New Unit Pre-Delivery Inspection Advice

[tomriley]

I ordered a new 30' Classic S.O. a few weeks ago, which has now been completed and is in transit to the dealer.

I want to try to "cover all my bases" in making sure the unit is ready fo acceptance before taking delivery, so any "words of wisdom" are appreciated.

Thanks,
Tom Riley

[jcanavera]

Well if things are done like my dealer handles it, the trailer interior should be clean (keep in mind that even though it looks clean, your initial travels will shake out debris that are hidden by cabinets in the kitchen area). Your dealer should have checked out all appliances and hopefully at pickup time has them operating and turned on for you. Normally they fill your LP tanks. Water systems should have been checked including city water and the fresh water tank. The trailer should be clean exterior wise (maybe if your dealer is like mine, its Walbernized!). Tires should be filled to proper tire pressures. Lug nuts should be tightened. Windows should have been checked and your slide out should have been checked for proper operation.

Normally the dealer goes through the trailer with you, and dependent upon your experience could spend from one to two hours with you. They will show you the operation of your electric stabilizer's and will note that those must be down before you extent or retract the slide out. Remember that. They should also pull out all the awnings and show you how those operate.

If you're lucky your dealer my have hookups and you can stay overnight. With both of my trailers, they were ready and connected at a full hookup pad for an overnight stay. I did not have to do any paperwork until I was happy with the trailer. Any issues or adjustments were made the next morning and any additional questions I had were answered. My dealer also installed my hitch and sway equipment onto the trailer and made sure it was level for towing. They also test drove my tow vehicle with the trailer to make sure the brake control was adjusted correctly and that the unit handled correctly. Once all that was done, I went into the office for the payment process. While you are doing that the dealer should be draining any holding tanks for you so you go home dry.

We brought with us our TV, clothing, food, bed sheets, personal items, tableware, just to name a few things. We used all the appliances, sinks, toilet, shower and fans. Our first trailer was bought in the late spring so we used the air conditioner. Our Classic was bought in November so we used the furnace and heat pump.

It was a lot to learn so I took some note book paper with me.

Jack

[redeagle313]

I read somewhere to videotape the walk-thru. What's your opinion on that...over the top? or a good idea?

Randi

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by redeagle313

I read somewhere to videotape the walk-thru. What's your opinion on that...over the top? or a good idea?

Randi

Oh it could be good, but I know me and I pay too much attention to the taping process and not enough to the content that is being delivered. I did a lot of video at the Airstream Factory. Problem was my field of vision was the camera lens and not the bigger picture that your eyes can encompass. You can't concentrate on the topic at hand when you are holding a camera also.

Jack

[Big Dee]

Congratulations, Tom!! The 30' SO is sweet. As for the delivery process, this will really show you what kind of dealer you are dealing with. The walk through and pre-delivery prep should be just as Jack says his was and that's the way mine was. My dealer has a special canopy place-of-honor where mine was waiting for me and she was stunningly clean and ready to go. Overall, an excellent delivery experience. I've read here of other dealers giving much less than this type service. Hope your dealer does it right for you.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

... I pay too much attention to the taping process and not enough to the content that is being delivered...You can't concentrate on the topic at hand when you are holding a camera...

Excellent points; Exactly what I was thinking.

You may, however, consider an audio recording of the tour. Less obtrusive, and you can rewind the tape when you forget, for example, whether he said this button is the self destruct button, or the other one was.

Tom

[tomriley]

Jack, Randi, Big Dee, Tom -

Thanks for all of your inputs. This helps alot in knowing what my expectations should be of the dealer, and points out that I need to be able to retain quite alot of info during the checkout. The idea of staying in the unit overnight to check things out is excellent.

Thanks much for the help.

Tom