As you’re already planning to hand over your hard earned money to buy an RV, many wonder, “Is it worth it to pay for an RV pre-purchase inspection? How much should I be paying?” I’m an NRVIA Certified Inspector, and my goal with this article is to give you the insights from someone who works in this industry everyday as my job, to help the buyers who are buying an RV perhaps only once or twice in their life (though admittedly, once you get into the RV life, many folks hardly ever stop at one!). I have a particular passion for helping first time shoppers and buyers navigate the process.
NRVIA Certified vs Other Options
There are several different options of RV inspections out there, and I understand how confusing the different options and pricings are. You may hear the dealership say “We do our own inspection” and they do! It’s called a PDI, and it’s focused on life safety issues. There are many great dealerships out there, but would you trust a house seller to do their own inspection before selling to you? Getting an independent RV inspection is just like getting a home inspection before purchase. As an NRVIA Certified Inspector that has done independent inspections AFTER the dealership does a PDI and found life safety and major issues on multiple rigs, I can safely say that the dealership PDI doesn’t find everything. At most dealerships, you’ll be paying for that PDI.
There is a national company that does RV inspections (you’ll find them if you google RV inspection and think citrus). Their pricing starts at $449….for an 8 page report with one picture generated from an hour on site. You can see my pricing and standards here. While my pricing cannot necessarily be applied to other NRVIA certified inspectors, you’ll see that the value of what you’ll get with an NRVIA level inspection is so much more on a per dollar basis.
The RVTI level 1 course also certifies an RV technician to “prepare an RV for customer delivery”, the PDI. It’s a 20 hour, online course designed for techs who are likely to work at a shop or service center. Having personal experience with this course, it’s valuable information, but in my professional opinion, can’t compare to the 3 weeks of in person training, the continuing education, and the standards of practice NRVIA requires. We are also expected to adhere to a code of ethics in our assessments.
The NRVIA Code of Ethics is to the benefit of the customers, the RV buyers. You can rest assured that we won’t list anything as broken simply so we can offer to fix it; we are not allowed to repair or upgrade anything on the RV for a year post-inspection. Instead, we will refer you to a tech locator so you can make the best choice for yourself on who you would like to work on your RV. We are also not allowed to accept any sort of compensation, monetarily or otherwise, from dealerships, so we won’t “not find” something in order to protect the dealership or the sale. We work for you, not the dealership.
Breaking Down the Cost of an RV Inspection
Inspecting an RV isn’t comparable to a home inspection or a vehicle inspection. A brick and sticks doesn’t have slides, it doesn’t have wheels, etc. A vehicle does not have stovetops, or a shower and sinks. It is true that the standards of RV construction are not the same as sticks and bricks OR the automotive industry construction either. So while an average home inspection may only take 2-3 hours, even the most basic level from an NRVIA on a 22′ travel trailer can take 4 hours because of all the moving parts. Extra care is needed precisely because the RV industry does not have the same standards as house building or the automotive industry.
RV inspectors need to be experienced in all of the different systems in an RV: propane, electrical (which includes shore power, 12V house battery power, possible generator and solar), structural, plumbing, and mechanical (tires and axles), as well as all the interior “fit and finish” components. We need to be able to recognize when something doesn’t work at efficiency or if it was built wrong, which happens more than you’d think. As a buyer, you don’t know what you don’t know, and oftentimes you’re only aware there’s an issue when something breaks or even worse, if something threatens your safety (tire failure, CO exposure, etc).
Another factor is the industry- the going rate for RV technicians whether mobile or at a shop is anywhere from $100-$200+/hour depending on where you are in the country. Breaking down a 9 hour inspection (+1-2 hours report writing + travel) on a Class A at an example $1300 ends up dropping towards the low end of that going rate (at $118/hr). Add in the typical small business costs of insurance, association fees, software, and the specialized equipment, and the actual paid rate drops even lower.
The Value of an NRVIA Certified RV Inspection
While I agree that the price of an RV inspection running $500-$1300+ is not pocket change, it should be considered an investment in getting the best deal possible AND possible saving you and your family from a life safety issue or a costly or time consuming issue, especially on vacation. The cost of an inspection seems trivial when you compare it to possible expenses for hidden issues that wouldn’t have been uncovered otherwise.
Another few industry norms: if you take your RV to a shop for an issue, the average is 37 days with parts in stock to fix the issue. Parts not in stock? You can easily double that time (that’s almost three months in the shop for a little quick math). Calling a mobile tech instead? The standard is the charge $100-$150 just to come out to your rig, not including diagnosing time, and repair time. This is not to say these are unreasonable standards, as they are trying to make a living too, but rather to adjust any unrealistic expectations.
The report will give you the information you need and can act as a negotiation tool. You may decide to ask the seller to lower the price given any repairs to be made, or ask the dealer to make the repairs before the sale (saving you time and money!), or have the info reaffirm your decision to buy. You can even use your report down the road for future maintenance or emergency repairs, showing a snapshot of the history of the RV.
An extra set of eyes/hands on the RV helps prevent minor issues from becoming major headaches. I occasionally post on my social media the things that an NRVIA inspection found that was previously missed in a PDI or by the buyers doing their own inspection. Unfortunately I receive quite a few calls from people that did not get a pre-purchase inspection and say things like “I think I made a big mistake” or “I paid for a (dealership) PDI but I don’t think it was done because of (xyz) not working”. I’ve found water damaged slideouts, delaminated rear walls, improperly sealed water heater propane lines, open grounds on the electrical system, and more.
When should you hire an RV inspector?
Experienced RV buyers know the value of an inspection whether buying new or used, from a dealership or a private sale like Facebook. Even if you don’t plan to live in it full time, and even if you think you’re getting a good price for it, getting an inspection helps to make you make an informed decision about buying. In other words, a pre-purchase inspection, or before you sign anything, is the best time to do an inspection. Just like getting a home inspection done before closing, getting a pre-purchase inspection is the most valuable time to get one.
To summarize, get a pre-purchase inspection on all RV’s, whether new, or used, dealership or private sale.
Go to www.nrvia.org/locate and enter the zipcode of where the RV is. To learn more about an inspector, click on a pin within the map or click on the “View Profile” link to see their photo, business name, business website, phone number, email address, a brief description of their business, their credentials, and any vital information. To schedule an appointment, visit the inspector’s website for more information, email or call them directly.