What unexpected expenses did you have?

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GR 'Scott' Cundiff

GR 'Scott' Cundiff

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Nov 21, 2011
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As I continue in my fulltime wannabe plans, I have this question for fulltimers...

After beginning your fulltime lifestyle, what expenses were unexpected or were surprisingly more than you anticipated?

Also feel free to tell me what anticipated expenses were happily less than you thought they would be.

Thanks in advance for your replies....
 
They don't happen often but when a diesel chassis or engine repair comes along they can be pricey! Our local Freightliner Service facility is up to $115/hr for work on RV's.


6-8 years ago $4.00/gal diesel wasn't on my horizon either. Will it be $8.00/gal in five years?
 
This is how we handled the same two questions when we went full time 15 months ago...

The budget included 8,000 miles per year at $5.00 a gallon diesel. It included $25 per night campground fees. A separate fund for expendables was setup to include the cost of six new tires sometime in the next 18 months. A four year extended warranty was purchased for the motorhome.

We have run just under 8,000 miles, and only one fuel stop with diesel above $4.00 a gallon. The $25 per night has turned out to be the overall average, plus or minus a few cents. And there has been no shop work other than an oil change for the engine and generator.

We have not denied ourselves and stayed at some very nice places, some expensive, some not, in eleven states.

Frankly, we are tickled pink!  8) My wife re-enlisted for yet another year!  ;D
 
Electronics failures have been our major unplanned repair expense. Inverter failure, transfer switch/power monitor failure, generator control module failure, battery charge controller failed, in-dash GPS quit.  These things seemed to all have price tags in the $400-$700 range.  Thank God we had an extended warranty that covered a lot of it, but it is expired now!
 
I'd more or less arrived at a $600/yr tow vehicle and 5th Wheel repairs budget.  Thinking about a used F350 with under 50K miles on it (under an extended warranty) and a 5 year old (fully checked out) 5ver. 

Obviously, this stuff is a shot in the dark but I hope to have enough play in the budget to absorb an unexpected biggie once every 3-5 years.

The responses to this thread are quite helpful as I evaluate my budget and all advise is appreciated.
 
What unexpected expenses do I have???

Buying a newer and better motorhome every two years.
 
Hi,

We have been pleasantly surprised in this area. After three years and over 45,000 miles on two (used - '96 & '06) Motor Homes, our total repair costs have been $100 we paid for replacement of a Shear Pin on the LR slide (knocking passionately on wood). I did have to replace it myself a couple of times after that until I got it right.

We've been towed once (Coachnet), but I figured out the problem with the help of a code interpreter on another BB. It was just a matter of cleaning an air flow sensor that was contaminated while changing the air filter.

We have spent on tires, battery, and a number of upgrades as we figured out what we really wanted in the coach, but that was not unexpected.

Overall, a great experience,

Ernie
 
The first year we had to have the rubber roof removed and replaced to screw down the sheeting it was out of warranty but the manufacture covered 2/3 of the cost. Same year 300 miles down the road one of our GY 614 G tires lost a tread (it still had 110 psi in it just no tread), after four new tires we were down the road again but that only lasted 2 1/2 years before it happened again. Leaned our lesson and replaced them with 17.5 wheels and  Sumitomo H tires. Every thing else has just been normal wear and tear. Remember RVs are not maintenance free and the more miles the more of it you will have to do.

Denny 
 
Ya, Scott!

We reallly didn't have anything major except for tires as we bought an RV and truck that were only a few years old, and like new.  We avoided all the surprises when we started full timing 3 years ago by workamping in the parks we wanted to stay at.  I also started up an online venture to supplement the "surprise" expenses.  It's better to be on the making money than spending money train.  That way you can go where you want and work where you want, and it will get you out there sooner.  You can visit workamper.com as they are the leading source of putting workers and employers together.  We have gotten every workamper job through these folks!
 
How often we move is the biggest wild card. We try to stay longer at places now, 4 days to a week (that is a long time for me) instead of moving every few days.  Cuts the fuel bill a lot.  We also eat in most of the time. The DW is a great cook, and the food is usually way better than what we pay for eating out. 

I constantly tinker with things around the RV, tighten this, adjust that. It saves a lot of surprises at an inconvenient time. I recommend a tire pressure monitoring system. One blown tire can cost a BUNCH of money in damage to the rig.
 
Out of curiosity Gary,, would you attribute the failure rate of electronic/electrical items to the high moisture/corrosive area of Florida??>>>Dan
 
hanzfranz60 said:
Ya, Scott!

We reallly didn't have anything major except for tires as we bought an RV and truck that were only a few years old, and like new.  We avoided all the surprises when we started full timing 3 years ago by workamping in the parks we wanted to stay at.  I also started up an online venture to supplement the "surprise" expenses.  It's better to be on the making money than spending money train.  That way you can go where you want and work where you want, and it will get you out there sooner.  You can visit workamper.com as they are the leading source of putting workers and employers together.  We have gotten every workamper job through these folks!
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure workamping is in our future - but we're a ways out still.  Just doing some of the early research to help us start nailing down a date. 

I'll likely sign up at workamper.com once we get a bit closer. 

Thanks for the information - very helpful.
 
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