like what you find in a residence. Those guys can save a lot of time and frustration and don't cost that much.
BadgerMcAdams
Explorer
Mar 22, 2017
Another think you might consider...YouTube has videos on almost everything. Look and see if there is anything there that can help you out. It might not have a "This is how a Service inspection for Brand X is performed" but it might have them for the generic items you would expect to be checked (furnace, water heater, plumbing, roof, etc).

Just a though...
Community Alumni
Mar 22, 2017
$500 seems awfully steep for an inspection like that. Around here that's the price I'd expect to pay to get a thorough workup on a diesel pusher. Ask other dealers in the area for their prices, even ones that are not part of your manufacturer's network. The parts and materials are pretty generic so any competent dealer should be able to perform the same inspection.

A better idea would be to learn to do these things for yourself and save money. The people who do their own inspections and maintenance were once in your shoes. They learned how things worked, what to look for, and how to fix or maintain them. Fixing and maintaining these things isn't rocket science. The good news is that there's a ton of information on the internet and places like this to ask questions.

That's assuming that you are capable doing all of this yourself. Some consider themselves hopeless mechanics. Some people at a point in their life where crawling on top and under a trailer would be quite a task. In those cases it would probably be better to shop around and just have someone do it for them.
trail-explorer
Explorer
Mar 22, 2017
yillb wrote:
The breaks can easily be checked by yourself

He didn't say there were any breaks, but if something was broke, I suppose the dealer would find it in their overpriced inspection.

$500 is a complete rip-off. It's just another way a dealer gouges customers out of more money.
drsteve
Explorer
Mar 22, 2017
That $500 price represents about 5 hours of shop labor. Sounds excessive to me.
ken56
Explorer
Mar 22, 2017
Do you have the confidence in the dealer to actually do a thorough inspection? Will you be able to be present to see them open things up and take the time to check furnace fittings and burners and water heater burners and proper operation? Not just open the door to peek in and say yep, that looks ok. I have had a few things done by dealers and I have been somewhat disappointed. If you have them do this for you tell them up front that you expect a DETAILED report on the findings BEFORE you authorize any repairs. Its too easy for them to do a minimal inspection and take your money......any problems (leaks)that come up after you go home they will tell you it was good when it left our service dept. Its on YOU no matter what they did or you expected them to do.
cbshoestring
Explorer II
Mar 22, 2017
Service, products, even thoughts....are worth whatever someone else is willing to pay. My opinion (you can pay me for it if you like) is....

Asking $500.00 for the service is reasonible, paying $500.00 is not within the spectrum of what I would consider a good deal.

I pay to have the oil changed in my truck. The cost is more than it would be if I did it myself, but not so high that I do. I spend that extra cash for the convenience of not laying on the ground, getting greasy, disposing of oil, etc...

Paying $500 to have someone walk around my trailer with a flash light, inspecting things that I SHOULD WANT TO INSPECT MYSELF...not worth it to me. Even if I was not handy, not worried about understanding the "systems", or otherwise concerned with the upkeep....I would still think that $500.00 was way too much for a couple of hours work.

Every owner of a trailer should do an ANNUAL once-over of all systems. If it is something you feel you should pay for, then by all means do so. I would look for a better deal....$500.00 is way to much.

Keep in mind that, money aside---You should still be able to do a basic "walk-around" before each trip. It would still be beneficial for you to have a basic understanding of the onboard systems.
westend
Explorer
Mar 22, 2017
As others said, a mobile service guy can do a better job than a dealer, maybe cheaper, too. Assuming your brakes are now good, list the other items that need service like bearings, plumbing, electrical, and most important, exterior seals. I'd suggest to get a quote from a mobile guy in your area and work off the list. He might have other items that he could address, also.
Huntindog
Explorer
Mar 22, 2017
Some important points:
Wheel bearing adjustment is CRITICAL.... Anyone that says to "take the wheels off of the little bearing disc thing".... Hasn't got a clue.
If you do not know how to adjust bearings, don't mess with it.

And "50.00 for a couple of tubes of dicor"
tells me that person has never bought any.

I have never paid more than 10.00 a tube.

As for should you take the 500.00 offer?

No. They probably won't do any better job than you can, even not knowing anything. I agree with the mobile tech suggestion. I have seen much more good work out of them (on other peoples TTs) than I have seen of Dealers work. Mobile techs are generally one man businesses. The person that collects the money is the one doing the work.... Totally different than a dealership business model.
goducks10
Explorer
Mar 21, 2017
Google all the things you want to have checked and try your best at it. Did you get any kind of a manual that goes over all the systems? My 5er came with one for all the items you list. It's filled with product supplemental. Like the Coleman Mack AC. Norcold Fridge. If you didn't get one then look up the part number for each appliance and google it. JMO but these RV's aren't even close to being rocket science. I haven't done anything to my fridge, AC, etc. I check the seals a couple times a year. Only takes a few minutes to do a visual.
Google, Google, Google. It's your best friend. Many of the guys/gals on here can help too. Save the $500 for gas and CG fees.