PLANNING FOR RV REPAIRS
Will my RV break down ?
This will , of course , depend on many factors , including how often you travel and the type of RV you have or are looking to buy , but there are some key industry trends to understand here .
Generally speaking , 3 out of every 10 RVs will need some type of major repair by only the second year , and nearly every RV will need a major repair by their eighth year .
A few things to keep in mind when it comes to RVs are that these are very complex machines , put together by human hands , and then sent down the road at high speeds . In fact , RV travel for internal parts has been likened to experiencing hurricane-force winds and an earthquake at the same time . Additionally , when we think of the average auto breaking down , we think of a fairly limited number of items that might run into trouble : things like the engine , transmission , maybe your A / C or stereo equipment . Now , broaden your mindset to all of the mechanical working components housed within your RV . You still have your engine and powertrain components , but you also have appliances like your refrigerator , water heater , television sets , and more , plus you have RV-specific components like slide-out motors , awning motors , leveling systems , and generators . There is simply a lot that goes into making your RV such a comfortable way to travel , but the traveling itself causes stress on those same components .
With all of this taken into account , it ’ s not surprising that RVs suffer breakdowns fairly frequently . Now , the next question you ’ re probably asking is when they do break down …
Let ’ s take a look at a few examples . The graphic below shows the top 5 most common failures seen by Wholesale Warranties , a leading extended service contract provider , along with their cost ranges .
TOP 5 MOST COMMON RV REPAIR CLAIMS & COSTS
SLIDE-OUT SYSTEMS :
$ 1,800 —$ 5,000
LEVELING JACKS :
$ 2,400 —$ 5,000
WATERPUMP :
$ 1,250
REFRIGERATOR COOLING UNIT :
$ 1,000
HOT WATER HEATER :
$ 750 —$ 1,500
IF AQUA HOT :
$ 1,000 —$ 10,000
How much do RV repairs cost ?
As we ’ ve mentioned , the modern RV is a pretty technologically advanced machine . This is driving up the cost of parts as well as labor — as repairs often require highly skilled technicians . Also , we ’ ve seen a huge increase in the number of RVers on the road , which has put additional stress on the availability of RV repair facilities and , again , driving up that labor cost . Put these two things together , and you ’ ve got a pricey repair bill .
In addition to these items , you ’ ll find even everyday components are pretty pricey to repair . Other common failures include electrical issues at $ 500 a pop , heating and cooling failures like your air conditioning ranging from $ 600 to $ 3500 , and generator repairs costing up to $ 4,000 .
So , here ’ s where we ’ re at : RVs contain a ton of working mechanical features that fail often . On top of this , we ’ re seeing spikes in repair costs . How do you plan for this ?