RV Shop Fee Sticker Shock

Tabaz

I was just informed that Tom's Camperland in Mesa, Arizona, is now charging $189 per hour for service work.  Their prior shop rate was $159 per hour.  Oh, and their service department was booked solid with customers.

dlb

Don’t let other dealers see that.

manyman297

This shows you just how much people don’t want to DIY anything. Nothing wrong with that but that rate demonstrates just how many people prefer having things serviced.

Tabaz

Manyman297- You are absolutely right.  But what a wonderful opportunity for young people to pursue a hands-on trade instead of a degreed profession.  We need more plumbers, electricians and other skilled tradespeople.

Denny16

These days, even auto mechanics have at least two years of college education. With computer tec interfaces on what was once a mechanical skill area, tech school and two year college programs are required for a lot of trades jobs.
 Cheers 

manyman297

Tabaz said:

Manyman297- You are absolutely right.  But what a wonderful opportunity for young people to pursue a hands-on trade instead of a degreed profession.  We need more plumbers, electricians and other skilled tradespeople.

As a degreed individual I totally agree with you. There are so many trade jobs out there with 6 figure potential but nobody wants to work them. Instead people are going into deep debt to make similar (or even less) money. While a lot of the trade jobs aren’t necessarily great long term gigs when your body starts betraying you, you can always segue into ownership or management positions down the road.

tabiphile

With exception of the Aldi, much of the service work that needs to be done on a trailer is simple and does not require specialized tools or skills. Brakes, bearings, wheels, whatever are all serviceable by anyone willing to spend a few minutes watching a few YouTube videos. A floor jack, jack stands, socket set, torque wrench and a tub of grease will pay for themselves pretty quickly at those rates.

Yoshi_TAB

 "are all serviceable by anyone willing to spend a few minutes watching a few YouTube videos. A floor jack, jack stands, socket set, torque wrench and a tub of grease will pay for themselves pretty quickly at those rates"

That is easy to say...Although I am fortunate to have the skills and a place to do such work, not everyone does.    Nor do I see others in any lesser capacity  for not having the skills, desire or place to do such work as brakes, bearings etc.  I do appreciate and am thankful for the trades people in this country who can do this work for others who can't or choose not to.  For many, it's not always as easy as watching a few videos.  If you can do the work..great, if not, those who can should be paid/compensated for their skills and time.  Best wishes,

Denny16

It is easy to forget, the shop hour rate goes to support the entire shop,operation, not just the pay of the technicians,  ost of the shop hour rate charge goes to the overhead of running a repair facility, building maintenance, utilities, insurance cost, and employee pay and benefits.  It all adds up quickly.
 Cheers 

gulfarea

As an owner of a garage for 31 years all I can say is if you want something done correctly doing it yourself is by far the best way. Right now it is VERY hard to find any workers to do a job well. I have seen some tecks that should never go any where neer a wrench! If you learn how to do more things yourself believe me it will pay off in the long run. Art

manyman297

gulfarea said:

As an owner of a garage for 31 years all I can say is if you want something done correctly doing it yourself is by far the best way. Right now it is VERY hard to find any workers to do a job well. I have seen some tecks that should never go any where neer a wrench! If you learn how to do more things yourself believe me it will pay off in the long run. Art

Agreed. The tech who gave me the walkthrough on our 400 was nice enough but his quick fix on how to fix a latch on a cabinet made me wary of ever having him fix anything else

Denny16

Fortunately, the service department and technicians at our local TaB dealer are top notch, and know what they are doing.  

Cheers 

ChrisK

The problem with the DIY mentality lately is that the manufactures of the systems don't support it. Been trying to figure out why my daughter's 400 Coolcat AC fan kicks down to low mode when it is hot out (when you need AC) and I can't get the manufacture to help me diagnose it. Due to liability, most don't want you to, and won't help you work on your own stuff. They all just say to take it in to your nearest authorized service center. I love working on stuff myself. @Tabaz - what you needing done?

Tabaz

Nothing Chis.  Cindy had some work done there last week and told me about the shop rates.  My T@B is purring along as usual.

fstop32

@Tabaz , Mike Rowe would agree with your comment you made earlier in this thread!  It's also something for people who are considering getting into the RV scene who don't have the DIY skillsets, they need to consider the maintenance costs on an RV.  It's not like a car you could drive for a few years with no real maintenance required (other than oil, etc. of course).

Tabaz

Dave - I do so appreciate what Mike Rowe has done over the years to promote viable alternatives to getting a college degree.  Not everyone is cut out for that career path - nor do many want it.  I agree with your comments about RV's needing MUCH more attention than a Honda Civic.  Tomorrow is my Seven Year Anniversary with my T@B, and looking back, I'm stunned at the amount of attention I've had to give it.

Denny16

A TaB is like a boat, both need attention and care.
to keep them in top condition.  I learned today, our local NorCal nüCamp dealer shop rate is still $125.00 an hr.  Compared to the OPs Arizona rate of $189.00 per hr.
 Cheers 

dlb

Speaking of boats, my boat dealer’s shop rate starts at over $200.  It is listed as higher of some specific service items.

Passport

Tabaz said:

I was just informed that Tom's Camperland in Mesa, Arizona, is now charging $189 per hour for service work.  Their prior shop rate was $159 per hour.  Oh, and their service department was booked solid with customers.

In my personal opinion, Covid and inflation is used by many merchants to increase some fees.  My dealer charged me $160.00 per shop hour recently.  Remember when plumbers used to charge $75-$80 per service call?  Now it's well over $200.00 per call.  Off subject, but my neighbor has his lawn mowed at $60 per week.  It isn't a huge lawn but part of that charge is $10 because gasoline has gone up and another $10 because they can't get their riding mower through his back gate.
I pay $40....try and figure that out-and they use a hand mower on my lawn!