All About RV Inspections
RV Inspection is a relatively new concept in the RV space. Some people have misconceptions. Some people know nothing about it.
Here’s an overview of what an RV inspection is, what it is NOT, and what you should look for when you hire an RV Inspector.
What is an RV Inspection?
An RV inspection is when someone looks over an RV and provides you with a report of potential issues with that RV that are observable at the time of the inspection.
If you’ve purchased a home, it is very likely that you had a home inspector come in and give you a report about what might need repair in that home. It’s good information to have for lots of reasons. First of all, it gives you peace of mind that you know what is right and wrong with your potential home. Second, it lets you know what kind of issues might exist in the home - major, minor or even life safety issues. Third, it can give you a negotiating point with the seller based on what needs to be fixed in the home.
An RV inspection is no different. An RV inspector looks over an RV and with their training and expertise, can inform you of issues that they find in that RV. Issues in an RV range from minor issues to very costly major issues to issues that may be life threatening. All of these are important to know before you purchase an RV.
We’ve talked about different situations when you might want to have an RV inspected. It’s not just when you’re purchasing an RV. However, that is the most common time to have an RV inspected. If you are thinking of purchasing an RV, you should get that RV inspected no matter what. New, Used, Dealer sale or individual sale it does not matter. New RVs are not new cars. There are many many parts in an RV and the manufacturer is not always the one putting those parts together. Many times the dealer is the final one to work on the RV and, surprise surprise, dealers are humans and humans make mistakes.
What is covered in an RV Inspection?
This is a key question you need to ask the inspector you are hiring. They should be able to provide you with a list of all of the points of inspection for towed vehicles or for motorhomes. A thorough RV inspection should cover as many as 150 or more items. Some of these include:
A thorough inspection of the roof, sidewalls, endcaps, items on the roof, sealant and any damage or potential for water intrusion.
Testing the air conditioners, heaters, water heaters, water pumps and all appliances in the RV to verify they work.
Verifying the age, condition and tire pressures in all of the tires.
Checking that major RV systems like generators, converters, inverters, chargers, batteries and so on work as expected.
Checking for water damage or possible water damage in the RV.
On towed vehicles, verify that the tow system is working correctly, lights and signals work and safety systems like emergency brakes work properly.
You can download a complete Points of Inspection document from our site for either a motorized RV or a towable RV. We recommend you compare this to the points of inspection you get from the RV dealership or any other RV inspector.
How Much does an RV Inspection Cost
That can vary depending on many of factors. Things like the type of RV, if it’s motorized or not, the distance the inspector has to travel and other items can all affect the price of an inspection.
In addition, there may be additional services an RV inspector can provide that might have an additional cost. Things like fluid analysis of engine and generator coolant and oil is a very important inspection point and might carry an additional cost because those samples are sent to another lab.
Whatever the cost of the inspection, it will easily pay for itself by making sure you don’t have to pay for repairs. For example, a non-working air conditioner can easily cost you several thousand dollars in repairs. An inspector will notify you about that situation before you ever take delivery the RV and save you that money. I recently did an inspection of an RV and the propane tank was not even connected! A simple fix, yes, but a potentially dangerous situation for the purchaser if it had gone unnoticed.
One cost that you, as the buyer, should never pay, is a seller charge for a third party inspection. There have been some RV dealerships with '“policies” about third party inspections. If a customer is interested in having a third party inspection, those dealerships sometimes charge thousands of dollars to allow a third party inspector to do the inspection on the dealer property.
This is a highly suspect practice and should be a red flag to you as the purchaser. If the dealer is not willing to let an RV inspector do an inspection, that RV may have issues the dealer doesn’t want you to see. This is a time where the Golden Rule applies. You, as the customer, have the gold. You make the rules. If the dealer tells you there’s a charge for a third party inspection, ask them why. A qualified RV inspector should be fully insured against accidents that would
What do I get from an RV Inspection?
If you hire a well trained RV inspector, you will receive an extensive report with lots of details about the RV you are having inspected. At a minimum, a high quality inspection report will contain 80-100 photos of the RV. It will have sections that summarize different issues in the RV.
Summary parts of an RV inspection might include Life Safety issues. Life Safety issues might be easy to fix, but still life threatening. For example, smoke, LP or Carbon Monoxide detectors that are out of date, missing or not working are life safety issues. Easily fixed, but still important. Low tire pressure can also be a life safety issue. This is again, easily fixed, but could lead to major issues on the road.
