What's on your "it will fail" list

[HD4Mark]

Got thinking while reading another thread about HWH jacks that there should be a list of things that will fail if you own a MH.

Here is our list:
Hydraulic leveling jacks.

RV absorption fridges. Please let's not beat this dead horse. If you are happy with yours, good for you.

Power awnings. I can't count on both hands how many people I have seen have trouble with them. A few brand new.

Generators. We have had two MHs and problems with both gennys. Running them once a month will help.

Some routine maintenance can help prevent some of the problems we have with stuff of course but I find manuals and instructions can be allusive creatures even in new MHs or vague. I get more info right hear than all of the paperwork that came with our coach and the PO was very good at keeping it together.

[photopilot]

Not exactly 'it's, but slide out seals and roof penetration and seam seals.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

House water pump . . . Did I mention Water Pump? Carry a spare!

[Skip426]

I think that anything designed and built by humans , will fit into this discussion.

The new " In thing " that sends shivers up my spine is, motor homes with all controls , linked to a lap top.
JMHO: File that under " Just because it can be built , doesn't mean it should be ! "

[CampingCajun]

Everything between the Windshield & Rear Ladder.

[AFChap]

Originally Posted by CampingCajun

Everything between the Windshield & Rear Ladder.

Ooops ...you forgot the windshield & rear ladder.

[Theberrys]

My Kidneys
Dick

[ahicks]

Realizing anything CAN fail, the list of "stuff" that WILL fail on ours is mostly consumable and maintenance items that are pretty much to be expected. The one exception possibly being the alternator. The rest holding up amazingly well, with no cause to believe abnormal failure potential in immediate future.

Some of this may be due to the fact the MH's owner is a tinkerer at heart, who enjoys keeping a close eye on things...

[stallsmi]

We're on our third air conditioner with 18 months (luckily there is a two year warranty). But I fully expect this one to fail too and we'll be on our fourth. Dometic air conditioners in the last few years have been disappointing pieces of junk.

[deandec]

Too depressing to think about future failures. We are supposed to be anticipating fun times.

But....we have been very fortunate with our rig over the past 73,000 miles. The only show stoppers were a broken fuel line, a failed injection pump, and a failed coolant pump in 14 years.

[BA-in-Mich]

At 26 years the fuel lines and the in tank fuel pump. All have been replaced. Now where did I put those new brake lines?????

[cwsqbm]

I don't have a "it will fail" list. If I expect it to fail, I fix it before it fails. Anything that fails was therefore unforeseen and therefore wouldn't be on any list I could accurately make beforehand. Even things that have a higher than acceptable failure rate still generally do ok for the majority of people. I don't like gas absorption refrigerators, but the odds of mine failing is less than 50%.

Generators might be the one exception. Most don't get properly exercised or maintained. Years ago, I rented a motorhome from a certain large national company we've all see the ads for on the side of their motorhomes. When I returned the motorhome on a Friday, there was a line of unhappy people waiting for motorhomes, and 100% of them had dead generators except the one I was returning (which was being towed in because the main engine had died). My personal generators all lasted for over 10 years, but I was religious about their maintenance schedules.

[dix39]

Just curious, but what usually happens to generators?

I've only had the Onan propane powered one in the camper, but it's 23 years old and all I've done to it are annual oil/filter changes. It only gets run when I need it during the Spring/Summer/Fall and sits idle all Winter.

Now we have a larger Onan gasoline powered generator in the MH, so if there's a way to keep it going longer I'm all ears. It didn't run when we first got the MH because of a break in the fuel line near the tank, but after replacing that and the oil/filter it seems to do just fine. It too is about 22 years old with only 54 hours on it, so perhaps that fuel line break has been there a long time?

IMHO, the things to keep tabs on, by having some idea of what their life expectancy is, are those that are difficult to replace on the road and will leave you stranded when they fail. I do this primarily with vehicles that we depend on to travel long distances.

Best of luck.

Steve

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by CampingCajun

Everything between the Windshield & Rear Ladder.

Ours doesn't have a ladder!

And in the 15 years we had rigs with HWH jacks we never had one fail!