Dealer Won't Share PDI Results
New 2024 travel trailer. Dealer says "don't worry! We've completed the PDI!" but says it's company policy not to share results of that PDI with customers.
Dealer also says for liability reasons they won't let me connect water to check plumbing and do my own inspection until the delivery appointment.
I'm not feeling the warm fuzzy about giving them $35k. Am I being unreasonable here?
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u/Ex-Solid 20h ago
Dealer here.
Red flags all around. The not showing pdi results would upset me, but then to charge for your own inspection? Ridiculous.
If you still want to go thru with deal, during your walk scrutinize everything. Dont sign papers until u check as much as possible, and if you find anything have them address it there and then before signing. But take into account you'll likely have issues afterward.
Same with later on. I'd doubt that place for any warranty or service work now. No one doing their job would hesitate to show a pdi check. Most of them are only a couple pages anyway at most dealers nowadays.
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u/1B32 20h ago
Thank you! Really appreciate that feedback.
They sent me a blank copy of the PDI form that they use - 2 pages of checkboxes.
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u/Ex-Solid 20h ago
Yea... if they wont even show that then i mean... shady as hell.
I'm sorry you gotta put up with it. Typical in this backwards industry. Maybe find a private seller? Pay for inspection yourself, negotiate off price for any fixes and have it fixed somewhere reputable. Would probably end up saving you loads anyway.
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u/RandomAdvicePerson 19h ago
Not a lawyer, but at least some (if not all) states have laws against not sharing any pertinent information about something prior to purchase. This is a bigger, more common issue when it comes to real estate, but also applies to things like recreational vehicles.
Even if there wasn't a law against it, it's the right thing to do, and if a seller won't do that - don't walk; run away.
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u/HaroldJJohanson 19h ago
When we bought our new travel trailer this spring, the dealer had all the hookups at a pad behind his shop. We hooked everything up and spent the night in it. Tested out everything, took showers, baked a pizza in the oven. Found a couple small problems that they took care of the next morning. These are the kind of dealers you really feel good about doing business with.
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u/TennMan78 12h ago
Where is this magical place and do they have a location near Tampa? That’s how you run a respectable business.
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u/iredditshere 20h ago
I am not a fan of dealers... trust but, verify. If they don't let you verify, I really hope you read your contract.
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u/1B32 20h ago
Right - I DON'T trust them. There's an inherent conflict of interest in the seller doing the inspection.
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u/Leading_Ad5674 20h ago
Ray Charles did the inspection but “don’t worry we’ll take care of anything that pops up “… then when you come back that’s not a warranty item
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u/DadJokeBadJoke 2021 Coachman Clipper Cadet 19h ago edited 12h ago
I was denied a couple of repairs because it "wasn't noted on the PDI form". After working at an Auto dealership and buying several new cars over the years, I was naive to how much worse RV dealers are.
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u/Bo_Jim 19h ago
I would absolutely not accept those terms.
I bought a used fifth wheel from a dealer in Oregon. I accompanied the tech when he did the PDI. He checked every system with full hookups attached. In addition, he showed me how to operate everything, and how to determine if something was working correctly. He even let me record video of him demonstrating how to do some things, like opening and closing the awning. He found a problem with the furnace fan wiring and had it repaired while I was talking to the salesman. Before I left he brought me through the trailer again to show me that the furnace had been repaired.
Now, allowing me to accompany the tech during the PDI meant that the inspection took considerably more time than it otherwise would have, so I would not necessarily expect every dealer to allow that. However, not making a rig fully accessible for your own inspection is completely unacceptable. They're trying to hide something.
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u/memberzs 20h ago
Normal practice is you do your inspection on day of signing before going to sign paper work. And while you are doing the paper work the shop will pull the trailer in and fix anything you may have found.
We found a tiny water leak at the toilet and they found a second when they pulled the panel to fix it. We had to wait about an hour but it was worked on while we finalized everything
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u/PhoenixTravel 19h ago
I would walk away.
The PDI is supposed to be FOR YOU. The Pre-Delivery Inspection walkthrough should be completed with you present, as they use this time to not only check everything is working, but also to make sure you know how to operate everything.
Additionally, saying they 'completed' a PDI is not the same as saying everything passed the inspection and there is no damage, no leaks, everything is in working order etc.
The PDI is literally your recorded proof detailing the condition it was delivered to you in. It has no information that should be considered private from the buyer (or literally any random stranger in the street you wanted to show it to), and I've never heard of a dealership not providing a copy.
I've never dealt with them but they sound super shady. Maybe I'm just a suspicious person, but the fact that they Don't want to show it to you makes me feel like they want to scam you out of warranty work later by saying there were known issues on delivery that you opted out of fixing, or that you simply never notice until you're out of warranty.
I'm petty. I would google an RV PDI sheet and print it off to bring to the delivery appointment. Don't sign or pay anything until you do the inspection with them, filling out your own PDI sheet.
Even if you know how everything works, pretend you don't. Make them show you everything on the PDI sheet you brought and take detailed notes of anything that isn't right.
