Dealer Prep?

We are new to the camper thing....we'll be picking up our 26rks on Saturday. The dealer plans to spend about 2 to 3 hours with us going over operational and maintenance subjects but we are wondering if you guys can give us a heads up about a "prep list". We are going into this with virtually no camper experience, however we've been looking for about 2 years...were very taken with Heartland! Help!!!None

Although a minor cosmetic issue, make sure they remove the factory stickers. Now I'm stuck doing it. Others will chime in with the more important items to check.

Yes, have them remove those stickers because the longer they are on the harder they are to get off. Make sure you have them show you how the slides operate with power or manually. Check for things that need to be corrected and have them do it on the spot. Most important do a check of the roof for any possible damage or areas were they missed caulking. Take your time and really look over the whole trailer. I even had my wife go back over the trailer and she found things that I had missed the 1st time. Then go out and enjoy your time in it.

Kevin

It is really important to know how things work. Have them show you how to work the water heater, the fridge, the heating and air conditioning, and the TV. If there is a dinette that converts to a bed, make them show you how to do the cushions. If you are mechanically inclined, find out why things work and where to start if they stop working. Write everything down!!

If your dealer doesn't provide a "starter kit" there is a lot of stuff you'll need to get you going. Someone suggested camping in the Walmart parking lot with your credit card til you get yourself stocked. The guy who did my PDI gave me a list as we went through the rig and my first trip to Camping World was about $200.00.

Good luck. I know you will love your rig and all the places it will take you. The people on this forum are the best. I hope you will get to go to a rally. Meet the people you talk with here.

Marybeth

You have received some very good advise. I also suggest you spend a couple days in the new trailer ASAP, use everything to insure they all work. When we bought our new BH last Dec. we went straight to an RV park and spent a few days living in it, you would be surprised with some of the little things that we found. They were the kind of things that if you were on a trip or vacation would really upset you and take the joy out of what should be a good time. These were not serious things just irritating things. We took it back to the dealer and they made all the repairs/adjustments and we were back on the road later the same day. It will also help you determine what kind of support you can expect from this dealer in the future.

Ow, one more thing. Since you are new to Rving, both of you need to pay close attention as to how to open and close the awning, this if it is a manual and I suspect it will be. I know it sounds dumb, but you can't believe how many times I have had new first time owners approach me in campgrounds asking if I know how to open thier awning.

Good Luck and Happy camping

http://www.bitware.com/5er/pdi.htm This is the PDI list DH used when he drove 2300 miles to get our Cyclone. We didn't want to have to go back in a couple of days. Take a DVD to watch a movie. Run all the water. Fill all the tanks. I spent 2 weeks going through this (Heartland Owners) website looking for the issues that owners were having with ALL models, just so we were prepared. Lost some sleep over it, but at least we knew that we were checking everything. Our dealer (Lakeshore RV) assigned 2 guys to our unit and they were at DH's beck and call. They made him stay overnight in their little campsite as well so he could do a really good job. So far, it has all paid off. We didn't find a lot wrong and haven't (knock on wood) found anything since that we can't fix ourselves. Good luck and enjoy your new trailer.

If you're new to RVing, you might want to take a video camera and tape them when they show you how to operate your systems, or for that matter, the whole walk-through. It's a lot to take in and try to remember, especially if this is your first rig, or a type new to you. It helps to have something to refer back to rather than trying to remember if they said turn this knob right or turn it left.

Thanks for all the great info you guys have given us...I think when we do our PDI, we'll go with knowledge and will feel much more confident.
Barb