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Where should the RV actually go?
Three jobs belong at a dealership and we will name them first. Everything else is usually faster at an independent shop, and the reason has nothing to do with who works harder. It is how the building is organized. Here is the honest version, including where we are the wrong answer.
01 · When the dealer is right
Three jobs
Three jobs
that are theirs.
- Warranty workIf the failure is covered by the manufacturer, the claim generally has to be authorized and performed through their channel to be paid by them. Paying us to do covered work is spending money twice.
- Safety recallsRecall work is done at no charge through the manufacturer's network and it gets recorded against your VIN. There is no reason to pay anyone for it.
- Brand-supplied warranty partsSome components are only released to the dealer network while the unit is in warranty. If the part cannot be bought, the shop that can get it is the shop that should do the job.
02 · Why the wait is different
One queue
One queue
versus two.
- Service shares the building with salesBay space, technician hours and parts ordering are shared with units being prepped for delivery. A dealership service department has two customers. An independent shop has one, and it is the person who owns the RV.
- Warranty claims pay on someone else's scheduleWhen the manufacturer is the payer, the paperwork and the authorization sit in the middle of the repair. That is time nobody bills for and everybody waits through.
- Our numbers, for comparisonMost appointments booked within 7 days. Average job about 6.3 days from intake to completion. Those are our own measured numbers and we publish them because they are the argument.
- What actually delays usBackordered parts, and that is close to the whole list. When it happens you get told, not discovered when you call in week three.
03 · How to compare any two shops
Five questions
Five questions
on the phone.
- When can you look at it, and when would it be doneTwo different questions. Getting an appointment next week means nothing if the RV then sits for a month.
- What is your labor rate, and do I get a written estimate firstOurs is $198 an hour with a written estimate before work starts. A shop that will not say the number on the phone is telling you something.
- What certifications do your technicians holdRV work has almost no barrier to entry. RVIA Master Certified, plus Victron, Dometic and Lippert, is the line between a shop and a guy with a socket set.
- What do you not work onA straight answer here is a good sign. Ours: no engines, transmissions, generators or chassis, no fiberglass, nothing over 40 feet or older than 20 years.
- What is the warranty on your workOurs is 60 days on parts and labor. Ask, and get it on the estimate.
04 · Where we are the wrong answer
Not every job
Not every job
is ours.
- Anything that moves the RVEngines, transmissions, generators, chassis. Not our work at any price.
- Fiberglass repairNone of it. Aluminum and metal skin only on body and hail work.
- Big rigs and old rigsNothing over 40 feet, nothing older than 20 years.
- Roof replacement on Class A motorhomes and AirstreamsWe repair and reseal both. We do not re-roof either one.
- Anywhere but the shopNo mobile service, no roadside. Everything happens at 6590 E 49th Ave in Commerce City, by appointment.
If it is not warranty work, call us first
Tell us what the RV is doing. If the answer is that you should go to the dealer, we will tell you that instead of booking you.