What is your most embarrassing motorhome repair flub?

[His_Hers_AK]

Those of us who fix or try to fix things on our motorhome have good moments and bad moments. Lets here your best or worst stories!

I will start it off...
Every winter I disconnect the batteries and one Spring my slide out stopped working. We are used to things randomly breaking during the Winter. I Googled and tested everything. I ordered a new module after going through some tests over the phone with Tiffen.
The good news was I could jump pins on the module and get the slide to go in and out in the mean time. This meant rolling on the ground to access the module every time we wanted the side in or out.
Needless to say replacing the module didn't fix my problem. A few months of rolling on the ground went by before we could get to Anchorage where the RV shop is located.
It turns out I had the crossed the positive and negative wires for the slide when I hooked up the batteries in the Spring.

[TexasTom]

I'm too embarrassed to confess mine.

[Grey Ghost I]

Originally Posted by TexasTom

I'm too embarrassed to confess mine.

Come on now----I won't tell anyone. I promise.

[Firebug5]

My most embarrassing confession is this:

I have never attempted to repair anything on any of the 10 recreational vehicles we have owned in 35 years. Not on the boat, either. Not even on any of the tents we owned before that. There, I said it!

Whew, I just saved a ton of money that I was going to spend seeing a psychiatrist about this very issue. Already beginning to feel like a man again.

With that being said, I have been reading all of the great threads on this site for about a year. Who knows, maybe I will attempt something eventually.

Somebody has to pay all of the mechanics and repair technicians, right?

Bruce

[His_Hers_AK]

Sometimes you don't have the option service stations.

Last summer the leveling jacks quit working. It took a few minutes but, I found the drivers front tire had worn through the wiring harness to the control box. I was able to splice the wires together and re-secure the harness. I earned "saving us money" credits that time.
Cause of the problem: My guess is the rough roads shook the harness out of place and it started rubbing the tire on more rough roads.
Ben

[Doggy Daddy]

I moved the RV in the drive way and forgot to unplug the 50 amp cord. Lucky me, no damage.
I pay to have things done that I do not want to challenge i.e. tires, or beyond my ability i.e. welding, painting, or take special tools.
I have a laundry list of things RV Repair facilities have messed up that I caught ahead of time and those I didn't. I always watch repairs being done if possible and inspect the work afterwards for screwups and damages. Sometimes it requires me to get on my back and get dirty.

[Firebug5]

Originally Posted by Doggy Daddy

I moved the RV in the drive way and forgot to unplug the 50 amp cord. Lucky me, no damage.
I pay to have things done that I do not want to challenge i.e. tires, or beyond my ability i.e. welding, painting, or take special tools.
I have a laundry list of things RV Repair facilities have messed up that I caught ahead of time and those I didn't. I always watch repairs being done if possible and inspect the work afterwards for screwups and damages. Sometimes it requires me to get on my back and get dirty.

I like your way of doing things. However, how in the world did you not damage anything while forgetting to unplug the 50 amp cord? My son caught the same cord on our moho with his mirror, and ripped the entire receptacle from the side of the coach. Over $400 to repair that mess. I thought about tackling the repair, then you read a story about a moho that burns to the ground due to faulty wiring! Like you, I watch the repairs as they are being done. I have a great mobile RV tech in my area, and he tries to teach as he goes. I just do not want to send his kids to college.

Bruce

[Ray,IN]

I wired-in a 12V headphone amplifier last week to power the bed headboard speakers for the TV. Got everything done and buttoned-up, pretty proud of my work. Called DW to come and admire my installation. Turned it on__nothing not a sound. DW returned to the house and I took everything back apart. Humm, I'm stumped; called my neighbor to come help. Before he arrived I decided to double-check my wiring job. Hot wire was hot, checked ground wire for continuity_nope nothing. Switched my multimeter to DC voltage and checked for voltage instead of continuity. Hot wire read 13.3 VDC, ground wire read 13.3VDC.
I had ran both wires to the positive bus bar___. Good outcome, I didn't burn out the amplifier, only bruised my ego.

[Mike and Cha]

Bruce, try some of the easy fixes to get started and you will build confidence. Years ago I started fixing things on my RV's and boats, I just figured that it was already broke so the worst case scenario was I would have to buy one anyway, and I thought it's kind of like working on a my house issues, if that guy can fix it, I should be able to too. I have found this logic works about 95% of the time. And then there are things I recognize are out of my league and just take it in for repairs.


As for my most embarrassing Flub, it wasn't really on a repair, but it was definitely "pilot error" and embarrassing. I was dumping the MH tanks and was on the second black tank, somehow when I switched to the second one I didn't firmly twist the hose connector. I did the original dump on the second tank and all went well, and then closed the valve. I put more water in the tank to do a second flush of the tank. Much to my horror the connection popped apart and black tank water was going everywhere. I got it stopped really quick, but everyone could see what happened. Thankfully the bad stuff was gone already gone, so it was only liquid, but smelled like what you would expect. Then I do the next stupid thing and started to hose it down but quickly realized I was only making it worse, and all the surrounding campers were watching me.

