Buying an RV can be a stressful time. Smart buyers have an RV inspected by an independent 3rd party RV Inspector. Not only does this save you money, but it also helps keep your new or used RV out of the shop. All you need to do is search google for new RV problems and you will see many people complaining about the amount of time and money they have wasted since buying their new RV.
An RV technician is trained to fix problems. They are also trained to do what is called a PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection). Technicians are trained by using a one or two page checklist. They might take some pictures and they might not. They are also trained to get this inspection done as quickly as possible. Dealerships are so overwhelmed with repairs that need to be done that this is a must. Most technicians will spend 2-3 hours inspecting an RV. How many issues can they find in 2-3 hours? When a technician decides to start his own business doing RV repairs and inspections, do you think his bad habits have changed?
A Certified RV Inspector is trained to thoroughly go over an RV to find problems. We have a Code Of Ethics and a Standards Of Practice that all members must adhere to. This gives our client a piece of mind knowing that we are completely unbiased. A Certified RV Inspector will spend between 4-8 hours with the RV. Taking the time to go over the RV thoroughly is what Certified RV Inspectors are trained to do. Certified RV Inspectors must complete CEU’s (Continuing Education Units) every year to stay current with their membership. FEMA hires Certified RV Inspectors to inspect new RV’s that victims of disasters live in temporarily. The federal government uses NRVIA Certified RV Inspectors because we find issues that technicians do not find. FEMA also uses Certified RV Inspectors to make the repairs to these RV’s. This means that our training through the NRVIA is thorough enough that the RV inspectors have the knowledge to fix RV’s also.
As Certified RV Inspectors Lisa & I have personally inspected over 400 RV’s in over 3 years. RV technicians generally do not inspect this many RV’s in such a short amount of time. This means that we have perfected our routine over time.
When you buy a new home, who do you trust to inspect it. You don’t call a handyman or contractor. You call a home inspector. The same should be true when you buy an RV.
As RV Inspectors when we schedule your inspection, you are the only customer we have that day. This means we can spend the amount of time needed in order to give you a quality inspection. With RV technicians you are one of a few customers for the day. They have to complete your inspection in a set amount of time in order to make it to the next appointment.
After the inspection is over and you have received your inspection report we will take the time to explain that report to you. We want you to understand what we have found and how important those things are to be repaired. A technician doesn’t want to spend more time than they need to on your report. They can make a lot more money working on an RV than they can doing an RV inspection and spending time explaining it.
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.
