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Old 09-06-2017, 06:11 PM   #21
sportingrh
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Well cw called said our camper was ready. Got to dealer went thru our list, I very impressed all the work they did looked great, we were very pleased talked Eric, and tech Tim about repairs very polite and helpful. Got unit home pulled a.c. vent and found open past front bedroom vent, going to seal off dead space maybe not have to put in second ac.
Well day after getting camper home plugged up service, then pop, smoke, things went wacko , long story short found certified tech that installed power receptical on camper forgot to tighten lugs on receptical neutral wire shorted shot 240 volts to half breaker box. Got a new receptical and installed then replaced 55 amp converter that burnt up. Way to go keystone. I was not going to wait 5 more weeks to get fixed.

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Old 09-06-2017, 06:24 PM   #22
sourdough
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I hate to hear about your continued problems, but, the issue isn't Keystone, it's the dealer and their techs that caused your latest problem. On the brighter side your dealer is getting you trained like many of us.....just fix it and forget about all the hassles.....
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Old 09-07-2017, 05:00 PM   #23
CaptnJohn
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According to RV Business, CW's 2Q sale were up 20% to $1.3 billion! http://www.rvbusiness.com/2017/08/ca...to-1-3-billion
"In comparing second quarter results compared with the comparable period in 2016, new vehicle units sold increased 38.2% to 21,930 and the average selling price of a new vehicle decreased 4.5% to $34,787."
Nearly 22,000 new units sold in just 3 months!! "The company operated a total of 137 retail locations" during this period. Simple math, each store averaged 160 units for the quarter. We all know too well what the usual warranty issues are with new RV's. I would guess the majority of these 160 units went in for some kind of warranty work after the sale. How many service bays does the average CW have?? How long does the average repair actually take once the approvals are received? It's a pretty good bet CW is indicative of most dealers in terms of sales numbers and warranty work. With numbers like these it's a wonder that any service can be scheduled with any idea of a reasonable timeline.
We are starting to look at mobile RV repair sources as well as third party repair shops.
Huge sales numbers are great for the industry but not so great for us owners
CW in Myrtle Beach has been selling 225 - 245 units MONTHLY for longer than a qtr. Almost double what they were doing last year. Getting ready to expand to do more.
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Old 09-08-2017, 06:04 AM   #24
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> I would guess the majority of these 160 units went in for some kind of warranty work after the sale.

Yea... I'd bet that too.
But until we stop buying them like wildfire, don't expect the warranty service results to change.
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Old 09-08-2017, 06:30 AM   #25
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> I would guess the majority of these 160 units went in for some kind of warranty work after the sale.

Yea... I'd bet that too.
But until we stop buying them like wildfire, don't expect the warranty service results to change.
Finding and keeping qualified techs that do good work isn't getting any easier. RVs like most everything else are evolving every week with some new gadget or technology. Training is about non existent especially during camping "season". When the off season hits, often the revenue isn't there to support your techs getting paid and no work being done. It's a vicious cycle and I don't have the answer.
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:50 PM   #26
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I feel for techs in the RV industry. You have to know a little bit of everything. And I'm sure the pay is not great. The work is hard. The good ones (OK, well, I only know one) start their own business and go from $15-$30/hr to actual money.

It's not helped by manufactures like Keystone having the dealer over a barrel in terms of what they'll pay for a repair. Keystone pays for 2 hours on a repair, if it takes 4, that's not covered or the amount of documentation necessary to actually bring the covered hours just sucks up more time. And repairs like "roof replacement" are done in manners inconsistent with original build specifications, let alone the requirements of the companies building the roof materials.... So a dealer gets to make a sub-standard repair, gets paid maybe 66% of what they'd get if it was a private party repair, it doesn't exactly speak to providing the highest quality and best trained employees....
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Old 09-08-2017, 01:37 PM   #27
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Actually, it isn't that hard to get additional time with proper documentation. The tech just has to take a few extra pictures and write a few extra words. I do it all the time and we get paid over 90% of the time. We also submit for "pre authorization" on big jobs like roof replacement, linoleum replacement, and when we are approved but finish in less time, we will "give back" the extra. Maybe we are unique in our approach, but it sure works in our favor, as we have little if any problem getting ACTUAL time paid not "book" when appropriate.

