Those &%$#@ previous owners

[pvoth1111]

It seems as though people cut corners on repairs whether its their car their home or their Motor Home.
And then they sell it. (to you).

I bought mine from a nice guy who said all was well and had just drove it from AZ to OR and back.
There were so many issues I have lost count. Most I believe most were the doing ( or not doing ) of the person he bought from.

The first thing was the Board for fridge....to switch from Electric to gas you had to rewire it...the fix 165.00 bucks...

Next was the Converter...he told me you had to start the engine to charge the battery's...After about a week I found the converter under the passenger seat...there are vents on the side and top, I thought they were "heating" vents. There was the converter, fried, looks as though someone spilled something on it.....the fix 200.00 bucks

The Genny has a toggle switch that was added to it that turns on the fuel pump....needs a new control board...the fix "will be" 200.00 bucks.

There were little things too from light switches to wiring, lots of wiring, many of which I am still finding and fixing what is wrong.

It's just amazing when Mr. handy man gets in there and patches and patches.

In the beginning I felt I got a 'good deal" if in fact I would have spent another 5 grand on a different coach I may have been money a head.
Almost everything has had to get touched and the way I fix things is I fix the problem and the problem next to the problem...
I have learned so much about motor home systems I am almost an expert and I hope the next owner of this coach will not have to fix anything when I'm done.....well none of my work anyway.

[LJ-TJ]

 :)rotflmao WELL! Shall I say welcome.  Yep, about all you can do is laugh at the stupidity of others or you'll drive yourself crazy. I think you'll find that most of the chaps here that help out with suggestions on fix'n things learned their lessons the same way you are. A warm welcome to the club. And yes many of us could have bought a new BLUE BIRD WONDERLODGE's for what we have invested in these old rigs. Hey they make for good campfire stories.

[Mytdawg]

Who here owns a motor home that just may have belonged to a moron at one point in it's life?

*raises hand*       And I'm not saying I'm much of an improvement...

Mine didn't muck up everything though.  Just the wiring under the dash (so far).  Most of the stuff that broke he just left alone, thankfully.  It's slowly coming back on line.

I saw some really nice ones but the truth is, I don't need a nice one.  One guy had replaced every outside coach bolt and screw with stainless steel.  Good lord.    Let fussy people have the nice ones.  I got kids and dogs and vices galore.  I go to a dealer and buy a nice one and the money goes to some salesman and a company I don't know.  15 minutes later it's covered in fur, drool and cigarette burns.  And I haven't put the dogs in yet. :)rotflmao   I get one just before it gets scrapped out and I can put people to work locally on and off for a year or two...

[LJ-TJ]

   
• Now that's the attitude that's going to put the American economy back to normal and people back to work and you heard it here first.

[Mytdawg]

Besides that, where else you gonna find a RV rocking orange and mustard colored shag carpeting and dark paneling?      Besides "here" of course.

One of these days I'll have to relate the story of the Ugliest Little Corvette.  It's a very sad tale.   W%

[Stripe]

Pfft, there is nothing I could add here that nobody else hasn't already gone through, lol... 
The RV I have now seems to have had a lot of it's most simplest of preventive maintenance ignored.  At least they put good tires on it.  The Genny was missing it's mom starter switch in the genny compartment, the built in mixer, never removed and cleaned at least ONCE a year, the central vacuum never having had its bag replaced, washers needing replacing in the simplest of plumbing.  Shocks never replaced, front springs and spring bags, but you all know about that.. The list goes on..

But you know what?  I LOVE fixing those problems, it gives me a sense of accomplishment and a greater feeling of ownership in my rig because it was ME that fixed it. And you all helped!  A good example, my front springs, scared hella out of me thinking about doing that job, but after all the feedback I got from ALL of you, I got up the gumption and guts and CONFIDENCE to do the job and do it right the FIRST time.  And for that I thank each and every one of you.. 

It's MY RV, I fixed it and that makes me feel damned good.. 

Do I make fun of the PO's before me? I sure do, but they'll never know, they own a new rig now, BIG diesel pusher, and I know they hate it already and I know they won't be on this site to see this either.  Muhahahaha!!

Fredric

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Hey...the last owner of our Holiday Rambler "fixed" everything with duct tape...and I mean EVERYTHING!  Window screen holes, water leaks, electrical shorts, a missing window, the rear ladder, cabinet hinges...you name it, it had duct tape on it...even the shower floor, which wasn't even broken!

We are still finding duct tape residue here and there 2 years later.

He was nice enough to let us use his license plate to bring it home from MA to NY since it was still registered.  As a joke we wrapped the license plate quite thoroughly in duct tape!  Since he was nice enough to let us borrow it, we weren't complete jerks though...we wrapped the plate in saran wrap first...lmao!!!

Kev

[Stripe]

 :)rotflmao

[legomybago]

For some reason.....I have the abilty to seek out the broken and poorly maintenanced rigs....That is how you get them cheap!! Then you work your butt off fixing!! The feeling knowing that you've combed over most of your rig and checked so many maintenance items off...gives you a good feeling. I feel bad for anyone who pays top price....drives home....starts tinkering and finding multiple "supposedly unknown" issues from the PO. My Grandpa who has been an RV'r and a mechanic for many years always told me, "motorhomes are pieces of junk", but he loved all his, as he always was working on them getting them road worthy. I fully agree with him!! DONT LET THE FIX IT LIST GET TOOOOOO BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LJ-TJ]

Well a bunch of engineers where huddled trying to figure out how to move a mountain of stones. They discussed all kinds of things. Heavy equipment etc,etc. In the mean time this kid came along and picked up a stone and move it over to where the engineers wanted the pile to be move to. As the engineers discussed more ways to move the stones the kid kept picking them stones up one at a time. By the time the engineers had decided how to move the stones  the kid had moved the hole pile by hand with out equipment any equipment. The moral of the story is don't look at the mountain as a hole but one stone at a time.
Take one project on the rig and fix it. Have a beer relax and tomorrow fix another project. Next thing yeah know you'll be roll'n down the highway singing...On the road again. And look at all the great stories you'll have to tell and all the folks you'll be able to help out.

[Stripe]

I love it!!  If I had a new rig and nothing to tinker with, I'd get rid of it.

I have to totally agree with you there..