As the schedule for 2016 began to fill and we got to know our trailer, there grew a list of warranty items that needed to be addressed. This is always a difficult thing because it means that we have to move out of the trailer and take it to a repair facility that is swamped with other units in the same situation as our own. In late June, two tire blowouts within 50 miles of each other on I-10 in the desert did some additional damage to the trailer that was to be repaired as well.
Because all the RV repair facilities are so busy this time of year, we scheduled an appointment over a month in advance in order to insure that the work would get done. The day after our meeting closed in Semmes, AL, we moved out of the trailer into a local church prophet's chamber and took our home to the shop. That is when the waiting began.
RV repairs can be counted on to cost more than originally thought and take longer than originally expected. As I write this, we have been out of the trailer for over a week, and the unit is still not ready to go. The reasons are somewhat complex.
Essentially, there are two veins of repairs that need to be accomplished. The first, and faster, vein involves warranty work. Any repairs need to be reported to the manufacturer who then authorizes them to be made so that we can remain happy costumers. AFter a week of having the trailer in the shop, most of these repairs are complete; but there are still parts on order which have not yet arrived.
The second vein involves the tire blowout and the insurance company. Every one of these blowouts does enough damage to usually measure in the thousands of dollars, depending on exactly how the tire blows. We had a good (if there can be such a thing) and a bad blowout on either side of the unit. Insurance has to receive the claim from the RV repair facility, review the claim, approve the claim, and communicate back to the shop the green light to do the work. In automobile cases, the insurance company usually does this very quickly because they assume that you need to have your car. In the case of RV's, they take much longer because the damage in question occurred to a "recreational" vehicle, after all. We have had RV claims go on for months.
Another dynamic that we deal with is the obtaining of parts for the unit. The parts do not sit in a warehouse ready to be picked up and installed. They have to be fabricated at the manufacturer and then shipped to the repair facility. In our case, we are told that the parts can be here within a week and a half to two weeks. The hope is that in that time, the insurance company will approve the repair and the unit can get finally fixed.
And so we wait. The hope is that everything will be done before we have to get going again with our fall schedule, a schedule that starts August 7.
