Community Forums

geardown · 03-13-2015, 09:40 AM

I am about to purchase our first coach (2008 32' class C) next week. I have a short list of three to choose from, one in Florida, one in Texas and the last one is in Michigan. All things considered equal, should I take my mechanics advice and stay away from the coach that's been in the salted road environment up north? It happens to be my personal favorite but I'd be happy with the others as well. Is chassis corrosion a significant issue? I've not any experience with this, we don't salt much in Louisiana! Except our crawfish.......

**CLIFFTALL** · 03-13-2015, 09:43 AM

It is a major concern if it in fact has corrosion. An inspection would reveal that. There are many RV's from up North that have not been driven when the roads were salted. Most people don't drive in those conditions.
Welcome to the forum and good luck.
Cliff

Myrons31 · 03-13-2015, 06:21 PM

Just going to throw in my two cents. The unit may not actually be from the area you are purchasing from, if it is from a dealer. I bought a used unit from a dealer in Ohio that appeared to originate in Georgia. The dealer in Ohio's sticker just happened to not fully cover what may possibly be the original dealers faded sticker from a Georgia dealer.
Of course if it is from a private party. My point may be moot.....

Up North · 03-14-2015, 05:00 AM

I'm in northern Minnesota. It's a rare sight to see a mh going down the road in winter months once the roads have needed to be salted.

Most people store them their yards or buildings. I would be more concerned about asking how it was stored in the winter months. Indoor or outdoor. If outdoors was it covered or uncovered. The general consensus up here is if storing outdoors best left uncovered.
Good luck to you!

geardown · 03-14-2015, 09:14 AM

Thanks to all for the insight! The current owner of the Michigan coach explained to me that the coach was winterized and stored during the cold season (half the year!) so no worries about road salt. I'll give it a good looking over and maybe get an inspection as well. Happy trails to all...........

srh · 03-14-2015, 09:40 AM

As has been said by others, just because a coach is located in northern States doesn't necessarily mean it will be full of rust. Similarly, a coach that is in the warmers southern States does not guaranty that it will be free of rust. I live in MI, first, don't drive my coach during winter months, second, I have a pole barn where I keep it inside, plugged into a 50 Amp shore power when I am not using it. So, IMHO, look at all with critical eye and don't let pre-conceived myth guide your decision!
May you purchase the right coach!

bobmac · 03-14-2015, 06:10 PM

I personally wouldn't worry about it. We have salted roads about 4 months of the year and drive the RV to Florida and back each year on salted roads. I have owned two Winnebagos and most of the rust on the underside was from outside storage prior to being built. If you purchase the Michigican coach, you can wash (or pressure wash if you are careful) it underneath and that should get rid of the salt. There are various sprays you can then apply to the underbody from oil to proprietary rust protectants. My experience with these is they have to be resprayed periodically for full impact and can be washed off on wet roads. Personally, I would be more concerned with a coach that has been stored outside near salt water. Remember that most RVs are built in states that have harsh winters and use salt and many are delivered during that period - so a coach in Florida might have been exposed during delivery. Good luck and get the one you like the most!

Timberdog · 03-14-2015, 07:51 PM

I agree with Bobmac, salt water is far harder on metal than the odd time on a salted road. Road salt is only corrosive if allowed to remain on the vehicle. Even worse if it's parked in a warm building. Sea salt on the other hand is prevalent at all times. Anyone camping near the ocean is at a higher risk for corrosion, including electrical systems.

Davinger · 03-15-2015, 09:16 AM

The salt in the north won't be so much an issue if the coach hasn't driven on the roads when they put salt down. In most cases in the great white north I don't see a great many coaches on the icy roads. The one in Florida you should inquire where it was stored. Since we are a retired military family living in Central Florida we have the opportunity to store our RV on Patrick Air Force Base. In case you don't know where that is I'll tell you it sits on The Great Barrier Island less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean on the east and less than half a mile from the inter-coastal waterway we call the Banana River. If you want to see a three year old coach covered in rust just walk around that lot.

I store mine several miles inland to avoid rust.

geardown · 03-18-2015, 08:36 AM

Well, after spending over 3 hours inspecting every square foot of the coach in Michigan I was completely impressed! absolutely no evidence of road salt corrosion and it was a complete cream-puff inside and out. excellent maintenance history and all it needs is some new shoes. after a little negotiating we agreed on a fair price......I'll be driving it home to LA in April! thanks to all who offered their experience and advice!

Mich F · 03-18-2015, 10:15 AM

Congrats - nice looking MH. Unlike many 2008s, yours is actually on a 2008 cab and chassis.

**JohnRR** · 03-18-2015, 09:08 PM

My Congratulations as well.

srh · 03-18-2015, 09:17 PM

Congratulations, and safe travels!

Davinger · 03-19-2015, 05:40 AM

Okay here's the part they don't tell you about...

Now that you have it you have to keep it in great running shape. Here are a few important maintenance tips for you.

Before you leave hop on the road to drive down to LA Get the oil changed both in the cab and in the generator.

Look on the inside of the drivers side door and get the tire pressure settings and set your tires up.

Fill the tank with premium gas and let it run down to above a quarter then fill it with premium a second time. This will clean your valves and get you some good gas mileage. After that feel free to drop back to the cheap stuff.

Run with the generator running and use the roof AC to cool the coach. Running the dash AC burns more gas than running the top unit.

Put 2 gallons of water in the toilet and some chemicals to treat the water. USE ONLY RV/BOAT Toilet paper do not use household TP! You can get it in bulk at Walmart cheap.

Invest in a 30 Amp Surge protector for the coach that you can plug in at the campgrounds. This will protect you from bad wiring and near miss lightning strikes.

Remember you aren't driving a car and when a good gust of wind comes along you will find that you have to do some extra work... (You'll get used to it trust me.) Also when tractor trailers pass you you will feel a disturbance in the force... (Again you'll get used to it.)

When making turns remember you have a great deal more rear end behind you than you used to and gas pumps have claimed many an RV base...

Make sure you have enough beer for the trip. Drive safely! When a curve says go slow... GO SLOW! and look up the height of your vehicle and pay attention to the height restrictions...