Frustrating weekend
- Thread starter Svenska
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Jim Johnson
Well-known member
Svenska,
\Don't forget to log your experiences on rvservicereviews.com when this all over. It may help someone else.
\Don't forget to log your experiences on rvservicereviews.com when this all over. It may help someone else.
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Svenska,
I'm not sure what you mean when you say
John:
The circuit breakers you're talking about (magnetic) are used in high power industrial applications; not RV's.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say
Seems to me that an a/c unit should be putting out cool arir; not warm.
John:
The circuit breakers you're talking about (magnetic) are used in high power industrial applications; not RV's.
Sorry 'bout that Karl...
What I was saying is that it blows enough air, but that it is hot air.
Update...
We picked up the motorhome on Saturday and although it is not overheating like it was (they said it had a hole in the radiator), it is still just in the "red" on hills. That cannot be right. Has that happened to anyone else? Roof air seems to be better. Time and outside temperature will tell.
Still less than satisfied with the whole experience. We came away with no paperwork (it will be mailed to us today) because the "service department was closed on Sat.". Doesn't it seem that they would have had all of the paperwork prepared for us when we picked it up? I don't get it. We also found the motorhome in the street, unlocked. We were told it was put out there that morning but who knows what to believe. One hour...24 hours...it only takes a few minutes to have items stolen. "Screaming" belt (and these are new belts) was not repaired or tightened so when we started her up that was the first thing we had to deal with. Ugh !!
Our salesmen was more than helpful and we appreciate that, as he did not "need' to be involved at this point. It is my thought, however, that the process of selling an RV is fairly straightforward but the 'future' service to that RV has much more of an impact on the customer. ??? Unhappy customer...no business!! We will be dealing with any future service closer to home. We will not be going back to Los Banos. We've "had it up to here"!!
Did take "her" to Moss Landing, CA. for the night and enjoyed a great evening. We are very happy to have "her" back and we will just keep "working" with 'her".
Thanks
What I was saying is that it blows enough air, but that it is hot air.
Update...
We picked up the motorhome on Saturday and although it is not overheating like it was (they said it had a hole in the radiator), it is still just in the "red" on hills. That cannot be right. Has that happened to anyone else? Roof air seems to be better. Time and outside temperature will tell.
Still less than satisfied with the whole experience. We came away with no paperwork (it will be mailed to us today) because the "service department was closed on Sat.". Doesn't it seem that they would have had all of the paperwork prepared for us when we picked it up? I don't get it. We also found the motorhome in the street, unlocked. We were told it was put out there that morning but who knows what to believe. One hour...24 hours...it only takes a few minutes to have items stolen. "Screaming" belt (and these are new belts) was not repaired or tightened so when we started her up that was the first thing we had to deal with. Ugh !!
Our salesmen was more than helpful and we appreciate that, as he did not "need' to be involved at this point. It is my thought, however, that the process of selling an RV is fairly straightforward but the 'future' service to that RV has much more of an impact on the customer. ??? Unhappy customer...no business!! We will be dealing with any future service closer to home. We will not be going back to Los Banos. We've "had it up to here"!!
Did take "her" to Moss Landing, CA. for the night and enjoyed a great evening. We are very happy to have "her" back and we will just keep "working" with 'her".Thanks
Terry A. Brewer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2005
- Posts
- 1,446
>>but the 'future' service to that RV has much more of an impact on the customer.? ?Unhappy customer...no business!! <<
You are going to find that service is the worst part of owning an RV.? Even if they fix the original problem, half the time they end up breaking something else. If you don't stay at the shop while it is being repaired they will just park it in the back & not work on it until the day you are suppose to pick it up.? Try & learn how the systems work & do as much of the? repair work yourselves, it will usually be done better & you will be less frustrated.
Terry
At Clark Fork, ID
You are going to find that service is the worst part of owning an RV.? Even if they fix the original problem, half the time they end up breaking something else. If you don't stay at the shop while it is being repaired they will just park it in the back & not work on it until the day you are suppose to pick it up.? Try & learn how the systems work & do as much of the? repair work yourselves, it will usually be done better & you will be less frustrated.
