Thursday, October 14, 2010

Our First Class A RV Purchase -

Back in May my wife and I decided it was time to buy an RV. With my Mom being sick for the last several years we never gave this hobby any thought. I think the last RV show we went to was 7 years ago and the last camping outing was back in 2004.

After test driving a few Class C rigs we decided they were simply too rough riding and really felt like overweight vans. I'm sure some don't and I don't mean to knock all of them but the ones we drove, way too harsh. We decided that Class A's would be what we look at and I found one at Camping World in Waucanda. We didn't get a chance to test drive it because I found a bunch of Class A's in Atkinson, IL so we traveled 2.5 hours up there to see them. It took a few trips but we found it, a 1999 Holiday Rambler Endeavor LE 36WGS featuring the Ford F-53 chassis and V10 gas engine.

We were told that the dealer operates off of a detailed PDI inspection (Pre Delivery Inspection) list they they do themselves to get the RV ready for delivery. I was shocked to learn that their list was the list of items my wife and I found while going over the RV. Surely two people who have never owned an RV before know less than the dealership does? Either way, they operated off of our list.

Items on the list:
1. Cracked ceramic tile floor in kitchen, replace with wood floor
STATUS - Completed
2. Rusted wiper arms
STATUS - Completed
3. Outside mirrors non operational and very loose
STATUS - Completed however drivers side still kind of loose
4. Non-functional basement storage locks
STATUS - I fixed, dealer never checked them out
5. Mold on RV door surround
STATUS - Completed, twice, molding blew off after 1st repair
5. Rear body cap has gap that needs to be fixed and sealed
STATUS - Completed
7. Rear bumper has water scale that can't be cleaned off
STATUS - Completed
8. Rock guard needs to be re-installed
STATUS - Completed
9. Trim above slide has water damage
STATUS - Completed but they damaged the wooden trim fixing this trim
10. Headlight enclosures very cloudy
STATUS - Completed
11. Hood doesn't open or close properly
STATUS - Completed
12. No AC Zones, only front AC works
STATUS - Completed
13. Beadroom lights need to be re-wired/repaired
STATUS - Completed but one light was still out, so I fixed it
14. Bedroom wall seperating
STATUS - Completed
15. Install new FCC Digital converter box
STATUS - Completed
16. Fix TV mount crank
STATUS - Completed, still kind of loose but works
17. Replace front tires
STATUS - Completed
18. Insure generator functions
STATUS - Completed, took two attempts
19. Insure all jacks function
STATUS - Completed, second time in for leaking jack
20. Replace debris awning, also salesman cut retracting cable
STATUS - Completed
21. Full detail of interior and exterior (per owner, it will be "perfect")
STATUS - Completed per owner, detail was a joke
22. Full gas tank and propane
STATUS - Completed propane fill, received $100.00 which gave 3/4 tank
23. ICS flash not working
STATUS - Completed
24. Turn signal/parking lights not working properly
STATUS - Completed by me, they had all front lights installed wrong!
25. Third brake light hanging from it's mount and not working
STATUS - Completed but one light still out, I'll repair
26. Slide leaks into main cabin
STATUS - Completed, have to be careful, can still leak
27. Condition slide seals
STATUS - Completed, I see no proof but they said they did it
28. Roof AC unit
STATUS - Completed by both dealer and me
29. TV volume so weak you can't hear it, very distorted as well
STATUS - Completed

So as you can see we had a long list, while it's long there is obviously nothing regarding the drivetrain or engine etc... why, because they went off of our list.