Village Welcome, friends! When you buy an RV, it’s all about the dream: the floor plan, the kitchen, whether the kids will fit. Nobody thinks about the part that comes next. At some point, your RV is going in the shop. Not if. When. And the RV dealership you pick matters more than you think.

We once drove an hour and a half to pick up our RV after a repair, did the walk-through, and found out it wasn’t actually fixed. Then it happened again. Here’s what we learned so it doesn’t happen to you.

Step 1: Do You Even Need the RV Dealership?

Not every problem needs a shop visit. Before you book an appointment, ask yourself:

• Can I fix it myself? A loose trim strip, a tripped breaker, a blown fuse, re-caulking a seam: most folks can handle these.
• Can a mobile RV tech come to me? Lots of repairs can be done right at your campsite.
• Am I comfortable doing it? Just because you can climb on the roof doesn’t mean you want to.

If none of those work, it’s off to a dealership or repair shop. That’s when things can get sticky.

What a Shop Visit Really Costs You (Hint: Time)

Here’s what one repair looked like for us when we were still weekend campers:

• Empty every cabinet and compartment they’ll need to get into.
• Drive an hour and a half to the dealership.
• Wait your turn, then spend about an hour on the walk-through while they tag every issue.
• Hear “two to three weeks,” and drive an hour and a half home.
• Two or three weeks later, drive back, do another walk-through, and drive home.

We planned for all that. What we didn’t plan for was getting there and finding items still not fixed, items that were on the list from day one.

If You’re Full-Time, It’s a Whole Different Ballgame

When your RV is your house, dropping it off means packing for a stay of unknown length: clothes, shoes, laptops, cameras, medicine, pillows, all of it. Our advice:

• Keep a “go bag” routine. Lisa has a list for exactly this.
• If they say two weeks, pack for three. Running back to grab something can mean another long drive, or another trip to Walmart.
• Plan for your pets. Many hotels don’t allow dogs, and the ones that do can charge a pet fee bigger than the room.
• Know your backup. Hotel, pet-friendly rental, friends or family? And for how long?

Lesson 1: “Call Me When All the Parts Are In”

This one changed everything for us. Now we tell every service department:

• Don’t call when one part arrives. Call when all (or most) of the parts are in.
• Tell me what’s still missing, and let me decide whether to wait or bring it in now.
• Don’t have me drop the RV off if you’re not ready to start working on it.

So many RVers drop their rig off, then drive by the lot every day and watch it sit untouched for weeks, while they miss camping trips for nothing. The exception: if the problem keeps you from camping anyway (like a leaking black tank), it may as well wait at the shop.

Lesson 2: You Can Call the Manufacturer Directly

This is the pro tip we wish someone had told us sooner. Unlike with cars, you can call your RV manufacturer’s customer service line yourself. Give them the last digits of your VIN, and they can see your RV’s full service history, including whether a warranty claim was actually submitted.

We learned this the hard way. A dealership told us they were “still waiting on the manufacturer” to approve a simple warranty fix on our new RV. A month later, we called the manufacturer ourselves. The claim had never been submitted.

We asked the manufacturer where else we could take it, and they pointed us to a repair-only shop in Indiana: Affinity RV Group. They work on multiple brands, handle warranty and non-warranty work, and don’t sell RVs. We’ve trusted them ever since. (Nobody paid us to say that.)

The Real Lesson: Love Your RV Dealership and Manufacturer Too

You have to love the floor plan, sure. But you also have to trust the company that built your RV and the dealer who will fix it. Before you buy, read our 10 questions to ask before you buy an RV. Question #2 is all about this.

We’re not trying to scare anyone. We’ve had plenty of smooth repairs too. RVs bounce down the highway, and things break, just like in a house. After 6 years of full-time RVing, we just want you to go in prepared.

Your Turn

How long did the shop say your RV would take, and how long did it actually take? Share your best (and worst) repair stories in the video comments.
— Jimmy & Lisa, FindUsCamping