About to be new RV owners help please

[jeririgged223]

Yes, it is normal. RV dealers are so overwhelmed with customers, repairs and service that even warranty work is being scheduled 4 to 6 months out. So it's understandable that they take their sales customers first. I had a recall issue last year on my 2019 Momentum and it was 2 months before my local repair shop could look at. I drove the 4 hours back to my dealer and they got it done while I waited. I had an issue with a previous trailer, an issue that was caused by the dealer who worked on it and they told me they needed to keep my rig for 3 months to get it one. I told them they had 2 weeks or I'd be in court. While I was there a woman was picking up her trailer that had been there for 7 months. There are just so many people camping and full timing that it's hard to get work done and depending on where you are and where you want to go booking a campsite can run 6 months out.

[Wandering5thwheelers]

In the process of pricing new RV, we like the new 22MLE as it fits our budget and our towing capacity. One thing I have found is the wide variation in prices of the same year and model in and out of state. The most disturbing thing i've experience lately is a dealer telling me he would in no way prioritize the servicing of the trailer if I didn't buy from them. Is this common practice? How on earth can a manufacturer support this and believe it to be ethical practice? Is this behavior brand specific or are there brands that don't have distributers that act this way. Help me out here.

We’ve owned two GD’s over the last 10 years, bought from different dealerships in different provinces, and to date and fingers crossed, we have never had an issue with getting warranty or non warranty work done anywhere in Canada.

[Capt Bob]

It doesn't appear that anyone has replied to you. I am trading in my 31' trailer for 34' Monday. I have a great sway bar hitch. I didn't use it once taking the trailer to be repaired just up the road. The difference in hauling with or without is immense, especially in the wind. Well worth the $ in my opinion.

It appears. You just need to look for it.

[Harvestmoon]

Thanks for the reply, it's appreciated. I noticed in your signature you are pulling one of the trailers we are interested in, with a 2018 Silverado 5.3 I have the 2019 Silverado, same engine, 4x4 with factory tow package. I'm assuming the truck is satisfactory for that weight. I noticed you have a sway bar listed. Is that something I need for my truck? Also, do I need anything else to level the truck when its hitched? I'm new to towing rv, but used to tow a 20ft bow rider with the truck regularly.

We also are 22MLE owners towing with a 2017 Silverado 1500 5.3L. It's the perfect truck for the job and handles the trailer with aplomb. We have the FastPro E2 hitch and it works great and easy to use. We had our dealer set up the hitch for us but IMO did not put enough angle on the hitch head to properly load the equalizer bars. I readjusted the hitch myself following the guidance of the user manual, along with a couple of trips to the CAT scale, and much happier with how it performs now.

The difference you will find from your boat towing experience is that travel trailers will typically carry more tongue. Most of the 22MLE storage is in the front pass through, so by the time you load your camping gear plus put on propane and battery(ies), you can get pretty tongue heavy. Suggest being mindful of the weight you are loading in the front pass through storage, and scale your truck+trailer once you are fully loaded for a trip. Most half tons have factory springs that are meant for a good ride empty, and when loaded anywhere near rated payload capacity will start to ride low. Even with a properly adjusted WDH, you may find you want an aftermarket rear spring support to ride level and improve handling when loaded. Air bags, roadmaster springs, and load carrying shocks are common add-ons. I have Monroe Load Adjusting shocks (which have a coil spring over the shock). $100 on Amazon and about an hour to install. Improved the ride loaded and empty compared to the stock rear shocks.

Take your time researching dealers. I prefer to have it serviced where I bought it if I can and also prefer an independent dealer instead of a large chain dealer. The little guys have more interest in building a long term relationship. Ask to meet the owner. We take ours to our dealer 2 hours away for service needs even though there are closer shops, just because I have confidence they will take care of us. Other advice I would offer is before signing a deal, make your own thorough inspection and note any defects that need correcting on the purchase agreement. Even good dealers pre-delivery inspection is cursory at best.

Good luck and have fun!

[Lballgriz]

Buy used- major kinks are worked out!

[velosapiens]

So, the challenge is, finding a dealer who doesn't get offended that I didn't purchase from them. That sounds disheartening to say the least.

the real challenge is just making sure your trailer is good to go and you don't need any warranty work. I got the same story from Bretz RV, where I purchased my trailer. The one good thing they did is to let me take the trailer for a month or so and make a list of every minor thing that wasn't right. To their credit, they fixed all those things, and I never had a warranty issue since. If it needs something, I take it to a smaller independent shop that actually answers their phone and isn't a bunch of crooks. You could probably buy from anywhere as long as you do a *thorough* inspection and make sure everything is right before you drive off the lot.

I have literally never had a real warranty issue, unless you count the LP regulator recall that Bretz fraudulently pretended to fix but actually didn't (but still submitted the claim so that I couldn't get reimbursed by Grand Design when I had the regulator actually replaced).

If I ever buy another trailer, I will just buy used from a private party, inspect it thoroughly, budget some extra for fixes, and still save a ton of $$ over buying from crooks like Bretz.

[dbphillips]

Take your time researching dealers. I prefer to have it serviced where I bought it if I can and also prefer an independent dealer instead of a large chain dealer. The little guys have more interest in building a long term relationship. Ask to meet the owner. We take ours to our dealer 2 hours away for service needs even though there are closer shops, just because I have confidence they will take care of us. Other advice I would offer is before signing a deal, make your own thorough inspection and note any defects that need correcting on the purchase agreement. Even good dealers pre-delivery inspection is cursory at best.

Unfortunately, the research often gets upended by a sale of the dealership, or funding by private equity, who are purely financially motivated, and not by relationships, so dig deep.