Finding parts for older class A RV's

My wife and I are looking to purchase something spring of 2019 made in the 2000's or so.  Right now  we like the Alfa floor plans but aren't set on that specifically..  Unfortunately,  they've been out of business for 10 years. I know a lot of the items like the refrigerator, water heater, A/C, engine and chassis are things that were purchased from other manufacturers.

My question, how hard is it to find the parts that would be Alfa/Gulf Winds/other RV manufacturer  specific for an RV 10+ years old? Maybe like outside storage doors? Can you generally find them from an after-market vendor?

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks to all on the message board.  I've been looking at it and been a member  for a year or so  and have found answers to a lot of my questions. 

And questions to a lot of my answers.  ??? :-\

In all my years of RVing (most of my life) I have never had to need to buy anything from the manufacturer. There is always cheaper and better sources. There is RV salvage yards and there are amazing people here who seem to be able to find anything.

I have had no problems with my rig.

Coming from the owner of a 2002 coach, there may be some hard to get components, and this situation is likely to only get worse as time passes, though to me it is well worth the risk.  You mentioned compartment doors, when these are damage replacements almost always must be custom fabricated, the same goes for front or rear cap damage, though occasionally these parts may be available from RV salvage yards, the problem in the case of damaged cargo doors is that people almost always hit the same ones.

Also even if a component manufacturer is still around it does not mean that parts are still available for their 10-15 year old product.  For example there was a Sharp brand convection/microwave oven used in many of the better RV's from the early 2000's that is no longer available, and many people have trouble finding a drop in replacement that will fit in the existing cabinet opening.    This same sort of issue may apply to everything from entry steps, to levelling jacks, though usually there is a way to deal with these issues, either through rebuilding the old equipment (there are many online references to fixing the common problems with the above mentioned Sharp convection / microwaves), or by retrofitting something new.

My advice to lower the chance of getting stuck with these sorts of problems is to make sure to buy a coach manufactured on a mass produced chassis and ask a lot of questions online  before you buy a specific coach.  For example let me give you an example of a coach I would never buy due to the potential for unobtainable parts.  In the late 1990's Chevy / Workhorse (I don't remember if it was just before or just after the buyout) introduced a heavier version of the P32 chassis, I forget the designation, perhaps P47? with completely different front suspension setup, only a small number of these were produced over a couple of years, perhaps less than 100 total were ever built, before the completely redesigned W series chassis was introduced in 2001.

ReadytoRVDK said:

My wife and I are looking to purchase something spring of 2019 made in the 2000's or so.  Right now  we like the Alfa floor plans but aren't set on that specifically..  Unfortunately,  they've been out of business for 10 years. I know a lot of the items like the refrigerator, water heater, A/C, engine and chassis are things that were purchased from other manufacturers.

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If Alfa's still interest you, be aware of the major problem (as I understood it) that put them out of business was due to a large number a warranty demands caused by the siding used on them. The 'gelcoat' chipped off and this was the result of a defective product from the wall material manufacturer not Alfa directly. My friend is still dealing with this problem on his Alfa today.

Just examine any coach carefully for this kind of damage. They did make a nice coach though.

The parts that would have come from Alfa are the structure, walls & roof, cabinetry and interior trim (upholstery theme, etc). and dashboard.  Probably not something you are going to replace, though repairs are possible (and even likely).  However, more than a few components from 3rd parties are going to be obsolete, maybe dash instruments, electrical and electronic components, etc. Sometimes it's a struggle to adapt more recent equivalents to the old space or wiring, but it can be done.  This is a problem with any older RV, whether the manufacturer is in business or not. They don't stock out-of-production parts indefinitely, and their suppliers don't stock parts that nobody is buying.

Alfa did have some problems with pitting in the fiberglass sidewalls, but that should be obvious if present. Just examine the sidewalls closely and don't ignore anything that looks like acne.

Winnebago claims they can make any part again that they originally made.  They have a system of numbering that is better than most, as I have a 70 page parts list specific to my coach serial number that lists every part down to the pillows.  From that they have kept the original specs.  I think there was a fire at another site that took some of the molds, but for the most part I believe most all is available - for a price. 

Mile High said:

Winnebago claims they can make any part again that they originally made. 

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That would help you with Winnebago parts, but it wouldn't do anything to help you locate subsystem parts from companies that have gone out of business.  For example, my MH has a leveling system made by RVA of Escondido CA which has recently gone out of business.  Although RVA was a lot smaller than HWH, their hardware was OEM on a reasonable number of MH's.  Because they are no longer in business, if I were to have a jack or pump failure, my options are now pretty limited.  I might be able to find a salvage part or have a local shop rebuild whatever has failed.  Or, more likely, I'd fork over some $$ to have a new HWH system installed.

Don't get me wrong, there are often work-arounds if original parts can't be had, but doing that might take longer and could be more expensive. 

docj said:

That would help you with Winnebago parts, but it wouldn't do anything to help you locate subsystem parts from companies that have gone out of business.  For example, my MH has a leveling system made by RVA of Escondido CA which has recently gone out of business.  Although RVA was a lot smaller than HWH, their hardware was OEM on a reasonable number of MH's.  Because they are no longer in business, if I were to have a jack or pump failure, my options are now pretty limited.  I might be able to find a salvage part or have a local shop rebuild whatever has failed.  Or, more likely, I'd fork over some $$ to have a new HWH system installed.

