Original research

The RV Repair Wait Index: owners who mention a wait say three weeks

We searched 59,738 Google reviews of RV repair shops and mobile techs for phrases like "sat for six weeks" or "took three days". 2,795 reviews state a duration. The median is 21 days; in 1 and 2 star reviews it is 30 days.

By the RV Repair Centers research desk · Published October 25, 2026

Key findings

  • The median stated wait is 21 days across the 2,795 reviews that give a duration (out of 59,738 reviews).
  • Four in ten owners who mention a wait say it ran a month or longer: 22.3% say one to three months and 18.5% say three months or more.
  • Unhappy owners report about twice the wait. The median is 30 days in 1 and 2 star reviews (n = 1,172) and 14 days in 3 to 5 star reviews (n = 1,623).
  • Only 24.1% of stated waits are under a week. Among 3 to 5 star reviews that rises to 31.4%; among 1 and 2 star reviews it falls to 14.0%.
  • December reviews report the longest waits (28-day median, n = 126). Reviews posted in April to June, September and October report 14 days.
  • By state, Idaho is shortest at 11 days (n = 60). Indiana, Missouri, Virginia and Nevada are longest at 30 days.

How long owners say they waited

Most reviews don't mention time at all. The 2,795 that do usually mention it because it mattered: a rig that sat for weeks, or a tech who fixed it the same afternoon. So these figures describe the waits owners chose to write about, not every repair. Even so, the pattern is clear. The middle of the range is three weeks, and a long tail of owners report months.

21 daysmedian stated wait (n = 2,795)
40.8%say a month or more
18.5%say three months or more
How long the rig sat or the repair took, as stated in the reviewAll reviews with a duration (n = 2,795): Under a week 24.1, 1 to 4 weeks 35.1, 1 to 3 months 22.3, 3 months or more 18.5; 3 to 5 stars (n = 1,623): Under a week 31.4, 1 to 4 weeks 34.9, 1 to 3 months 18.1, 3 months or more 15.6; 1 to 2 stars (n = 1,172): Under a week 14, 1 to 4 weeks 35.4, 1 to 3 months 28.2, 3 months or more 22.4All reviews with a duration (n = 2,795)Under a week: 24%Under a week 24%1 to 4 weeks: 35%1 to 4 weeks 35%1 to 3 months: 22%1 to 3 months 22%3 months or more: 19%19%3 to 5 stars (n = 1,623)Under a week: 31%Under a week 31%1 to 4 weeks: 35%1 to 4 weeks 35%1 to 3 months: 18%18%3 months or more: 16%16%1 to 2 stars (n = 1,172)Under a week: 14%14%1 to 4 weeks: 35%1 to 4 weeks 35%1 to 3 months: 28%1 to 3 months 28%3 months or more: 22%3 months or more 22%
Share of reviews in each band. Each review counts once, at the longest duration it mentions.

Wait length and star rating move together. 42% of the reviews that state a duration are 1 or 2 stars, against 10.8% of all repair reviews, so time is one of the things that pushes owners to write. Half of the unhappy reviewers (50.6%) say their rig was gone a month or more. Our study of low-star RV repair reviews finds slow work and parts delays alongside the bigger complaint behind them: no updates while the rig sat.

Waits by month

We grouped reviews by the month they were posted, which is usually a few days to a few weeks after the work finished. Reviews posted in spring, early summer and early fall report the shortest waits, 14 days. December reviews report the longest, 28 days, which fits rigs dropped off in the fall that came back around the holidays. Reviews with a duration peak in June and July (369 and 371), when the most rigs are on the road.

Median stated wait by the month the review was posted (days)Jan: 21; Feb: 21; Mar: 21; Apr: 14; May: 14; Jun: 14; Jul: 21; Aug: 22; Sep: 14; Oct: 14; Nov: 21; Dec: 2821Jan21Feb21Mar14Apr14May14Jun21Jul22Aug14Sep14Oct21Nov28Dec
Median days by posting month, pooled across years. n per month ranges from 126 (December) to 371 (July).