Me being the honest guy I am, went into the office and told them what had happened. I was expecting them to be really upset and to have to pay some clean up fee. But much to my surprise after they all teased me for several minutes and made me feel like even more of an idiot, they thanked me for telling them as most people just leave and say nothing. There was no charge, and they just came and sprayed the area, which was mostly dry now with a bleach spray. The cleanup guy was just joking with me, and I said I thought I was going to have to pay for a clean up, and he said yeah it costs a 6 pack of beer. I ran to the CG store and bought him a 6 pack and when I gave it to him I think he was a little embarrassed, but I felt better. I couldn't get out of that CG quick enough. Now I always double check the connection!!!

[TnT612]

Wow! You guys make me want to take the toolbox out of the MH, but then I hear my wallet scream in horror at the prospect of paying for repairs, for what could be a simple fix.
I have come to realize that I am on this earth to demonstrate the improper way of doing things, at times. Then there are times I am glad I can't leave something set without tinkering (or putzing for some) on the "house" to try figuring out issues.
For example...all three slides will not retract. Do the "search" to no avail...call a buddy with electrical expertise...nuttin! Email slide company and MH company for electrical diagrams...Managed to get the slides in and called the dealer for help. With an appointment set and doing a pre-check the night before, the backup camera wouldn't work...tears! Deciding it would be a fuse I began the search...again. Lucky me, I found a couple blown fuses. Replaced the first and checked...Backup cam working. Next fuse...click....hmmmmm? Yup, you guessed it...slides working! Putzing prevails and chest pops just long enough to recall it was a fuse I should have found days earlier.

[milasman]

Had trouble with water pump from day one, wouldn't prime correctly. Drained fresh water tank and removed pump from difficult to reach mounting position. Dismantled bottom portion where check valve is and found a circular gasket pinched apparently from the factory. It was deformed, however got it to align in its little track or grove that it suppose to fit in. Reassembled pump and put it back in the incredibly hard to reach mounting location. Filled fresh water tank and turned pump on, heard pump running but no water at sinks or anywhere. Got flashlight and crawled in by pump to investigate, the pump was just blowing air into fresh water tank. Removed pump again from hard to reach and incredibly tight mounting position. Realized at that moment after looking it over that I had reassembled the bottom half 180 out and now the flow was reversed. Well, works fine now and I found new and unusual spots on my body for sore muscles and bruised ribs!

[FIRE UP]

Well Gang,
I could make this really, really long but, I'll give you all the short version. I've been repairing, altering, fabricating, welding, wood working, plastic welding, roof repairing and much, more, ever since I can remember. And, about 99.99% of the time, my work turns out pretty good. I say "pretty" good because, it's not always the way I want or, expected it to turn out. But, if it works when I'm done, I'm happy and, as many of you have stated, I've save a ton of money.

The way I figure it, in the 40 + years of RVing, camping, and traveling, I figure I've save right close to $75,000 in total, if not more. This also includes paint work. I've painted about 5 cars in my life too which, actually turned out outstanding for DIY home garage stuff with all the not-perfect working conditions and, not so perfect tools.

But, what I couldn't fix, to save my life, as you'll see in the pictures, the biggest screw up I'd ever done. Folks, I've driven fire trucks for over 35 years and not had any issues. That includes backing them in some of the tightest emergency conditions possible. And, as stated earlier, have been driving RVs for almost as long. But, what you see in the pictures below, is a direct result of SERIOUS COMPLACENCY!

I'd backed our present RV, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330 CAT, into it's barn oh, about 20-30 times prior to this mishap without a scratch. But, this day was different. Based on the fact that, the DW was out watching for me, my head was like a u-joint checking all the mirrors and watching her all at the same time, and, I was moving at a rate of about 1/4 mph.

And then, CRUNCH!! It happened. And, I knew, the micro-second it happened, what I ran into. I'd hit the corner of my eve on the house and, the rain gutter corner that was there too. I was sick, and I hadn't even left the drivers seat yet. When I saw the damage, I was lucky I didn't have any of my guns close by. Because I'd have used one of them on ME!

OK, enough of the story. $8,500 dollars and, 4 weeks later, it was better than new. The company I chose to do the work, lived up to it's reputation as doing PHENOMENAL work. You can't even tell, not only where it was damaged but, the paint matching is SO CLOSE that it takes the exact right sunlight, in the exact right conditions, to even THINK there's a mismatch.

The series of photos show the damage, then the stages of repair, and, the final outcome.

But, this is one time, I couldn't do the repairs and save me some money. Some of you have seen these photos, others have not. The point, do pay attention when backing, no matter HOW MANY TIMES you've been there done that!
Scott

[Selah]

I'm not telling. All I'm going to say is that it involved a new rear ladder, some fiberglass repair, and some new wood and paint for the garage overhang.

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Well Gang