Dirty Secrets Of The RV Industry

The RV industry is growing rapidly partly because of the high cost of housing and partly because folks just want to get away without the hassle of moving from hotel to hotel. Essentially, your RV is a hotel on wheels and best of all, you customize that rolling hotel exactly to your liking. With all that popularity there are a few things that you need to know. The more you know, the less of an hassle you will have once you are on the road.

For starters, there is absolutely no government regulations in place for the industry. Cars, on the other hand, are heavily regulated so that they meet certain safety standards. The only thing that is regulated to some degree is the drive train, as it is in a car. The rest of the rig has no regulations what so ever. This can be a problem if the manufacturer decides to take short cuts during the manufacturing process. What this means is that you as a consumer has to know something about the RV’s or else hire an outside source to look over that new RV you are about to buy. Please be sure to look for flaws and other shortcuts the manufacturer may have taken before you sign the papers.

Another big issue that is a problem within the RV industry is quality control. This goes hand in hand with there being no government regulations on the manufacturing of an RV. Manufactures are pumping out new rigs in record numbers but they are not properly testing them for defects or flaws. They are depending on the dealers to get any flaws fixed under the warranty. The warranty issue is a different problem discussed in a different post. There are rigs coming off the assembly line and on to showrooms that have no business being there. Since there are so many rigs being sold, the dealers cannot even keep up with the load. This is causing a huge backload of issues not being repaired in a timely manner.

Did you know that the RV industry makes more money from an RV that is financed then paid for in cash? The dealer will actually hope that you are going to finance rather than pay up front in cash.

So let’s say you have an older RV that you have had for years but you kept up with the maintenance and it runs perfectly fine with no known issues. You go to make a reservation at a campground and they will not let you in because the rig is over 10 years old. This is known as the 10 Year Rule. Not all campgrounds will deny you but with how crowded the campgrounds now are during peak season, it could cause quite a headache trying to get into a park. The reasoning is simple, an older vehicle is more likely to break down in the park and become inoperable tying up that RV spot. So always check before arriving so you do not have a very disappointing vacation.

A lot of folks opt into getting an RV because they feel it will cheaper than a hotel. While oftentimes it is there are plenty of times when it is not. You are more likely to think it is less money than a hotel if you are new at RVing. Still, even if the cost equals that of a hotel you are able to use your own bathrooms and shower and you know that your rig is clean and sanitary. For those reasons alone, it is worth staying in your own hotel on wheels then a brick and mortar building that you have little control over.
Even with all these points to think about. having an RV can be a truly rewarding experience so what are you waiting for, start shopping for that perfect RV today!