Losing Industry Tradesmen & Parts Resources

[throgmartin]

[I got the shock of my life last week when I was notified that Elkhart Sales & Service has closed their doors.]

Well it appears I was wrong on one item as Marv Miller, owner of ESS called me and said they are not closing down but remaining in business.

However Tom Bompus has gotten another job and will be leaving ESS. As I stated earlier, this is a loss for the RV industry. Tom is leaving the RV world with a huge knowledge base in Monaco/HR coaches. That type of experience is extremely hard to replace.

If anyone has questions about appointments with ESS I suggest you contact them directly. I promised Marv I would correct my earlier statement. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

 

For those of you who are not familiar with ESS, it was a service center located in Elkhart. They had been in business for decades and the shop was managed by a very dear friend of mine Tom Bumpus. For those of you who do not know Tom, he was a walking Monaco encyclopedia as he worked in Monaco's R & D center as well as later in his career was a supervisor in the factory service center. He was known as one of the very best with Monaco's electrical systems and carried schematics in his head. Tom at one point was one of the Factories " super tech's ". There were 2 Monaco had on staff. One covered the Western USA and Tom covered the East. When a dealer could not figure out a problem with a coach the factory flew Tom in to fix it.

Let me first dispel any rumors that ESS was in financial trouble. That simply is NOT true. They were heavily booked with appointments and were financially in good shape. The problem was the same thing many shops are experiencing - staff. It is hard to find workers and even harder to find qualified technicians. Tom was not able to do all the work on his own and training a new employee is a long expensive process. Tom decided to head to an industry far removed from RV's. He is making a lot more money and the physical demands are more line with a guy his age.

But there is one other problem with the Tom's walking away and that is the loss of experts in the RV industry. This is my second buddy who has left the RV industry and moved on to greener pastures. Both started working for Monaco when they were in their late teens / early 20's. Both, after so many years were burnt out. The closing of the Factory, then both going out on their own took its toll on them. The loss to the industry and more importantly Monaco owners is tremendous. There are no replacements for these guys as it takes years to build a large knowledge base of Monaco coaches.

I look around and consider the changes I myself have seen and it is worrisome. The old Alliance in Wildwood, FL is a perfect example. It was staffed by former Monaco factory technicians who were excellent technicians. Alliance was the go to place for Monaco owners. Then Lazy Days bought them. The last I checked they have one former Alliance technician left. I think of some of the best Monaco techs ( all former factory techs ) who are still working as techs and they are all aging out. What happens when these guys hang up their tool bags and retire or walk out and go into another industry ? It leaves Monaco coach owners with less experienced techs to work on their coaches.

I find this all worrisome. Tom and PJ are very dear friends and I know when I have a problem coach on my lot they are a phone call away to consult with me. But it still does not replace having those skilled hands working on a coach. These are just random thoughts of mine I am having while drinking my morning coffee.

[Tom Cherry]

IRONICALLY, I have been reaching out to some way old and trusted resources.  I have talked to Brett Howard twice within the past few months.  He is a true gentleman and takes time to offer his history and wisdom.  He is still managing a full service sales and repair dealership and is still a Monaco owner.

He discussed “our” plight.  REV has classified us as “Legacy”.  I think that means that the ORIGINAL Monaco (pre March 2009) units are totally unsupported as to parts….especially the critical ones.  That MIGHT include the Navistar editions as well.  Now, that is NOT a blanket statement….as Rev does have some older parts or pieces parts….on their site.  But for all intents and purposes, we are “on our own”.

The other thing, and @Frank McElroypointed this out, there is a shortage, almost a hoarding, of Intellitec parts for the rigs.  This includes the Multiplex modules and key pads and the custom boards for the Dynasty and higher FRB & RRB.  M&M, per a buddy that is a the owner and chief Tech for a small, but very knowledgeable shop, says that M&M is not as forthcoming and their prices, based on his comments and others here are totally outpacing inflation….  Frank kept a weather eye out for Intellitec….and, in general, the onesies San twosies….as well as the “have a bunch of NOS listings have vanished.  

