RV tech in Tampa Bay area?

[JandKSunshin]

Hello! My fiancee and I just bought a 1995 Winnebago Adventurer, and after taking our first trip, we calculated that we got 4.5 miles per gallon! That was a bit less than expected, and I'll like to have an RV tech look everything over anyway, since we just got it. Any recommendations on a place to take it to in the Tampa Bay area?

Thanks,
Johnny

[computerguy]

Most "places" are in the not recommended column. I know for sure I would NOT take it to Lazydays. Please do you own research as to why. Many others concur. General RV in Seffner would come in as a maybe though. They cram it in your face that you didn't buy it there and then say "their" customers will be put in line before you. But I brought it there over the winter and they seemed capable, upfront and got me in and diagnosed within a few weeks. They had to order parts and that took a few more weeks but overall a decent experience, well, except for the comments about not buying from them and being placed behind "their" customers. May be more bark than bite.
I would recommend a mobile tech over a brick and mortar place. I used a guy back in 2011 and I will have to see if I still have his info. I think he was out of Riverview/Ruskin area. He was reasonable, knowledgeable, capable and dependable.

[Winemaker2]

For mileage issues I'd say find a good auto or truck shop and ask if they gave / would work on RV. You didn't say what chassis / engine.
If it's RV house problems thats a different story.
Many truck use the same engine chassis transmissions and are frequentl better and more experienced.

[PanJH]

Well, if you are concerned about the MPG and chassis related items, it looks like Winnie offered the Adventurer on Chevy,Ford and Oshkosch chassis. If its a Ford, I suggest Gator Ford for service, they are good with RV's. If Oshkosh, they have cummins diesel, I'd say either the Cummins shop on Hillsborough Ave or Tampa Truck Center on US 301. If its a Chevy, someone else will have to give you some leads.
If you are looking for "house" checkout... e.g appliances,heaters,ac,pumps,tanks,etc. I have dealt with Drew's RV in Ruskin. They have a shop and mobile techs so you have options there.

[Podivin]

Learn to think of your RV as two separate things that occasionally interact, but are mostly separate.

There's the chassis (I think of it as 'the truck', or 'the truck that lives under Luna' - Luna is the RVs name), that's engine and drive train. If you have problems with that and want somebody to work on it, take it to somebody who works on that brand of truck (you'll need to know the brand of the truck, which you can probably tell by looking at the steering wheel).

Then there's the house and all of the appliances. Other people work on other bits there, you may need an air conditioner person, or someone who knows about propane systems, or someone who knows about RV 120 volt wiring. It all depends on what you're after.

As for your specific problem, I would recommend just doing a tune-up on the engine to see if that helps. Do it yourself if you've got the skills and tools, you'll learn more about the RV and save money too. Plugs, plug wires, air filter, fuel filter(s) - that sort of basic maintenance stuff that you don't if it's been done recently or not. If it's a diesel the items required would be different but the gist of it is the same. Just go say nice words to the truck that lives under your RV, and give it some attention.

And of course it matters where and how you drive. We get about 7.5 or so on the interstate running about 63mph (that seems to be the sweet spot on ours).
However we like to travel two lane roads and see more of the country. That means we spend of a lot of time driving through smallish towns with stop lights and stop signs. That's always much harder on our mileage (these things really suck fuel to get rolling from a stop). Under those circumstances we've seen as low as 5 mpg. For us it's a fair trade to enjoy the trip more.

As others have said, if at all possible, don't go to an RV Dealer for general service - that's your last choice of where to take it. Read here to see how many bad things have happened at a dealer. Yep, there are some good ones, but it seems like there are too many bad/uncaring ones.

[Cranemec]

Take your pick.

RV Service Reviews

If your worried about fuel mileage, you chose the wrong hobby. LOL

[powderman]

I didn't see in your post where you went or how many miles. If only a few hundred miles, it's difficult at best to determine mileage. Just how the vehicle was sitting while getting filled can make a few gallons difference. If it seems to be running OK, I would say drive it till there is maybe a thousand miles and keeping track of all fuel used. You may find out that your reading wasn't accurate. Enjoy, and welcome to the forum.

[johnhicks]

I had this guy John Erbs Auto Service Center - Tampa, FL 33618 - 813-908-3333 do some extensive engine/chassis work on my old class C about seven years ago. I had a Ford 460 engine.

He did good work at a reasonable (although of course not cheap) price on several occasions. FWIW I averaged about 7.5mpg usually traveling 55-60mph.

Be sure to ask if he can get your rig into the shop; I vaguely recall it being kinda tight.

[JandKSunshin]

Thank you for all of your help! Looking back at my post, there were definitely some needed details missing. lol
We've got a Chevy 454 engine in it. We only calculated the MPG once, after driving from where we bought it in Orlando to St. Pete, FL, and then to a nice dive spot about an hour and a half north (love the FL springs!).
The air filter and plugs looked pretty new, and the tires are good, so we'll just keep it around 55mph and keep checking. I think my main worry was that after looking around at other people's mpg, I was worried that something might be wrong that I wasn't seeing.
And hey, if it's 5 mpg, it's 5 mpg. I LOVE this thing!!! It's sitting in our yard until we're done remodeling, and we rarely go in the house. lol

[johnhicks]

Those big blocks do drink the gas.