Owning a motor home is not for sissies.

[MSGDLD]

In 2011 before my parents passed they gave the DW and I their MotorHome. The good news is that Dad kept the chassis maintained. But they hadn’t used it for a couple years, and being in their 80s, couldn’t do much to it the last few years they did use it.

Many repairs and updates have been needed, with plenty more to go. The latest? The fridge gave up the ghost. Before next season I’ll get the compressor conversion unit, need to see why the roof air isn’t doing well, repair the 2 year old “not so” Fantastic Fan” that died, and more.

Thankfully I’m a retired mechanic, I couldn’t afford it otherwise.

I tell folks it’s the most expensive free thing we’ve ever got.

OTOH, the reality is that we wouldn’t be able to have a MH at all if it wasn’t for this, so I’ll keep on fixing as long as I can.

“Run whatcha brung”, or “Be grateful for what you’ve got.” Take your pick, or a little of each.

[timjet]

The reason I started this thread was my frustration will all the things that went wrong at the same time. We had just got back from a 12,000 mile trip to Alaska and the only issue we had the entire trip was a leaking front wheel gasket that was repaired in Anchorage for a mere $700.
On the way back, some where in Iowa the above the door awning failed in the out position. I had just replace the motor in that awning 9 mo ago.

On the way home I stopped by a trustworthy shop I've used before to fix a dash air issue and they found an exhaust leak near the muffler. Once home and parked in our storage slip I noticed fresh oil on the slab below the engine. Oil pan gasket leak!

I go to the coach a week later and the front air pressure hose connection to the dash warning module fails. No front air pressure as it's all leaking out the disconnected hose. Then 2 weeks later the rear air pressure gauge fails, -continues to sweep.

At the same time I noticed abnormal wear on the steer tires. Alignment, new tires and shocks.

The motor home gods smiled favorably on me while we were in Alaska. Apparently somehow I made them mad.


Everything is fixed except the sweeping rear air pressure gauge. That one is not going to be easy and will require me sending the Tach, low pressure instrument cluster and warning module into the manufacture for repair. How can most car instrument panels last for years and this one breaks after 12 years?

[tvp]

Yea we feel the frustration: I always say if you buy a $200,000 dollar sports car there is a good chance the first couple of years you will not have any problems , but buy a $ 200,000 RV and start making a list as you drive out the parking lot of the dealer , there is very little quality control, The manufacturer try's to make the RV as light as possible to save weight, the sub suppliers are supplying junk parts that look good but don't last, and the skilled labor to install and fix the RV,s are far and few between . I Had a chance to go for a tour of a 2000 bluebird RV , built like a tank , 3/4 inch cabinets, heavy duty parts , it looked like the day it came off the lot .....Quality ..... Just look at the service situation we now face , if you want it fixed properly you have to go back to the Manufacturer ( Mother Ship ) to get it done , Very few dealers have the skill sets required to repair these RV,s . So pick up a extra roll of Duct Tape and hang on for the ride ......[emoji12][emoji736]

[BruceDeville]

Originally Posted by Wild Card

Tell me...and about 99% of other motorhome owners about the "no property tax" how do we get a piece of that pie? Taxed .48c on the 100 round here, combined with tags...no pay no play.

Sorry my reference concerning taxes was poorly worded. Yes I paid sales tax when I purchased my motorhome, but I only paid that one time. On the other hand property taxes come every year. The property taxes I have paid over the years greatly exceeds my one time sales tax cost.

Property taxes - my personal point of argument. When I lived in California in the early 70s, my property taxes exceeded my mortgage P & I. Sorry California, you are (or were) beautiful, but beyond my budget.

Bruce Deville

[House Husband]

timjet, I feel your pain. When we did our 15,000 mile Alaska trip I had to replace a clearance light lense and had to add oil twice. Don't know if we can afford to do that again. Maybe we need to step back from our high tech Bounder and do something with less gadgets.

Richard

[winniman]

Originally Posted by timjet

The reason I started this thread was my frustration will all the things that went wrong at the same time. We had just got back from a 12,000 mile trip to Alaska and the only issue we had the entire trip was a leaking front wheel gasket that was repaired in Anchorage for a mere $700.

Do you think the trip to Alaska had anything to do with it. Obviously, the more you use the rv, the more things wear out, but do you think the roads or something specific to the Alaska trip caused excessive wear on the rv. Just asking, as an Alaska trip is high on most rvers lists.

[House Husband]

Originally Posted by winniman

Do you think the trip to Alaska had anything to do with it. Obviously, the more you use the rv, the more things wear out, but do you think the roads or something specific to the Alaska trip caused excessive wear on the rv. Just asking, as an Alaska trip is high on most rvers lists.