I looked for a Throttle actuator the other day for reference.  There used to be many of them as Freightliner used the same Kongsburg unit.  NOPE….very few and they are all in the $800 range.

Along those same lines, Brett commented that a CCM (Chassis Control Module), USED, had been sold for upwards of $20K.  Frank’s comments was that he had also seen or heard that and an Insurance company had been involved….YEEOUCH!

Not a great commentary…..Thanks for passing this along.

[Fasthobie16]

Finding new people to train in a profession is very hard. The young folks now are taught that everything should be given to them. Move up instantly. You don’t have to earn it. It’s just a “job” not a career. Move on to the next one. Not much work ethic out there now. We’ve spoiled our younger generations by giving them what they want, not what they needed. Guess you could call that discipline. Also we’ve become a “ throwaway society “.  If it’s  broke don’t fix it. Get a new one.  Now days you can’t even get a new one sometimes. Supply chain is foreign. I could go on and on.
2000 Monaco Dynasty 40”

Do my own maintenance and repairs with help sometimes. 

[Gary 05 AMB DST]

I'm glad my bought new, 05 Ambassador DST is old school. Real wires, no DEF. Not by choice, it was the only model I could afford.

Gary 05 AMB DST

I'm glad my bought new, 05 Ambassador DST is old school. Real wires, no DEF. Not by choice, it was the only model I could afford.

Gary 05 AMB DST

[Craggar]

Unfortunately it is the same in every industry, very few young trades people are more than just parts  changers these days. And, if you're a small business and find a good one the chances of keeping them are almost nil. The large companies can offer so much more usually that it's hard for them to say no when offered a job. Then when they go there the big companies don't see as much profit in trouble shooting so they are taught to be parts changers. That was one of the reasons I shut my shop down and moved on to something else.

   

[Bill R]

It has been just over 1 year since purchasing my Windsor.  First time owner of a Class A.  I have learned a tremendous amount about my coach in that one year from this forum (the list of names is too long to list) and IRV2.  Have done many of my own repairs by using the resources here (people and documents).  Hopefully, a younger generation like myself (59 y.o.), will pick the torch up, although I do recognize that those with expert knowledge are irreplaceable.  For those of you with such knowledge, keep passing the torch as you do.

[Rikadoo]

I too wish to throw in my 2cents in that before a couple ole friends an i decided to retire we continually told managment to give us some trainees to work with cause the steady decline of talented workers was happening fast. There answer was always the same, we cant afford it an they were EXPECTING the non trained to be able to carry a full work load. 
The three of us retired two years ago, an i can tell you the impact on our customer base has been really tough. We worked for a bay area Ford store that primarily worked on Diesel an automatic transmissions, we all get calls to “ help them” or” “when ya comin back” statements. We help when we can but the work load hasnt changed an so many jobs are sent out half assed, that always seem to find a wrecker to drag them back to the shop for another try at it. Diesel is a hard an dirty job however there were some who were willing, but between the learning curve, plus the personal tools required, an because of the pay structure always batteling for a decient REGULAR wage became such a difficult task, many just give up, or the ones who do have the skills whore themselfs to the highest bidder. Now these issues seem to be what i know here in California, an though i dont know how the rest of the country is doing im sure its pretty much the same. Its sad to watch just whats happening, an for the most part i am able to keep up with my own rig an help my close friends, however i know those days are numbered. 
For me my excitment in the trades was the thrill of the chase, recognize and dealing with a problem that I was able to overcome, that sound when the engine started, or fixing a problem no one else could find, or the satisfaction of the customer saying Thank You and really mean it, by bringing cookies or what ever to show there appreciation. Those are traits that have to be taught an accepted by the individual, as well as talent. Its not just a job, its a dedication, that many just dont understand. I wish all well as i struggle to learn all i can about my abilty to understand fishing, keeping my own coach in good shape, keeping my bride satisfied an the rest of things i always took for granted while i keeped the trucks on the road.