Our RV Breakdown Calendar shows the same seasons from the other side: furnace complaints peak in January and A/C complaints in July, and the shops that do that work fill up when everyone's unit quits in the same week.

Waits by state

We show the 24 states with at least 40 reviews that state a duration. Idaho has the shortest median at 11 days. Eight states sit at 14 days, including Florida (n = 235) and Arizona (n = 134). Texas (n = 338) and California (n = 253), the two largest samples, both sit at the national median of 21 days. Indiana, Missouri, Virginia and Nevada are longest at 30 days. With samples this size, a gap of a week between two states is within the noise.

Median stated wait by state (days), states with 40+ reviewsIN 30 days, MO 30 days, NV 30 days, VA 30 days, GA 25 days, WI 24 days, TX 21 days, CA 21 daysAK: no dataAKME: no dataMEVT: no dataVTNH: no dataNHWA: 14 daysWA14 daysID: 11 daysID11 daysMT: no dataMTND: no dataNDMN: 21 daysMN21 daysIL: no dataILWI: 24 daysWI24 daysMI: 21 daysMI21 daysNY: no dataNYRI: no dataRIMA: no dataMAOR: 14 daysOR14 daysNV: 30 daysNV30 daysWY: no dataWYSD: no dataSDIA: no dataIAIN: 30 daysIN30 daysOH: 14 daysOH14 daysPA: 16 daysPA16 daysNJ: no dataNJCT: no dataCTCA: 21 daysCA21 daysUT: 14 daysUT14 daysCO: 21 daysCO21 daysNE: no dataNEMO: 30 daysMO30 daysKY: no dataKYWV: no dataWVVA: 30 daysVA30 daysMD: no dataMDDE: no dataDEAZ: 14 daysAZ14 daysNM: no dataNMKS: no dataKSAR: no dataARTN: 14 daysTN14 daysNC: 21 daysNC21 daysSC: 21 daysSC21 daysDC: no dataDCOK: 14 daysOK14 daysLA: no dataLAMS: no dataMSAL: 21 daysAL21 daysGA: 25 daysGA25 daysHI: no dataHITX: 21 daysTX21 daysFL: 14 daysFL14 days11 days30 daysDashed outline: no data
States with fewer than 40 reviews that state a duration show as no data.
Median stated wait by state
Idaho11 days60
Florida14 days235
Arizona14 days134
Oregon14 days96
Washington14 days84
Utah14 days72
Ohio14 days66
Tennessee14 days62
Oklahoma14 days49
Pennsylvania16 days72
Texas21 days338
California21 days253
Colorado21 days115
North Carolina21 days97
Michigan21 days76
Alabama21 days60
Minnesota21 days44
South Carolina21 days41
Wisconsin24 days50
Georgia25 days76
Indiana30 days75
Missouri30 days43
Nevada30 days43
Virginia30 days42

States with 40 or more reviews that state a duration. Medians cluster on 14, 21 and 30 because most owners write in weeks or months. Download this table (CSV)

What it means for you

  • Book off-season. Get the roof, A/C, furnace and slide-outs looked at before the rush. In our data, reviews posted in spring and early fall report the shortest waits.
  • Consider a mobile tech for single-system jobs. A mobile RV repair tech comes to you, so the rig doesn't sit in a lot waiting for a bay. Mobile techs suit appliance, electrical and A/C work more than structural or chassis repairs.
  • Ask about parts before you drop off. Ask whether the part is in stock, how long it takes to arrive, and whether you can take the rig home until it does. A parts delay can turn three days of work into three weeks in the lot.
  • Get a target date and an update schedule in writing. Agree on how often the shop will call, and ask about storage charges if the work runs long. Our guide to storage fees and mechanic's liens by state explains what a shop can charge.
  • For warranty work, start the claim early. Warranty and insurance jobs wait on approval before work starts, so call the warranty company or insurer the day the problem shows up.

