RV Delivery Walkthrough Checklist: A 90-Day Follow-Up Plan for Dealers

An RV delivery walkthrough checklist for dealers, plus a 90-day follow-up schedule and message wording to catch early warranty issues while they're easy to fix.

An RV walkthrough is the hands-on demonstration a dealership gives a new owner at delivery, showing how every system on the RV works. Pairing the walkthrough with a planned 90-day follow-up helps the dealer catch small defects while they are still quick to fix. Below are a delivery checklist and a dated follow-up schedule.

At a glance

An RV delivery has three stages that each need an owner: preparation before the buyer arrives, the hands-on walkthrough, and a sign-off with open items in writing before the RV leaves the lot.
THOR Industries ambassadors say a full RV walkthrough should take at least an hour, and recommend the buyer does a complete setup and teardown before leaving.
Heartland RV's 2025 owner's manual gives a one-year warranty, and warranty repairs at RV dealers averaged 42.4 days in 2025 according to IDS, so defects found in the first weeks leave the most time to fix them.
A suggested 90-day schedule of six contacts, each with one sender and one purpose, gives new RV owners a clear route to report problems to service instead of online.

What an RV delivery walkthrough is and how it differs from a PDI

An RV delivery walkthrough is the session at handover where dealership staff show the buyer how to operate the RV, while the pre-delivery inspection (PDI) is the dealer's own check, done earlier, that those systems work. Tiffin Motorhomes' owner's manual for its 2020 Zephyr describes the two steps separately: "a pre-delivery inspection and systems check is performed" to confirm factory components work, and "a customer walk-through is performed to familiarize the buyer with the motorhome, its systems and components." The same manual lists "assisting the customer in completing the registration forms to avoid loss of warranty coverage" as part of delivery (Tiffin Motorhomes, 2020 Zephyr manual).

Warranty registration is not a formality. Heartland RV's 2025 owner's manual says the warranty "is activated only after" the manufacturer receives the signed registration card, and that the selling dealer is responsible for sending a registration notice. The manual also tells the owner to expect "an extensive walk through and demonstration" and a full explanation of the warranty (Heartland RV 2025 owner's manual). Each manufacturer sets its own process, so check the manual for every brand you sell.

Most walkthrough checklists that rank in search are written for buyers, such as the question list from THOR Industries (April 2023), the guide from Keystone RV (February 2024) and the Roadpass University dealer walkthrough checklist. Those lists are useful to send to the buyer before delivery day. The checklist below covers the dealership's side: who prepares what, and what must be written down before the RV leaves.

RV delivery walkthrough checklist for the dealership

The RV delivery checklist below splits the handover into three stages, with a suggested owner for each, so the result does not depend on one person's memory. The owners are suggestions; a smaller store may have one delivery specialist doing all three stages.

Before the customer arrives (sales manager and service)

PDI complete and signed. Every item the PDI found is either fixed or listed as an open item with a date. An RV repair shop owner writing for RV Travel advises buyers to ask for a copy of the PDI, so expect to be asked.
Unit ready to demonstrate. The RV is on shore power with batteries charged and propane available, so slides, leveling, appliances and the furnace can all be shown working.
Paperwork gathered. Owner's manual, component manuals and warranties, all keys, and the manufacturer's warranty registration ready to complete.
Time booked. The delivery slot is long enough for the unit. THOR's ambassadors say a full walkthrough should take "at least an hour," and a motorhome with a generator and more systems usually needs more than a small travel trailer.
Buyer prepared. The buyer receives a buyer-side checklist in advance and is told to bring a phone to record the walkthrough.
Towables only. The buyer's tow vehicle and hitch setup are confirmed before delivery day, so hitching can be done and practiced on site.

During the walkthrough (delivery specialist or technician)

Electrical. Shore power and amperage, battery versus shore power circuits, generator and solar where fitted, the distribution panel and fuses.
Water and waste. Filling and draining the fresh tank, city water, the pump and water heater, dumping and flushing the black and gray tanks, and winterizing and de-winterizing.
Slides, awnings and leveling. The order of operation, and what to do if a slide or awning stops partway.
Propane, appliances and safety. Tank and regulator, furnace, refrigerator, cooktop and oven, and a test of the smoke, carbon monoxide and propane detectors.
Towing or driving. Hitching and unhitching, sway control or weight distribution, the brake controller, and the RV's measured height, width and length.
The owner does it. THOR recommends that the buyer completes a full setup and teardown with staff watching. The aim is that the buyer has done each step once before doing it alone at a campground.