Terry
At Clark Fork, ID
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
One thing about the air conditioners... it's possible that they ARE working properly. In most MH's, there is a load shedding controller that will cut off the compressor to one of the units when the current draw is nearing the limit; 30 amps in my case. My controller has an "On" and "Shed" light for each unit, and the red "shed" light and the green "on" light will blink alternately when in shed mode. Is this happening? Try running each unit by itself for several minutes and see if you get cool air from them; then run both at once and see if it's going into shed mode.
blueblood
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2005
- Posts
- 1,082
Svenska said:Sorry 'bout that Karl...
What I was saying is that it blows enough air, but that it is hot air.
Update...
We picked up the motorhome on Saturday and although it is not overheating like it was (they said it had a hole in the radiator),? it is still just in the "red" on hills.? That cannot be right.? Has that happened to anyone else? Roof air seems to be better.? Time and outside temperature will tell.?
Still less than satisfied with the whole experience.? We came away with no paperwork (it will be mailed to us today) because the "service department was closed on Sat.".? Doesn't it seem that they would have had all of the paperwork prepared for us when we picked it up?? I don't get it.? We also found the motorhome in the street, unlocked.? We were told it was put out there that morning but who knows what to believe. One hour...24 hours...it only takes a few minutes to have items stolen.? "Screaming" belt (and these are new belts) was not repaired or tightened so when we started her up that was the first thing we had to deal with.? Ugh !!
Our salesmen was more than helpful and we appreciate that, as he did not "need' to be involved at this point.? It is my thought, however,? that the process of selling an RV is fairly straightforward but the 'future' service to that RV has much more of an impact on the customer.? ??? Unhappy customer...no business!!? We will be dealing with any future service closer to home. We will not be going back to Los Banos.? We've "had it up to here"!!
Thanks
A couple of things - an air conditioner has a blower/fan function and a cooling function - a compressor. The blower function will still blow air even if the compressor isn't working. One item to look out for is that if the blower is set on low or your vents are dirty, the air flow will be insufficient to properly move air across condenser coils. This will result in an icing of the coils and no amount of work by blower or compressor will cool the coach. One has to let the unit sit and de-ice before starting with blower in high position. Also, if you have the type of device that Karl is discussing dependent upon model the control unit will sometimes not "awake" to turn on compressor with out some other device drawing current eg a short burst of microwave, etc.
The second item has to do with overheating. I can't find what kind of engine/MH you have in previous posts but if its a diesel pusher one must run the engine at somewhere close to 2000 RPM to properly clear long grades without excessive heating. Manually up-shift through the gears to keep RPM's up. Second, dependent upon load a diesel will run very hot. The normal top may be 185 degrees but it may run up to 220 or 230 degrees and this would be "normal" and gage may well be near red. Keeping RPM's up will normally avoid this situation. I climbed Monteagle on TN I-24 at noon today with temperatures at 90 degrees with a fully loaded motorhome and a toad which is also loaded. This is is a 5/6 per cent grade over 4 miles long and a tough climb. I was able to hold temperature to 188 degrees while running engine at 2300+ RPM.
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
An a/c unit should not ice up if the temperature sensor (capillary or thermistor mounted on the evaporator coil) is functioning properly, which keeps the unit from going below about 40F. If it does ice up, turn off cooling mode, but leave the blower run as this will speed up the ice removal. If you are getting icing, you can usually move the sensor to a cooler part of the evaporator, but check with the manufacturer before doing this. There may also be a control somewhere that will change the low temp cut-off temperature if it set incorrectly. Again, check with the mfg'r.
Thanks Terry, Karl and Blueblood....
I'll forward the info. to my husband. He's the mechanic in the family :-\. Although I understand some of what you are telling me (thanks Dad), I don't understand it all.
I have to say that after reading my posts...I sound depressing!!
We are going away for the 4th and I'll just make sure we have a LARGE roll of duct tape on hand!!
I know we will have to handle things as they come along, but with all the advice from all of you and a good mechanic (yet to be found), we'll keep plugging along.
Happy 4th to all
I'll forward the info. to my husband. He's the mechanic in the family :-\. Although I understand some of what you are telling me (thanks Dad), I don't understand it all.
I have to say that after reading my posts...I sound depressing
!! We are going away for the 4th and I'll just make sure we have a LARGE roll of duct tape on hand!!
I know we will have to handle things as they come along, but with all the advice from all of you and a good mechanic (yet to be found), we'll keep plugging along.
