RV 309: The maddening frustrations of getting RV repair and service

The first thing RV owners learn when they start the RV Lifestyle is that if something can break… it will. The second thing is getting RV repair and service done is never an easy task. That’s one of the top reasons many RV fulltimers are coming off the road. RV repair and service is nothing like automobile service. Getting parts, warranty service and repairs can easily take weeks. Before COVID, the average wait time for RV repair or service was 21 days, according to the national RV Technical Institute in Elkhart, IN. That's the amount of time that it takes from the day you drop a unit off at a dealer to be repaired, to when you pick it back up. Since COVID, the wait has increased dramatically. Dealerships shut down, manufacturers and parts suppliers shut down. Even now, many suppliers are still basically closed, with service and warranty folks working for home. Parts and supplies are, well, in short supply. Repair facilities at dealerships are jammed, catching up on their own backlogs from the shutdown and trying to cope with slowed shipments from suppliers. Add in the crush of so many new RVers who chose the RV Lifestyle for their vacations this year and you'll understand why RV service shops have to triage their repairs, prioritizing who gets fixed first based on the severity of the problem, just as emergency room doctors have to triage those in a hospital waiting room. Sometimes, it takes weeks to even get an appointment. All too often, more weeks once the RV is in the shop. In our question of the week segment coming up a little later, we'll share some of the issues we've heard from various RVers. Even mobile RV repair technicians are experiencing delays. Instead of same-day service as they used to deliver, more often than not it's next week. Or the week after. You can listen to the podcast in the player below.  Go to about 33:30 into the podcast to learn about peer to peer RV storage. And scroll down this page for shownotes and a transcript of the interview, plus links and resources about all the things we talk about. Also this week, we'll learn about a new way to find a place to store your RV... think the equivalent of an Airbnb rental applied to storage for your RV. And we have some good news about RV shows starting again after the first of the year! This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer  Use the coupon code rvlifestyle10 for 10% off purchases over $99.Check rvlifestyle.com/campingworld to see the many RV accessories and supplies Jennifer and I use with our RV.  RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK Wildfires ravaging much of West - California, Colorado, Arizona and more Wildfires burning the West are making headlines this week, closing campgrounds and causing evacuations in many parts of California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado to name a few. In California, at least a million acres have burned in seven days, with wildfires reaching historic size. Elsewhere Utah's Minersville Campground was evaluated over the weekend because of wildfires, Arizona officials closed at least two campgrounds because of wildfires near Saguaro National Park, and wildfires are raging across large areas in Colorado . Every year around this time we hear of wildfires in the West, but to us, this year the news seems more severe. There are more than 100 out of control wildfires being reported as we record this episode and smoke and haze can be seen from California to Kansas. Two hurricanes expected to hit the south within days of each other this week And while wildfires ravaged the West, states along the Gulf of Mexico are bracing for not one but two hurricanes to hit this week in what is being called an unprecedented event. The storms are causing campground closings and evacuations. Marco is expected to be a class one hurricane and hit Louisiana today (Monday). Laura at the time of this writing is expected to be a category 2 hurricane and is expected to hit Louisiana but also Mississippi, Alabama, and perhaps even Florida mid-week. The Gulf Islands National Seashore and Fort Pickens campground were among many on the coast closing because of the storms. We wrote a story earlier this year that included links to helpful sources to help you monitor road and weather emergencies. You can find that story here.  