Constant Issues with my older MH

[burton822]

I have a 2003 Thor and constantly have to fix things. Is this the norm? I notice that quite of few people on here has older motorhomes. It only has 35000 miles so thought it would be a good option. I do not have problems with the engine part. Always with things inside. Something broke on the toilet and it wouldn’t flush, 100.00 to fix. The hose that leads to fresh water tank came off or torn off and still haven’t figure out how to get to it to fix it. Fan on driver side fell off while driving own the highway. That was fun. Microwave quit working had to replace. RV steps stop working, had to have the motor replaced. And the list seems to go on and on. I don’t want to get another, because it looks and drive so good. Plus I have sentimental reason on why i want to keep it. But just want to know if this is the norm and that my husband needs become more of a handyman

[Big Dude]

Before I bought mine, I was told by an experienced owner that I had better enjoy working on them. It's like your S&B home is being subjected to small earthquakes on a regular basis and there are so many systems that can have issues, especially in a MH. I have a local mobile repair guy that comes down every trip or two to fix the new issues.

[Mr_D]

Sounds normal to me. You have to have deep pockets or be a handyman to have an RV. Although, after 13 years of ownership, our '02 DSDP was the most reliable of any RV I've ever owned.

[nothermark]

If you had a 15 year old house would you expect to be replacing appliances and doing maintenance? Houses don't even get bounced around going down the road. ;-) Yes, it's normal.

Post a pic of the fresh water tank hose. Somebody will probably see it and have an answer.

[Waiter21]

Never buy an older MH unless you're a DIYer or have a very fat checkbook.

Sounds about right for a 15 year old MH.. When we bought our "New-to-Us" 1999 Southwind last year, I did a comprehensive per-purchase and identified a lot of these problems. Kind of normal wear and tear.

I keep a blog of all the stuff I work on on my 1999 Southwind. Looks like many of the same issues...

1999 Southwind 35S – Southwind by Fleetwood – sporting its new paint job

..

[Bahamaniac]

There will always be little things. Even a new unit will have issues!

[Fiesta48]

3 year old brand new DP. 260 fixes and improvements so far. I'm very handy fixing almost anything luckily. Bought new because I always seem to get the vehicles nobody's fixed anything. Guess new didn't work either.

[riverat]

We bought a 10 yr old MH and yes we have replaced and repaired a few things, nothing major so far except the convection microwave and we shopped around and got a good deal on one at Lowes. We got a fantastic deal I think and we can repair or replace things for years on the money we saved over brand new. Ours had 23000 miles and we purchased from the original owners. No regrets.

[chuckftboy]

Very normal to have a list of things that need repair when you own a motorhome. I bought new and found things to repair and took up the slack for poor quality control from the factory. You need to be really handy or have deep pockets to keep one in perfect working order.

[rcrevolution]

I tinker on mine every weekend that we are not using it. I’m really picky about maintainance and having everything just right. I find that most breakdowns and system failures could have been prevented by inspection and maintainance. It’s also usually cheaper than waiting for it to fail to fix it.

[nehog]

Originally Posted by burton822

... But just want to know if this is the norm and that my husband needs become more of a handyman

It (IMHO) is normal for stuff to break. You either have to be handy, or rich. I've found being handy the easiest solution!

[ArgoPilot]

I like the earthquake analogy.

The amount of maintenance and head scratchers grows with the complexity of anything. The more systems and lines and options and the like you have on board, the more involved you'll get trying to keep a handle on everything.

One of the reasons I went as old as I did (23yrs), is I wanted to avoid slide-outs. I figure that's extra road noise, vibration and wear on the body shell around where those components sit, more maintenance on extension systems and seals to keep everything level and aligned, and just overall less solidity. I'm sure they're wonderful for extra space when you're sitting still, but just didn't want the extra hassle I figure they bring to the party. That, and I wanted a big old porch awning. If there's a slide-out there, no awning.

One way or the other, as I'm also finding out, these things will require service and upkeep and (in some cases) repair or replace. Get greasy and try to do as much as you can yourself. If you get into something above your expertise or pay grade, consult pros.

[cpkleve]

I agree with the others. We (wife and I) have owned a travel trailer, two Class C's and two Class A motorhomes.

Over the years the total cost of repairs on the travel trailer paled in comparison to any of the others. It sat most of the time and was only used a couple weeks per year and was a minimal investment.

Once we stepped into the motorhome ownership, which provided a way for our entire family to travel together, a more comfortable way to take my wife to and from her Dr. appointments a few states away, and started traveling more distances and more often on vacation with the kids, we found repairs on the motorhome(s) were needed almost weekly.

If you are not handy, you can become handy. (I am an example of that). You can google almost anything, boards like this IRV2.com are invaluable for getting answers to questions, and YouTube is a tool many people use to record 'how tos' that are easy to follow.

If you are handy, you will be tested in creativity, patience, and contorting your body to fit into the smaller 'room to work' areas when performing repairs on a motorhome. I've learned the installers were not concerned with providing access for repairs, only installing.

I began to keep a log of repairs on the motorhomes. Although many fixes never actually cost $ but ALOT of time I did my best to keep a log of each of them. Looking back the repairs were both 'machine' and 'system' issues.

Machine: Fuel pickup and delivery, a/c compressor, alternator, power steering pump, brakes, rotors, shocks, tires, radiator on DP (that one hurt)... others...

System: Generator, transfer switch, awning not winding up, entry door handle broken, toilet failure (had to replace), power overload (all electrical), TVs, microwave, water pump, leaking roof, many more...

I say this with the outmost respect to you and your situation:
Yes, it is a labor of love owning a motorhome. Do your best to remember WHY you purchased the motorhome for the times when the repairs become overwhelming in time or money. If the WHY changes re-evaluate. When the WHYs no longer outweigh the work it might be time to reconsider if owning a motorhome is right for you.

GOD Bless!

[MichaelU295]

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

3 year old brand new DP. 260 fixes and improvements so far. I'm very handy fixing almost anything luckily. Bought new because I always seem to get the vehicles nobody's fixed anything. Guess new didn't work either.

Fiesta48, "260 fixes and improvements" sums it all and thanks for encouragement. I did 26 items within my first 2 months of ownership. I enjoy it.