What Is My RV Inspection
My RV Inspection is an RV Pre Purchase Inspection company created in 2017. It is run by Lisa Carletti and myself(Jason Carletti). In 2021 Lisa Carletti became the first female Master Certified RV Inspector and the couple became the first Master Certified Inspection Couple in the country. Â
We have become experts in the software that is preferred by the NRVIA for completing inspections. We train other RV inspectors on how to use the software and mentor inspectors by allowing them to tag along on RV inspections in Florida. Anything to make the RV inspection community better is all we strive for, because we believe so highly in what we do.
Why RV Inspections Are So Important
When making a large purchase do you prefer to trust the person selling it to you or are you wondering what you are getting for the large sum of money you are about to spend? When you bought your home, did you have it inspected prior to purchase? Imagine purchasing an RV without an RV Inspection. An RV is a house on wheels and even though it’s new you aren’t the first person to put miles on it. Imagine your house being in an earthquake zone and going through an earthquake every few days. Things Break!
New or used RV inspections are an important part of the process. Why do you think the person selling the RV to you is trying to talk you out of it? At My RV Inspection, 65% of the RVs we inspect are brand new and we have yet to find an RV with no issues. This is true even after the dealer does their Pre Delivery Inspection(PDI). Not all of the issues we find are major, but what we find can save you thousands of dollars and headaches from taking the RV back to the dealership only to wait weeks or months for repairs to be performed.
The RV Industry Is Booming
More brand new RVs were sold in 2021 than ever before. This is partly because of the Covid 19 pandemic. People feel safer in an RV than other forms of travel.
With so many RVs being manufactured while there are supply chain issues and a lack of workers, the quality of the new RVs being built is suffering. We have seen it because we inspect so many brand new RVs.
An Example Of A Brand New RV And Major Issues Found
We inspected a brand new RV yesterday at a local Tampa RV dealership. The RV had been through the dealers PDI and the purchase was scheduled for tomorrow. This specific dealer is building an inspection hub in Indiana to try to keep buyers from getting an independent RV inspection. This RV was manufactured a month prior to our inspection and the issues found may shock you.
When buying an RV one of your concerns should be delamination of the sidewalls. This happens when the glue that holds the walls together separates. Many times this is caused by water intrusion, but there can be other reasons such as poor manufacturing quality. Once delamination starts it doesn’t stop. The area of delamination only grows with time.
On the RV we inspected yesterday there was a small area on the passenger sidewall that was delaminated. The sad part is the MSRP on this particular RV is $525,567. Once delamination starts there is really only one correct fix and that is replacing the entire RV sidewall.
Tell me how you would feel after purchasing this RV and finding this issue only to be told by the manufacturer that it is a maintenance issue and not a warranty issue. Knowing before the purchase this buyer will have the dealer notate the issue and the buyer can then take it to the manufacturer for the correct repair if the buyer decides to complete the purchase.
In the short video below you can see the wall give. The walls on the rest of the RV did no give anywhere.
Lets Take A Look At A Major RV Sealant Issue
The pictures below represent that the sealant on the passenger side was much different than what was on the driver side. It appears there are areas where there are gaps in what sealant is there and that the nice clean bead of painted sealant stop very high up on the sidewall. Do you really think this RV went through any kind of quality check or Pre Delivery Inspection?
Even Issues You May Find On Your Walk-Through After You Purchase Your RV Need To Be Caught In Case Parts Need To Be Ordered.
So you have already signed the financing paperwork and the dealer is teaching you how to use your RV. Imagine they start to open the awnings and the rear awning is damaged and it almost crashes into the other awning. Was this awning left open during a storm or is it a bad part? At this point, you own the RV and you will be waiting for the dealership to get the parts in for the repair. Wouldn’t it be nice if this had been fixed prior to signing your finance documents so you aren’t just another customer in line? Obviously prior to the dealership getting the financing signed they will hurry to make repairs. After the purchase most likely you go to the end of the line just like everyone else.
Ever Wonder How Water Gets Into A Brand New RV?
Once again this is a Brand New RV with an MSRP of over $500,000. The slideout roof membrane appears attached, but the seal on the corner of the sidewall has a large gap. Without this being looked at water could sit on the slideout roof and run right down the inside of the sidewall. Imagine 6 months after a purchase of this size and the wall of your slideout wall starts to get soft. Then imagine the manufacturer tells you this is a maintenance issue. And now imagine not one person educated you on RV maintenance during your purchase.
Many More Issues Found On This Brand New RV During The RV Inspection
The issues we have shown you in this report are only 4 of the 12 major issues found during this inspection. Once again the deal had completed their own inspection prior to our arrival and they believed it was ready for sale. Â
21 Minor issues were also found during the RV inspection. We also made 24 comments about things that do not affect the use of the RV like blemishes in the paint, overspray paint on the windows, and damage to the carpet binding.  Â
Make no mistake that when you are making a purchase of this size these issues should be important. Don’t give the dealer and manufacturer easy outs from making the repairs that are necessary.
Do You Still Trust Your RV Salesperson?
Certified RV Inspectors work for you as an independent set of eyes and ears. We take the emotion out of the buying experience. We also aren’t only going to tell you about the issues the dealer wants you to know about. Â
I watched a video recently from a dealership that says not all RV inspectors are created equal. They are correct, but what they didn’t tell you is where to find a qualified RV inspector. They don’t want to tell you that Certified RV Inspectors have more training than most of their staff. When they say the RV inspector didn’t know if the RV was gas or diesel, most likely the RV inspector is a car mechanic hired by companies like Lemon Squad and Premier Inspections to go out and kick the tires for 45 minutes or so.Â
Find Your Certified RV Inspector Today.
My RV Resource is the premier place to find the RV Service Provider you need. It is a directory of RV service providers all across the United States. Need an RV towed, mobile RV tech, RV storage, or Certified RV inspector? Look for them all in one place.
Author: Jason
Jason Is An NRVIA Master Certified RV Inspector. He has won the NRVIA Service Excellence Award and was named NRVIA member of the month in March of 2018.
