Podcast Ep 232: Is this the fix for the RV Repair problem?

Across the country, there’s a growing movement for something known as R2R, or Right to Repair. It’s being fought by the RV industry, which often limits just who can repair their products, usually through a tightly controlled dealership network. For RV owners, this often means that necessary repairs can take days, even weeks because many of those dealership service shops are booked solid. But what if those repairs could be done by other repair facilities, not financially tied at the hip to the manufacturer? When manufacturers own the only repair shop around, prices go up and quality goes down. Competition is better for customers, but mom and pop repair shops are struggling with unfair practices by multinational corporations. Consumers and repair pros are starting to fight back. Today, in our interview of the week segment, we’re going to talk about the R2R movement, why the industry is so against it and what this means to you, the RV owner. Plus, your comments, questions and tips, plus the RV news of the week and a great off the beaten path report. Show Notes for Episode #232 March 6, 2018 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER This week finds us on the road again. We’re on a week-long roadtrip that will eventually take us to Salt Lake City Utah for a big trade show next week. But we’re taking our time getting there, trying to keep to our “330 Rule” of not traveling more than 330 miles in a single day or stopping by 3:30PM so we can enjoy the area. MIKE We can’t gIve you an itinerary because, well, we seldom have one, other than a direction. We’ll be staying at Harvest Host wineries, farms and attractions as well as any interesting state or local campgrounds or boondocking spots that catch our eye. And yes, Bo is with us on this trip, though we will be using Rover.com to find a local family that he can stay with in Salt Lake City since we’ll be working during the RV show hours. JENNIFER We can’t say enough good things about Rover. It is a free app that connects you to a nationwide network of dog sitters, doggie day care centers and boarding facilities. We often use it when we travel to different areas. The sitters are well screened and Bo seems to really enjoy his visits. MIKE Many of you have been following our travels over the past month in a 2019 Leisure Travel Van Wonder, RTB, for Rear Twin Bed. We have been interested in test driving it for two purposes: One, to see what it’s like driving an RV on the Ford Transit chassis. We just posted a video on that experience on our RV Lifestyle Channel. Overall, we have been very pleased with it, except for a few things. But we think the Transit is going to give the Mercedes Benz Sprinter a real run for the money as the most popular chassis these days for small motorhomes. JENNIFER The second part of the Wonder we wanted to experience was our comfort level with a slightly larger van than we’re used to. Leisure Travel Vans are what is known as B+ vans, a sort of cross between a Class B campervan and a larger Class C Van. Technically, a B+ is listed for insurance purposes as a Class C motorhome but they call it a B+ because it does not have the typical cab overhang you see on most Class Cs and it’s a little less boxy looking. We will have a full video review of the Wonder and our experience with it coming it this Thursday. You can see all our videos at YouTube-dot-com-slash-rvlifestyle. MIKE The show we are attending next week is called RVx and is organized by RV Industry Association and will be attended by TV dealers, RV manufacturers, industry leaders, suppliers and the media. Jennifer and I will be hanging out at the show doing meet and greets for the attendees all three days. Tuesday from 3-5PM, Wednesday from 4-5 PM and Thursday from 11AM-1PM. If you are one of those who, will be at the show, look for us at the Leisure Travel Vans Display. We’d love to say hi. And for those who are not attending, we’re planning a live stream Tuesday afternoon. JENNIFER The weather has continued to be crazy across most of the country. Our hearts go out to the people of Alabama who suffered such terrible loss of life and property from the Sunday tornadoes. There has also been lots of snow, sub zero weather and even down where we have been along the Florid panhandle in the gulf shore, unseasonable cold and rainy weather. So we’re hoping for a nice change of pace as we make our way west. After the RV show next week, we’d like to visit a couple of Utah’s National Parks and while we don’t mind cool temps we don’t want there to be snow. MIKE Now is a good time for us to reveal that we are a little over a week away from making a final decision on our next RV. We’ll be buying this one and although we have all the financing arranged with a bank and a dealer, we’re holding off in saying for sure what it will be until we physically check it out and have a chance to thoroughly check it out. But we’ve done the research and nailed down what we want and we should be able to share all the details and maybe a photo or two next week. