We recently purchased a 2017 Class A, 31 foot motorhome.  Fun, right?  Meh.  I probably could have just titled this post “Don’t be an RV dummy”. Let me tell you why.

I’m a researcher.  I mean, a true-blue, head buried in laptop, get lost in information type of researcher.  When we purchased our new motorhome I joked that if I had done any MORE research I could have been hired as the salesman.  Turns out, we made a single (HUGE) mistake that has cost us our sanity and a ridiculous amount of time.  Truth is, our new rig has been in the shop 7 out of the 9 weeks we’ve owned it.

OUR MISTAKE:    –>> WE LET THEM DICTATE OUR DELIVERY INSPECTION <<–

Similar to buying a house, when you purchase a motorhome, an on-site Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) is scheduled.  This happens before paperwork is signed and ownership is transferred. Now, your dealership MAY tell you they’ve already “conveniently” done this for you.  NO. No. and NO.  You MUST do this yourself and USE A CHECKLIST so that you forget NOTHING; an RV is a very complex vehicle with many structures and moving parts.  You’ll want to ensure that EVERYTHING is in working order before you drive off the lot.

While we did a PDI, we didn’t use a checklist and we ignorantly skipped over MANY important elements that could have been prevented, or at least fixed on the spot, if we had used a checklist and stuck to it.   I’m not trying to scare you from buying a RV (we LOVE ours), I’m trying to help you in advance. RV manufacturers are known for their lack of quality control, and in our case it proved to be true.

Here’s a list of the things wrong with ours that we didn’t find during the inspection: 

• Grey water hose was unattached under kitchen sink causing a flood, it had to be completely re-routed
• “Check Engine” light won’t go off  (remember, this is BRAND NEW 2017 model…Grrr)
• Fuse that operates side cameras, back up cameras and stereo panel pops repeatedly
• Passenger window doesn’t lock and causes the most annoying whistle going down the road (and, not a good whistle)
• Bunk bed over cabin doesn’t raise completely on driver’s side preventing the safety pins from being correctly installed (nothing quite as exciting as a 900 lb. motorized bunk bed coming down on us while driving)
• 9 LED lights burned out
• Awing mechanism plastic cover missing
• Outdoor storage compartment keys ALL stick (really stick, not just annoying stick)

Trust me, once you drive your shiny new rig off the lot you have NO service priority to the dealership!

1st, dress comfortably, you’ll be crawling around in every nook and cranny. The rig should be hooked up to electricity and water so that all tanks are filled and appliances can be on and inspected. You should tell the dealership in advance that you want the water to be filled and the refrigerator/freezer to be on. This single step would have prevented our grey water hose flooding. (our dealership didn’t put any water in our RV during inspection, doh!)

Here’s a few items I recommend taking to the inspection: 

• Checklist of items you’ll be inspecting (do NOT skip this!)
• Flashlight
• Pen & paper to make notes
• Sticky pad (to leave small notes on the actual physical location of item needing attention)
• A small tool box with assorted screwdrivers

I searched for a comprehensive checklist that wasn’t too intimidating; ironically I found the best one on Thor Motorcoach’s site (Ha, should have found it 9 weeks ago as this is our brand).

You can view it here!

Also, don’t forget to GET AN EXTENDED WARRANTY and Travel Assist!  The dealership will charge far more than if you get it yourself.
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And, just in case I’ve scared you from being an RV owner, make sure you read “11 Reasons to Chose RV Life“, written by one of my favorite bloggers who lives in her RV full time!  Owning an RV is incredible and I don’t have ANY regrets, I just wish 20/20 wasn’t hindsight.

Happy RVing, ya’ll! 

-Serena