[cbr046]

I agree, there's too much emphasis on college degrees, not enough on trades . . . .

MAYBE THIS OPENS AN OPPORTUNITY

I'm sure there are still good techs around, those that research the problem and take the time to do the job right.  And there are yet to be trained young men & women willing to dig into a problem rather than just fix it and move on.  Marry them (skill wise) to a saavy business person, advertise their skill set, advertise their reputation and give them an opportunity to drive or even fly around the country taking care of those difficult issues, even for other dealers.  Be the YouTube "AZ Expert" and charge what your time is worth.  He gives a lot away for free on YouTube, but I'm sure he commands a decent price for his services.  Who wouldn't want him working on their coach?

Sadly, when a shop gets hold of a tech like this they aren't willing to send them outside their service area - they're swamped with inside jobs (right, Chris? @throgmartin) so the shop has to close to free up these techs.

Chris, with ESS closing there's probably some good techs up for grabs.  Think any of them would enjoy some FL Sunshine?

When one door closes . . . . another one opens. 

- bob

[Chuck B 2004 Windsor]

MAYBE THIS OPENS AN OPPORTUNITY  

For who?   Monaco coach and Holiday Rambler are a dying brand!!  If I were in the market for a coach new or used, I would not purchase a brand that is no longer around, a brand where I cannot take it to the nearest dealer in my area for service.  

There are a lot of owners who still work a job, raise a family, and do not have time to perform their own repair issues.  When it comes for their time off like long weekends or vacation, they do not want to drive down the blvd a few miles only to break down on the side of the road waiting for a tow to the nearest repair facility.  

Many of the coach owners on this site are retired old farts I call seasoned citizens.  Many would rather try to get their big over weighted self under a coach to try to repair the issue than reach in their back pocket for their wallet to pay for a tech to repair their coach.  Nothing wrong with that if you fit the puzzle.  

Then the repair facilities find the need for qualified repair techs.  Good luck.  

The last time I looked, the average person who lives in good town America has a family there.  They do not want to leave their family area going to Florida to set up a new lifestyle.  

I do not know about the community you live in, but in southern Mississippi, almost all businesses have a help wanted sign in their window. 

My rant for this week, sorry. 

[bklaes]

"Elkhart Sales & Service has closed their doors."

Sad news indeed.   I'm in Indiana and ESS is my go to for specialized-Monaco service.  ESS (Tom & Marvin) were always welcomed participants at the annual Maintenance Session in Goshen.   Tom is the best, no question.  It would be great if Marvin could keep it going with the other competent techs that worked there. 

[Chuck B 2004 Windsor]

Most businesses I know of are open for one thing, that is to make a profit for their owners.  As the steady stream of profit becomes a small drip, they close.

I live in southern Mississippi which is considered by most to be the poorest state,  the going rate for pay is at least $30 plus dollars an hour.  Unless your business is good at what they are doing, the drip dries up.  Plus we live in a new generation which has it's own problems.  

I keep telling my wife that I am glad I am 81 instead of 51 in these days and times.

[throgmartin]

I really screwed up with my original post above. I should have mentioned that this forum is extremely important to Monaco owners. The wisdom of some of our senior members, the files, schematics, drawings, member input helps solve many problems for coach owners here. As time goes on and more experts leave the industry, this forum will become even more valuable as a resource to owners.

If I am allowed, let me play out a scenario to show just how important having experienced Monaco techs is for coach owners. John Doe takes his coach to XYZ dealership for a slide problem. The dealer assigns a tech who typically works on Winnebagos, Thors, Tiffins, etc. The tech eats up 2 hours of diagnosis time and finds the problem. He then spends 3 hours adjusting and fixing the slide. The customer leaves and at his next stop puts out his slide and finds it is binding and operating hard. Now the customer is left with finding another dealership to fix his slide and he now faces another repair bill. This scenario plays out all the time.

