How Much Should Proximity of a Dealer Matter to Choice of Class B?

[NorthPotomac]

We've narrowed down our selection of what will be our first RV to a few (4-5) models, after lots of due diligence.

Three of those models are Pleasure-Ways. But the closest PW dealer to our future residence (upstate SC) is 95 miles away (RV World of Georgia) -- the next closest is 135 miles away (Carolina Coach and Marine in North Carolina).

There is a reputable Winnebago dealer close at hand, but none of their products seems to have made the cut for us (if the Paseo had a different bed configuration it would interest us). That dealer used to carry Pleasure-Ways, but sold too few of them to continue with that franchise. There are also reputable general RV repair shops nearby.

The Hymer Aktiv also interested us, but as of now there are zero dealers within a 250-mile radius of our future home.

My question, as a newbie, is, how important do you all think this issue should be for our final choice? How many of you have Class B's and live relatively far from a dealer? Is 95 miles "nearby?"

[BBQ]

.

The dealer is 95 miles away?

That is considered very very very very close for most people.

Especially for PW, because there are fewer of them.


You are lucky.

[jrobe]

I am always more concerned about proximity to the service centers for the chassis (Mercedes, Ford, etc.).

[Scottbaldassari]

Originally Posted by NorthPotomac

...the closest PW dealer to our future residence ... is 95 miles away ... -- the next closest is 135 miles away

My question, as a newbie, is, how important do you all think this issue should be for our final choice? ... Is 95 miles "nearby?"

Those are both close. My dealer is about 100 miles away. 95-135 makes no difference, I would measure the dealers against one another, study their customer ratings ON SERVICE, price comparison, availability etc, and wouldn't give a thought to 45 miles.

[BobB]

Originally Posted by NorthPotomac

The Hymer Aktiv also interested us, but as of now there are zero dealers within a 250-mile radius of our future home.

Yes, there are no dealers (per the dealer locator on the Hymer website) in the entire mid-Atlantic/east coast, between NY and FL.

Many on this and other forums think (1) they will be adding dealers over time, maybe including existing RT dealers and (2) possibly the lack of dealers may be due to training dealers before they start selling Hymers. In any case, if you are really interested in the Aktiv, suggest you contact Hymer/RT directly and find out what is going on with dealerships in your area.

[InterBlog]

What problems would the dealers typically take care, of and which are excluded?

That's an important qualification to the OP's question. Air Forums is full of complaints about components that Airstream dealers will not touch because the warranty has to be honored by the manufacturer of that component, not by Airstream. The Onan generator is an example and I think the Fiamma awning is another example (as I recall).

So a more precise question (actually two questions) might be, what is directly covered vs. indirectly covered, and how close are you to the various other unrelated service centers?

[gregmchugh]

The 6 year Roadtrek warranty covers everything installed by Roadtrek including items normally not covered by RV warranties, fridge, furnace, water heater, generator, etc., everything except for AGM batteries.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

The 6 year Roadtrek warranty covers everything installed by Roadtrek including items normally not covered by RV warranties, fridge, furnace, water heater, generator, etc., everything except for AGM batteries.

Correct me if I don't have this right but it can get a little complicated for the owner. The 6 year warranty applies only after the warranty provided with the appliance expires. So if your Norcold fridge has a two year warranty and it fails during this period, the recourse is directly with Norcold. After their warranty expires, for up to 6 years with unlimited mileage, the recourse is with Roadtrek.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

Correct me if I don't have this right but it can get a little complicated for the owner. The 6 year warranty applies only after the warranty provided with the appliance expires. So if your Norcold fridge has a two year warranty and it fails during this period, the recourse is directly with Norcold. After their warranty expires, for up to 6 years with unlimited mileage, the recourse is with Roadtrek.

Someone who has a Roadtrek under this warranty may know how claims are handled but I have seen several reports where Roadtrek did warranty replacement of equipment themselves while the equipment was still under the manufacturers warranty.

[InterBlog]

Who handles the warranty claims at exactly what point is a critical question for Class B owners to have answered, and all that stuff should be crystal clear in writing. And then the owners need to understand exactly what the ramifications are.

I remember a case on Air Forums where an older lady was trying to get her Onan generator serviced on her Airstream Interstate. It was still under warranty, but she had to go to the local Onan service center, not an Airstream dealer.

Well, the Onan center to which she was directed was in a rough part of greater Houston (I've been an industrial consultant for almost a quarter century and I know this area very, very well).

So I commented, number one, I don't know that I'd want to see a little old lady traveling alone to that part of town. And number two, I told her that she better get an iron-clad guarantee that the Onan business was going to cover her Interstate against being stripped if she left it overnight on their lot. Because remember, it's not just a generator that's being dropped off for repair and the proprietor stores it on a shelf in their secured warehouse. This is a whole large brand new vehicle that screams money. And because the service center wasn't built around servicing "vehicles" but rather was focused on generators, I would not assume without asking that they could offer adequate security for vehicles. I was sure that there was no way in hell that I would ever leave my own Interstate on any such lot. Never going to happen.

