Why Get an RV Inspection

Would you buy a home without first having it inspected? It should reason you would never buy a home on wheels without an inspection as well. In fact, it’s probably even more important for someone to have an RV evaluated before buying it. RVs shake, rattle and roll down highways at speeds up to 70 mph. A tropical storm is considered a hurricane when its wind speeds reach 75 mph. As a result, things on an RV WILL break– and often. 

  A thorough RV inspection is essential to protect buyers from purchasing a lemon and, more importantly, from incurring a lot of expense by needing a litany of items repaired after they take delivery of the unit. Even if post-sale repairs are covered by warranty, it can often take months to get an RV back from the service department. Yet, the buyer must continue to make monthly payments and, of course, doesn’t get to enjoy using the RV when it's in the shop. An inspection will uncover major and minor problems during the evaluation. With that list in hand, buyers are in a much better position to: 

• Negotiate a lower price on the RV. In fact, many times the savings more than covers the cost of having the unit inspected. 
• Ensure broken items are repaired or replaced before accepting delivery of the unit. You’d be surprised how quickly problems can be repaired by an RV dealer if a delay impedes the sale of the RV. 
• Have a better understanding of how much additional investment will be needed to completely address all the problems uncovered during an inspection. 
• Prioritize repairs. A leaking roof takes precedence over a leaky faucet. An owner might live with a temperamental drawer that doesn’t always close properly, but not a refrigerator door that swings open during travel. 

It is infinitely better to have an RV evaluated by a trained, professional inspector than it would be for the buyer to look over the RV himself– even with years of RVing experience.  

An inspection is critical for anyone just entering the RV lifestyle. Someone new to the RV industry often doesn’t even know what questions to ask about an RV, let alone know what to look for to ensure the vehicle is okay to use. RV manufacturers put a lot of bling inside their units, and that can distract buyers so they don’t see potential problems with essential components and structures. 

A thorough, well-documented inspection prevents an RV buyer from being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous seller. The NRVIA has received reports of buyers purchasing an RV and driving it away only to discover one of the televisions was missing, or an upgraded component was replaced with a cheaper alternative. But, because the buyer had the RV inspected, he or she had proof of its pre-sale condition. Inspections work to keep sellers honest.  

Some sellers are even beginning to recognize the benefit of having an RV inspected before listing a unit for sale. Not only does an inspection give sellers a list of major problems to resolve before listing their RV, they can also share the inspection report with buyers and explain what work was done to correct any deficiencies discovered. Banks, insurance companies and firms offering extended warranties have also discovered the advantages of having an RV inspected before agreeing to provide coverage. Think about it: 

• Wholesale lenders helping dealers buy RVs to resell want to make sure a vehicle being held on paper as collateral is the same unit sitting on a dealer’s lot. Before loaning money to a dealer to buy a used RV, financial institutions also want to make sure the unit is in good enough condition to be resold. 
• Extended warranty companies are on the hook for three to seven years to cover any major problem with an RV. Those companies would certainly like to know if there is any evidence of pre-existing conditions that could cost them a lot of money to fix a year or two later. 
• Before extending coverage on a new or used RV, insurance companies would be very interested in knowing whether the propane system is safe, the refrigerator isn’t likely to catch on fire, and all the carbon monoxide or smoke detectors work. 

All the above firms want to know if the vehicle identification number (VIN) on a loan document or insurance policy is the same number on the RV in question. Inspections are a win-win just for buyers, but other parties, too.