Happy 4th to all
Hi: As an RV tech for 15 years in a larger dealership the worst thing possible is to have the customer right there when repairs are being done. It makes us uncomfortable and rather than doing the job proper it makes us stressed and forget things as you are being pressured to do the job. If something doesn't work right it makes you even more stressed. Sounds like you are not dealing with a very good service department which is unfortunate because there are alot of us trying to do a professional and quality jb on your rigs!
Dan
Dan
Thanks Dan, and I agree....I would NEVER assume that if one experience with one service department went bad, all will.? Reality is there are rotten apples everwhere.?
I'm sure there is a service center out there for us that is owned and staffed with professional, caring and qualified people like you.? We are just new at this and need to find one in our area...............
We are taking "baby steps" and unfortunately, the first walk we took was down hill!!
FYI
See new post, new subject. Now we really need to find a good service department along with a good body shop.
I'm sure there is a service center out there for us that is owned and staffed with professional, caring and qualified people like you.? We are just new at this and need to find one in our area...............
We are taking "baby steps" and unfortunately, the first walk we took was down hill!!
FYI
See new post, new subject. Now we really need to find a good service department along with a good body shop.
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Dan,
Maybe you are the kind of technician that all of us only can dream of having work on our rigs, but that fact is that there are many, many more of the other type out there, and we need to keep our eyes open all the time. I'm not singling out RV tech's; we've all had experiences with automobile, appliance, heating and air conditioning repairmen and roofers, siders, etc. The list goes on forever. As a former technician for a very large computer mfg'r., I was under constant scrutinity by all levels of customer personnel from clerks to presidents, time was always of the essence, and at times the pressure was extremely intense. Just try repairing a problem for a company that employs hundreds or thousands of employees, and payroll MUST get out by 4 p.m. that day! Now that's pressure!! I, and my fellow customer engineers, took great pride in our abilities and welcomed the opportunity to explain what we were doing and why. Maybe it took a few minutes longer, but the customer was pleased by knowing that we knew what we were doing. Only those technicians (and I use the term loosely) who are insecure in their abilities or are concerned about someone seeing their shoddy work habits need be concerned when the owner of a multi-thousand dollar investment wants to see what is being done to what, in many cases, is their home. This forum exists in no small part, because many of us have had to deal with bad information, half-done repairs, or just plain incompetence. We share the knowledge and horror stories so others will not have to experience them first-hand.
If someone is uncomfortable or becomes forgetful or neglectful simply because the customer is watching, perhaps they should find a different occupation which doesn't require contact with the person who's paying the bill!
Maybe you are the kind of technician that all of us only can dream of having work on our rigs, but that fact is that there are many, many more of the other type out there, and we need to keep our eyes open all the time. I'm not singling out RV tech's; we've all had experiences with automobile, appliance, heating and air conditioning repairmen and roofers, siders, etc. The list goes on forever. As a former technician for a very large computer mfg'r., I was under constant scrutinity by all levels of customer personnel from clerks to presidents, time was always of the essence, and at times the pressure was extremely intense. Just try repairing a problem for a company that employs hundreds or thousands of employees, and payroll MUST get out by 4 p.m. that day! Now that's pressure!! I, and my fellow customer engineers, took great pride in our abilities and welcomed the opportunity to explain what we were doing and why. Maybe it took a few minutes longer, but the customer was pleased by knowing that we knew what we were doing. Only those technicians (and I use the term loosely) who are insecure in their abilities or are concerned about someone seeing their shoddy work habits need be concerned when the owner of a multi-thousand dollar investment wants to see what is being done to what, in many cases, is their home. This forum exists in no small part, because many of us have had to deal with bad information, half-done repairs, or just plain incompetence. We share the knowledge and horror stories so others will not have to experience them first-hand.
If someone is uncomfortable or becomes forgetful or neglectful simply because the customer is watching, perhaps they should find a different occupation which doesn't require contact with the person who's paying the bill!
And yes I agree any reputable firm should take the time to answer any questions or concerns and show the customer the problem areas repaired. I would not necessarily like to have my boss, (the customer), looking over my shoulder at 2:00PM when the payroll has to be done by 4:00PM though. Any reputable repair shop will perform necessarily repairs properly and in a timely fashion. The customer has to be happy to have a good reputation!
