The Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) Walkthrough You're Owed

The biggest single difference between an RV that makes a family happy and one that makes them miserable is not the brand. It's the PDI. A dealership that does a real Pre-Delivery Inspection catches and corrects most of the 50 to 200 small factory defects that come out of nearly every RV built today, before the customer ever sees the unit. A dealership that does a "PDI" that's really just an orientation hands you a unit that's been moved from the back lot to the front lot, then leaves you to discover everything yourself across the next two years.

Both kinds of dealership use the same word for what they do. That's part of the problem. This post is about how to tell them apart, what you're owed, and how to enforce it.

What a PDI actually is

A Pre-Delivery Inspection is the dealer's technical inspection and corrective preparation of a new RV before it's delivered to the buyer. It happens between the unit arriving from the factory and the buyer arriving for delivery. It is the dealer's responsibility, paid for as part of the factory's "dealer prep" allowance plus whatever the dealer adds.

The RV Technical Institute publishes industry-standard PDI checklists. A proper PDI on a typical fifth wheel or travel trailer involves:

• Exterior inspection: roof, seals, slides, awnings, exterior storage, fender skirts, decals, paint, gel coat.
• Frame and chassis check: tires, wheels, brakes, axles, hitch components, propane tanks.
• Plumbing system test: pressurize the water system, check for leaks at every fitting, test all faucets, toilets, water heater, water pump, and tank fittings.
• Propane system test: pressure test, leak check at every fitting, test every gas appliance.
• 12V electrical system test: battery, converter, every light and 12V outlet, slide motors, leveling system.
• 120V/240V electrical system test: shore power input, outlets (with proper polarity and grounding), GFCI testing, AC unit operation, microwave, any 240V appliances.
• Appliance test: fridge in both gas and electric modes, furnace, water heater, AC, generator if equipped, all entertainment systems.
• Slide operation test: in, out, alignment, gasket condition, slide topper, controller response.
• Interior inspection: every cabinet door, drawer, latch, window, screen, blind, vent fan, light fixture.
• Correction of identified defects. This is the part that matters most and the part that's most often skipped — a real PDI doesn't just identify defects, it fixes them before you arrive.

A thorough PDI on a typical mid-size RV takes 4-8 hours of technician time. Some larger or more complex units take more. A dealership that tells you their PDI takes "about an hour" is describing the orientation, not the inspection.

What an orientation is (and why it's different)

The customer orientation is what happens on delivery day. The salesperson, sometimes accompanied by a tech, walks you through the unit and shows you how to operate everything: how to set up the slides, how to fill the fresh tank, how the leveling system works, where the breaker panel is, how to dump the holding tanks.

The orientation is valuable. It is also not an inspection. The orientation's purpose is to teach you how to use the unit. The PDI's purpose is to find and correct defects before you have to use it. If your dealership combines these into one event, you are getting half of what you paid for.

The PDI checklist you should ask for

Every reputable dealership has a written PDI checklist that techs sign off on, item by item. Ask to see it. Ask for a copy of the completed version, signed and dated, before delivery. A dealership that can produce this is a dealership that did the work. A dealership that hedges is a dealership where the work didn't happen.

The checklist should include, at minimum:

1. Roof — visual inspection, sealant condition at every penetration, no debris, no soft spots.
2. All slides operated through at least three full cycles, alignment verified.
3. All seals on slides, doors, windows, and storage compartments inspected.
4. All plumbing fittings inspected with system pressurized.
5. All propane fittings leak-tested.
6. Every appliance run and verified operational.
7. All lights and switches tested.
8. All outlets tested for proper wiring with a polarity tester.
9. Tires inspected for date code, pressure, and condition.
10. Battery tested for condition and charge.
11. Any defects identified and corrected, with the correction noted.
12. Tech signature, dealership manager signature, date.