Before the RV leaves the lot (delivery specialist and sales)

Open items in writing. Anything not finished at delivery is listed on the paperwork with who will fix it and by when. Roadpass University and the RV Travel article both tell buyers to insist on this.
Checklist signed. The buyer signs the walkthrough checklist, and a copy goes into the customer record where sales and service can both see it.
One named contact. The buyer leaves with one name and number for post-delivery questions, and knows to send photos of any problem. McClain's RV, for example, asks new owners to send photos "from different angles" of problem areas so parts can be ordered sooner (McClain's RV new owner experience page).
Next date set. The buyer knows when the first follow-up will come, and the 30-day check is offered or booked before they leave.
Texting consent recorded. If follow-up will be by text, consent is captured at delivery. The guide to dealership text messaging covers the rules.

Why the first 90 days after RV delivery matter

The first 90 days after RV delivery matter because the first trips are when a new owner uses every system away from the dealership, and some warranty terms are short or time-limited from the start. Three published sources show why early reporting helps both the owner and the dealer:

Warranty length. Heartland RV's 2025 manual says its warranty covers "only those defects that occur within one (1) year" of the original retail purchase. Terms differ by manufacturer and component supplier.
Short-term coverage. Dustin Simpson, owner of California RV Specialists, writes in RV Travel that "most manufacturers will NOT cover minor adjustments to doors, drawers, latches" after 90 days. That is one repair shop owner's view in an undated article, not a rule for every brand, so check each manufacturer's warranty. Tiffin's 2020 Zephyr manual, for example, asks owners to book adjustments "within two weeks after you accept delivery."
Repair time. The IDS 2026 RV Industry Trends Report gives an average repair event cycle time of 30.6 days for all RV work orders in 2025, 42.4 days for warranty work and 54.3 days for work delayed by out-of-stock parts.

Put together, those figures suggest a simple point: a defect reported in the second week leaves time for warranty approval and parts, while the same defect found on the last trip of the season leaves much less. The same RV Travel article recommends that owners book check-in appointments at 30 and 90 days and at later intervals. A reader comment on that article objects that booking appointments before anything breaks takes slots from owners with urgent repairs, which is a fair trade-off for a busy service department. The schedule below therefore uses messages for most check-ins and offers only one early visit.

A 90-day follow-up schedule after RV delivery

The 90-day RV follow-up schedule below is a suggested plan, not an industry standard: six contacts, each with one sender and one purpose, arranged so a reply about a problem goes straight to service. Adjust the days to your season and your service capacity.

Day 1, salesperson: thank-you and one contact. Thank the buyer, repeat the post-delivery contact's name and number, and remind them to send photos if anything does not work.
Days 3 to 5, delivery specialist: setup check. Ask whether the RV has been set up at home or at a campsite yet, and offer to re-show anything by phone or video.
After the first trip, service advisor: what did not work. Ask for the planned first-trip date at delivery and message two days after it. Ask directly what did not work as expected, collect photos, open the repair item and start any warranty claim or parts order.
Day 30, service: the 30-day check. Confirm the status of every open item from delivery and from the first trip, and offer a short check visit for anything still outstanding.
Days 45 to 60, salesperson: review request. Send the review request to every buyer at the same point, whatever their experience. Google's policy for businesses prohibits asking only happy customers: businesses must not "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers" (Google Maps user-generated content policy). The guide to review request texts has wording and timing.
Days 80 to 85, service: before the 90-day mark. Remind the owner to report any small adjustments, such as doors, drawers and latches, before short-term warranty terms end, then move the customer into regular service and seasonal reminders.

Every message should end with what happens next, for example the date of the next check-in. The guide to RV service scheduling uses the same rule for customers waiting on long repairs.

Message wording for RV post-delivery follow-up

RV post-delivery messages work best when they are short, come from a named person and ask one clear question. The examples below are starting points; replace the bracketed parts and keep each one in your own dealership's voice.

Day 1 thank-you

Hi [first name], this is [name] at [dealership]. Thanks for choosing us for your [model]. If anything on the RV is not working the way we showed you, text me a photo at this number and I will get it to our service team.

Days 3 to 5 setup check

Hi [first name], [name] from [dealership]. Have you had the [model] set up yet? If you want any part of the walkthrough shown again, such as the slides or the tank dump, I can call or send a short video.

After the first trip

Hi [first name], [name] from the [dealership] service team. How was the first trip? Was there anything that did not work as expected? Photos help us order parts before you come in. I will check back with you on [date].

