Crazy Questions

Hello everyone, My name is Alex and I am very new to this industry. I want to learn a ton about basically everything. To be honest I want to build my own RV, but lets put that aside for now. My first basic questions are on how the RV's make it to consumers.

1) Do manufactures sell directly to dealerships, or is a distributor involved?
2) Can manufactures sell directly to consumers?
3) What rules and standards govern RV's?
4) Who is responsible for fixing items that I are either called back by a recall or just broken, like a fridge?

Lastly does anyone know a dealer who would be able to provide insight into the business, also is the a comprehensive book on the manufacture to consumer process? Thanks for your time, and sorry for all the crazy questions.

Hi Akg and welcome to The RV Forum. Interesting questions, and the responses are a mixed bag.

Many RV manufacturers sell only through dealers, and a few sell through their own sales force.

Rules/regulations/standards are relatively few. The RVIA http://www.rvia.org/?ESID=Standards comes the closest to a driving body for standards, but compliance is voluntary. RVIA also collaborates  with ANSI and NFPA on the development of standards such as http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/product.asp?pid=119211

Warranty repairs and recalls are often handled by a dealer or authorized repair shop, but a number of manufacturers have their own service centers which may or may not be convenient to get to.
Edit: Fixed typos.

Hi Tom, thanks for the reply.

Don't know if this info will help you, but in northern Indiana/southern Michigan there a bunch of surplus outlets that sell RV supplies.  Everything from frames to cabinetry and trim.  Just search sites for RV surplus parts and take your pick as needed. 

Adding to Mark's response, click the Resources button above and scroll down to RV Parts and Salvage.

Thanks, this site looks like a great resouce that I have to get more familiar with. Currently I am in northern Colorado. Longmont to be exact.

1) Do manufactures sell directly to dealerships, or is a distributor involved?

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There are no distributors for any RV brand I know of. Most manufacturers sell direct to their franchised dealers, but a few (e.g. Rexhall, Born Free, New Horizons and Lazydaze) sell direct to consumers.

2) Can manufactures sell directly to consumers?

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Some do, but most do not. See #1 above.

3) What rules and standards govern RV's?

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Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) apply to all vehicles, including motorized and towable RVs.

The RVIA is the ANSI standards body for RV construction and ANSI 119.2 is the governing standard, but it incorporates NFPA 1192 as well. RVIA members voluntarily observe ANSI 119.2.  Some 15 states, e.g. Florida & Oregon, require compliance with the ANSI 119.2 standard for a new RV to be sold within the state, but other states have lesser or different requirements. NFPA 1192 applies in all 50 states, as far as I know.

4) Who is responsible for fixing items that I are either called back by a recall or just broken, like a fridge?

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RVs come with a manufacturer warranty of vary lengths and provisions. Many individual components also have their own warranties, e.g. tires, axles, appliances, engine, etc. In general, the RV manufacturer warranty will be an umbrella and they will involves the supplier warranty as needed, but you can also apply direct to the component supplier warranty as well.

Safety Recalls are different than warranty repairs - that is a federally mandated process and both the RV manufacturer that delivered the final vehicle and any suppliers directly involved in the defective component(s) are responsible for repairing the safety defect.  The dealer is not responsible but may act as an agent for the manufacturer(s) in the repair process. Unlike a warranty, recalls do not expire.

Hi Gary,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your answers.  Just so I get this straight; Which company's provide manufacture warranties for RV's? Is it an independent company (if so who) or the manufacture themselves?

Akg980 said:

Hi Gary,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your answers.  Just so I get this straight; Which company's provide manufacture warranties for RV's? Is it an independent company (if so who) or the manufacture themselves?

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The manufacturer provides the warranty.
Some of the components also have a manufacturer warranty.  Such as...  appliances like the Microwave, AC, televisions etc.  Also in this may be the axles.

Normally not an independent company.  Other than possibly an extended warranty. BUT those pick up after the Manfacturers warranty and go until their expiration date.

The RV manufacturer typically provides a one year, bumper-to-bumper warranty. Some of the component parts may have their own warranty, in addition to the RV manufacturer's warranty, and in some cases that warranty may be longer than the RV manufacturer warranty. Tires are a good example - they usually have a separate warranty based on age and treadwear. Engines and transmissions in motorhomes also usually have a longer warranty that comes from the engine or tranny manufacturer.