Every week we have a customer who pulls into our service lot with a slide issue, leak or some other problem. It typically takes myself, Dustin or Mike 10 minutes to diagnose the problem and an hour to fix it. Why ? Because 90 % of our work is on Monaco's and we have probably seen that issue 200 times before and know the correct adjustment to make. When you work on a specific brand day in and day out you learn all of the little tricks. You also know exactly where to look for a given problem because you have seen it so many times before. I could write a book on the failed repairs we have seen done by inexperienced techs who didn't have a clue when it came to Monaco coaches. Some of the repairs we have had to un-cluster which cost's the owners a lot of money.

This was my reason for posting this topic. Each coach brand has their own inherent issues and while many brands share the same systems, the build process brings forth many different methods used that if you do not know can be a real headache to repair. As a business owner I should be happy but to be honest I am not. My company should not be a busy as it is. We should not be having to fix repairs and poor workmanship that was made by another shop. We should not be booked out months in advance for appointments. In a perfect world you should be able to drive your coach onto a service lot and have a repair made in a high quality matter and requires no future work. But the RV world is far from perfect. I hate having to show a customer a problem that a half Azz'ed technician created by not knowing how a Monaco is built.  

I have 4 young techs and they are all like my kids. I am proud of them all, their pride in workmanship and their dedication to learning Monaco brand coaches. I admit I am not the easiest person to work for as I demand perfection. Thankfully I have a staff that day in and day out goes the extra mile for me, our customers and they go home at night with a smile because they took pride in their work. Unfortunately we have an industry loaded with technicians who look at their job as nothing more then a paycheck. 

Rant over.....................

[Chuck B 2004 Windsor]

It is sad that what you posted is true in this generation.  A generation back workers were proud of their vocation doing their job to the best of their ability.  Being the best you can be at your vocation was a great trait.  

[Scotty Hutto]

@throgmartin My reaction is that you have shown us part of the solution with what you gave done over the past few years.  We (Monaco owners) need to ensure that we are willing to pay to have the services of folks like Bethany and Dustin, and as customers show our appreciation for what they do. Part of it is up to us to make them want to stay in this business!  

But I will also say that we all have a point where we will decide to hang up the hooks and gloves, or at least do less climbing.  😉

[throgmartin]

16 hours ago, Scotty Hutto said:

@throgmartin My reaction is that you have shown us part of the solution with what you gave done over the past few years.  We (Monaco owners) need to ensure that we are willing to pay to have the services of folks like Bethany and Dustin, and as customers show our appreciation for what they do. Part of it is up to us to make them want to stay in this business!  

But I will also say that we all have a point where we will decide to hang up the hooks and gloves, or at least do less climbing.  😉

Scotty:

The financials of an RV service company is also a factor of companies selling out or closing down. The costs of running a business like this is staggering. Taxes, workers comp, unemployment taxes, liability insurance, utilities, mortgage and of course payroll which in itself is a killer. Parts are another factor. The prices keep going up with no end in sight and even the costs associated with tracking down these parts are horrendous as hours can be spent by staff tracking down an individual part that costs $ 25. The math doesn't add up when you consider you pay $ 50 for staff time to find a part that you make $ 5 off in margins. The margins are also getting thinner and we try hard to hold our costs in line so as not to gouge our customers so we end up eating some of the price increases. AC units is a perfect example. They have almost doubled in price since Covid. I hate to cry a river but these stresses all add up to burn out and makes you wonder why you subject yourself to these pressures every day. And of course, ask any business owner and they will tell you their business is a 24/7 affair. You can never escape the pressures of owning a company.

One other glaring problem are the customers themselves. A lot of the RV service center owners and managers talk among ourselves. We discuss parts, production, scheduling and almost ll of us belong to the FRVTA association which holds monthly meetings. One thing we all have noticed is the attitude of RV customers and how it has changed in the last 2 years. 95 % of our customers are golden and excellent to work with. But we get that one customer every couple months that requires either me or Bethany to ban them from our property. They are the ones who are never happy and would complain if you served them cold ice cream. They get verbally abusive and can cause chaos. I ban them from our service lot and pass their name off to other service centers so they are aware that this individual is a royal PITA. This year alone I have banned 4 customers and one the Sheriff served notice to never step foot on our property again.