Another summary part might include major issues. These are issues that are not life threatening, but could cause major financial problems. Roof issues are the most common area for major issues. Sealant on the roof can have holes or be missing - even in an RV brand new from the manufacturer. These can cause water intrusion and be a major cost if they’re not addressed right away. Another issue might be a generator that doesn’t work properly or an air conditioner that is not cooling.
An RV inspection report can also include a number of minor issues or simple notes from the inspector. They might notice discoloration or scratches on the trim. They’ll look for marks on the flooring and notate that. Or possibly drawers and cabinets that don’t work quite right and notate those with photographs. They will even go so far as to verify that the DVD player is working properly.
When you first talk to an RV inspector, be sure to ask them for a list of their Points of Inspection before you hire them. They should be able to provide you with a complete list of all of the items on your RV that they will cover. Some of those items might depend on the dealership having the RV ready, but the inspector will also let you know if there are potential issues they come up against.
My Dealer does a Pre-Delivery Inspection
Let’s just be honest here. Yeah, they do. But then, no, they don’t.
The first and most important point is that the dealer works for the dealer. Not for you. As nice as your sales guy is, his goal is to sell the RV. You should hire an independent RV inspector who works for you. Not someone who works for the dealership (see below).
An example Dealer PDI checklist
Secondly, in my experience, pre-delivery inspections don’t cover much. If we’re being honest, it shouldn’t be called a pre-delivery inspection. It should be called a pre-delivery preparation. The list of items that the dealer inspects in a pre-delivery inspection. Most points of inspection for dealers are extremely short and do not include important things like checking for water intrusion and roof leaks. I received a checklist that one dealership was using and they were going to charge a customer an additional $1300 to check nineteen items in a pre-delivery inspection. Many of the items they did not include were life safety issues like tires and smoke detectors. That’s a far cry from the over 150 items in our Points of Inspection.
What to Look for in an RV Inspector
Well, technically, anyone can do an RV inspection. But having cousin Eddie look over a rig you’re investing thousands of your hard earned dollars into is probably not a great idea. Here are three important things to look at when you hire an RV inspector.
Your RV Inspector Works for You
It’s the Golden Rule. The one who has the gold, makes the rules. If you’re hiring an RV inspector, you get the report and you decide what to do with it. You are a client of the inspector. If the selling party hires the inspector, now they become the client and the inspector is beholden to them. A less than honest seller could incentivize a less than honest inspector to casually overlook certain items in the inspection and you no longer have a truthful report.
In other words, the RV Inspector should not have any financial interest in the outcome of the inspection. They should be a completely separate, independent party who is interested in addressing your concerns about the RV. In other words, the RV inspector you hire should not be the person or company selling you the RV.
Eliminating the financial involvement of an inspector assures that you will get an inspection that doesn’t overlook any essential parts of the inspection that might cost you down the road. Unfortunately, the entity selling you an RV is interested in just that - selling you an RV. Be it a dealership or an individual, they have their best interests in mind and not yours.
This also means that you need to be the one paying for the inspection.
Your RV Inspector should be Well Trained
There are many details to cover in an RV inspection and your RV inspector needs to be well trained and up to date on all of the latest requirements in the RV industry. RV inspectors need to know code from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) and others. One way to verify that an RV Inspector is up to date on the latest information in the RV world is to hire an NRVIA certified inspector. NRVIA certified inspectors are trained at the National RV Training Academy and are held to the highest standard in the industry for RV inspections. You can find NRVIA certified inspectors on the RV Help website.
Your RV Inspector should adhere to a Code of Ethics
The potential for taking advantage of a situation that involves tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars is large. So also is the potential for someone to promote an expertise that they just don’t have - like being an RV inspector. An inspector that adheres to a code of ethics - and more importantly a code of ethics defined by an authority that certifies that inspector - is critical.
With that code of ethics in place, that inspector will be required to make sure your interests are what they are after. Key points like not having a financial interest in the sale, or not doing any work on the RV for a year after the inspection are important to you financially.
Where Can I Find an RV Inspector?
Obviously, Andersen RV Services can provide you all of these inspection services. We are NRVIA certified RV inspectors and have multiple 5 star reviews from satisfied clients. We’d love to chat with you about inspecting an RV you’re planning on purchasing or have purchased.
If you’re not in our service area, consider visitng RVHelp.com and searching for an inspector. RV Help is a partner of the NRVIA and the RVTAA and can help you find highly qualified RV Inspectors and RV Technicians.