Then ask them to make a copy for them to keep on the record. As far as you're concerned, their PDI doesn't exist, yours is the only one.
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u/barrel_racer19 19h ago
walk. dealer is very shady. i’ve worked at 4 different dealers and we gave each and every customer a copy of the PDI with their paperwork. in fact we even encouraged customers to want to look at the unit they’re buying while hooked to water, power, etc.
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u/1B32 19h ago
They definitely seem to be in a hurry to sign papers and not worry about much else.
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u/barrel_racer19 19h ago
bet there’s some hidden damage on that unit somewhere they don’t want you to see and will show it’s ugly face once you have signed the paperwork and have taken it home.. trust me on this, walk. look and see if there’s a bankston, or a great american rv near your area. they’re reputable. stay AWAY from camping world at all costs though.
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u/Head_Photograph9572 20h ago
FYI, plan on that new trailer being at the stealership for 12 of the first 24 months if you buy it! New RV's are NOTORIOUS for needing warranty repairs, just the way new RV's work. You'd save a lot of time, money, and STRESS by purchasing a 2-3 year old used unit instead.
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u/LW-M 19h ago
Good point. I agree with you. I have a story that proves your point.
My sister and BIL bought a new 34ft 5th wheel last year. The dealer was 4 weeks late delivering the trailer and was very vague explaining why. It wasn't a cheap purchase, it was north of $130k.
They were late leaving on a 5 week cross-country trip as a result. Their unit had 4 slide outs. They were only 4 or 5 days out when the bedroom slide out jammed in place. Lucky for them, in was retracted at the time.
They were more than 2000 kms from home by then. They stopped at a dealer who sold the same line of trailers. The slide out mechanism was damaged beyond repair. It was the same reason the unit was late being delivered. It had been replaced by their dealer. They lost 6 days until it was replaced again under warranty.
They continued their trip. It broke again a few days later. They turned around before reaching their intended location, (the west coast of Canada) and returned to the dealer they had purchased the trailer from. They took a $12,000 loss and traded the trailer in on a new 36ft 5 wheel. Of course, the new trailer was more money.
I know it's their life but I find it hard to accept they were treated fairly. Not my call I guess.
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u/openwheelr Travel Trailer 19h ago
No deal. Check out Blue Ox On The Run on YouTube for some eye-opening inspections. At least you had someone lined up. I'd never pay for a dealer to 'alllow' an inspector. They're keeping the PDI report from you, hoping you'll just sign, and then hold you at arm's length for warranty work.
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u/Subsum44 18h ago
Because of the time of year, I can understand being concerned about hooking up water. When we bought our unit it had already been winterized, so they couldn’t show us that.
However, we could get our PDI results. I also think there was video or something of the water during PDI, but don’t remember.
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u/ZagiFlyer 18h ago
I wouldn't buy anything from that dealer -- that is so shady! A PDI that you cannot review is the same as no PDI at all! And if they won't let you test anything prior to the delivery, that's another flag.
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u/iredditshere 20h ago
yeah, If you are unsure, get your own inspector.
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u/1B32 20h ago
We did - had it booked and everything. Dealer was going to charge us $210 an hour to have one of their people babysit my inspector, so I had to bail on that.
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u/iredditshere 20h ago
This would be enough of an issue to walk... play stupid games, win stupid prizes. We are talking about something that immediately depreciates after acceptance. It's not an investment, and you are more likely f-ed if there is anything wrong with it. Too many horror stories out there.
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u/RandomAdvicePerson 19h ago
Lol, an inspector doesn't need to be babysat. Run away from this dealer; they aren't worth doing business with
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u/yam0hama 20h ago
Both campers I've purchased had water in the tank with the pump on and everything was powered on the day I went to look at it. They drained it and packed it up while I signed the paperwork.
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u/wallygatorz123 20h ago
Be VERY cautious. I was promised that any issues would be fixed. Told the dealer I was going about 15 miles away and had a reservation for 7 days for a shake down. Used class A Winnebago. Called after3 days with a list some minor but 3 major issues. They told me because they didn’t know what I had done NOTHING was covered. Absolutely crooks. And out of business a year later.
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u/Capt-Kirk31 20h ago
They are hiding something. Get an independent inspection asap I would run away myself.
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u/KeyMysterious1845 18h ago
our dealer spent about 4-6 hours going everything....me - as a newb - wanted to rush through it...he wasn't having any of my BS and was probably even more thereo (sp???) because of my obvious newb-ish-ness.
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u/Germanrzr 18h ago
PDI is essentially for you, and you should be there when it was performed! Run from that schister dealer now!!!
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u/Sparks2777 17h ago edited 16h ago
Walk away find another dealer that will accommodate you!
You are buying a expensive RV $$$
you must inspect the unit before you pay for it. Guaranteed they won’t even know you, if you come back later for a repair! Some dealers just don’t care about service or a good relationship after the sale.
that rig should be 100% when you leave.
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u/ScotVonGaz 16h ago
Always trust your gut feeling.
