Newbie Used Class C Owner Nearly Ready to Throw in the Towel

Just recently purchased a 22' Fleetwood Jamboree Searcher on a Ford E350 chassis with 57,112 miles.  It's interior and upholstery in nearly new condition and my mechanic found the engine to be healthy.  Before purchase I did not notice that the tinted plexiglass window on front of the cabover had a 10 inch crack all the way through.  Happily there was zero evidence of any water ever getting in.  Had local glass company replace with heavy duty mar-resistant lexon for $225.  Had to have the rear brakes rebuilt for $760.  It had the original mirrors that were pretty much useless - not adjustable and the driver mirror was upside down and couldn't be flipped.  After reading through MANY forums I found a post by an owner with same rig who had same issue - he steered me to Ryder Fleet parts so I got new Velvac mirrors that very simple to change out, and they're adjustable and the arms fold back.  Cost $239. but hooray, I can now see what's on either side of me, and so can anyone else who drives it now!  AC is putting out cold air.  The fridge/freezer are operating to correct temps, but the condensate drip pan is missing - arghhh they're no longer being made so I don't know how to address this.  A friend who has owned many rv's over the years spotted some sidewall cracking so now I'm looking at new tires.  And he also said it's ready for all the seams/seals to be re-caulked.  And I haven't yet got my lesson on de-winterizing so I'm hoping no water system or furnace issues surface in the process.  I admit I'm green as chlorophyll - and I'm feeling pretty beat up at this point.  Wondering if I should throw in the towel and just sell the rig?

Where are you located in MT?  I am in Belgrade and while I can't do the physical work, I am fairly knowledgeable on RVs and can advise and show you how to do the caulking.  It is easy once you know a few tricks.  I may be able to advise on other things as well as I have done my own maintenance and repair in the past.

that's very cool of you to offer, Jim.
A few bits of good advice can mean a lot of money and pain saved.

Jim, I'm in Missoula.

What year? 

I assume you bought via private party. 

If tires are cracking, replace.  Realize that these require periodic maintenance and it seems as though previous owner skipped it the last couple years.

There are salvage yards for RV's and you have a good shot of maybe finding that tray for the fridge via one of them.  Just google it.  If not, you may have to fabricate something.  I would also try calling the seller, ask if it might be still with him by mistake. 

What fridge?  Should be a model number. 

That chassis has probably 16 or 16.5" tires, you can get them at Costco. 

Seams aren't that difficult, read some DIY  get the stuff and do a section at a time.

Sarah, how old is the Jamboree?  Depending on its age these things may be normal.  If it's older and still runs well with a decent interior, then it may just be aged things that need to be replaced.  "Things" in homes, boats, and RVs need to be replaced occasionally.  Tires are a good example.  They may look perfectly good, but most of us replace them at or before they're seven years old because they age from UV for example and become unsafe.  It's not realistic to buy an older RV and not expect to make some repairs.  On the other hand, if it's quite new then that's another story.  But, to be honest, the items you cited seem like normal wear and tear.  Brakes wear out with use, especially if the driver is a hard braker.  Caulking dries out from the sun and is something we all deal with.

Jim is a good guy and knowledgeable so take him up on his offer to help guide you through the learning process.  And don't give up too soon!  RVing is a wonderful lifestyle that opens up many opportunities to see our great country.  Yes, we all have things that wear out or break and need to be replaced, but usually it's not enough to keep us from taking great trips.

ArdraF

HI Sarah,

I can relate to the throwing in the towel feeling.  We are about ready to do our first real trip in the diesel pusher MH we bought in October.  We did a shake down trip to Cherry Creek State Park here in Denver and wanted to make sure the coach and ourselves were ready to go.  We had the de-winterize all done added the Tire Minder system to the coach to monitor our 6 tires and all in all felt ready to go.  We had a tow package installed about a month before the shake down cruise. We were ready to even give towing our Chevy Equinox a shot.  Well when we tried to hook up the car we found that the install was not done correctly and the "safe zone" for the height of the tow bar to connect to our car was off by over 9" so had to forego the towing the car part of the shake down.  Now we need the installer of the tow bar to get a drop down hitch to get the "safe zone" within the 3" zone so we can tow our car. Why they did not catch that during the install is still a questions and we are still so green it is scary at times....lol