Don't get me wrong, there are often work-arounds if original parts can't be had, but doing that might take longer and could be more expensive. 

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I completely agree, and even if the sub-company doesn't go out of business, they like to discontinue thinks like my favorite worst sub-company "Sony" that has already discontinued my backup camera and display after 5 years.

I think what impressed me with the big companies like Winnebago and Tiffen, etc is they aren't just assemblers, rather they also make many of the raw parts as well.  Tiffin makes their own thermopane windows.  Winnebago has their own furniture and upholstery plants on site, all cabinetry, tanks, plastic formed parts, wiring harnesses, etc, so as long as they don't get stupid and start outsourcing those products, they will be around as long as the company is.

I couldn't imaging trying to find parts for a pre-bankruptcy Monaco that you love after having a vehicle accident damaging interior and exterior parts, or an Alfa, or even Country Coach now owned by Winnebago - I doubt there is any resurrecting any parts for those beyond a salvage yard.

Winnebago has an astounding supply of spare parts.  Over the years I have been able to get almost anything I needed for our coach just by calling their parts supplier.  Another thing is that so many are made that there are a lot of salvage parts available for them as well.

There is NorthWest RV supply, I believe they are in Oregon, that has many of the pre-bankruptcy Monaco, Country Coach, Beaver and so on.  Even with Winnebago they no longer stock all of the parts of models that are no longer made.  Just out of curiosity, I know Winnebago bought the rights to Country Coach including the factory in Junction City, Oregon, does anyone know if they have built any Country Coaches?  There may be a Yahoo group of Alfa owners that can be of great help in locating parts.  I have found a wealth of information as part of the Monacoers group.

We were at the Big Rally in July and they told us they will be building high end Winnebagos there.  They are also building a factory in Australia.

I think what impressed me with the big companies like Winnebago and Tiffen, etc is they aren't just assemblers, rather they also make many of the raw parts as well.  Tiffin makes their own thermopane windows.  Winnebago has their own furniture and upholstery plants on site, all cabinetry, tanks, plastic formed parts, wiring harnesses, etc, so as long as they don't get stupid and start outsourcing those products, they will be around as long as the company is.

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Winnebago is probably the best on parts for previous (out of production) models, but all the manufacturers do those things to some degree or another.  A cabinet shop is a major part of any RV factory, and that often includes building some of the upholstered furnishings. Molding fiberglass and rotocasting storage bays and such are also part of most RV production facilities.  They rarely make anything they can buy easily elsewhere, though. It's simply not economic when the part are such low volume.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Winnebago is probably the best on parts for previous (out of production) models, but all the manufacturers do those things to some degree or another.  A cabinet shop is a major part of any RV factory, and that often includes building some of the upholstered furnishings. Molding fiberglass and rotocasting storage bays and such are also part of most RV production facilities.  They rarely make anything they can buy easily elsewhere, though. It's simply not economic when the part are such low volume.

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I think that is one of the things Winnebago was most proud of at the rally, is they do all of their own molding of fiberglass (showers, exterior end clips), rotocasting of tanks and bays, cabinet building, and even the complete upholstery including the cockpit seating.  For that reason, if they need to rebuild a water tank, they can.  It may cost 10 times more than the original, but they can. 

Rev Group (Fleetwood, AC, Monaco, etc) owns and operates Goldshield Fiberglass, which produces numerous fiberglass and other molded parts for them.  I was able to order a new front cap and new storage bays from them when my coach was damaged in an accident (it was 6 years old at the time).  Also ordered some new front cabinets from the cabinet shop and replacement generator slide and front support members.

A few months ago I stopped by a local Ford dealer that has a large RV body shop. They were working on a National Pacifica DP that was badly damaged in the right rear in a parking lot accident when a tractor-trailer backed into it. National has been out of business since 2008 as I recall. They had shopped the various RV salvage yards for a rear cap with no luck. So they fabricated a reverse mold using the left side as a template, and molded a new piece to cut into the original cap. When I saw it, the only thing left to do was some blending and painting before reinstalling the cap. The point being that most any part in any RV can be repaired or replaced no matter the age or availability. The only limit is the size of your wallet...

That is pretty cool - the talent some folks have.  Not always easy to find that talent, but it is amazing when you find it.

Absolutely! I don't know what this job cost, but I'm sure the RV owner is glad it's not coming out of his wallet...

ReadytoRVDK said:

My question, how hard is it to find the parts that would be Alfa/Gulf Winds/other RV manufacturer  specific for an RV 10+ years old? Maybe like outside storage doors? Can you generally find them from an after-market vendor?

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In the case of Alfa, when the company closed down, some of the employees started a repair company that works on Alfas, and also bought the molds for various parts.  They're located in Fontana, California, and do work on site, and you can order parts from them.

In the case of cargo doors in particular, you can get them, but I recall that people said the new ones aren't as thick (deep) as the old ones, or something like that.  I can't remember the specifics.  But for things like those trim pieces that go around wheel wells, they have them. 

There are two other places that specialize in fixing Alfas--one near Salt Lake City and one in Louisiana.  They, along with the place in California, know Alfas inside and out.

And there is a very active and helpful owners' discussion forum for people trying to diagnose or fix problems.

I've fulltimed in an Alfa for 15 years, and frankly, I think the support for Alfas these days is better than it was when the company was still open.