The infographic

The RV Repair Wait Index · 2026Owners who mention a wait say 3 weeks.Unhappy owners say a month.How long the rig sat or the repair took, as stated in 2,795 Googlereviews of US RV repair shops, 2009 to Oct 2026.21 daysmedian stated wait30 daysmedian in 1 and 2 star reviews18.5%say three months or moreHow long the rig sat or the repair took, as stated in the reviewAll reviews with a duration (n = 2,795): Under a week 24.1, 1 to 4 weeks 35.1, 1 to 3 months 22.3, 3 months or more 18.5; 3 to 5 stars (n = 1,623): Under a week 31.4, 1 to 4 weeks 34.9, 1 to 3 months 18.1, 3 months or more 15.6; 1 to 2 stars (n = 1,172): Under a week 14, 1 to 4 weeks 35.4, 1 to 3 months 28.2, 3 months or more 22.4All reviews with a duration (n = 2,795)Under a week: 24%24%1 to 4 weeks: 35%1 to 4 weeks 35%1 to 3 months: 22%22%3 months or more: 19%3 to 5 stars (n = 1,623)Under a week: 31%Under a week 31%1 to 4 weeks: 35%1 to 4 weeks 35%1 to 3 months: 18%3 months or more: 16%1 to 2 stars (n = 1,172)Under a week: 14%1 to 4 weeks: 35%1 to 4 weeks 35%1 to 3 months: 28%28%3 months or more: 22%22%Source: RV Repair Centers analysis of 59,738 Google reviews of US RV repair shopsand mobile techs, 2009–Oct 2026.rvrepaircenters.com

How we did this

  • We took every Google review with text for the RV repair shops and mobile techs in our directory: 59,738 reviews dated 2009 to October 2026.
  • A pattern search found durations written near wait words such as "waited", "took", "sat", "had it" or "for" (for example "sat for 6 weeks" or "took a couple of days"). Words were converted to numbers ("a couple" = 2, "a few" = 3, "several" = 4), weeks to 7 days and months to 30 days. We kept durations from 1 to 365 days and used the longest one in each review. 2,795 reviews qualified.
  • Low-star means 1 or 2 stars (n = 1,172); the comparison group is 3 to 5 stars (n = 1,623). Monthly medians group reviews by the month they were posted, pooled across years. State medians cover states with at least 40 qualifying reviews.
  • A pattern search can misread a sentence, for example a trip length written near the word "for", so treat any single number as approximate. Reviews were collected in October 2026. We don't name shops.

Sources

  1. Google reviews of RV repair shops listed on RV Repair Centers, collected via DataForSEO, accessed October 20, 2026
  2. RV Repair Centers analysis, October 2026

Cite this: RV Repair Centers, "The RV Repair Wait Index: owners who mention a wait say three weeks," October 25, 2026, https://rvrepaircenters.com/rv-shop-wait-times/

Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.

Questions people ask

How long does an RV repair shop usually keep an RV?

In the 2,795 reviews in our data that state a duration, the median is 21 days. About a quarter (24.1%) say under a week, and 40.8% say a month or more. Owners write about long waits more often than short ones, so the typical job is probably faster than this.

Why do RV repairs take so long?

Owners in our reviews describe three kinds of waiting: for an open bay, for parts, and for warranty or insurance approval. Low-star reviews report a 30-day median wait, against 14 days in 3 to 5 star reviews, and they often say the shop gave no updates while the rig sat.

When is the best time to book RV repairs?

Reviews posted in April to June, September and October report the shortest median waits, 14 days, and December reviews report the longest, 28 days. Booking well before summer travel or the first freeze also keeps you out of the queue for A/C and furnace work.

Is a mobile RV tech faster than a shop?

Often, for single-system jobs. A mobile tech comes to the rig, so it doesn't wait in a lot for an open bay, though a part still has to arrive. Larger jobs such as roof replacement, collision or chassis work usually need a shop.

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