So no tow test this time around or on our first real trip this Wednesday.  We can make that work.  But after the second day (this past Friday) of the two day stay at the RV park and all ready to take the MH back to storage before the planned trip on Wednesday of this week a mini disaster hit.  We have 4 slides and all worked fine until I was putting them back in to leave the park.  The kitchen side slide (passenger side) would not come back in correctly only the front of the slide was moving in and the back half not moving at all.  The other three slides all did as they were supposed to and worked fine.  Got a fellow camper to push on the back of the slide and we did get it back in.  But on the return to the our storage and service area about 30 mile trip the slide would slide out about 3 feet on all left turns and that was not fun.  But got her back to the lot.  Now the trip is in jeopardy and a bit nervous about any trip at this point.  They say it is an easy fix and the service folks said they will get it done by the end of the day Tuesday.  So we have our fingers crossed. 

But we have the same thought "throw in the towel" and cut our losses or remember things will go wrong just hang in and enjoy the ride. Trying to stay positive but have had issues with 3 of the 4 slides already, two before we took her off the lot and they said all the slide issues were taken care of but now a bit nervous.

Hang in there as we are going to try and do the same.

Sarah,
We have all had that same thought at one time or another.  It's nothing new.  I've even thrown wrenches across the yard screaming "I'm done with this"!

After some thought, and maybe a cold adult beverage, I get back to the task at hand and it all works out well.

Maybe take Jim up on his offer to help you out with the caulking.  Check around and ask questions about tires if needed.  Info about de-winterizing and sanitation of the fresh water system in the forum library.  Don't understand something?  Just ask.  Find another problem?  Ask again!  We are easy to get along with.

Like AndraF said, it's no different than fixing your stick & brick home.  Things wear out and break down with age.  Not rocket science.  And I agree with her opinion of your original post.  A lot of what you mentioned is really nothing more than preventative maintenance items.  No big deal.  If money is the issue, many on this forum have found ways around that.  If getting the Jamboree up to snuff at a decent cost, and manageable for you is the idea, some members have found solutions for that too.  Don't give up just yet.  With a little help, the reward is worth it. 

denmarc said:

I've even thrown wrenches across the yard screaming "I'm done with this"!

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I wanna see the video ;D

I appreciate all your words of encouragement, and angst!  Guess I'll be learning how to remove and replace caulk/sealant.  Wondering what is typically charged to have someone do this for me?  I don't have a ladder that gets me up high enough, nor do I have 2 ladders and appropriate piece of lumber to set up a catwalk to reach the front running lights.  To answer some of your questions:  It's a 1993 and has 94 hrs on the Onan Microlite 4000 generator - it starts right up and shuts down quietly.  When I start the coach engine there's a belt squeal that stops within 6-7 seconds.  I've read that at best, this could be a misalignment in the drive belt system because it subsides when the belts are sprayed.  My mechanic sprayed the belts and the noise didn't get worse when wet, so probably not a tension issue.  Awaiting an appointment to have this checked out further.  Hoping this doesn't prove to be a bad pulley or water pump!  The fridge is a Dometic Silhouette model S1621. Both PPL and Fleetwood told me the condensate pan is no longer being made for this model.  Don't know how to approach having one fabricated?  The bottom right corner of the door seems to stick out a bit as if it's warped - there's a bit of loose "slop" on the bottom left door bracket (door opens right to left), and I don't see a way to adjust that.  Current tires are Toyo Open Country LT225/75R16 115/112S 10PR.  I did some forum reading last night and saw a great deal of recommendations for Firestone TransForce load range E.  I do have a Costco membership.  I'm on my own with this which does cause me some anxiety.

the 6~7 second squeal is due to high loading on the alternator, which is normal after a start. The squeal is not necessarily bad per se, but belt dressing or a little bit more tension can cure it if it really bothers you. Too much tension can damage the bearings in any of the driven components, so be careful.

