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SGTJOE
Utah
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Joined: 01/12/2006
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Am I the only one who is seeing downright bad RV repair/service these days?
My fridge stopped cooling back in June. I called Dometic who gave me a local certified Dometic repair company. He came out, disconnected a wire and said he would be back in a few days to check the fridge. Still waiting for him as of today. In the mean time about 4 weeks later my propane detector went off, I removed it and was told they only last 5 years, the next day my carbon monoxide detector went off and when I opened the door to the MH I smelled the worst smell ever. It appears that my cooling unit leaked out the ammonia. Since that happened I went looking for a shop to repair the fridge. I found one that wanted me to bring the MH in and they would check the fridge, said it would be 60 bucks for a 30 min check. Set the appointment up for 1 Aug and stopped in the day before to confirm the appointment, then the guy says they would need it for 24 hrs to check the fridge and that the labor was 120 phr. I asked about the previous quote and he said I would never say that. Funny thing I wrote it down on his business card. Went home and called and cancelled the appointment.
I drove to several repair facilities to get quotes on a new cooling unit, costs were within a few hundred dollars for the unit and the labor was 4-5 hours. Biggest problem was warranty, all but one was 1 year, then I found one that said the cooling unit would have a 5 year warranty. I decided to go with them, when I stopped in to set it up it turns out the guy that I had talked with was no longer there. They didn't have any info on where he was getting the cooling unit so they said they would look into it and call me. This was a week and a half ago--still waiting. So I went to a Nation wide rv facility and was surprised at the two labor rates--Service @ 145.00 phr and Parts 99.00 phr, weird, huh? Anyway the parts guy took my info for the cooling unit last Thursday and said he would call me with cost and warranty, on Friday or Sat. No call, I called him yesterday and he said he would check it out and call me later, guess what NO CALL. Still waiting today.
So is it just me or has RV service gone to heck in a hand basket?
2001 Trade Winds 7390
Toad 03 Grand Am
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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Joined: 07/13/2005
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Well heck. If you were in Boise, I'd recommend United RV & Repair. They do all our work and are great!
2011 Bighorn 3055RL
2011 F350 DRW 6.7L 4x4 Diesel Lariat and Hensley BD3
1992 Jeep ZJ and 1978 Coleman Concord Pop-Up for remote camping
Dave & Renee plus (Champ, Molly, Paris, Missy, and Maggie in spirit), Mica and Mabel, both Rat Terriers!
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SGTJOE
Utah
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Joined: 01/12/2006
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ReneeG wrote:Well heck. If you were in Boise, I'd recommend United RV & Repair. They do all our work and are great!
Thanks, I'm in Utah, I'll check them out.
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Big Katuna
Deland, FL
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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It pays to do your homework so you are informed before you get bigger repairs.
Get advice from forums like this or others. Get parts price quotes so you can negotiate with the service entity.
Amish made replacement cooling units are good quality. They might be able to recommend a reliable installer.
I did my own. It’s not hard. Four hours is a fair labor estimate.
My Kharma ran over my Dogma.
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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SGTJOE wrote:ReneeG wrote:Well heck. If you were in Boise, I'd recommend United RV & Repair. They do all our work and are great!
Thanks, I'm in Utah, I'll check them out.
Tell Trent, I sent you. He does all our maintenance work. This winter we will have a new roof put on and new decals.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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Hi,
I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp hours of AGM in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
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SGTJOE
Utah
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Joined: 01/12/2006
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pianotuna wrote:Hi,
I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.
Could you provide more info on this?
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HadEnough
Traveling. Always.
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Joined: 04/17/2016
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Sounds about right. Same experience here when I thought I could save time by paying someone to fix things.
As it turns out, it's always significantly faster and cheaper as well as a higher quality repair to learn it and do it yourself.
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Big Katuna
Deland, FL
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SGTJOE wrote:pianotuna wrote:Hi,
I suggest upgrading to a compressor fridge. There is at least one retrofit kit.
Could you provide more info on this?
Google Amish made cooling unit.
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beemerphile1
Ohio
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Joined: 04/20/2007
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There is a severe shortage of RV service techs and now is peak season. It isn't surprising that you aren't getting the service you hoped for.
Build a life you don't need a vacation from.
2016 Silverado 3500HD DRW D/A 4x4
2018 Keystone Cougar 26RBS
2006 Weekend Warrior FK1900
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