The roads in Canada and Alaska are no different than the roads in the lower 48. You will encounter more road construction, that will make a mess of your rig. Be prepared to get off the road early for clean up. Almost all the campgrounds have clean up facilities. Many are a free hard stand with water and some have pay power washers. I you elect to travel on the "Top Of The World Highway", you will encounter 50-100 miles of dirt & gravel. The gravel is embedded in the soil and is not a problem. Mosy along and enjoy the scenery.

Richard

[C5c5]

Originally Posted by BruceDeville

Mostly for the dear wife I have installed all of the new electronics gadgets, including burger alarm with cell phone access, multiple exterior cameras, wifi repeater, computer directed monitoring and control.

I wish I had nice big juicy burgers, particularly with cheese and mayo, breaking into my coach!

I couldn't resist. [emoji6]

[Ray,IN]

That is exactly why we bought an extended service contract at time of purchase. I had been parked in a barn for 8 years because the owner became too ill to use the MH.
That ESC more than paid back the cost of the contract.
Here I am 7 yrs later; 2017_ $1,280 for 6 new tires, 2018_ $3,100 for new exhaust manifold, this week $2,100 for new primary fuel pump. All those costs included labor N taxes.
Just another side-effect of becoming so old I cannot DIY and more.



I just keep reminding myself, it IS 20 yrs old this coming April.

[sibe]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

That is exactly why we bought an extended service contract at time of purchase. I had been parked in a barn for 8 years because the owner became too ill to use the MH.
That ESC more than paid back the cost of the contract.
Here I am 7 yrs later; 2017_ $1,280 for 6 new tires, 2018_ $3,100 for new exhaust manifold, this week $2,100 for new primary fuel pump. All those costs included labor N taxes.
Just another side-effect of becoming so old I cannot DIY and more.



I just keep reminding myself, it IS 20 yrs old this coming April.

Yep....

It is winter and snow in ground... i have RV next to garage, up on blocks, plugged in. I am starting to get up the courage to start some updates..
I hope for a couple above 30 days to replace front rotors /brakes.
Interior needs a soft spot in floor fixed from an old leak,,,but it will require removing sofa bed and dinnette to replace rug and do it right...
Then I have to remove the dated "mirror slates" from backslplash in ktchen
area and the walls adjacent to Refidge,, Glued on, URGH..

[MSGDLD]

Interesting because I did the same thing this past spring- without the DW knowing. Surprise! The good news is that both of us like it much much better.

FWIW, I don’t know how yours are put on, but I removed ours with a thin blade flexible metal scraper. Slid it underneath and worked them free. It was a rubbery type glue, and all but one of the mirrors came off without even cracking. That was a shock. Most of the glue came off with the mirrors, I got the majority of what was left mechanically, careful scraping or pulling it off with my fingers, then carefully used a bit of mineral spirits on a paper towel to clean up what was left of the goo.

It took me 7 years to work up the courage, go for it!

Originally Posted by sibe

Yep....
It is winter and snow in ground... i have RV next to garage, up on blocks, plugged in. I am starting to get up the courage to start some updates..
I hope for a couple above 30 days to replace front rotors /brakes.
Interior needs a soft spot in floor fixed from an old leak,,,but it will require removing sofa bed and dinnette to replace rug and do it right...
Then I have to remove the dated "mirror slates" from backslplash in ktchen
area and the walls adjacent to Refidge,, Glued on, URGH..

[HJLowell]

Originally Posted by Termigator

There's a tired old saying that boats are a hole in the water into which one throws money. Having owned over 20 boats in my life, I can say without fear of contradiction that whoever said that never owned a MH.
At age 65 I purchase my first coach- a 2014 36' Thor Palazzo. It functions ok and is very comfortable, but keeping it repaired is a full time job. Though I could get it maintained at the shops, I refuse to pay $125 an hour for someone to change the oil, and replace taillight bulbs (as one ripoff artist tried to charge me).
Fortunately, my father was a mechanic for International Harvester and a Tech Sgt in WW II, so I was born with a phillips in my mouth. If you are not handy and incapable of some pretty involved DIY, take my advice and stick to boating. it's a lot cheaper.

I agree
But it would depend on the Boat your maintaining???

[Deny]

If you want inexpensive camping adventures, get a comfortable (as small as possible) travel trailer, that can be safely towed with a 1/2 ton pickup, that doubles as a daily driver. That is what young Americans, with kids, use for recreational vehicles. By the way, go to the parks they go to, as well, They have fun, you will too.

[timjet]

Originally Posted by winniman

Do you think the trip to Alaska had anything to do with it. Obviously, the more you use the rv, the more things wear out, but do you think the roads or something specific to the Alaska trip caused excessive wear on the rv. Just asking, as an Alaska trip is high on most rvers lists.

Not really. The awning failure, air pressure gauge, oil leak, tire wear, shocks and alignment had nothing to do specifically with Alaska. When we returned I had an alignment done due to the steer tire wear and the alignment shop said the coach was in alignment with just a very minor adjustment.

The coach is 12 yo. Probably the best guess as to why things are breaking.