Community Forums

mtofell · 05-31-2019, 08:14 PM

So, I'm pretty handy.... some might even say really handy. In my younger days I replaced transmissions in cars, redid brakes, alternators, starters, etc, etc. Fast forward to today and I'm lucky enough to be able to afford newer vehicles that are mostly under warranty and I don't do a lot of car stuff. But, I work with houses for a living and can pretty much break down a house to the size nail and screw if need be. I've wired additions, remodeled kitchens and bathrooms and done all that.

So, what does all this have to do with motor homes some of you are undoubtedly asking? Well, as I look ahead at getting out of the trailer game and into the class A game, I REALLY like the price point and quality of some older DPs. Of course, I realize these things can/will have problems and I'm fine digging into a lot of it but I'm definitely NOT a diesel mechanic. So, what do you folks do when you have a 30,000# chunk of metal in your driveway that won't start, or won't run, or won't do something it needs to do so you can drive it somewhere to be fixed?

My metro area is decent size at greater than 1,000,000 people so I'm thinking there is someone out there with a bit more skill than myself that can help out. This actually bears pretty large on my decision to go older diesel. are there mobile diesel mechanics? RV specialists? I've already accepted the fact that there are things I won't be able to figure out. And, there will be things that go wrong so I guess I'm trying to get a game plan before the moment I need it. What do you folks with older DP coaches (or any DP coaches) do when you need a "diesel doctor"?????

RRR · 05-31-2019, 09:22 PM

Is your location profile correct? I have some contacts that I have for mobile diesel mechanics in the area. The truck fleet that I worked for used them when the shop got overloaded and service calls in the metro area. PM me.

FIRE UP · 05-31-2019, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtofell

So, I'm pretty handy.... some might even say really handy. In my younger days I replaced transmissions in cars, redid brakes, alternators, starters, etc, etc. Fast forward to today and I'm lucky enough to be able to afford newer vehicles that are mostly under warranty and I don't do a lot of car stuff. But, I work with houses for a living and can pretty much break down a house to the size nail and screw if need be. I've wired additions, remodeled kitchens and bathrooms and done all that.

So, what does all this have to do with motor homes some of you are undoubtedly asking? Well, as I look ahead at getting out of the trailer game and into the class A game, I REALLY like the price point and quality of some older DPs. Of course, I realize these things can/will have problems and I'm fine digging into a lot of it but I'm definitely NOT a diesel mechanic. So, what do you folks do when you have a 30,000# chunk of metal in your driveway that won't start, or won't run, or won't do something it needs to do so you can drive it somewhere to be fixed?

My metro area is decent size at greater than 1,000,000 people so I'm thinking there is someone out there with a bit more skill than myself that can help out. This actually bears pretty large on my decision to go older diesel. are there mobile diesel mechanics? RV specialists? I've already accepted the fact that there are things I won't be able to figure out. And, there will be things that go wrong so I guess I'm trying to get a game plan before the moment I need it. What do you folks with older DP coaches (or any DP coaches) do when you need a "diesel doctor"?????

Well Sir,
First off, don't "doomsday" yourself. If I had to guess, which means nothing, I'd say that about 99.999% of the diesel coaches out there, almost no matter what year/model they are, are darned reliable. Yes, you can have one, once in a while that may throw a temper tantrum and cause you a bit of heartache but, again, it's rare. Your lifelong mechanical abilities are going to be of great importance for about 98% of the RVs daily operations.

Much of "todays" diesels are computer controlled, from starting, and running, and transmission shifting and finally, shut down. And when computers get involved, well, you know what the potential there is there. So, while you can get a "todays" trained diesel tech to give you some insight on how todays and, maybe even a few yesteryear diesels work, trouble shooting and the like, it's not that easy to say or ask, "what makes them break or shut down and not start"? Way too many variables. But, that shouldn't stop you from at least asking.
Scott