Tom Bumpus and I used to share customer names with one another and I do the same with certain service centers in Florida where I know the owner and or manager. They do the same with us and will pass on problem customers names. If they call for an appointment they wont get one. You hate doing it but I will not subject my staff to jack asses who drive onto our lot, make demands and then nickel and dime us to death. A lot of these customers are frustrated over the high cost of repairs and some are financially up against the wall. I am sorry for their frustrations but I am not their punching bag and neither is my staff. I also wont be shaken down for money or threatened with legal action.

I just find it sad that we have lost 2 good shops this year - Elkhart Sales and Service and Smokey Mountain Coach Works. Both served the Monaco owners community for many years with great service and expertise in their given area. I hate to think that someday all that will be left are the Lazy Day's, General RV's and Camping World service centers as the independent shops continue to close down.

 

[Chuck B 2004 Windsor]

FWIW, lets go one step further.  Post the names of those difficult owners And Ban them from this group.  I would not want to give any help on this group to Any of them!!!

[Tom Cherry]

2 minutes ago, Chuck B 2004 Windsor said:

FWIW, lets go one step further.  Post the names of those difficult owners And Ban them from this group.  I would not want to give any help on this group to Any of them!!!

OK, Chuck…. 

Let’s let that motion die for lack or a second and move on…..otherwise this topic will be closed.

Thanks for understanding as well as realizing the reality of the situation….

Chis has been very candid and forthcoming and his liability insurance and legal expenses from such would shut him down….

Thanks…

 

[throgmartin]

4 minutes ago, Chuck B 2004 Windsor said:

FWIW, lets go one step further.  Post the names of those difficult owners And Ban them from this group.  I would not want to give any help on this group to Any of them!!!

That would open me up for a law suit. I have a policy of dealing with issues behind closed doors and out of the public eye. I will never reveal the names of individuals or companies/dealers.

There has only been one customer who was a major PITA that was a member here. I dealt with him accordingly and he is probably still searching for a service center that will book an appointment for him. The one that I had to get the Sheriff involved in was not a Monaco owner. If he had been a member I would have contacted Dave Pratt directly.

I am thankful 95 % of our customers are awesome to deal with, are respectful, have common sense and trust us to always do the right thing.

 

[jimc99999]

There's always the "nobody wants to work anymore" line, but many of you got to start working when conditions were much better than today. For example, in 1980, according to US Department of Labor statistics, helpers and laborers made around $10/hr in 1980, and the average journeyman tradesman wage was around $13/hr. Accounting for inflation (CPI adjustment), that would put labors and helpers averaging $38/hr today, and the cost of housing (one of the biggest costs for people nowadays) has increased faster than the CPI. If a tradesman with a few years experience could make $15/hr in 1980, they should be making $57/hr today. My father retired after 20 years of form carpentry a few years ago and he was making less than $20/hr. 

One thing I'm curious about is the mention that ESS couldn't find techs, although they were in business for decades. So my guess would be that as the techs gained experience, they figured out they could make more money elsewhere, and so they went elsewhere. Most of you didn't stick with a job for mediocre pay out of loyalty to the business owner either, otherwise you wouldn't be here on a Monaco forum.  Now realistically, if Tom was able to easily transition to a new position making a lot more money despite having a fully-booked schedule for the business, then maybe the repair rates being charged just can't support a decent business. But obviously, it's going to be tough to have a good business trying to do quality work for Lazydayz rates. But if your techs can make just as much money working 3 days a week whenever they feel like it as a self-employed handyman, why shouldn't they?

