2008 HR Admiral Questions - Newbie

[Kxbronco]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie to the website and to RVing. I looked at a 2008 Admiral 33SFS today and have some questions I'm hoping you can help me with. Want to know if these are common problems and if I should be very concerned about them. They are in no particular order:


Can't figure out how to get pics to show yet!

1. Outside the bathroom headed into the bedroom, there is a soft spot in the floor. It's in the hall area between the toilet and the hanging storage/drawers. Is this normal?
2. The frontend of the RV has the clear film over it. It has lots of dark spots under it that the owner believes is glue. He said that he thinks the clear film can be removed and the dark spots removed. Anybody seen this before? Is it a serious issue?
3. Wood flooring has gaps where it looks like the pieces weren't fitted together like they should have been. Anybody seen this before?
4. The covering on the bottom side of the dash on the passenger side is coming loose. Look like maybe the glue did hold or something. Is look all the way up to the wood looking trim/ac vents are.
5. Some of the cabinets have what looks like pencil marks on them. For example, the corner cabinet above the kitchen sink has a perpendicular line where the 2 cabinet doors meet. See the first picture below.
6. In the drivers side below the full side slide and above the storage openings, there is a piece of metal that I will call trim that appears to have rust under the paint and the paint is peeling in some places. Where it has peeled, it looks like aluminum. See the second and third pics below.
7. Some of the backsplash in the kitchen looks a little off. Tile doesn't line up to good in the corner and there is a hump in it to the left of the sink like there is something running up the wall behind it. See the fourth and fifth pics below. There's also a pair of holes on each side of the window above the sink where it looks like something was mounted. There is a Levelor blind over the window currently. See the sixth pic below.
8. The front grill is loose on the driver's side. Looks like maybe there are some screws or some type of plastic piece that may be broken.

I've only looked at a few RVs in my search for a nice used one. This one has 22k miles on it and appears to be otherwise in pretty good shape. Has a new slide seal and awning and new front tires. Will need rear tires. I did see some actual rust around some of the exterior storage areas behind the doors.

Any thoughts, input, things to look for you can provide will be appreciated.

Tks
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[MJoyce]

Don't know what kind of deal you're getting, but the kind of comments you're making sound like something from a unit that's older. That soft spot could be expensive and is not normal. Pencil marks? No problem. The pictures would be good. Good luck.

[Kxbronco]

So I have the pics uploaded to photobucket, copy the IMG URL from photobucket into the URL on the "insert image" and still no luck.

[Kxbronco]

Finally figured out how to add them via attachments. I think I got them in the order I described above. Looking at the first one you can see a little line at the top center of the cabinet where the doors would meet. Not a big deal just wondering if maybe there had been some issues with the cabinets. The ones about the backsplash, I'm beginning to think it was not done at the factory.

Input appreciated!

[dmastroluca]

Originally Posted by Kxbronco

7. Some of the backsplash in the kitchen looks a little off. Tile doesn't line up to good in the corner and there is a hump in it to the left of the sink like there is something running up the wall behind it.

The tile work is definitely a DYI project, and a bad one. If I were you, I would be more concerned about vital mechanical issues versus cosmetic issues. All coach and chassis systems need to be inspected by a qualifed RV inspector, or at the least an RV service center. I paid $350 for my inspection and was able to deal down thousands of dollars from the information gleaned from it.

[Captjake1]

Originally Posted by dmastroluca

The tile work is definitely a DYI project, and a bad one. If I were you, I would be more concerned about vital mechanical issues versus cosmetic issues. All coach and chassis systems need to be inspected by a qualifed RV inspector, or at the least an RV service center. I paid $350 for my inspection and was able to deal down thousands of dollars from the information gleaned from it.

Ditto on the inspection. They know exactly what to look for in the technical areas and others. I was glad I spent the money as I too used it to negotiate off thousands..

[Kxbronco]

Thanks for the replies. I have since found out that the tile is a DIY and I agree it's a bad one. I was just trying to figure out if it might be hiding something. Same thing with the marks on the cabinets. The soft spot in the floor and the paint peeling and bubbling are still a concern.

I went back to check it out again today. It drives really good. Found some cracks in the shower. Looks like a 2 piece unit that can be replaced. Clearcoat is peeling on the roof in the front. Found what looks like a ground wire underneath close to where the passenger side exhaust manifold attaches to the exhaust that was connected on just one end. It's about 12" long and looks worn on the other end. I say a ground wire because it's a heavy gauge wire like a battery cable.

I am planning to have a professional rv service tech check it out.

Tks

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Kxbronco-

We just purchased a 2008 Admiral at a fair price. Except for the clear coat peeling near the roofline (a common problem), it is a "cream puff." The deficiencies you describe are not consistent with a well-maintained coach (in my opinion). If it was my decision, I'd let this one go.