The RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) full-time inspectors promote the enhancement of safety by monitoring adherence to the standards adopted by the Board of Directors for the construction of RVs and Park Model RVs. The team conducts more than 2,000 unannounced inspections of member company RV manufacturing plants annually and provides educational resources and hands-on training to manufacturer members to support their commitment to comply with these adopted codes and standards.
The RVIA seal is found on most recreational vehicles (RV) built by the major manufactures in the United States. The RV Industry Association (RVIA) represents over 450 manufactures and component and aftermarket suppliers who together produce 98 percent of all RVs made in the United States.
An NRVIA inspection is based on the NFPA 1192 requirements and is a visual inspection to verify functional operation of the equipment on a Recreational Vehicle (RV) as well as to check the manufactures compliance to the NFPA 1192 requirements.
In addition to following NFPA 1192 guidelines, RVIA manufacturers must pay high membership dues, own a dedicated manufacturing facility, provide a state vehicle manufacturing license, and submit to four random in-person facility inspections per year. These rules make it impossible for a DIY builder or small manufacturer to obtain an RVIA seal – which is exactly what the RVIA intends:
“The association works with federal and state lawmakers and regulators to pursue a favorable business environment for its members…”
Due to the RVIA there are some RV parks that will not allow a camper that does not have a RVIA seal on the coach.
The last few years have brought changes to the RV market place with COVID-19 affecting this market like many others. Initially RVs were purchased to allow people and families to get out and feel safe. These purchases cleared out dealership lots. COVID-19 has also affected the manufactures; shutting them down for a time and then the supply chain shortages and issues maintaining and hiring qualified personal have affected RV production. The RVIA indicates that “total RV shipments ended the month with 49,135 units, a new record for the month of November 2021 and an increase of 15.6% compared to the 42,513 units shipped during November 2020, the previous record for November. Year to date, 559,743 RVs have been produced, the most RVs ever built in a single year (2021).”
Unlike automobiles that are built in automated factories, RV are for the most part handle built. The quality of the new RV is dependent on materials being used and the personal that are responsible for building out the RV.
While the RV manufactures have quality checks at the end of the production process and the dealerships do PDI’s it is clear from doing inspections of new RV’s in 2021 that the factory and dealers are not able to find all of the equipment and production defects.
New Class A Diesel Pusher
I recently inspected a prospective customer’s 2022 Class A Diesel pusher motorhome that had a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) complete sticker in the windshield of the coach. There were 26 Major issues identified on this new coach! The Life Safety issues found were low tire pressure and Emergency Windows that required excessive force to open.
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“What a mess! First trip in our brand new 2022 RED 33AA. On the first cold night we fired up our Aqua-Hot furnace. Middle of the night a strange odor, next morning find much fluid dripping on the pad under passenger side slide out. Oily fishy smell…antifreeze!! Aqua-Hot shut down with low fluid reading. Called selling dealer, LazyDays in Tampa to see if they could get in to see the local LazyDays dealer. They would check but said most likely it would be next month!! Never called back. To shorten this read Aqua-Hot gave us the name of a certified local mobile tech who arrived an hour later. After dismantling the under sink cabinets he found the tube leading to the heat exchanger NEVER had a clamp put on the connection. A gallon and half of oily smelling antifreeze pink solution under cabinets and soaked into the carpet. Two hours later and $958 we have the system up and running. Now what to do with the ruined smelly carpet? He also found the three heat exchangers under cabinets were never wired up. Suspect a trip to Red Bay is in our future. Just a small oversight during installation caused this major inconvenience. Anyway Merry Christmas to all, and if this is the worst thing we have to deal with, Life is Good.”* This story was edited to remove personal details.
Pre-Delivery Inspection (performed by dealership personnel)
A Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) is typically performed on a new or used RV when purchasing from a dealer. Dealers pass on the charge for the PDI service via the sales department. Since it may be internally charged, the hourly rate that the service department gets may be significantly lower than warranty or customer repair work.
Most new RV’s arrive at the dealership with a few issues due to manufacturing oversites or damages that occur during transit from the manufacturer to the RV dealership. The new RV is really put to the test when it is transported from the RV manufacturer to the RV dealership.
The initial transport trip may bring out issues with cabinet doors, drawers, and trim moldings. These defects are easily seen upon inspection. Other issues like slideout seals, plumbing and wiring may not be evident without close inspection of the coach.
The PDI is performed by an employee at the participating dealership using a short checklist (50 to 130 items) to make sure systems are functioning properly. After the PDI and before that customer arrives to finalize the purchase of the RV, it is cleaned and cosmetic issues are repaired.
RV Dealership Service departments are too over booked on repairs to take RV’s from other dealerships. Due to many dealerships being short staffed it is critical if purchasing an RV from an out of state dealership to have the RV inspected before purchasing. The employee doing the inspection on your new RV only has a short window of time to complete the PDI.
The time that a dealer will spend on a PDI very much depends on the dealership and the employee given the task of inspecting a coach. A PDI at a dealership can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes to complete. A more thorough inspection, such as one done by a certified RV inspector can take anywhere from 6-12 hours, depending on the age, make, and model of the RV. Issues may be identified that are beyond the scope of a typical dealer-provided pre-delivery inspection.
Some dealers are hesitant to facilitate a 3rd party RV inspection. Some questions that should be raised if the dealer takes this approach could be;
If the manufacturer’s quality is 100% then why is a PDI needed? Ask to see the PDI inspection list. Does the dealer get on the roof and look at all of the sealant joints?
If the RV manufacturer is making a quality product why is it that most RV manufacturers only provide a 1 year warranty?
Private party versus Dealership Purchase of a used RV
Similar to buying from a dealership, buying from a private party also presents risks. Private sellers may not be aware of issues or may not convey issues that are know. Many used private coaches do not have maintenance documentation available to understand the history of the coach and the problems that have occurred. Be aware that all RV coaches will need constant maintenance, and that all RV’s will need repairs as they age.
Independent NRVIA Inspection (performed by a Certified Inspector)
A NRVIA Certified Inspector will use the same inspection software many home inspectors use. After completing an RV inspection, they will use this software to generate a professional report with photos. As a NRVIA Certified Inspector and RVIA Certified Technician Level 2, I am trained to provide the most advanced and thorough inspections in the industry. NRVIA inspections have 600 to 750 items depending on the type of coach being inspected, from travel trailers, 5th wheels to large Class A diesel pusher Motorhomes. The inspection report will provide you with a list of issues that should be addressed before you sign on the dotted line along with photos to help identify the problems. An NRVIA Certified Inspection will take 6 to 12 hours on site testing and checking. It will take another 2 to 3 hours to complete the comprehensive 50 plus page report which is viewable online as well as downloadable.