The signed checklist is a contract artifact. If something covered by the checklist fails within a reasonable time after delivery, the signed checklist is part of your evidence that the failure was either pre-existing (despite the inspection) or developed in service (despite proper preparation). Either way, the document matters.

What dealers commonly skip

Based on our own experience and the patterns we've heard from readers, here are the items most commonly skipped during PDIs:

• Roof inspection. Particularly sealant condition around penetrations. This is the single most consequential skip, because roof leaks are the most expensive long-term defect on an RV.
• Slide alignment and operation. The slides "worked" when the salesperson cycled them once. They may not have been verified at the gasket-seal level, which is where alignment defects show up.
• Outlet wiring. Many techs don't carry an outlet tester. Miswired outlets are common on new units and easy to miss.
• Propane leak testing. Sniffing for leaks isn't the same as pressure-testing the system. Many dealers skip the pressure test unless specifically asked.
• Water system pressure test under city pressure. Running water through faucets is different from leaving the system pressurized for an hour and checking for slow leaks.
• Generator load testing. If equipped, the generator should be run under realistic load (AC plus appliances). Many PDIs only verify it starts.
• Tire date codes. The fact that a tire is "new" doesn't mean it was manufactured recently. Date codes matter, especially on units that have been on the lot for months. See our tire safety post.
• Documentation. A signed, dated, itemized PDI report. Many dealers can't or won't produce one.

Your right to attend the PDI

This is the part many buyers don't realize: you can ask to be present for the technical PDI. Not the orientation — the actual inspection, done by the tech, before delivery day. Some dealerships will accommodate this without hesitation. Others won't.

If they will, attend. Bring your 30-minute inspection checklist. Take notes alongside the tech. Ask what they're checking, what they've found, what they're correcting. The information you gather watching a tech do a real PDI is worth more than any number of YouTube tutorials.

If they won't let you attend, ask why. The honest reasons are usually about scheduling — the tech does the PDI on Tuesday, you can't be there Tuesday. Fine. Ask for the signed PDI report on the unit when you arrive. The not-honest reasons are usually about not wanting you to see what is or isn't happening. If the dealer flatly refuses access to the PDI and won't produce a signed report, you have your answer about whether one actually occurred.

The arrival-day inspection

Even with a great PDI, you should do your own inspection at delivery before you sign the final paperwork. This is your last chance to catch defects with maximum leverage — the unit is still in the dealer's hands until you sign.

Bring:

• The signed PDI report.
• Your own 30-minute inspection checklist.
• A second set of eyes — spouse, friend, anyone.
• Your phone for photos and video.
• An outlet tester ($6, three-light style).
• A flashlight.
• At least two hours blocked off. Do not arrange the delivery on a tight schedule. The dealer's incentive is for you to be in a hurry. Don't be.

Run the unit. Run every appliance. Open every cabinet. Take photographs of every wall, ceiling, slide, and external panel. Pressurize the water. Cycle every slide twice. If anything is wrong, document it and refuse to take delivery until it's corrected.

What "refuse delivery" actually means

Refusing delivery is your most powerful tool, and many buyers don't realize they have it. Until you sign the final paperwork and accept the unit, the unit is the dealer's problem. After you sign, the unit is your problem, addressed through warranty channels — which are slow and frustrating.

What refusing delivery looks like:

1. You find a defect during the arrival-day inspection.
2. You tell the dealer that delivery cannot occur until the defect is corrected.
3. The dealer either fixes it on the spot (great), schedules it for a defined date (acceptable), or pushes back ("we'll handle it on warranty").
4. If the dealer pushes back: "I understand the offer. I'm not going to take delivery until the issue is fixed. Let me know when it's ready and I'll come back."
5. You leave. The dealer's incentives reset. The unit is back to being their problem.

This is harder than it sounds, because you've already mentally moved into the RV. The dealer knows that. The dealer has banked on it. Don't take delivery of a defective unit because you don't want to drive home empty-handed. The cost of one wasted afternoon is trivial compared to the cost of fighting the same defect through warranty channels for the next six months.

