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If you have an issue with your RV that’s covered under your warranty, you’re probably wondering: how long does RV warranty work take? Especially if you’re a full-time RVer!
No one wants to be out of their RV for an extended period of time, especially not full-timers. Oftentimes, RV warranty work can drag on. In this article, we cover 5 factors to consider when estimating how long your RV warranty work will take.
We’ve also included tips throughout the article to expedite the warranty process and get you back in your RV as soon as possible!
Timeline for RV Warranty Work
How long RV warranty work can take comes down to several factors. There isn’t any one-size-fits-all answer! But, taking these factors into consideration can help you better estimate how long your RV warranty work will really take.
1. Your Location
Your location plays a huge factor in how long your RV warranty work will take. If your repair facility doesn’t have the RV part on hand, will they be able to access it in the same town? Will it have to come from a larger city?
RV warranty work may be done faster if you are in a large city. Parts will be readily available throughout the city. However, if you’re in a small town or isolated city, it will take longer to get the RV parts delivered. Unfortunately, sometimes days or weeks longer.
2. Your Repair Facility or Dealership
Another factor to take into consideration when estimating how long your RV warranty work will take it where you choose to get it serviced.
Repair Facility vs Dealership: Are you having your work done at a dealership? If so, did you purchase from them? Dealerships will prioritize customers who purchased from them.
Are They Efficient? When choosing your repair facility, be sure to check out the reviews. The efficiency of the repair facility or dealership can make a major difference in how long you will be waiting for repairs.
Are They Busy? Many places are first-come, first-serve. So, depending on how busy they are can help you figure out how long it might take before they can even start working on your RV. In smaller towns, you have less control over choosing a facility that’s not as busy. Simply because there just aren’t as many options.
Have They Worked With Your Manufacturer Before? If your repair facility or dealership has worked with your manufacturer in the past, this can speed up the process. They will likely know exactly who to contact to get the process started.
3. Manufacturer Responsiveness
Oftentimes the biggest bottleneck in getting RV warranty work done comes down to the manufacturer response time. Once the case is submitted to the manufacturer, they have to approve it, and sometimes ship out the parts. In an ideal situation, the manufacturer will respond to the warranty work request immediately, but this isn’t always the case.
This is where great customer service comes into play! For example, we have a Grand Design fifth wheel and have had a great customer service experience with them.
It always helps to have a relationship with your manufacturer and a contact that you can reach out to for help. In our RV warranty work experience, our contact at Grand Design even stepped in to work with the shop directly so we didn’t have to. Not all manufacturers provide this level of customer service and support.
4. Repair Complexity
The more complex your repair is, the longer it will take to complete. For example, a refrigerator repair or replacement will take much longer than a simple repair such as a leaf spring. Not only will it require more parts, the complexity of something like an RV refrigerator will also require more specialized technicians.
5. You Play A Role In How Long RV Warranty Work Takes, Too
Don’t forget – you play a vital role in this process, too! “The squeaky wheel gets the oil”. Meaning: the more vocal you are and persistent about checking in on your work, the more the shop will want to get it over and done with!
If you are full-time, you will want to be especially vocal and persistent when you check in with the repair facility. You need to get back into your home! Keep requesting updates from both the repair facility and the manufacturer, if necessary. Get things in writing from the repair facility to keep them accountable.
Tip: Be sure to keep a log of communication and timelines so that you have documentation in cause the shop tries to give you the run-around.
Broad Estimates for How Long RV Warranty Work Takes
Once you take all the above factors into consideration, you can use these broad timelines to get a bit better of an idea for your RV warranty work repair time.
- RV Manufacturer Warranty Repair Time: Your RV manufacturer warranty repair time can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 months, depending on all of the above factors.
- Extended Warranty Repair Time: An extended RV warranty repair time can take anywhere from 1 day to 1 month, depending on the above factors.
RV Warranty Repair Time
As you can see, there are many factors that play into the amount of time it will take to get your RV warranty work taken care of. But you can speed up the process yourself by being involved in the entire process and keeping documentation of all communication.
This helps keep the repair facility accountable and will ultimately help you get back in your RV, whether you’re full or part-time. Despite how long the repair work might take, an RV warranty is always a good idea for peace of mind.
If you’re thinking about getting some warranty work done, it’s important to know Who will do RV warranty work?
We’re here in Elkhart for warranty work at GD, too! Also supposed to take about a week so had to find a hotel. Our friends said they saw you there yesterday haha! Good luck with everything!
Ours had been in for over a month. We bought ours new at the dealer and the sales people were great but the service sucked. Our leveing jacks were inoperative when we drove it off the lot so it went back in. Numerous inquiries for updates on progress were ignored. That finally got fixed. Recently having the rig in for a slide leak repair has resulted in the same. It is still under warranty, so they take it in, wait for repair approval from Fleetwood, and park it in their lot for weeks when we could be using it. They have a new service manager so, hopefully, it won’t take so long this time.