Fair price? Dealer wants $249 for axle maintenance on dual axial camper

[serfas01]

I called our local RV dealer (not the one I bought from) for an estimate. They quoted $50.00 per wheel plus $7.00 per grease seal for a total of around $228.00. I took it there and when I went to pick it up, the bill was $432.00. They claimed that the right rear wheel was packed solid with grease and it took an entire box of shop towels to get it all out. Then they claimed that they had to replace both Rt side backing plates at a cost of $180.00 because of all the grease. I would have thought that they could be cleaned. I told them that I had never greased it. They figured that I had pumped it in via the zerk on the axle but not so. Then they charged $52.00 to adjust the right wheel brakes.
I didn't receive a call to authorize all of this. I've learned my lesson. Never again. On Amazon you can get 4 backing plates with brake shoes and electric solenoids for $139.00. So there won't be a next time.
My trailer is a 2016 38FLSA Pinnacle.
Beware !!!

[Shroomer]

You don't have to take your camper to an RV dealer. Any place that sells or repairs trailers can handle the axles, bearings, and brakes. I bring mine to a local trailer dealer and get quick service. It's too much of a trip to an RV dealer and the local guy is a lot easier to deal with.

[mohok1]

What year is your camper? How many miles is on it? Read your manual on annual maintenance.

[Mad Cow]

Originally Posted by Shroomer

You don't have to take your camper to an RV dealer. Any place that sells or repairs trailers can handle the axles, bearings, and brakes. I bring mine to a local trailer dealer and get quick service. It's too much of a trip to an RV dealer and the local guy is a lot easier to deal with.

Yep. Dexter or Lippert axles are industry wide. Cargo, dump, campers, etc. Any trailer shop can do the work.

Regarding the cost of a dealer doing it that has been tossed around in this thread, I am pretty sure their prices are based on their per hour shop time. Two axles would be about 2 hours per a typical shop rate manual. And it is not uncommon for shop rates to be $120 per hour and up. So it shouldn't be all that surprising the prices that some shops are charging for this service.

[ggilbert]

Originally Posted by Shroomer

You don't have to take your camper to an RV dealer. Any place that sells or repairs trailers can handle the axles, bearings, and brakes. I bring mine to a local trailer dealer and get quick service. It's too much of a trip to an RV dealer and the local guy is a lot easier to deal with.

i called my closest trailer dealer its about 45 miles away. they could not even give me a ball park price on what it would cost. all they could tell me is its $75 an Hour plus parts and materials.

[Mad Cow]

As a perspective, I did the bearings and seals on my trailer, and even taking my time and Ice Tea breaks, I had the job done in a couple of hours. I am not some certified mechanic. Just a hayseed that has been doing little things like this for several decades. It is a relatively easy job. And I didn't use some special packer, just the reliable hand pack method. I cleaned out the bearings with 3M brake cleaner, let them dry out, wiped out the hubs, and packed the bearings and reinstalled. I stopped into the local cargo/dump trailer dealer shop in town and picked up seals and pins. I had the grease already. I do all my trailers. I have a utility trailer that I bought about 18 years ago and has who knows how many miles on it, and I recently did the bearings on it and the bearings and races were still in great shape... again. There is no reason, if bearings are maintained properly, they shouldn't last a long, long time. And it is relatively easy to maintain them.

That is not saying anyone who has them done at the dealer is a idiot. No. To some it is about time. And to some, time is money. It may be a viable solution to have a dealer or shop do the job.

[Hnyctfam]

I can't add much - some good replys so far.
Question is - can you do the work yourself or do you feel comfortable doing it? Is o, then no that price stinks.
If you don't feel comfortable doing it, then how is your relationship with your dealer? My dealer, I would trust to do me right, as they always have or I would not have bought from them in the first place. On the other hand, if you don't, then don't have them do it....pretty simple. The price you quoted sounds pretty reasonable for your area, but then again, is that dealership a good one? Are they reputable? What is their BBB rating? What is their google ratings or whatever other ratings? What are the complaints against them - reasonable ones that everyone gets or outlandish ones, did they take care of the ones they got reasonably, etc etc etc.....
Bottom line - its your rig - do your due diligence......and pull the trigger.

[ggilbert]

so i dropped it off at the dealer Saturday, they called me yesterday and said one of the bearings was bad and the backing plate. I asked if it was under the 2 year warranty. He said he didn't know if it would be covered or not because it should be inspected annually and it had been a year and 6 months.

So a few questions what is a backing plate when i google that i get break assemblies.

what would have caused these to go bad. i probably didn't tow the camper 3,000 miles in the last 18 months.

Also i had trouble parking the camper at home when the camper was on my passenger side turning in reverse, but not so much trouble turning it with the camper on my drivers side. I would notice i would get to a point in the gravel and the wheels would stop turning on the drivers side and then start pivoting instead or rolling backwards. would this have been a symptom of a bad barring and backing plate?

[JFlightRisk]

The backing plate is what the brake shoes and hardware's attached to. When you see a picture of a brake assembly, it's the round steel plate. A bad wheel bearing won't stop a wheel from turning, at low speed, like parking it.

[ggilbert]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

The backing plate is what the brake shoes and hardware's attached to. When you see a picture of a brake assembly, it's the round steel plate. A bad wheel bearing won't stop a wheel from turning, at low speed, like parking it.

wonder why they would have to replace a backing plate that is only 18 months old?

[wilderness john]

Make sure that wherever you have this done that they lift the trailer by the frame and not the axels. Jayco says not to use Axels for jack points as it can warp or bend.

I discovered that some tire dealers routinely jack them up by the axels much like a car due to lack of experience with trailer construction

[Trapper2020]

Never pay someone to do something you can do yourself. Repacking bearings is simple to do. Watch u tube if you have never done. For the price listed you can replace with all new parts yourself. Not what the dealer will do. Also how many miles have you driven? Unless you drive it a lot this does not need to be a yearly maintenance item. Just put some grease in the bearing buddies.

Enjoy the journey

[ggilbert]

i probably didn't tow the camper 3,000 miles in the last 18 months.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by ggilbert

i called my closest trailer dealer its about 45 miles away. they could not even give me a ball park price on what it would cost. all they could tell me is its $75 an Hour plus parts and materials.

AKA a blank check.

[ggilbert]

So Jayco approved the replacement of 3 backing plates and 3 wheel barrings. on my camper. What would have caused those to go bad with only about 3778 miles on them.
and only being about 15 months old. I never greased or checked them because of the limited use, but i wanted them checked before it took it on a long trip in july.

could it have been something i done driving it or parking it.

[rarobo]

Don’t know if you were involved, I received a recall on our 2019 whitehawk for possible missing grease in wheel bearings about a year ago. We got the notice 10 day before our Florida trip last February. Jayco told me that a dealer would have to look at it.....but I got them to let a local RV repair shop to check it.. the bearings were ok on mine

[ggilbert]

i never received a recall on mine, but maybe i should have