Every new unit lands with money on it
Walk any lot in spring and you will find it: a bubbling decal, a supply line that weeps when the pump runs, a wall panel that was never fully fastened, a scuff from the transport chain. None of it is the dealer’s fault, and all of it is claimable — at arrival.
The arrival inspection is the moment the claim is strongest. The unit has zero use, nobody can argue owner damage or missed maintenance, and the defect is documented before your techs touch it. Wait until the PDI or, worse, until the customer finds it, and the same issue now competes with questions about use, storage and who caused what.
That is why damage-at-arrival (DAF) claims are the backbone of a serious dealer claims program. They are high-volume, low-dispute, and they clean up everything downstream: the PDI gets shorter, delivery goes smoother, and fewer first-season warranty visits land on your service desk.
The window is short — in some states it is written into law
Several US states regulate exactly this moment for new RVs. Florida (§320.3208), Iowa (§322C.20) and Delaware (21 Del. C. §8409), for example, let the dealer inspection-and-rejection window be set in the manufacturer–dealer agreement, but not shorter than two business days after physical delivery.
The same statutes go further when the manufacturer picked the carrier: the dealer notifies the manufacturer of transit damage and asks for authorization to repair or replace the damaged parts. If the manufacturer refuses or fails to authorize the repair within 10 days of that notice, ownership of the unit can revert to the manufacturer.
In Canada and in states without an RV dealer statute, the window lives in your dealer agreement — and it is often short. Either way the rule is the same: inspect within days of delivery, notify in writing, and keep the paper trail. (This is general information, not legal advice. Read your own agreement and your state or provincial law.)
The arrival inspection, in the order that protects the claim
Same sequence on every unit, so nothing gets missed and every photo lands on the right line.
VIN tag photo first
Before anything else, photograph the VIN tag. It anchors every photo and line that follows to one unit and gives the reviewer the manufacturer, model and year at a glance. No VIN, no claim.
Exterior walk-around, then the roof
Sidewalls, end caps, decals, trim, windows, doors, slide-out exteriors and the underbelly. Then the roof: membrane, sealant at every penetration, edges and seams. Transit damage and missed factory sealant both show up here.
Interior, room by room
Walls and prefinished panels, cabinets and doors, flooring, furniture, ceiling. Look for anything detached, bulging, misaligned or under-fastened. Photograph appliance serial tags and furniture tags while you are there — you will need them for any appliance line.
Run the systems
Water pump on and every fitting checked, slides in and out, jacks, lights, 12 V and 120 V, appliances. Many factory defects — a loose fitting, a jack that will not turn — only appear under operation.
Write it up line by line, the same day
One issue, one line, with its photos attached to that line only. Notify the manufacturer inside the window, in writing, and log the date. The faster the issue list reaches the portal, the faster authorizations come back before the unit sells.
What we find on arrival, unit after unit
The defects that show up again and again on brand-new towables and motorhomes — every one of them claimable when documented properly.
Plumbing that leaks under pressure
Loose factory fittings at the pump, behind shower and kitchen faucets, and under sinks. Often invisible until the pump runs and water shows at the bottom of a wall.
Exterior sealant and water entry
Incomplete sealant around windows, roof penetrations and slide-out corners. On a new unit, water entry is a workmanship issue — documented on day one, it never becomes a rot claim.
Decals, trim and finish
Bubbling or lifting decals, scratched or chipped gelcoat, loose trim. Simple lines, but they add up across a load of units.
Panels and cabinetry not fastened
Prefinished wall panels that detach, cabinet backs that bulge, doors with screws that never bit. Quick repairs, quick approvals with a clear before photo.
Transit damage
Chain and strap marks, impact damage, cracked lenses, torn underbelly. Note it on the delivery paperwork before the driver leaves and photograph it with the truck still in frame when you can.
Components that fail on first use
Jacks, slide motors, appliances that do not reach temperature. These may route to the component maker rather than the RV manufacturer — log model and serial either way.
Build the claim so it gets approved the first time
An arrival claim is only as good as its lines. Each line needs a Complaint, a Cause and a Correction, and each line needs its own photos — a wide shot for location and a close-up for the defect. A reviewer approves against evidence, not against your word.
Match the depth to the issue. A bubbling decal gets two clean sentences and two photos. A slide-out that lets water in at all four corners gets a full narrative, the inspection findings and justified labor time. Bloated claims slow reviewers down; thin claims get kicked back.
Word every line as what it is at this stage: an issue detected and an authorization requested for the repair — not a repair already done. Manufacturers treat arrival and warranty claims as pre-authorization requests, and lines written as finished work invite a denial.
- One VIN, one unit, one set of photos — no orphan images
- One defect per line; never bundle unrelated issues
- Complaint, Cause, Correction on every line
- Labor time requested where the repair justifies it
- Model and serial on anything with a nameplate
Arrival claims also kill duplicate work. In our own claim files, roughly 96% of the issues later written up at PDI had already been claimed at arrival. When arrival is done right, the PDI becomes a final check instead of a second claim nobody can reconcile.
Keep going
Arrival damage claims — dealer FAQ
How long does a dealer have to report damage on a new RV?
It depends on your dealer agreement and your jurisdiction. Some US states, including Florida, Iowa and Delaware, set a floor of two business days after physical delivery for the inspection-and-rejection window. Treat a few days as the practical limit everywhere and notify the manufacturer in writing.
Who pays for transit damage on a new RV?
When the manufacturer chose the carrier, the manufacturer is generally the party the dealer notifies and asks to authorize the repair. Note the damage on the delivery paperwork before the driver leaves and photograph it — that record is what makes the claim.
Is an arrival (DAF) claim different from a PDI claim?
Yes. The arrival claim documents the unit’s condition the day it lands, before any use. The PDI is the pre-delivery inspection before the unit goes to the customer. Claim at arrival and the PDI should only catch what truly appeared later.
Can I claim labor time for arrival repairs?
Yes — each line can carry labor, and you can request additional time when the repair justifies it. Justify it in the Correction with what the work actually involves, and back it with photos.
What if a component like the fridge or a jack fails at arrival?
Document it the same way, with model and serial. Some components are warrantied by their own maker rather than the RV manufacturer, so the line may need to go to the component maker. Getting that routing right first time avoids a denial.