So we sprung a leak! The leak was probably there from the beginning and got progressively worse over time as we drove the van. We mentioned in previous posts the pump kicks in when every few minutes, and then, the discovery of the ominous puddle under the van during our last trip.
Well, there is warranty on the van so we are not too worried. We called Carado service on September 10 and described the issue. They said, no problem, bring it in, but they can only see us in November. If we need it done earlier, which we do, we can take the van to the nearest dealer for service.
That’s good to know since the is a dealership that is relatively close to us. We did try to find the leak before calling to see if we can fix it ourselves, but couldn’t find any sign of moisture in the compartment where the pump is located. All of the pipes that were attached to it seemed fine and dry.
We called the dealership to see if we can book an appointment for service and after a couple of tries and a message that wasn’t returned we got a hold of a person. They can fit us in on September 26 – 15 days from now. Our planned trip to Gaspé will be around the same time, so this will not work for us. We called Forest City Motorohomes, our trusted dealer, who is about 2.5 hours away, and yes, they can see us the next day! Sweet!
Tony decided to try one more thing and pulled out the fridge and the drawer beside it to see if he can find the leak behind it.
Bingo. Both hot and cold supply lines to the kitchen sink were there and were not tightened properly. Both leaked.
Tony was able to tighten both lines and we left the fridge out with a fan blowing on the space to make sure it dries completely. Luckily we didn’t have the water pump running for too long so there was no damage to the subfloor.
We checked that the shower connections (located behind he access panel next to the toilet)
and the toilet water intake…all were tight, secure, and dry!
The pump works smoothly now and kicks in only when invited to do so like a well-behaved pump should.
This little exercise in addition to some other minor installation issues made us think a little about the industry, and it looks like there a couple of issues here:
- is the quality of work affected by growing demand? Are manufacturers struggling to find reliable installers hence the quality of production and quality control is lacking?
- is there more stress on the service side of this business because of industry growth, but also because of lowered standards and workmanship?
It does look like the company stands firmly behind its product and provides good warranty. Is this enough to offset the 2 issues outlined above?
Is the industry going to be able to keep up with the growing demand? This business is growing at a rapid rate with both aging Baby Boomers (guilty) and Millennial (I may be responsible for that as well if one of my offsprings purchases one) joining the RVers forces.
According to the National RV Dealer Association 6 million campers were added to the market since 2014 and the trend is sill showing upward mobility. Can they keep up and provide us with good, timely service?
This is of course a first, anecdotal experience that may not reflect the real state of the industry so it will be interesting to hear from you about your experience with quality of work and service. Do you feel that the industry is able to catch up with the demand?
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