In mid-February, K-Z conducted the spring session of its long-running Service School, hosting RV technicians representing dealers across the U.S. and Canada for two weeks of training at its Shipshewana campus.
“Everybody wins,” said Mark Owens, K-Z service manager, who has been involved with Service School since 2009. “We design course content based on dealer feedback. Classes are taught by K-Z personnel and OEM certified technicians. Hands-on troubleshooting sessions give dealer techs real-life practice.”
Classes have featured Suburban water heaters and furnaces, RVP air conditioners, Norcold refrigerators, Xantrax inverters, Alpha rubber roofs, WFCO converters, Arterra water pumps, Graphix Unlimited decals, and Lippert slides, awnings, brakes and axles.
Service School began in the 1980s as a once-a-year event, but soon expanded to include spring and fall sessions. Except for travel to Shipshewana, K-Z picks up all expenses, including popular Amish fare at local restaurants.
Attendees range from beginners to advanced RV Industry Association-certified technicians. Spring Service School typically includes refreshers on RV basics like twelve-volt electrical and LP systems. Fall sessions focus on newer features, with November courses covering various new electronic systems, hydraulics, and MyRV tablet technologies.
“The topics are very specific, current and on-point, so there’s a lot of good discussion,” said Kyle Walker, K-Z field service representative and lead Service School instructor. “Technicians talk about the issues they’re currently seeing. Every year, RVs come out with new features, so there’s a real need for updates. Service School is one hundred percent custom and tailored to our dealers’ needs. That’s why dealers find it so effective. Classes fill up quickly and there’s always a waiting list.”