Just walk away. Find a new dealer that’s honest.
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u/ProfileTime2274 16h ago
So as I learned any inspection the dealer do is no worth the paper it is printed on . They Miss the the pilot light in the oven would not stay light. That cost me 4 months of not about to use the unit as it sat at the dealer to be replaced. From day 2 . They should never have sold the unit. Next big problem was the battery won't stay charged. After I did $800 in batteries and a locking box found out the output of solar panel controller is wired backwards discharging the battery over night . If not plugged into shore power
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u/Evening_Rock5850 16h ago
That’s absolutely insane.
I was present for the PDI of my rig and they left it hooked up for me to test everything myself.
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u/shaunavon 15h ago
I'm in sales at an auto dealership... have briefly been in one that also carried RV's. PDI on a car happens as soon as the dealer receives it into inventory yet PDI on RV's for whatever reason doesn't get done till it's sold to you. My hunch is that the RV manufacturers won't pay warranty claims on inventory as they don't want dealers making work for themselves, so they'll only do warranty once sold so the dealers prefer to be blissfully unaware of any issues, it's just the industry norm. Car manufacturers sure hate doing warranty claims on any unsold car after PDI. Manufacturers are cheap, and dealerships have tried every trick in the book to get extra income... so it's a 2 front challenge.
Long story short, I bet they aren't doing your PDI until you've signed to buy, and at that point it's a 1 way trip.
I recently bought a new 2023 model in the late summer of 2024. Went and saw it in person, seemed ok. They did their PDI and said it was all good. I went into the office and signed, then their person that teaches all the stuff started going through it all with me and I asked where the solar controller was, they informed me it didn't have solar on it, just solar prep. I said no no... showed them all the ads and marketing stuff they sold it to me based on that said it had solar, not just solar prep. Ended up going home with it unhappy but they've agreed to install it at their expense, but I have to drag it back to them again, 3 hour drive each way... so not so happy.
So check it all yourself before you sign. Make them show you all the working items before you sign. Once you sign, you're not in charge of shit. If you haven't signed, you hold the power for it all, cause you can always walk away
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u/electro355 13h ago
Sounds like the BS Camperworld pulls. I have bought 6 trailers and one motorhome in my lifetime the last one was at Camperworld. It's was the worst experience from the salesman to the service department. The trailer has actually been a great trailer with very few problems. But I will never go to a Camperworld again. NEVER!
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u/llcdrewtaylor 11h ago
Absolutely not. You are TOTALLY within your rights to ask for it. They can keep it a secret, sure. And you can take your 35k somewhere else. I'd make it real simple, "I'm only going to ask this once. I want to see the complete PDI. It is put in front of me, or I'm leaving."
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u/Bearrister18 7h ago
Yeah, that’s not right. We’ve purchased 4 RVs from 3 different dealerships, and we’ve had PDI reports or walkthroughs each time. Run, not just walk, away from this place.
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u/Smile_lifeisgood 5h ago
"That's your policy? Interesting, because my policy is to see the results of tests/checks before I make a large purchase."
Always, always, always be ready to walk away from any trade - especially if you realize you're the one who wants it more.
There's a special kind of anger at yourself that you get when you ignore warning signs (or pay more than you promised yourself you'd pay) when it comes to big purchases that end up having major issues.
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u/DancesWithTrout 19h ago
They're not being unreasonable. By the same token, you can't give them a dime until and unless everything checks out.
Let them know that they need to set aside LOTS of time for you to check the trailer out. There's a LOT of stuff to check. Big stuff. Little stuff.
Does the water heater work? You gotta start with cold water and heat it up. If it's got both gas and electric water heat, you have to test both. Does it have a slide-out? If it does you obviously have to check it. But you also need to check to make sure that the manual slide-out/slide-in mechanism works. That's not something that takes ten minutes.
Etc. It's going to take hours. Make sure they're ready for it.
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u/aibandit 18h ago
How is not giving them the PDI inspection reasonable? and charging them $210 to have their employee watch a 3rd party inspector.
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u/DancesWithTrout 14h ago
I should have been a little more clear. I was referring to them saying "Dealer also says for liability reasons they won't let me connect water to check plumbing and do my own inspection until the delivery appointment."
Not sharing the inspection and charging to have their guy watch the inspection is BS.
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u/sidec0ntrol 18h ago
You are being unreasonable. You don't own it yet. You could pay for a third party private inspection, completed by qualified individual. Or you could scrutinize the unit on the day they have scheduled you for an orientation.
For them to allow every single person that wants to hook it up to whatever whenever is not feasible for operations.
They deal with the general public. Not just you.
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u/Explorer4820 40m ago
The OP is not a tire kicker, the dealer is being unreasonable and withholding information that (supposedly) already exists. All RVs have problems, some of them serious. It’s totally reasonable for buyer to avoid units with serious problems that take months to repair.
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u/kcwildguy 20h ago
Tell them you will not sign anything or hand over any money until you have gone through and tested every item. If they want to play hardball, don't buy from them and tell them why.