We would like to thank Roadtrek for standing by their warranty and addressing the problems we experienced with our 2015 E-trek. When we made the tagline for our blog “The adventures of new RVers–what could possibly go wrong?” we had no idea of the challenges we would face; however, we are very satisfied with the service we received by the Roadtrek team and we expect to have many more adventures with our E-trek.
In some ways this experience helped us, since we were totally new to RVing, we were forced to learn things we otherwise might have not taken the time to learn, and we hope all of our analysis will help others who are also in the learning curve. Any prospective E-trek buyer would want to know what to expect from the batteries, and even though there are variables, we feel we now know what to expect when we go on a trip. We can run the AC for 3-4 hours, we can leave the heater on all night, we can charge our electronics. I can use my curling iron and microwave our mac & cheese. We actually prefer the space-saving Presto MyJo which takes up only the space of a travel mug. We are happy to leave the Keurig at home, so in a way, its not brewing reliably was a good thing, because it forced us to find a better solution. Thanks to the many resources available from the various Facebook groups and forums, there is a lot of help at our fingertips!
Long before they arranged for the pick-up of our E-trek in early September, Roadtrek had invited us to the factory to make sure we fully understood how to operate our E-trek. Unfortunately, our passports were long expired (we have since renewed), plus work and family demands made the trip impossible. When the serpentine belt came off, Roadtrek was willing and available to work with Mercedes-Benz on the two occasions they tried to repair the secondary alternator. Clearly the service department at Mercedes-Benz was very busy too–although it was difficult to get updates by telephone, we were copied on all e-mail correspondence between Roadtrek, Mercedes-Benz, and the Roadtrek parts supplier.
When the serpentine belt came off for the third time, our dealer spoke with Roadtrek and within a few days Roadtrek had arranged for our E-trek to be picked-up for service at the Roadtrek factory. The Roadtrek service team requested a list of all of our outstanding problems, as they wanted to make sure they could fix everything, even the small nuisance issues (for example, the removal of the front table mount which we did not use). They went through the complete list and fixed everything, saving us a follow-up trip to our dealer.
We also had the good fortune to speak directly with Jim Hammill at the RV Show in Hershey, PA. At the time our service was in progress at the Roadtrek factory, so the timing couldn’t have been better! Even though he knew we were having some challenges with our E-trek, he couldn’t have been more friendly and willing to discuss our issues. Knowing we have two dogs, he recommended upgrading to Volt Start, since it starts your engine automatically before the batteries get too low.
We are well aware of other E-trek owners–in fact, we have been communicating with several of them–who have experienced similar or different problems with their unit. Our advice is be to be patient and give Roadtrek the time they need to fully address your problems. Clearly the Roadtrek service department, like many other businesses, is very busy. Although our E-trek was either being serviced or unusable for most of the summer, we are glad we persevered. We have purchased many items which come with warranties which have so many exclusions they are essentially useless–or the problems start the day after the warranty expires–which is why we like the Roadtrek 6-year Warranty. The warranty covered not only the major repair to the secondary alternator, but also various part replacements including a cabinet door, monitor panel, refrigerator latch, and one of the LED lights.
We recently saw a woman when we were in Gettysburg who asked us if our van was a Roadtrek–she said it was her dream to own one–which reminds us that we are lucky to be in a position to own one.
Thanks for the great write up on your experience with Roadtrek and their warranty commitment. I am seriously considering a Zion and I was starting to get a little concerned about Roadtrek. We are more than prepared to deal with some issues with the Camper since we have owned vintage RV’s up to this point. I also expect that there will be issues that need to be resolved relatively quickly. Some things I have read gave me the impression that Roadtrek was not the best at to work together. Thanks!
So you picked it up in early January and it was finally fixed almost 10 months later? I enjoyed reading your other excellent blog posts – very informative as well. You folks are the most patient, forgiving customers I have ever heard of. Roadtrek and Mercedes should be refunding a pile of cash for almost a year of frustration and lost usage. Or at the very least, perhaps a year’s supply of roses each for being so patient and then, happy enough about it all to praise them publicly. It is high time the RV industry shift their focus to improving initial quality like the automotive industry did years ago. This buy it new and fix it story is all too common. Yes, RV’s are much more complex since you’re carrying a “house” and RT does tend to jump out on the leading edge of tech. I’m sure they are learning a lot from working through the fixes for all the early adopters. Thank goodness for the warranty, and as you said, the fact that they do stand behind their product till they eventually fix it.
I am glad you’re enjoying it now. The E-Trek certainly does offer some very innovative technology.
A summer lost. I would be upset.
New to reading the blogs I’m following the E-Trek commentaries. Its been said Roadtrek sells the most and has the most service availability. I’ve assumed no matter where I am in Canada, U.S.A. or Mexico a service department would be available? How can I be sure I’ll be serviced in a timely manner with intention to use the E-Trek fulltime? Newbie just getting started with E-Trek interests…
Hi Dana, Thank you for your comment. I cannot speak to the availability of service throughout U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Most of our problems were chassis-related, so we spent a lot of time at Mercedes-Benz. For coach issues, we often had to wait several weeks for service by the dealer. Since you are looking at full-time, I would recommend investigating roadside assistance plans, such as Coach-Net. Our E-trek included one year of service. Fortunately, we were never so far away from home that we had to use the service. For additional tips about full-time, I recommend http://www.technomadia.com. Good luck!