Great Work, But Be Prepared for High Costs
We brought our…read more2007 Carri-Lite 5th wheel to Ernie's, Inc. for some major repairs. We had an extended warranty but knew it wouldn't cover everything -- and we weren't in a rush. Overall, we were happy with the experience, but it's important to go in with eyes wide open.
What we liked:
* Super friendly and professional staff from the first phone call
* Clean, large, well-organized shop -- very reassuring
* Estimates at every step so we could approve/decline work
* They replaced both our black and grey tanks plus the electronic dump valves -- done right
* No pressure when we declined certain items
What to watch for:
Prices are high -- labor is $225/hr, and parts are marked up (pretty typical in the RV world).Communication felt a little slow at times, but we told them we weren't in a hurry.
Some quotes were eye-popping:
* Battery cables: $603
* Smoke detector plus install: $100
* A/C maintenance: $600
* Roof caulking: $606
* Roof membrane replacement: $17,000
* Replace TV antenna cable: $261
We ended up declining many of the recommended repairs due to the high costs -- thankfully, my husband is very handy and was able to take care of most of them himself. For example, they quoted $17,000 to replace the roof membrane, but ours didn't actually need replacing. We repaired a few small cracks ourselves with Dicor self-leveling caulk and didn't even use half a tube.
One thing to note: their estimate process can be a bit cumbersome. When they add new items, the updated estimate just gets longer -- in our case, it ended up being 17 pages. Even if you decline certain items, they remain listed, which can make it hard to track the dollar amount and what's actually approved and what's not.
Bottom line:
Ernie's is a great shop if you're not on a tight budget and want quality work from a professional team. Just be ready for the price tag and don't hesitate to do some repairs yourself if you can.