Maintenance costs

[normandlegra]

Originally Posted by mel s

stepside454
RV repairs on a DP are not any more expensive than on a gasser...but engine, chassis, drive train and engine repairs usually are.
Mel
'96 Safari, 147k miles

Come on man... any house parts is the same for a gassers or a DP but mechanical repairs on Freightliner or Spartan chassis and diesel engine like CUMMINS or CAT are 5 times more expensive then gassers, agree to that !

[Mr_D]

ECU for the transmission, $3K
EMS circuit board $500
Water Heater $600
Exhaust Manifold $600
Radiator caused by road debris $5.5K (most covered by insurance)
Thermovalve damaged my Cummins $265
CAC repaired while radiator was out $1650
Water Pump $125

Originally Posted by stepside454

Jacwjames, that's scary.

Hah, I got that beat by a long ways!

[CountryFit]

i know what it's about and feel your pain mr d. hopefully it's over and gives you decades of worry free rving

[jsmmonaco]

2007 Monaco DP..........I don't believe the annual "maintenance" cost will be that different, the big difference will come if things start to malfunction............you cannot roll a DP into a ford dealer to have it fixed.........that is why I strongly recommend to anyone getting into the game to find a good mechanic...............personally, the wife and I budget $12,000 per year for repairs and such..............

[mvpmich]

Stepside454 I would concur that annual diesel maintenance will cost 2x to 5x more each year considering that there are 2 fuel filters, an air filter that costs $60-$80 and a litany of items that should and need to be checked in order to prevent the unexpected and expensive repairs that normally don't occur with good maintenance. I have owned a gas C and A and an A dp. Depending on the year and what is required, the annual diesel maintenance cost will be between $450-$750 per year compared to $150/yr for gasses. Having said that, if you do you own work the cost can be significantly reduced. Also know that dp will last significantly longer than a gasser which will have significant costs if kept as long as the dp. In my opinion, the diesel performs better and has a much better towing capacity. You might want to go to the Freightliner page and download the annual maintenance checklists to get a better handle on what is required and why the cost is slightly higher.

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by normandlegra

Come on man... any house parts is the same for a gassers or a DP but mechanical repairs on Freightliner or Spartan chassis and diesel engine like CUMMINS or CAT are 5 times more expensive then gassers, agree to that !

If you reread what you quoted, you'll see he already agrees with you.

[nothermark]

FWIW The other issue with DP's is often the level of luxury goodies in the house. A DIY light switch is a few dollars or a few more for a fixture. A bus controlled relay is probably more than a fixture after you find somebody to trouble shoot why the tablet will not turn on the lights. The same pattern through the rest of the high end coach.

[stepside454]

Thanks , I'm starting to think a gas rig we'll work just fine .

[Mr.Geritol]

(Either can, (and probably will), be a "money pit")

I thought every motor home (I have had two) or boat was a "money pit".
Mine has yet to put any money back in my pocket, but we consider the lifestyle worth the cost.

Have fun and enjoy your choice.

[CampDaven]

The diff tween my DP maintenance costs and the gas ones I had is pretty much chump change. On repairs they are about even. But we live in this one. They don't fail as much if being used.


Dave and Nola, RV Mutants

[TMan59]

If you are far more concerned with how much something cost than how well it works I would concurs a gas rig is your best bet.
It will serve your needs.
It is just my opinion that all our "opinions" are based on our life experiences. We spent a lot more $ maintaining a Ford 460 gas motor with 40,000 miles on it then we ever have on our dp with 100,000 miles.
In the 2 1/2 years and 30,000 miles we have put on the dp, we have spent just upwards of $900.
My opinion on this topic is based on our exp owning both.
What amazes me in these topics is just how seldom it is pointed out that an oil change on a gas coach is performed about 3 to 5 times more often than a dp. We changed the oil every 3000 miles on our gas rig and now every 12,000- 15,000 miles on the dp.
But that's just us......

[stepside454]

tMan, would you change oil more often if you drove less miles per yr? Say if you drove 6-7k per year .

[TMan59]

I have the oil changed it every 2 years or 12,000- 15,000, whichever comes first.
Even at 6000 miles a year your not far off that plan.

If I am doing a lot of hot weather mountain driving I would shorten up the interval compared to "normal" conditions.
We use the Cummins Valvoline premium blue oil and the Fleet guard filter.
Same oil I use in my 2004 dodge p/u that I bought new. It now has 315,000 miles on it without issue.
And the 1998 dodge that I traded in with 215,000 on it without issue.

[stepside454]

On our gas units I've done 5000 mil oil changes using syn blend.