New or used, it doesn’t make much difference. There will be a time for RV service beyond the usual maintenance. When it comes to service or repair, the hang up, the bottleneck, the big hit on the bank balance, is usually the service provider. But take heart. There are things that you can do to smooth out that bumpy road.
The first thing you need to do is buy a journal. Record everything that you do, or have had done, on your RV with date and time. Keep the journal in the RV so you can make entries when and where things happen. Be as descriptive as possible. Example: “The light over the kitchen sink flickers on and off whenever we open the bathroom door.” This may sound dumb, but it might help a service technician find the problem more quickly.
When you take your RV in for service, you can use the journal to remind you what needs to be fixed. You can prioritize what needs to be done and then record what the fix was. If the same problem happens again, your journal entries might cut the repair time and cost in half, or show that it was not properly repaired the first time.
There are some annual inspections that your insurance company may require to keep your policy current. These inspections can be listed in your journal and signed by a technician.
For new rigs, you will want to take advantage of the warranty period. This usually means you have to take the RV to the dealer that sold it to you. You need to have accurate records of what was repaired under warranty and how it was repaired. If the same repair is required after the warranty expiration, it may still be covered.
If you are traveling and have a problem, your journal will be a history of all the work that has been performed on your RV and may be of help to a service center.
One of the most important benefits of a journal is that it is a legal document, and may be used as direct testimony in any court system within the United States.
So get that journal and document, document, document.
Enjoy the RV life!
Final Touch Coach Works is located at 28532 Livingston Avenue in Valencia. For more information, please call 661-775-8375 and visit www.finaltouch-usa.com .