So you see, even if there is warranty coverage, repair issues can quickly spiral into potentially untenable situations that may not be foreseeable. Class B owners need to think this stuff through in advance.

[Davydd]

I didn't buy from a dealer. I bought direct. I've had warranty work done around the country while on the road traveling and the converter company made all arrangements and paid the bills.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Someone who has a Roadtrek under this warranty may know how claims are handled but I have seen several reports where Roadtrek did warranty replacement of equipment themselves while the equipment was still under the manufacturers warranty.

We've got the warranty but no experience with how claims are handled because we've had no claims. However, the warranty provides that issues with appliances that have an OEM warranty must be addressed with the OEM until their warranty expires.

The problem, of course, is that the conditions in the OEM warranty may be different from the conditions provided by Roadtrek. For example the appliance manufacturer might warranty parts but no reimbursement for labor costs involved in the replacement. If it's just a plug and play device, that's no big deal. But replacing some appliances on an RV could involve labor costs equal to and perhaps even more than the value of the appliance itself.

That said, there's nothing that prevents Roadtrek from going the extra mile by relieving the owner of the necessity of dealing with the OEM. My guess is that they do this on a case by case basis particularly if it has PR value. Maybe they are even subsequently reimbursed by the appliance manufacturer as they are the original purchaser.

[Ron J. Moore]

You mention the mileage to the various Dealers...what about service, should you need it? I was wondering if you have done a check on the two Dealers about customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction? When I bought my first one, sight unseen, from an online dealer, I did it because the two dealers within striking distance to me didn't have good customer reports. I am on my second one, but those two dealers are gone. I drove to FL (800 miles) to get the last one.

[NorthPotomac]

Ron J Moore: Excellent point. Do you know of any non-anecdotal surveys of RV dealers' service reputations? It's so easy for a disgruntled person to poison the well. I just don't know of reliable "Consumer Reports" - style reviews of RV dealers, the same way there are local reviews of auto repair shops.

[Ron J. Moore]

Your right about various inputs - you somehow just read between the lines. We have visited the latest Dealers within the range we care to go, by SUV. We walked around their Store, looked at some RT's, looked at their service area...even got to meet a few people who deal with them - therein we got what I felt was an honest opinion...on the Dealers Turf. I was satisfied that if I needed to go in, I would feel comfortable doing so; in my case, I still feel like I can crawl around and under to maintain it. A good source of general info is Trailer Life's RV Maintenance Manual, it is pretty clear and helps when you first jump in. Ron

[Roxy4x4]

Originally Posted by NorthPotomac

We've narrowed down our selection of what will be our first RV to a few (4-5) models, after lots of due diligence.

Three of those models are Pleasure-Ways. But the closest PW dealer to our future residence (upstate SC) is 95 miles away (RV World of Georgia) -- the next closest is 135 miles away (Carolina Coach and Marine in North Carolina).

There is a reputable Winnebago dealer close at hand, but none of their products seems to have made the cut for us (if the Paseo had a different bed configuration it would interest us). That dealer used to carry Pleasure-Ways, but sold too few of them to continue with that franchise. There are also reputable general RV repair shops nearby.

The Hymer Aktiv also interested us, but as of now there are zero dealers within a 250-mile radius of our future home.

My question, as a newbie, is, how important do you all think this issue should be for our final choice? How many of you have Class B's and live relatively far from a dealer? Is 95 miles "nearby?"

Our PW has only needed one repair of a aftermarket item (solar controller) and PW was extremely helpful in getting the part to us and repaired by a RV shop versus a PW dealer. We and friends with PW’s love their service and the units. It wouldn’t bother us being a day away from your preferred dealer with a PW, but that’s just us. Enjoy the search.

[Ron J. Moore]

If you are satisfied with PW, then by all means stay with them. Forget the distance to the dealer, or even the repair shop, if you have faith in them...that is worth the drive. You mentioned your other PW not needing much service, that speaks volumes. I like to thing of it as we are vagabonds with no particular destination, so a few days away for service - beats the bad dealer and terrible service. Happy New Year to everyone, and be safe on the roads. Ron

[wincrasher]

Is there not a Roadtrek dealer in Columbia? Aren't they all Hymer dealers as a given?

[NorthPotomac]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Is there not a Roadtrek dealer in Columbia? Aren't they all Hymer dealers as a given?

If you mean Columbia, Maryland, no. Closest Hymer dealer to Maryland is in upstate NY, 275 miles away.

There's a RT dealer in Gambrills, Maryland, I think, but no east coast RT dealers sell Hymers between New York and Florida.

[wincrasher]

No, check Columbia, SC. I looked at a 210 down there a few years ago.

http://www.johnsrv.com/default.asp?p...y&vc=class%20b