(Kuala Lumpur, 15th) Malaysia Recreational Vehicle Association Chairman, Lau Fui Teck, pointed out that in order to promote the sustainable development of the RV industry, a maintenance and after-sales service system must be established simultaneously, otherwise there will be a significant shortfall in service supply.
He said that not all RV sellers in the country provide after-sales service, and if RVs are sent to general vehicle repair shops, the technicians may lack professional experience and be unable to cope with the comprehensive maintenance needs of RVs.
He emphasized that an RV is both a vehicle and a "house" with living space, so technicians must master the basics of both "vehicle and house" in order to properly handle relevant issues.
"Actually, certain experience is required for repair, but basically there are no such skilled workers in the country, so we, too, had to start learning from scratch."
Lau Fui Teck has been engaged in RV sales since 2016. Frankly, he said that due to the limited number of staff, he can only serve his own customers; therefore, many other owners in need often give up on RVs halfway because they have nowhere to seek help.
He stressed that to build a complete RV industry, technicians must receive relevant training, but currently there are no formal learning channels or courses domestically.
He revealed that he plans to go to Australia next year to take a six-month course, and after returning to the country, may run training classes to train local personnel in RV maintenance.
He also mentioned that RV sellers abroad provide after-sales services rather than merely selling vehicles, as not every owner has the ability to repair them on their own, even though foreign education teaches such "hands-on" skills from a young age.
Lau Fui Teck admitted that although self-driving and RV rental policies have gained support, it still takes time and system building for the RV industry to transform policy dividends into market scale.
Lau Fui Teck admitted that although self-driving and RV rental policies have gained support, it still takes time and system building for the RV industry to transform policy dividends into market scale.
He illustrated that the price of a typical 15-year-old RV has exceeded RM250,000-300,000, and those between 1 and 15 years old can go as high as RM700,000. If the daily rental is calculated at several hundred ringgit, the profit margin for operators is not ideal and maintenance costs are also hard to estimate.
"Most people who get involved in RV rentals are already engaged in RV sales and expand naturally. For those starting from scratch with no relevant knowledge, it is basically unlikely to enter the industry easily."
Speaking of potential business risks, Lau Fui Teck pointed out that the first is the accident risk when the vehicle is on the road, and secondly, it still comes back to the lack of a perfect technical maintenance team.
He believes that the RV industry needs to establish a complete system covering purchasing, sales, after-sales service, technical talent training, and parts supply, which requires long-term accumulation and construction.
He pointed out that after the self-driving RV rental tourism policy was implemented, in theory it could drive the operation of a complete industry chain from sales to maintenance, but for now the market scale is still small.
"According to records, our country's RV ownership is about 1,400 vehicles. The overall market size is limited and is unable to fully support the development of a complete industry chain."