Pandemic camping? Number of visitors up at Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks from last year's numbers We've been telling you it is busy out there, and some national parks are starting to share numbers to define it. The numbers of people visiting Yellowstone National Park in July were up 2 percent from July 2019,  The numbers are up even though we are in the middle of a pandemic, where campgrounds and hotels have reduced their capacity and visitors from other countries are staying home. Yellowstone is seeing visitors from all 50 states and neighboring Grand Teton is also seeing an increase in visitors - up 3 percent from July 2019. American could face $750,000 fine or six months in jail for entering Canada and visiting Banff illegally A Kentucky man may face a $750,000 fine or six months in jail for allegedly violating a quarantine order in the Alberta Rockies in late June. The border to Canada is closed because of COVID-19, but as we have shared here, Americans are still illegally visiting Canada's tourist areas in defiance of the law, only to find an angry Canadian population calling police, who order quarantines and in this case a hefty fine. On July 31 Canada tightened its border even more, still allowing American travelers to pass through if headed to Alaska, but only if they enter through one of five approved entry points. Also, Americans must hang a tag from their mirror identifying them and the date they must leave, and are not allowed to visit a tourist area. Upper New York county health officials say visitors at campground last week may have had COVID-19 exposure Two people who camped at Golden Beach Campground in Raquette Lake, NY last week tested positive for COVID-19. The two went camping in the Adirondack area campground Aug. 15-20. While camping the couple used the restrooms and shower building, and also went into nearby towns. Health officials shared the information so anyone who stayed in this area during this time would know. While camping, Mike and I recommend using your RV's shower and bathroom as much as possible. And despite this story, camping is considered a relatively low-risk activity in many stories and reports we are monitoring. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping. Use the code rvlifestyle for $75 off.   RV QUESTION OF THE WEEK - RV Repair and service issues On our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group, that topic is a very active one. So let me share the question from a reader named Todd, who writes: “I'm new here and read of quality issues with new RVs and I can't understand how dealers don't see the need to fix issues like trim panels falling off while on the lot. $27,000 bucks and they don't see the need to fix it before customers see it.” Todd’s post brought more than 60 replies, most relating RV repair and service. Matt and Trima said: “If you only knew the problems we have with RV repair and service for our brand new 2020 top of the line Fifth Wheel; you would never buy one and absolutely run the other way.. Delamination down the side and across the back..... A defective roof where a pinhole was found for a leak, not to mention a roof with blisters, underbelly keeps coming undone, shower panels coming undone from the wall and leaks, and the list goes on with close to 40 items. Oh; the washing machine has gone out twice in six months in the oven will not stay lit until after literally about the 6th to 8th time. Man I have so many pictures and videos that it would make your head spin. Working with a lemon law lawyer right now.” Carolyn offers this advice about dealers who don’t fix obvious issues: “No one seems to take pride in their work. If they don’t fix before the sale I’d steer clear of them because they probably have crappy service dept.” Camilla, noting that many dealers charge a paperwork fee, yet, in her case, she noted “Always fun to see the $895 "Pre-Delivery Inspection" fee on a brand new RV - but wires hanging out, moldings dangling, TV missing, coffee stain in the cabin, hydraulic arm ripped out of the screen door, etc.” Joe says “So much demand for RV's now, the factories are rushing to produce them as fast as possible.” Says Michael: “I have a 2019 RV, brand new on the lot I made a list of 22 RV repair and service items that needed to be fixed before I left the dealer. Now 1 year older I have trim pieces falling off, bench seat literally fell apart and I cannot stop slide out from leaking during rain!” Helen has RV repair and service problems, too: “What makes me angry is we bought a brand new fifth wheel specifically to avoid these issues. We came to the conclusion it is cheaper for the companies to rush them through and hope people don’t return them for RV repair and service work than to make them right the first time. What is funny is that we talked to someone we met at a campground who had a much more expensive fifth wheel than us. When we said we wish we had gone ahead and spent more money for one like his and avoided these problems he laughed and told us his sad story with RV repair and service warranty work.”  Victoria reported: “We are shopping and I’m amazed that one lot at a local dealer was FULL of different sizes and shapes and brands of campers. I asked if we could see a couple of them and the RV dealer said those campers were waiting for RV repair and service to be fixed! The lot was full!” And finally Chuck says: “Sadly, what this industry needs is competition from quality overseas Manufacturing such as happened in the Auto industry.