What the terms on a listing mean

Mobile RV tech

A mobile RV technician drives to the RV instead of the RV going to a shop. The listing says mobile only when the business describes itself that way on its own site or Google listing. Expect a trip fee on top of labor; that fee is the tech's travel and set-up time.

Mobile and shop

Some businesses have a fixed shop and also do mobile calls. Expect them to do diagnostics and smaller repairs at your site, and to ask that structural, roof or chassis work come to the shop. The listing marks this only when both are stated by the business.

Mobile specialist

A specialist works on one part of the RV, for example absorption refrigerators, roof coatings, holding tanks or Aqua-Hot hydronic heating. Call a specialist when you already know which system failed. For an unknown fault, start with a general mobile tech.

Part of the year

Many Arizona mobile techs follow the snowbirds: in the state roughly November through April, elsewhere in summer. The listing shows this tag only when the business itself says so, and the sourced statement and its date are on the listing page. Call before you count on them in July.

Says it takes after-hours calls

This tag appears when the business's website or listing mentions emergency, 24/7 or after-hours service. It does not mean someone will answer at 2 a.m.; it means the business advertises that it might. Where an after-hours rate is published, it is shown on the listing page.

Publishes rates

Most mobile techs quote by phone. A minority publish a rate card. When one does, the listing shows the exact figure as written, with a link to the page and the date it was read. We never estimate a price for a business that has not published one.

Says it covers

The coverage line is a quote, not our judgement. Some techs list towns, some give a radius in miles, some say statewide. A tech listed under one town may still come to yours; the quote tells you whether to call.

Google rating, read on a date

We copy the rating and the review count from Google and record the day we did it. We do not collect or write reviews, and we never average ratings across sources. A listing with no rating simply had no Google listing we could match to its phone number.

Certified

On this site, certified means one thing: the business names a specific certifying body or factory program on its own website or listing, and we link to where it says so. We do not verify the certificate with the issuer, and an uncertified tech may be excellent. The glossary entries below explain what each body actually issues.

RVTI (RV Technical Institute)

The RV Technical Institute is the official training arm of the RV Industry Association. Its program is divided into four levels: Level 1 covers inspection and preparing an RV for delivery, Level 2 covers basic diagnostics and repair on the major systems, Level 3 is specialty training on specific supplier components, and Level 4, the Master Technician, has completed the designated specialties and is proficient across the seven major systems (propane, electrical, water, appliances, generators, chassis and body). RVTI publishes a technician lookup.

Read at rvti.org, training levels.

RVIA/RVDA Certified Technician

Before the RV Technical Institute program, the RV Dealers Association and RV Industry Association ran a testing program with three tiers: Registered Technician, Certified Technician (a written test with a 76.5 percent pass mark) and Master Certified Technician (90 percent or higher plus five years of documented RV service experience). Techs who earned these keep quoting them, and some were grandfathered into RVTI levels. There is no public lookup for the legacy program.

Read at rvda.org, certification tests.

RVTAA (RV Technician Association of America)

The RV Technician Association of America issues three credentials. A Registered RV Service Technician is trained for routine, preventive and scheduled maintenance. A Certified RV Service Technician has the troubleshooting skills to test, repair and service RV systems. A Master Certified RV Technician holds the Certified credential, has three years of experience and has shown proficiency across propane, electrical, plumbing and the other core areas. Membership is renewed yearly with continuing education. RVTAA technicians are listed on the RV Help directory.

Read at rvtaa.org, certification.

NRVTA (National RV Training Academy)

The National RV Training Academy is a school. Its courses prepare students for the RVTAA Registered and Certified technician credentials and for NRVIA inspector certification. When a listing says NRVTA trained, it means the tech attended the academy; the credential, if any, comes from RVTAA or NRVIA.

Read at nrvta.com, FAQ.

NRVIA Certified RV Inspector

The National RV Inspectors Association certifies RV inspectors. An NRVIA inspector has completed the required training and works to the association's Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. It says something about inspecting an RV before you buy it; it says nothing on its own about repair skill. Many mobile techs hold both an inspector credential and a technician credential.

Read at nrvia.org.

Aqua-Hot factory authorized

Aqua-Hot hydronic heating systems are common in diesel pushers and complex enough that the maker runs its own training. A factory authorized technician has attended and passed the Aqua-Hot service training course. If your RV does not have an Aqua-Hot system, this credential does not apply to your repair.

Read at aquahot.com.

Onan / Cummins generator service

Onan RV generators are made by Cummins, which trains and tests service representatives on them. A tech who states Onan or Cummins certification has that generator-specific training. Generator repair is a specialty; not every general mobile tech takes it on.

Read at cummins.com.

Lippert qualified technician

Lippert makes the slide mechanisms, leveling jacks, axles and frames under a large share of towable RVs. Its Qualified Technician Program combines online training with hands-on testing at the Lippert facility and lists qualified techs on Lippert's own site. Relevant when the failure is a slide, jack or frame component.

Read at lippert.com.

Factory trained (other brands)

Component makers such as Dometic (appliances), Spartan (chassis), Winegard (antennas and satellite), Truma and Oasis (heating and hot water) and Magnum (inverters) run their own training or authorized-service programs. The pill appears when a business names one of them; the exact wording and the page it came from are on the listing.

Trip fee

Mobile techs charge a trip fee to cover driving to your RV and setting up. It is charged whether or not the repair happens on that visit. Some publish a flat figure, some publish tiers by distance, and some fold it into a minimum first-hour charge. On this site the figure shown is exactly what the business published, with the date we read it.

Hourly rate

The hourly rate is what the tech charges for time on the job. Parts are extra. A one-hour minimum is common, and some businesses bill in quarter- or half-hour steps after that. Published rates on this site are quoted verbatim from the business's own page.

Diagnostic fee

Some techs charge a fixed diagnostic fee instead of hourly time for the first look. Ask whether it is credited against the repair. Where a business publishes one, the listing shows it as written.

Mileage beyond the base area

Many rate cards give a flat trip fee inside a set radius, then a per-mile rate beyond it. If you are far from the tech's base, ask for the total before booking.

What Certified means here

A business gets the Certified tag only when it names a certifying body on its own website or Google listing, and the listing page links to the exact wording and the date we read it. We do not check certificates with the issuer. An uncertified tech can be excellent; the tag tells you what the business claims, nothing more.