Community Forums

lt6215 · 04-18-2012, 08:06 AM

We purchased a 2005 Winnabego Voyage last June (used) and I am taking it in for its first for me OIL CHANGE...The rig has 12,000 miles on it and my question is should I have engines drive belt replaced..I know it has low milage on it but it is 7 years old...I had my local tire guy inspect all 6 tires and they are good as new, so I am not concerned about them. Curious what everyone out there thinks..Thanks

clyon51 · 04-18-2012, 08:16 AM

Assuming a gas engine and a sepentine belt, you should be all set. I have a 13 y.o. Ford with 120,000 mi and the original belt.

Experts say 7 y.o. tires are reaching their end on RVs....regardless of miles. However, if you had them inspected, don't worry about for now. Just have them checked again next year.

lt6215 · 04-18-2012, 08:25 AM

Yes it is a gas engine...I know the vehicle was stored indoors most of its life and the tires are Michelin xrv with no cracking or signs of any problems..Thanks

wb7auk · 04-18-2012, 08:27 AM

7 years old and 12,000 miles not much use I would change them as non use becomes
a factor in their life span. Besides I like knowing the odds of changing one along side
the road is less.

R2Home · 04-18-2012, 08:38 AM

Unless the person that inspected your tires has x-ray vision I would replace the tires. They have gotten the 'age' limit. Besides replacing the tire now will be a LOT cheaper than repairs after one of them blows. I replaced our last summer and they had about half of their tread left.

wb7auk · 04-18-2012, 08:45 AM

What are the DOT date codes on the tires?
You think blowing a tire on a MH is bad try blowing a main tire on a plane that will
get your attention.

dinkie0720 · 04-18-2012, 08:57 AM

If you have a 8.1 Vortec, I recommend to replaced or to have one extra I do have an extra cost me $85.00 and need to be ordered, so that means you could not find that belt every where,so be aware,just in case.

vito.a · 04-18-2012, 12:52 PM

Serpentine belt: Inspect it. If there any cracks or signs or wear replace it. If you are the type that looks both ways before crossing a one-way street, replace it anyway and save the old one as a spare. Most modern fan belts are easily replaced by using a 1/2" breaker to remove tension on the tensioner pulley. Find a diagram that shows the belt routing, or make a drawing before removing the old belt.

Tires: A 2005 coach can easily have 2004 dated tires. You are on the edge as far as tire age goes. You say they look good, but I've had perfectly good looking tires explode (Goodyear G670's) at the 5 year point. Maybe think about replacing just the front two now and the rears next year. That lessens the financial pain.

Dunner · 04-18-2012, 01:49 PM

I still have the original belt on my `94 Ram with over 130,000 miles on it. I did buy a spare for it and my MH. The tires that came on my `04 MH were `03 tires with 15K on them and looked great. I still replace the G670s with Toyo's. My MH was also kept indoors.

wb7auk · 04-18-2012, 01:57 PM

This penny wise pound foolish approach of run it until it fails never made sense to me.

Dunner · 04-18-2012, 03:06 PM

I take PayPal if it'll help you sleep better at night.

Steve N Sal · 04-18-2012, 03:19 PM

Personally I wouldn't take a chance with the belt. If anything else at least purchase a new one and carry it with you. Had mine chaged just a couple of weeks ago and though I have about 20K more miles than you do, the belt was quite cracked on the groove side.

Pepper2 · 04-18-2012, 03:30 PM

Rubber degrades with time. Just had my 03 Sightseer in for a oil change and other pre-trip preventative maintenance. One item I wanted checked was the serpentine belt. My (trusted mechanic) told me it fell apart when checking it. I would not take a chance, replace it. A lot cheaper now then on the road.

Mr_D · 04-18-2012, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2Home

Unless the person that inspected your tires has x-ray vision I would replace the tires. They have gotten the 'age' limit. Besides replacing the tire now will be a LOT cheaper than repairs after one of them blows. I replaced our last summer and they had about half of their tread left.

Michelin says the "age limit" is 10 years, but after the 5th year they should be inspected by a professional. To really inspect a tire you have to look inside. I changed our Michelins out at about 8½ years.
I don't believe the so called "7 year rule" and neither do the tire companies.

I changed my serpentine belt and air conditioner belt at about 25,000 miles. The OEM belts were still in great condition so I put them under the bed for possible emergency use. Much nicer to change a belt in your driveway when it's sunny out than alongside the highway in the rain. Also, you know right away if they gave you the wrong belt and, by keeping the old one, I have a ready, known good, spare