Sounds like you are catching up on 20 years of maintenance, which is to be expected even with a very clean older coach.

One of the risks for newbie RVers is that numerous well-meaning people will tell you to watch out for this and that, or that you "really need" to take some precaution, and you get overwhelmed with worries. Sometimes the advice is just plain RV mythology, sometimes it is accurate but not really applicable to your situation, and sometimes it is just ultra-conservative (something we here often get accused of).  I suggest that you ask here before embarking on any repairs, and listen to the pros and cons and not just the first couple answers.

For example, cracks in a tire sidewall are not necessarily an indicator of imminent failure. Michelin says that cracks under 1/16th deep are cosmetic problems only and result from normal weathering of the surface. Deeper ones, however, will warrant action, so keep an eye on sidewall cracks even if they are not yet deep.  One thing we do warn about, though, is tire aging. Tires that have good tread can be quite old because RVs don't get driven as much as most other vehicles. The rubber in a tire gets old and stiff (sound familiar?) and after about 7 years it is considered ancient and getting risky. They may well last to 10 years but the risk of a blow-out is ever increasing. Some people change at 7 or even 5 years to avoid the blow-out risk, while others are willing to go to 10 years or even more if the tire lasts that long.

Caulking is routine maintenance and a good thing to learn for yourself. It's not hard except you have to get onto the roof to do it. Nor do you have to remove old caulk very often - it's mostly a touch-up thing. An RV dealer usually charges by the hour for caulking, but their hourly rates are typically high - as much as $120/hour in some areas. Checking and touching up roof caulk is a 30-60 minute job, but unscrupulous shops or techs sometimes find "big problems" and want to do major repairs or replace the entire roof. Don't react too quickly if that is suggested - it is not usually needed even if there have been leaks.

Sarah,

I sent a caulking procedure via snail mail.  If you have questions about it, you can Email me as my address is on the one I sent.  I am also good in the Bozeman phone book so you should be able to call if needed.

Right now I am home most of the time although I hope to get back into my cardiac rehabilitation Wednesday afternoon.  I almost always have a phone with me when I am out and about!

Sarah....everyone above is right....even with a stick and brick house, things are going to need attention or it will deteriorate.  Once that starts, it can seem overwhelming getting everything sorted.  Don't give up!!  Take it one thing at a time, and you'll get it all worked out.  We've all been there (some more than once) trust me.  And when you get it all worked out and you wake up in the forest next to a stream and see the wildlife around you, it will all be worth it.

To Skyking1, Gary, Jim, Frizlefrak, and all before, a HUGE thank you for all the very good advice!  I'm just learning how to navigate this site to look for specific topics.  And I'll try to just relax some 

It is a bit daunting, isn't it!

Bill

And don't fixate on the coach being "perfect" (no such thing).  Work things out so it's reliable and is fun to use, and just enjoy it.  I'm one of those perfectionist types, and when I first got into RVing, minor stuff drove me nuts.  I've had to teach and reteach myself not to nitpick.  Misaligned trim doesn't bother me anywhere near like it used to.  OK, maybe a little. 

Sarah-in-Montana said:

To Skyking1, Gary, Jim, Frizlefrak, and all before, a HUGE thank you for all the very good advice!  I'm just learning how to navigate this site to look for specific topics.  And I'll try to just relax some 

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IF you get good at caulking, let me know and you can do mine as they will not let me on a ladder and the roof is an extra special no-no!

Seriously, just take one thing at a time.  I have a RV ToDO list and some things have been on it for more than 4 years.  Yes really as I have not been able to do a lot of things due to other issues that took priority.  Now I am starting to work them off the list.

OK, starting to feel better about things.  If anyone has ideas on fabricating a condensate drip pan for the fridge I'd really appreciate any info.
Thanks all  :-*

First for the drip tray... Two options, One is salvage yards, and the other is to "home brew" one.. Tell us what make and model and odds are we can help you with that a bit.

As for throwing in the towed.. Throw in several towels, and some wash cloths, and some changes of clothing, food, bedding, and so on (DO NOT FORGET THE ALL IMPORTANT PAPER and enjoy the rig.