Whether an RVer has been driving RV’s for years, or whether they are new to the RV world, there often comes the inevitable temptation. The RV has been involved in an accident. But is it bad enough to get repaired immediately, or can an owner let it ride? After all, they may be familiar with the repair shop locally, but not 1500 miles from nowhere.
It’s probably no surprise that the advice unless it’s just a minor scratch is to get it repaired ASAP.
Why? First o all, because RVs are structural, one of the weakest vehicles on the road. Although it’s fairly difficult to get the facts in the USA.
Unlink passenger cars, it seems that now and then, the National Highway Safety Administration may test on occasion a Class C RV, but for the most part, RVs are exempt from crash tests, and there are no organizations such as Consumer Reports that are stepping up either.
However, in 2016, the government of Sweeden, alarmed by crash statistics, crashed two RVs head-on into a wall at 40 miles per hour and the results were described as frightening. Swedish authorities called RVs potential deathtraps waiting to happen. ng
But besides the potential lack of safety that may lie in some RVs, the fact is that when an RV is damaged, the underlying structural integrity of the vehicle may be weakened as a whole. So that apparent scratch may be much more serious than what it appears to be on the surface.
One of the hesitations of RV owners in fixing damage to an RV may have to do with the
manufacturer’s warranty.
Most RV’s in America is built on an engine and chassis with companies such as Ford or GM. Then the remaining parts of the RV are built by an RV manufacturer around it. However, the RV isn’t bought at a Ford or GM dealership, but at a place like Joes Camper World.
As a consequence, there isn’t an established l wink of dealers cross-country, and it becomes even more difficult when traveling out of state. Whom do you trust with your
$100,000 RV? Who has the right equipment to fix it? Are the technicians certified in any way?
Frequent problems with RVs that can get much worse after an accident and demand RV collision repair include:
- Roofs falling off
Damaged roofs can actually come loose, be caught by the wind, and go flying down the highway into another vehicle. - Damaged Tires
Damaged tires may no longer safely support the load of an RV, and in addition, cause harmful and dangerous situations such as in wet weather where hydroplaning can occur. - Bad Alignment
Bad alignment of an RV can cause the tires to not only wear prematurely but cause the vehicle to fish-tail over the highway in high winds. And as far as wide turns go, bad alignment can be out and out dangerous. - Loss of structural integrity
An RV that was previously involved in an accident may now have a bad flaw in its structural integrity if it’s involved in a new accident. The strength of the vehicle
maybe significantly weakened by an apparent scratch. - Cracked Windshields
Driving with a cracked windshield is like driving with a potential time bomb. The best case is that the crack simply widens, but the worst case is that windshield shatters while it is being driven.
There are many reasons to be careful and cautious while driving an RV, but continuing to drive after an RV is damaged is just pushing lady luck a little too far.
