Specialty Vehicle Inspection Checklist — Pre-Purchase and Delivery

Pre-purchase and delivery inspection checklist

Use the first half of this checklist when you evaluate a builder or a demonstration unit, and the second half on the day your vehicle is delivered. Photograph everything on the delivery list before you sign the acceptance; the photos are your record if a claim is ever needed.

Part A — before you buy (evaluating a builder or demo unit)

Exterior

Count the horizontal seams on the sidewall. One-piece walls have none between roof and skirt.
Look at the skirt–body joint. Welded and laminated over, or a screw line?
Tap the sidewall in several places. Listen for hollow spots (delamination).
Look under the body with a flashlight: is the visible steel coated all the way around, or primed on one face?
Look at the wheel wells: is the perimeter sealed, is there a backer behind the panel?
Look at every roof penetration (A/C, vents, mast): what is the hardware bolted into?
Ask to see a roof sample and bend it.

Interior

Open an access panel and look at the wall cavity: insulation cut to fit and full depth, or stuffed with gaps?
Look at the floor edge at the door and the cove: sealed and hot-welded, or a mechanical seam?
Find an exterior electrical connection (a light, a lift, a generator): sealed connector or a splice?
Ask to see the harness shop or a harness on the bench.
Ask for the wiring diagram for the demo unit.

Process

Watch a unit in the rain booth or see the booth running.
Look at a completed check sheet or inspection packet.
Ask what happens when a station finds a defect.

Part B — at delivery (before you sign)

Documents in hand

Every warranty document, signed and dated, with the unit’s VIN.
Final inspection packet for this unit.
Wiring diagram for this unit.
Equipment manuals and warranty registrations for generator, HVAC, lift, medical or communications equipment.
Weight certificate (GVWR compliance) and any FMVSS/Buy America documentation the purchase required.
Maintenance schedule, including any sealant-inspection requirement that keeps the warranty valid.

Walk-around — photograph each

All four sides and the roof (from a ladder or a phone on a pole).
Every roof penetration and its sealant.
Every exterior door, hatch and compartment, open and closed.
Wheel wells, underbody, generator compartment, tank fills and drains.
Every exterior light, awning, lift or ramp — operate each.

Systems — operate each and photograph the result

Generator: start, run under load for 15 minutes, transfer to shore power and back.
HVAC: heat and cool; check for condensation or noise.
Lift or ramp: full cycle, with weight.
Water: fill, run hot and cold at every fixture, check every drain and the waste dump.
Every interior light, outlet and switch; every piece of installed equipment.
Slide-outs, awnings, mast, leveling jacks: full cycle.

Fit and finish

Interior seams, cabinetry, flooring cove, door and window seals.
Any water staining anywhere (there should be none — the unit was just rain-tested).
Graphics and lettering against the approved proof.

Before you drive away

Orientation completed; you know how to operate and winterize every system.
Punch list written, signed by both parties, with dates.
Contact for warranty and service, in writing.

After delivery

Re-inspect roof seals, window seals and exterior sealant at the interval the warranty requires — commonly every six months. A ten-minute look with a flashlight twice a year is the cheapest maintenance the unit will ever get.

High Level Enterprises, Inc. · 1060 E Waterford Street, Wakarusa, IN 46573 · 574-343-2150 · hleinc.net/before-you-buy/inspection-checklist/