I don't really have anything to offer as a solution. I'm 50, I've worked on my own cars and have done several repairs on the RV as well, and while I'm slow because I don't do it often, if I was a tech I'd be a good tech. But it would take $150K+ for me to go work for someone else doing hard work, since I could make even more doing relatively cushy computer programming. And that's likely what's happened over the years; everyone wants the master tech but nobody wants to pay for the master tech, and many businesses don't want to train anyone. Anyone who can master working on things like RVs with all the interconnected systems, can also become a software developer and make twice as much for half the work.

Edit: actually several of the software developers and other technical people I've worked with over the years were into modifying cars, track days and racing, stuff like that, and if software/computers was not a career option many of us would have been rv/auto/airplane engineers.

Edited October 16, 2022 by jimc99999

[throgmartin]

Well it appears I was wrong on one item as Marv Miller, owner of ESS called me and said they are not closing down but remaining in business.

However Tom Bompus has gotten another job and will be leaving ESS. As I stated earlier, this is a loss for the RV industry. Tom is leaving the RV world with a huge knowledge base in Monaco/HR coaches. That type of experience is extremely hard to replace.

If anyone has questions about appointments with ESS I suggest you contact them directly. I promised Marv I would correct my earlier statement. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by throgmartin

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, throgmartin said:

Well it appears I was wrong on one item as Marv Miller, owner of ESS called me and said they are not closing down but remaining in business.

However Tom Bompus has gotten another job and will be leaving ESS. As I stated earlier, this is a loss for the RV industry. Tom is leaving the RV world with a huge knowledge base in Monaco/HR coaches. That type of experience is extremely hard to replace.

If anyone has questions about appointments with ESS I suggest you contact them directly. I promised Marv I would correct my earlier statement. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

 

You ought to suggest to Tom that he set up a website.  Don’t know about the later Corvettes, but there were several CHEVY techs that worked the dealer’s GM hotlines and knew about every little nance or issue that GM handled with a TSB or had in their notes.  There were a few specialists also the did restoration.  There was a list of them and they fielded calls.  You paid a fixed few for say 15-20 minutes.  Then you went on in 5 minute blocks. I think the initial call was $50, then $15 for each 5 minute block.

NOT SOME INTERNET STORY.  I had a specific “skip” issue with my 1994 and the dealer couldn’t pin it down.  One phone call on the issue and what specific parts to replace and the dealer fixed it.

Bet there’s a lot of “LEGACY” Monaco Owners that would use a paid service or some techs or repair shops…..

[jimc99999]

10 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

You ought to suggest to Tom that he set up a website.  Don’t know about the later Corvettes, but there were several CHEVY techs that worked the dealer’s GM hotlines and knew about every little nance or issue that GM handled with a TSB or had in their notes.  There were a few specialists also the did restoration.  There was a list of them and they fielded calls.  You paid a fixed few for say 15-20 minutes.  Then you went on in 5 minute blocks. I think the initial call was $50, then $15 for each 5 minute block.

NOT SOME INTERNET STORY.  I had a specific “skip” issue with my 1994 and the dealer couldn’t pin it down.  One phone call on the issue and what specific parts to replace and the dealer fixed it.

Bet there’s a lot of “LEGACY” Monaco Owners that would use a paid service or some techs or repair shops…..

While crossing the country, one of my brake relay valves started leaking. I stopped at a truck stop in Wyoming, got them to look at it, and they verified that it was leaking. They then asked for the coach VIN so they could try to find the part. I gave them the VIN but told them they were definitely getting nowhere with that, but that it should be a standard air system part and any similar part that would fit should work. They didn't really understand that, so I called Source Engineering (they had done some chassis work for me previously) to ask if they thought this was a standard part, and what I could tell the shop to help get this fixed. The guys at Source took time out of their day to convince the service manager this was a standard part and any brake relay valve with the same number of inputs and outputs would work. The shop found a part that would work, got it installed, and I was on my way; lucky, this was 5pm on a Friday by now and parts shops were closed for the weekend. I called Source the following Monday to let them know how much I appreciated their help and tried to give them money but they were just happy I was able to continue my trip and wouldn't take anything. 