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK MIKE Wholesale shipments of camper vans and truck campers only categories to see growth Class Bs (camper vans) and truck campers continued to be the only category of RVs to show growth, according to the latest RV Industry Association's survey of manufacturers. The survey compared January 2018 to January 2019 wholesale shipments and showed an over all industry decrease of 39.8 percent. JENNIFER What you need to know about camping at Indiana Dunes National Park If you're interested in camping at Indiana Dunes National Park (America's newest national park) this summer, there are several helpful things to know. The campground opens April 1, advance reservations are not possible, and the sites have no water or electric hook ups. MIKE Former owner of Roadtrek talks to newspaper about what happened to the company his father founded The former owner of Roadtrek was interviewed by a Canadian newspaper last week, sharing his thoughts on what happened to the company his father founded. He says he will not buy the company, which closed its doors, laid off all employees and owes creditors some $300 million, but believes someone will. JENNIFER Train derailment near Canada's Banff National Park tragically killed three crew, and has officials concerned about wildlife A 112-car train derailment about 80 kilometers (roughly 50 miles) outside Banff National Park last week killed three crew members on board. As officials worked to determine the cause of the crash, others are feverishly working to clean spilled grain, concerned it will attract hungry bears waking from hibernation. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK We hear from three listeners this week: We get a tip about mouseproofing an RV; Two listeners talk about what they are doing when they listen to this podcast; and Tom from Ottawa talks about not getting ripped off by credit card scammers through an Android app called Skimmer Scanner Here’s the question of the week which we answer in depth: Hi Mike and Jennifer, Thanks for the opportunity to ask you a question personally. I’ve been lurking on youtube for awhile now, enjoying your videos, along with several other vloggers who are living the RV lifestyle. Love Bo!! He’s a real trooper. At this point, I’m a wannabe RV’r trying to decide what rig would best suit me. I’ve found a 2012 Born Free 24’ rear bath unit with 43K miles on it that’s located near me. I’ve viewed it and I can tell the owner is particular about the RV and has cared for it. He and his wife are the second owners and purchased it 2 years ago, but unfortunately, health issues necessitate them selling. I’ve read the Born Free has a great reputation. However, I’m no mechanic... Thus my question(s): 1) is it smart to buy an RV manufactured by a company that’s no longer in business? 2) should I hire someone to check out the mechanics? Everything seems to be in working order… 3) what is a fair offer to make? He is asking $63K. I checked NADA and they list average retail at $54,332 and low retail at 43,800.I was thinking of starting with $50k, hoping to settle on $52K… 4) Last question I promise - they have a loan on the RV so can you inform me as to how a purchase would work in this case? Kind regards, Sue RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK The topic we want to look at this week has to do with a movement called R2R, or the Right to Repair. The Repair Association, previously the Digital Right to Repair Coalition, was formed in 2013. The Association represents everyone involved in repair and reuse of technology—from DIY hobbyists and independent repair technicians, to environmental organizations and the aftermarket. They’re concerned about a lot of things that need repairs, from computrers and cell phones to automobiles and, what we want to talk about in our interview of the week…recreational vehicles. Our guest is Willie Cade, from the Repair Organization, who joins us on the other end of the line. Here's a transcript of the interview: Mike Wendland: Willie Cade from repair.org joins us on the phone right now. Willie, thank you first of all for being our guest and helping us understand about the right to repair. Willie Cade: My pleasure Mike. Thanks for having me. Mike Wendland: Well let's start with this whole issue about what is also called fair repair legislation. Why is this needed? Maybe you can walk us through that process. Why do we need this kind of legislation, and particular for my audience, which are owners of recreational vehicles? Willie Cade: Well it's actually broad and I'm very excited that you have found us.