Days 80 to 85 reminder

Hi [first name], [name] at [dealership] service. You are coming up on 90 days with your [model]. If any doors, drawers, latches or trim need adjusting, reply here this week and we will get it booked.

Who owns RV post-delivery follow-up and what to measure

RV post-delivery follow-up works best when each contact has a named sender and every reply lands in one shared customer record, because a problem texted to a salesperson's personal phone can sit there without service ever seeing it. A practical split is that sales owns the relationship messages (day 1 and the review request), service owns anything about how the RV works, and a BDC or delivery coordinator keeps the calendar.

A sales or service manager can review five numbers each month. None has a published industry benchmark, so compare each with your own previous months:

Share of deliveries with a signed walkthrough checklist in the customer record.
Open items per delivery at handover.
Issues reported in the first 30 days, per delivery.
Days from an issue being reported to the repair being complete, with the IDS average of 42.4 days for warranty work as outside context.
Share of buyers who reach day 90 with no open items.

If you want an outside view of where follow-up after the sale slips at your store, the Revenue Leak Audit from Shiftix Cloud reviews follow-up, customer retention and accountability, with no cost or obligation.

How Shiftix Cloud supports RV delivery follow-up

Shiftix Cloud is a customer operations platform for RV, auto, marine and powersports dealers that works alongside the dealership's DMS rather than replacing it, and several of its published capabilities match the 90-day schedule above. Based on the Shiftix Cloud pages as read in October 2026:

Improved Service Communications lists automated appointment reminders, two-way SMS and email connected to the repair order, photos and videos sent by text, automated status and delay updates, CSI and review requests, and seasonal campaigns (service page).
Unified Customer Inbox brings phone, email, SMS, website forms, Facebook Messenger and live chat into one place, linked to the customer record and owner, with department handoffs that keep prior context (communications page). That handoff is the step where a salesperson passes a first-trip problem to service.
Aria AI Assistant prepares SMS and email drafts for a team member to review and approve before sending, so staff stay in control of every message (Aria AI Assistant page).
CRM keeps each customer's record with the owner of the follow-up and the next scheduled touch (RV dealer page).

The integrations page lists IDS and Lightspeed among its DMS platforms and describes the listed systems as examples of potential connection targets to confirm during setup. The Shiftix Cloud pages do not describe a delivery checklist feature, so the walkthrough checklist itself stays in the dealership's own process or DMS.

Next steps

The right next step depends on where your RV deliveries break down today:

No written delivery checklist. Start with the three-stage checklist above and make the signed copy part of every deal file.
A checklist, but problems surface in reviews. Add the 90-day schedule and give every contact a named sender. The review request guide covers the review step.
Problems are reported, but repairs drag. The RV service scheduling guide covers triage and status updates for long repairs.
Follow-up lives in several tools. The comparison of RV dealer software and the explainer on what a service CRM does after the sale help decide what to consolidate.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an RV walkthrough take?

An RV walkthrough should take at least an hour, according to THOR Industries ambassadors writing for new buyers, and buyers can ask for more time. A motorhome with a generator, leveling and several slides usually needs longer than a small travel trailer. Dealers should book the delivery slot to fit the unit, not a fixed length for every RV.

Should a used RV get a delivery walkthrough?

Yes, a used RV should get a full delivery walkthrough, and Roadpass University's dealer walkthrough checklist tells buyers to ask for one. A used unit may have different appliances, upgrades or wear than the buyer expects, and the previous owner's knowledge does not transfer with the title. The same open-items and sign-off steps apply.

Can a buyer record the RV walkthrough on a phone?

Yes, and THOR Industries and Roadpass University both recommend that buyers record the RV walkthrough. Roadpass suggests short clips, one topic each, rather than one long video, and says the technician can stay out of frame if they prefer. The clips are a reference for the first trip, when no one from the dealership is there to ask.

What should a new RV owner do on the first trip?

A new RV owner should make the first trip a short shakedown close to home, such as a local campground or even the driveway, as RV repair shop owner Dustin Simpson advises in RV Travel. A short trip shows which systems need attention while the dealership is nearby, and the owner can report problems early in the warranty period.

Clear delivery and follow-up habits are one part of keeping RV buyers after the sale. The Revenue Leak Audit from Shiftix Cloud is complimentary, carries no obligation and requires no software purchase. It looks at lead response, follow-up, conversion, customer retention, accountability and workflow, and Shiftix walks through the findings with your dealership.