# New Outback 28BH-S



## ccauthor (Jul 30, 2004)

You won't believe this!







I ordered a 28 BH-S four week ago, well it came in today and my salesperson call me to let me know it was in,







however, there was a problem.







The problem was I sent them a PDI almost 3 weeks ago and at the time it was not a problem.







Now that it is here I have been told that I cannot conduct the PDI until after I sign all of the papers







and it belongs to me, they can't have "me working on their rig"







and It is too costly for them to have a tech. do all of the test that I am requiring. I'm feeling this is definitely a deal breaker.









Has anyone else had any such experience?


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Walk away from it. Tell the dealer you know others do PDI's before they sign and you won't sign until the unit is inspected. In my case the I spent some time after going through the camper on my own, I can understand they don't have hours and hours for each customer. But I declined to sign until I was done, I found a couple minor issues and they fixed them and I was on my way. Honestly any dealer that wouldn't do a complete PDI or at least allow me wouldn't get my business.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I agree, you should do the walk thru first. We've bought two trailers and both of them we went throught thoroughly with a tech before going in to sign the paperwork.

Mike


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

I agree with the others. No decent dealership is going to make you do this after you sign. Of course, this will be a pain and a huge disappointment to you and yours, but in the end it may turn out for the better. They have absolutely no incentive to make any repairs, ect once they have their funds and you've signed. You will be able to find another dealer who will respect you and they may even have the one you'r looking for in stock! Better yet, maybe you'll reorder one and get a better deal! If you stick with this dealer and they are treating you like this now, are you going to feel comfortable and happy to return to them for standard dealings??? I sure as heck wouldn't.

Good luck.


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Totally agree with the other posts. If they want your money they need to respect your right to know what you are getting before you leave the lot.

Push the issue and tell them it's a deal breaker.

Wayne


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

The PDI is a very well known practice among RV retailers and is absolutely a common practice. In fact I just read an article about it again last night in the Good Sam magazine "Highways". They say to not even consider signing until the PDI is completeted. I would be very suspicious. A deal breaker indeed.


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Please advise as to what PDI means?

Something, something Inspection?


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## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

Pre-Delivery Inspection.

Don't feel bad....I didn't know either when we first started this TT process.









Have a great day! sunny


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Why do some folks recommend the PDI be done before signing papers?

If you do your PDI due diligence correctly (after signing finance papers or not), the dealer must resolve any un-satisfactory issues prior to absolute delivery.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Basically because at that point you have accepted the trailer, and the repairs will be done at the dealers time. Most of us have good dealers, but once you accept it the dealer may need to call for approval before they can do the warranty work. If the trailer has only a few problems its one thing but if you find major issues you may not want that trailer after all. To me the dealer is more inclined to fix things quick and right to get the trailer sold and out the door than after its sold. This isn't just an Outback issue, but if you read rv.net you'll see the big guys would never sign off on a class A until after the PDI. Even my PopUp guy was cool with me doing a detailed PDI before I signed off on it, then again he was an awesome dealer too! Shame all he sold was PopUp's.


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

We did PDI prior to signing as well.

Rather than giving them the list.... we each took a copy and started going over the TT. We had a tech fixing things as we went. They were only minor, but were fixed prior to leaving the lot.

Deal breaker for sure.

What area is the dealer from?


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Just ask the dealer this "Would you close on a house before you did a walkthrough?"

I know I wouldn't. What doesn't he want you to do a PDI? Is he afraid you'll find something that will change you mind?

Tim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

PDI...first.
Sign...when satisfied.

Heck...they were fixing things as I did my PDI. I had 3 techs running around fixing as I pointed them out. Most were just adjustments and things.


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## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> Just ask the dealer this "Would you close on a house before you did a walkthrough?"
> 
> I know I wouldn't.Â What doesn't he want you to do a PDI?Â Is he afraid you'll find something that will change you mind?
> 
> Tim


Don't we also "kick the tires" on a new car/truck purchase? Of course we do!

The internet is a very powerful tool for consumers to use. If I were you, I would post this dealers name here, and at other sites. These actions will stop unscrupulous dealers from continuing this practice.

Power to the People!

Oops, Rant over. . .morning coffee kicking in!


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

It should also be noted that the PDI does not always find everything either. Just ask Jolly about water leaks.

I would ask if you can have 45 minutes to an hour by yourself to go through the unit. Then have the dealer do the demostration of items. That way you have looked for scratches, tears and the cosmetic items. When the dealer shows the appliances, etc. make sure that they can get them all to work.

My sell went like this,

I called the dealer and we agreed on a price over the phone, I never even saw the actual unit. We had many phone conversations and played the number game. I knew this unit had the right color and features I wanted. I told him on the phone that if the unit was built acceptable to my standards then we have a deal. So I hoped in my car and drove 2-1/2 hours there. He offered time by myself to thoroughly go through the unit, which I did. I noted two minor things that were already going to be fixed. We made the deal, and I went and started the paperwork about 1.5 hours later. 2 hours later I was back in my car heading home with a new purchased camper. 
When the financing went through and they received payment, we scheduled a PDI, pick up time, about 2 weeks. I showed up with my trade-in and the Technician had a checklist that we started going through (how everything works). He said are you satisfied enough to sign this release form? Everything looked great to me so I did.
I installed my hitch and headed home with my new baby.

If anything would have gone wrong during the process, I would have made sure they corrected it, but they are a great dealer so I wasn't too worried.

The only items that I found later that were wrong, the kitchen sink hot and cold supplies were reversed, 30 second fix. There is a small tear in the couch way down at the bottom, not a big deal to me. That was it.

I would make sure that you and your dealer are understanding what you both think a PDI is. It sounds like there may be some misscommunication between everyone. Tell them exactly what you expect and ask what exactly that they provide, don't assume anything. 

Good luck and be smart.

KS


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

I'm with the others; no PDI no deal. Wonder if they know something about the trailer that you don't...


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## ccauthor (Jul 30, 2004)

Great News!









The dealer and I worked it out, it was more of a misunderstanding on what the PDI included.

The PDI that I submitted was very detailed and involved removing all of the service panels and conducting test on all systems.
The dealer felt this was too involved for the PDI and would give me a signed copy of the inspection completed on the trailer by their service department. They also gave me all the time that I wanted to walk through the unit with the systems operational before the purchase.







They also put a tech with me for 5 hrs. after I accepted the unit to make any repairs or adjustments.







The tech assisted in all of the detailed inspections that I wanted to do. At the end of the day I was very pleased with the unit, the most major problem I found was the small kitchen sink strainer gasket leaked when holding hot water.









The only Items Identified were:
The oven door was scratched. Will paint if I want them to
Dark spot on the mirror finish. Ordered new one 
Kitchen sink leak Fixed on site
Support cable on outdoor cooker was not secure where the end is crimped back to the cable. Fixed on site

Thanks for all of the feedback and support on this. We love the unit and have had it setup and operational at home for the past 5 days. We are planning to take our first trip the second weekend of September.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Glad to hear positive results. sunny

I just completed a training class that basically said miscommunication leads to many of the problems and results in more problems with less production.

Good luck with your new rig!!


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Way to stick with it CC. Sounds like you were able to do a very thorough PDI after all.

Enjoy the 28BH-S .... it's awesome.

Wayne


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

Excellent! So glad to hear that everything turned out well for you!


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