An RV dealership operations and workflow company has begun testing its new comprehensive inspection system at large dealerships and the company said feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Founded in 2024 by Rob Cochran and Trip Edwards, Vinny is a company that is working to improve dealership operations through a universal dealer RV inspection system.
The hope, Cochran said, is for Vinny’s inspection system to improve customer service, eliminate wasted time and build trust between RV manufacturers and dealerships.
First and foremost, RV manufacturers and dealers want to deliver fully functional, ready-to-go RVs to consumers. Cochran said that is where customer service begins.
“In most service departments, the focus is naturally on what happens after a unit is sold or a repair order is opened,” he said, “but a growing number of dealers are now looking earlier in the process—at intake and pre-delivery inspections.”
When looking across multiple dealerships the pair found a consistent pattern emerged.
“Issues that should have been identified and documented on the dealer acceptance form (DAF) or at pre-delivery inspection (PDI) are instead being discovered later—sometimes by the customer, sometimes during service,” Cochran said. “By that point, the opportunity to properly document the condition of the unit has passed.”
The more they observed, the more Cochran and Edwards came to find that every dealer has a different idea of what a thorough inspection looks like. They decided to construct a universal inspection system that could be implemented in any dealership.
Vinny worked with Fun Town RVs on an initial pilot program.
“It was really nice for us to go and work side by side with them when they’re running 100+ units a week,” Cochran said. “It was really easy to start figuring out exactly what they needed.”
There are large inconsistencies between the inspection forms used by different RV manufacturers. This variability can make it difficult for dealers to maintain a consistent inspection process across different brands and models.
At the same time, both dealers and manufacturers are working toward the same goal. They want to deliver a high-quality RV to customers and ensure that any issues are handled efficiently and fairly.
The challenge often comes down to documentation — specifically, having a clear and consistent record of an RV’s condition at the point it changes hands.
Many times, a dealer will inspect the RV only for the issues the manufacturer requires. If those areas are in good condition, that can end the inspection.
“Then the dealer or the customer finds a rip in the sofa, and the manufacturer says it should have been caught during the inspection,” Cochran said. “Depending on the situation, a dealer can feel like they are getting stuck with unfair repair costs. Without clear documentation, it can be difficult to determine when or where an issue occurred, which can create challenges for both dealers and manufacturers when evaluating warranty claims.”
To address this, Vinny has developed a structured inspection system designed to help dealers capture more consistent and complete documentation during intake and pre-delivery inspections.
“If the manufacturer only wants to know certain things, you can send that information to them, but you have a complete record, all photos, all descriptions, everything accessible,” Cochran said. “If they ever come back and say they’re not trying to pay a warranty claim, because that wasn’t noted. You have it right here.”
The company said its inspection system can also help manufacturers notice potential issues in the manufacturing process. If enough dealers are documenting the same issue on the same RV, that information can be passed along to the builder.
“We can even tell the next guy inspecting one about things they might want to look for,” Cochran said, “because we’re seeing a pattern here, and we don’t want you to overlook it.”
Cochran said the company’s platform provides visibility into inspection performance, helping dealers identify areas where additional training or process improvement may be needed.
By standardizing how inspections are documented, the system can highlight inconsistencies across technicians and help guide internal training efforts.
Cochran sees a future where a technician can walk up to an RV appliance they are completely unfamiliar with, press a button, and know everything they need to know about how to inspect the appliance.
“We see this evolving into a real helpful tool as we start to work with more suppliers and more manufacturers,” Cochran said. “It will evolve over time, but we started here at the DAF and I think the longer-term value is there.”
Cochran said some dealers are beginning to rethink inspections—not just as a checklist, but as a critical control point that can impact warranty recovery, service efficiency and overall profitability.
Interested dealers can contact Vinny via phone at (615) 219-5305 or via email at [email protected].
Cochran has over 40 years of experience in RV operations between dealerships, service centers and a few things in between. He sold his RV service centers in 2016 for personal reasons and was out of the industry until co-founding Vinny in 2024.
“The entire industry has been my life. I kind of thought about semi retiring, and my passion and my excitement for this project has absolutely made me feel 30 years younger,” Cochran said. “Getting something like this going, and seeing the ability … I’m just excited to take things forward.”