Dealers that do "sub standard" work will have to do it over (comeback) for no reimbursement, so I'm not sure many would adopt that as a business model. Sub standard TECH's is another topic.
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Old 09-09-2017, 04:55 AM   #28
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I feel for techs in the RV industry. You have to know a little bit of everything. And I'm sure the pay is not great. The work is hard. The good ones (OK, well, I only know one) start their own business and go from $15-$30/hr to actual money.

It's not helped by manufactures like Keystone having the dealer over a barrel in terms of what they'll pay for a repair. Keystone pays for 2 hours on a repair, if it takes 4, that's not covered or the amount of documentation necessary to actually bring the covered hours just sucks up more time. And repairs like "roof replacement" are done in manners inconsistent with original build specifications, let alone the requirements of the companies building the roof materials.... So a dealer gets to make a sub-standard repair, gets paid maybe 66% of what they'd get if it was a private party repair, it doesn't exactly speak to providing the highest quality and best trained employees....
I was a fleet manager for some time. A good mechanic could easily beat the book on nearly every job. That means the flat rate book stated it would take XXX amount of time which the customer was billed for and he received his portion. If he completed it in XX he was able to get ahead, maybe as much as 3 hours in an 8 hour shift.
This spring I did some research ~~ RV techs in this area average $60K - $75K annually.
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Old 09-09-2017, 05:16 AM   #29
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Warranty work

I have been working on autos "on the side" for 40+ yrs and yeah it's easy to beat the book on lots of repairs.

No so much in the RV industry, been a tech for going on 6 yrs and some things just can't be done. An hour to remove the window treatment, then the window. Clean all the old sealant, install new window and re install the treatment?
I was in a flat rate shop for a bit, and IMO that's where you'll find lousy work. SO HAPPY I'm in an hourly shop. I can beat a majority of the times but not all.
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Old 09-09-2017, 03:22 PM   #30
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I have been working on autos "on the side" for 40+ yrs and yeah it's easy to beat the book on lots of repairs.

No so much in the RV industry, been a tech for going on 6 yrs and some things just can't be done. An hour to remove the window treatment, then the window. Clean all the old sealant, install new window and re install the treatment?
I was in a flat rate shop for a bit, and IMO that's where you'll find lousy work. SO HAPPY I'm in an hourly shop. I can beat a majority of the times but not all.


Not sure what the shop split is but my dealer hourly rate is now $129!


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Old 09-09-2017, 03:29 PM   #31
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When I worked in the flat rate shop it was $15.00/hr. While clocked into a job, $9.00/hr if not. After two weeks of employment, I was running out of work after 2 hrs.
24 bays/17 techs...no money to be made. Dealer labor rate was $148.00/hr when I left.
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Old 07-08-2019, 01:40 PM   #32
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true

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Maybe one answer is to make sure as many problem that can be fixed before units sold, also make sure all customers are aware of how th the warranty process works, I wasn't. Just hurry sale then let the buyer deal with it. Looks like customer satisfaction or lack of determines future sales.
So true. We only used ours once and had to take it in to fix all the garbage that should have been done correctly the first time. Now we are looking at a month or more before we can even use the thing. Our third coach, first Keystone. Never had these problems before.
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Old 07-08-2019, 02:18 PM   #33
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Welcome to the world of RV'ing. I found dealing with a smaller RV repair shop was less stressful and most work with warranty claims. I recently went through the refrigerator nightmare and opted to fix out of pocket rather than jump through the warranty process.
With the smaller repair shops I found the owner more hands on in the business.
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Old 07-08-2019, 05:33 PM   #34
sportingrh
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Warranty work

Bought a new Montana high country 345. All has been good except for the main sliding has never worked right, shuts down 3 to4 times in or out. Carried in for repairs they added extra roller .then said motor was bad after three weeks now we have take back, also leaves black streak on floor hoping to get taken care of soon wrong time of year to be in shop. Hope hope
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