We have a separate post on surviving a warranty claim that goes deeper into post-delivery escalation. But the cleanest version of warranty management is: don't take delivery of issues you can require the dealer to fix first.

What you can document, and why

Photograph and video everything you see on delivery day, including things that are correct. The reason: you may need to prove, six months from now, that a defect either was or wasn't present at delivery. Time-stamped photos taken on delivery day are powerful evidence in disputes.

What we'd photograph if doing it again:

• Full exterior, all four sides, from a slight angle.
• The roof, end to end, including every sealant penetration.
• Every wall interior, from corner to corner.
• Every cabinet interior, with the door open.
• Under every sink.
• The breaker panel with the labels visible.
• The tire date codes (close-ups).
• The hour meters and odometer (for motorized units and generators).
• The serial numbers of major components (fridge, AC, water heater, generator).

Store these photos somewhere durable. We use a labeled folder in cloud storage that doesn't get accidentally deleted. The folder costs nothing to maintain. If you ever need it, it'll save you a fortune.

The "buyer's order delivery contingency" clause

Before you sign the buyer's order (the contract that commits you to buy the unit), add a contingency clause for delivery condition. Something like:

"Delivery contingent on satisfactory completion of pre-delivery inspection per [dealer]'s standard PDI checklist, with a signed copy of the completed PDI provided to buyer at delivery. Buyer reserves the right to refuse delivery if material defects are present and the dealership has not corrected them. Material defects identified at delivery walkthrough to be corrected within 14 days at dealer's expense or, at buyer's option, refund of deposit and cancellation of order."

That language isn't magic and isn't a substitute for a lawyer. It is a clear statement of expectation, and it gives you written grounding for the delivery-day conversation. Many dealerships will accept this kind of language without objection because they intend to do the PDI properly anyway. Those that object — interesting. Listen for the reason.

Who pays for a poor PDI?

The honest answer is: you do, in three ways.

1. Lost time. Every defect you identify post-delivery requires a service appointment, time off work, and miles on the tow vehicle.
2. Cumulative damage. Some defects (water leaks especially) compound over months before they're caught.
3. Relationship cost. The frustration of fighting warranty claims poisons what should be the most exciting period of RV ownership — the first year. We've felt that frustration up close.

A real PDI front-loads all of that work onto the dealer, where it belongs. Your job, as the buyer, is to make sure the dealer does it.

If you've already taken delivery on a unit with a bad PDI

If you're reading this after the fact and your unit has issues you wish had been caught: you still have options.

• File warranty claims for every covered issue, in writing, with photographs. See our warranty survival post and our defect log guide.
• Contact the manufacturer directly, not just the dealer. Manufacturers have customer service escalation paths that dealers don't always advertise.
• Consider an independent inspection now. NRVIA-certified inspectors can produce a documented condition report that strengthens your warranty position.
• Know your state's lemon law (we have a dedicated state lemon law post). Most states' RV lemon laws are narrower than auto lemon laws, but they exist.
• Document everything from this point forward, even if you didn't document the past. Every warranty visit, every phone call, every email.

What this means for you

The PDI is the single highest-leverage moment in the entire RV purchase, and it's a moment that happens before you arrive — meaning your influence over it is limited to what you ask for, what you require in writing, and what you refuse to accept on delivery day. Make those three things real, and your odds of a successful year-one ownership experience go up dramatically.

You're not being difficult by asking for a real PDI. You're being a customer. The dealers who take pride in real PDIs welcome the conversation; the ones who don't would rather you not ask. Either way, you get useful information about who you're doing business with.

If you want help reviewing a specific PDI checklist a dealer's offered you, or coordinating an independent inspector for delivery day, that's part of what pre-purchase consulting covers. Until then: ask for the PDI report in writing, take photographs, refuse to take delivery of broken things, and as always, Good Luck Out There!