But my point is that I'm sure many of us would actually like to pay for a support service like that, rather than hope for the kindness of strangers. While I knew the part should be relatively standard, I didn't know the right terms to convince the service manager who just knew that RVs are different, and that he should be able to just call someone with a VIN like he can probably do for a Freightliner tractor chassis. Chris T mentioned techs unfamiliar with the chassis screwing up things like slide adjustments, but he or his techs could probably tell that tech that's seen a few other slides what specifically to do in just a few minutes. A 10 minute phone call turning a 2-hour trial/error into a 10-minute adjustment saves a lot of money at $150+/hr shop rates.

Similarly, when I recently had a tire blowout, after it seemed like Coachnet might take a while to find someone I called several mobile tire services as well. The big difference? Not one of them answered my call, and not one of them even returned my call after leaving a voicemail.  Meanwhile Coach-net found a shop with a tire in stock that came out on a Sunday night to replace a tire so we could be on our way in the morning. 

Anyway, I'd be happy to pay a Coach-net style yearly membership fee as well as a per-incident support fee for something like this. As a DIYer it would be nice to have the option for DIY support as well. For example, that same cross-country trip also involved a generator failure, error code 19, which was a 30 minute fix I could have done in the Walmart parking lot where it occurred, but it took 2+ hours of research to find the right IRV thread where someone mentioned the governor wires right behind the side cover.  

Another example: the furnace stopped working right after I bought the coach, and the Cummins shop that did oil/filters/chassis lube and a couple other small things told me it would be an hour of shop labor to remove the furnace to diagnose, and an hour to reinstall whether they fixed it or not, so I passed. (I can hear the eyes rolling if anyone has read this far.) When I decided I needed to get it fixed, the first shop I checked was booked out several months, but he referred me to a mobile tech that specialized in older units that offered to come out at 8pm on a Thursday because it was winter, so I asked if there was anything I could do to prep so he didn't have to be there too late. He laughed and said the furnace comes out in 10 minutes, he'd bet anything it was the motor, and if I was handy he could just tell me how to do it. So that ended up being an easy fix. I called the same mobile tech a month later when the AC didn't pass through on the inverter after I'd taken a short trip, and he told me to smack it a couple times and let him know if that fixed it before he had to charge me for the trip (it did). I also tried to pay him for the expert knowledge since he'd saved me a lot of money in mobile service calls and I didn't want to be taking advantage of him but he was just happy to pass on helpful info.

It would be nice to have the option to pay for expert help rather than the sheer luck of getting in touch with the right RV tech when I'm having a problem in an unfamiliar place. 

Edited October 18, 2022 by jimc99999

[cbr046]

8 hours ago, jimc99999 said:

. . . .  but he referred me to a mobile tech that specialized in older units that offered to come out at 8pm on a Thursday because it was winter, so I asked if there was anything I could do to prep so he didn't have to be there too late. He laughed and said the furnace comes out in 10 minutes, he'd bet anything it was the motor, and if I was handy he could just tell me how to do it. So that ended up being an easy fix. I called the same mobile tech a month later when the AC didn't pass through on the inverter after I'd taken a short trip, and he told me to smack it a couple times and let him know if that fixed it before he had to charge me for the trip (it did). I also tried to pay him for the expert knowledge since he'd saved me a lot of money in mobile service calls and I didn't want to be taking advantage of him but he was just happy to pass on helpful info.

Would this mobile tech be in North Georgia by any chance?  Someday I'm going to need someone and mobile techs are popping out of the woodwork (thanks to online training academies).  A GOOD tech is worth their weight.  Waiting on a shop appointment is ludicrous. 

- bob

[Gary 05 AMB DST]

 If members would post the contact information for the preferred service provider with just a simple posting we could start our own list of service reps per state and carry in the MH. I already have a short list that I have gotten from magazines like FMCA.

Gary 05 AMB DST

 

[Scotty Hutto]

U

YES! Please post those here:

https://www.monacoers.org/forum/20-rv-service-reviews/