RV Repair - Calling a Mobile RV Technician

The leak in our sink was a minor one, but it still needed to be repaired.

Owning a used pop up has prepared me for making lots of repairs.  On Peggy Sue, we repaired everything from the city water inlet to the roof.  By the time we sold her, I felt like I had earned a degree in RV repair.  Now, that we own a travel trailer, I feel confident in making decisions about repairs and basic upkeep.  Recently, I repaired a leaking hose under our sink.  Or so I thought, and what I thought was one thing turned out to be something else.  I finally called a mobile RV Technician.

A mobile RV technician can come to you to make repairs.  This can save you valuable time and money.

RV Repair - Calling the Mobile RV Technician

It's not that I won't take our RV in for repairs and maintenance.  I will.  I have.  But, it is also simple to do many of these tasks at home.  There are a few things that you should consider before doing your own RV repairs.

• Know your skill level and skill set.  
• Be aware of your limitations and don't get in over your head.
• Watch some videos or read some blogs (like this one) to help you determine what may and may not be feasible for you.

Don't get started down a road that causes more harm than good.  Once you have determined that you need to call the professional, you have to hitch up your wagon and take it in for the job.  Or do you?  Not always.  This time I called a mobile RV technician recommended by our local RV dealership.  If you have not considered this option, maybe its time you did!

Repairing our leak under our sink became something that I was not able to figure out on my own, so I called in a professional.

Because I'm using our RV as a home office, it would have been disruptive to make this move right now.  And I already knew that this repair would be minor.  I started out by asking if the dealership offered a mobile technician service.  This question is worth asking.  While the dealership didn't offer this service, they recommended a gentleman that does and provided me with his phone number.  

I called the gentleman and explained our repair need and that our RV was under warranty.  The first sign that he knew what he was doing was immediate knowledge of the RV warranty process.  He explained that he would provide a written bill and statement of the repairs so that I could submit the work for a warranty claim with our RV manufacturer.  I felt like I was off to a good start already.  On a side note, the repairman explained to me that he had stopped working for a short time during the COVID-19 outbreak and was just starting to take jobs again.  He let me know that he would be wearing a mask and asked that anyone that would be around while he was working wear a mask as well.  This also made me feel good about my decision.  I abided by his request because I am wearing a mask now when I work at my regular office.  He was very professional even before he showed up.  If you are nervous about calling a mobile service, talk to the person, and ask questions.

Before the day of the repair, I contacted Grand Design about the warranty process and using a mobile RV technician to complete the task.  If your RV is under warranty, I highly recommend doing this before you begin a job and want to be reimbursed.  Grand Design was quick to answer my questions and provide me with all of the necessary details to make the warranty claim for the work being completed.  

We love our RV, but it isn't always convenient to take it to the dealership for repair work.

On the day of the repair, the repairman arrived as he had planned.  He took his time to assess the repair work and completed the task.  He explained the repair and cleaned up the area after he was done.  During the time that he was working, we photographed the repair that needed to be made.  I used that photograph and the written bill at the end of the repair to submit for the warranty claim.  

If you are working remotely or want to easily keep up with documents like these and eliminate the need to save so much paper, use a tool like Adobe Scan.  It is a mobile app to scan documents like a bill or receipt as a PDF.  That scanned copy can be uploaded to your Google Drive or One Drive to have available as needed.  Mobile apps like these can really help you to organize your paperwork.  

I emailed a copy of the photograph and the bill the Grand Design.  Before lunch, the customer service team at Grand Design asked for the address to send the reimbursement check.  How easy is that?  Grand Design's commitment to customer service is amazing, and it is one of the things that I love about this RV manufacturer.

The technician that came to our home charged a $100 service call.  That included the time to drive to our home up to the first hour of service.  So, he lives 30 minutes away.  That $100 provided the first 30 minutes of work.  Then, it is $50 an hour after that.  Our total bill came to $125.  That is well worth it not to have to take our RV 45 minutes away to have work done, leave it and return to go get it when it is ready.  

While I originally thought it was one hose and fitting turned out to be a completely different hose.  This is why a professional many times is the best option.

I knew about mobile RV technicians before now, but I thought these services were only available in more densely populated areas.  And little did I know that there was someone nearby that could do this work!  I'm so glad that I asked and took this route.  

You may wonder why I didn't just call a basic plumber for this job.  Maybe I could have done that.  However, RV technicians that are specifically trained to work on these items have a specialized skill set.  I prefer to make sure that what we are doing over time will maintain our RV for the long haul.  The technician that did our repair knew why a soft hose was used under our sink instead of Pex.  He immediately said that if our kitchen was not on a slide that Pex would have been the hosing that would have been used in that location.  While this may or may not be an RV industry standard, he had a knowledge of RV products and product placement based on the design.  A household plumber might easily tell you that a different hose or connection would be better but might not consider the mechanical movement of the slide.  There is no way to know that this would or would not have been the outcome.  But, it is my reasoning and logic behind sticking with someone with an RV training for repairs.  

If you would like to find a mobile RV technician in your area, here are some steps to help you.

1. Ask your local RV dealership if they offer this service or know of someone that they can recommend.
2. Ask friends that own an RV if they have ever used this type of service.  You could even ask a camping group that you belong to online through social media.
3. Find out the rates for service and work before you get started.  
4. If you are planning to have some warranty work done on your RV, find out what the claims process would be before having the repair work done.  Otherwise you may not be reimbursed.
5. Not every job will work well for mobile services.  Keep in mind that there are still going to be some jobs that would require a trip to the dealership.

I'm glad that I took the time to seek out an alternative to just taking our RV to the dealer.  While I like the people at the dealership nearby, I would just rather not make an unnecessary trip.  For this repair, this was my best option.  Have you ever used a mobile technician to conduct any work for you?  If so, I'd like to hear about your experience.  I think this is a great service that is a huge time saver!

If you want to know more about RV Tank Maintenance, take a look at the Great Tank Debate, Part 1 and Part 2.  My friend Christy Rogers shares about using the Geo Method.  And I share my thoughts about RV specific products in part two of those partner posts. The first step to maintaining your RV plumbing is always the regular maintenance.  So, don't forget about these important steps.

Until next time...

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