I have upper management constantly looking over my shoulder as well but I am quite used to that. Having a customer there when something doesn't go right is a completely different story. I suggest that you ask the folk's in the campgrounds where they get there units serviced and why and you will find a good service department
Before I will leave my RV which is my HOME and contains all of my property unattended in a service shop, I must have had several experiences with that shop where I was able to observe my HOME while it was being serviced. Once I am confident that the premises are secure and the technicians competent, only then will I trust that facility to work on my HOME while I wait elsewhere.
Yes, there are many good, trustworthy, service facilities, but I believe in trust, but verify. I have found that the most competent technicians don't mind my observing and answering questions that help me to better understand my RV systems as long as I don't get in the way.
Those few shops that tried to insist I go to a waiting area always let me stay in the RV when it's being serviced once I explained that it was my HOME and contained all of my personal property. If I was ever refused that request, I would either leave if possible, or I would stand outside the service bay observing until the work was done.
Yes, there are many good, trustworthy, service facilities, but I believe in trust, but verify. I have found that the most competent technicians don't mind my observing and answering questions that help me to better understand my RV systems as long as I don't get in the way.
Those few shops that tried to insist I go to a waiting area always let me stay in the RV when it's being serviced once I explained that it was my HOME and contained all of my personal property. If I was ever refused that request, I would either leave if possible, or I would stand outside the service bay observing until the work was done.
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Geddydown,
Upper managment (your own employer) cannot possibly be compared to a customer whos' HOME is in your hands. To think it is, is ludicrous at best and just plain naieve at worst. Your employer is in business to make the most money at the lowest possible cost; his (her) priorities are totally different from an Rv'er who wants to get back on the road at the least cost, but with confidence that the NECESSARY repairs have been done in a timely, professional, and proper manner. I capitalized NECESSARY because too many trusting folks have paid for unnecessary repairs based upon their trusting attitudes and recommendations of unscrupulous repair facilitiies.?
You may not know this, but this Forum is comprised of a VERY LARGE number of very knowledgeable people who are more than willing to share their kudos as well as their bad experiences. While commercial posts are not allowed here, we do acknowledge good service and, to re-invent an old phrase, "Good news travels fast" - Well, so does bad news. The choice is yours: which side of the fence do you want to be on?
In the interest of the Forum and not wanting this topic to become a spitting contest, I would welcome your personal communications but don't want this to become a burden to the Forum in general. Please address your replies to me personally.
Karl? ?
Upper managment (your own employer) cannot possibly be compared to a customer whos' HOME is in your hands. To think it is, is ludicrous at best and just plain naieve at worst. Your employer is in business to make the most money at the lowest possible cost; his (her) priorities are totally different from an Rv'er who wants to get back on the road at the least cost, but with confidence that the NECESSARY repairs have been done in a timely, professional, and proper manner. I capitalized NECESSARY because too many trusting folks have paid for unnecessary repairs based upon their trusting attitudes and recommendations of unscrupulous repair facilitiies.?
?
You may not know this, but this Forum is comprised of a VERY LARGE number of very knowledgeable people who are more than willing to share their kudos as well as their bad experiences. While commercial posts are not allowed here, we do acknowledge good service and, to re-invent an old phrase, "Good news travels fast" - Well, so does bad news. The choice is yours: which side of the fence do you want to be on?
In the interest of the Forum and not wanting this topic to become a spitting contest, I would welcome your personal communications but don't want this to become a burden to the Forum in general. Please address your replies to me personally.
Karl? ?
Jim Dick
Moderator Emeritus
Karl,
Good suggestion. Let's not let this become a spitting contest. I will say I saw a sign in one shop that stated :
Repair charge: $65.00/hr
If customer helps: $95.00/hr ;D ;D
Good suggestion. Let's not let this become a spitting contest. I will say I saw a sign in one shop that stated :
Repair charge: $65.00/hr
If customer helps: $95.00/hr ;D ;D
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
Geddydown,
I sincerely hope you didn't take my comments to be a personal attack on you; they weren't meant to be. Anyone, like yourself, with 15 years experience servicing RV's would be a welcome addition to our Forum, and we look forward to your participation and sharing of your wealth of knowledge.
Karl
I sincerely hope you didn't take my comments to be a personal attack on you; they weren't meant to be. Anyone, like yourself, with 15 years experience servicing RV's would be a welcome addition to our Forum, and we look forward to your participation and sharing of your wealth of knowledge.
Karl
