Picking up a new one

;D We decided to give up on our 1990 Pace and have purchased a 2007 FR Georgetown Se model, 32 ft., rather basic but certainly a lot better than what we had.

My question is, what should I do to this puppy first off to keep it looking and performing well into the future? One of things that I disliked about our Pace is that previous owners never appeared to have taken care of the interior/exterior. It was just rode hard and put away from what I can tell. I expect wear and tear, don't get me wrong, but I like to take care of my stuff too. So, help me make a list.

Thanks,CCR

If it is brand new I'd wait about a month before giving it a good wax job.

Scotch guard on the fabrics inside is nice too,  Again, I'd wait about a month if it's brand new

Drive carfully and bathe it often are my best recommendations and do not do what one of my nieghbors here at the RV park did,


You see, they stopped in here for just a couple days.  To pick up a new class C.  Nice unit too.  But they decided to go down to one of the local attractions.  The sign gave the clearance (which was easily higher than their rig) but the drop down bar which is supposed to warn you you might be too high was lower than the height limit..

Their unit came with one of those "Flying saucer" omnidirectional TV antennas... Tore it up but good and then bounced up and landed on the vent cover for the bathroom.  (OUCH) less than 12 hours old it was when it happened.

CCR,

Glad you got your new coach.  Enjoy!

John has an excellent point.  Learn your height and width limitations so you don't get stuck somewhere and have to back out or do damage.  Most of us have encountered damaging situations - both to the RV and our egos - but we survive them.  Some end up costing us money, but again we survive.  You just don't want to be driving somewhere and come upon a low bridge without knowing your height clearance, including A/Cs and antennas.  Ground clearance also is important.  His suggestion about exterior wax (Protect All or something similar) will make getting bugs off easier and interior Scotchgarding of the fabrics also is good.  We've always used Scotchgard when the fabric is new and it helps a lot.  In this coach we have tile floors and a good grout sealing is essential to prevent spills from staining.

As to longterm care, clean it inside and outside when you get home from a trip.  Don't leave the cleaning until prior to the next trip.  Not only will you be almost ready to go on your next trip, but the yucky stuff won't have a chance to bake on the exterior and the other yucky stuff won't smell up the interior.  After cleaning the refrigerator, keep the refrigerator doors open when storing so you don't get mildew in it.  Dry the shower and sinks, again so you don't get mildew.  When you clean the floor, make sure the area around the shower pan and toilet are dry, again mildew prevention.  When the RV is stored, don't forget to keep an eye on the toilet water level.  You don't want it to evaporate so much that the rubber ring dries out around the sliding piece.  We usually empty the waste tanks after I clean the inside and add deoderant to them.  Make sure your fresh water tank has a good dose of Clorox so it doesn't go bad (empty and refill before your next trip).  I also leave the linens off the bed when it's stored so the bed airs out.

We have a 3M film on the front which is wonderful to keep the front paint from getting scratched.  The bugs also come off it better, just put water on them to soften up and wipe off.  We had a bra on the front of one coach, but it was a hassle to take on and off, as are those plastic shields.  The 3M film also looks significantly better.  My only advice on that is to have someone who knows what they're doing put it on because it won't look very good if someone inexperienced does it.  We were lucky to have ours done at the factory where they have a 3M person who does all their work.

Mildew and its resulting odor are common in both RVs and boats.  In boating, people often leave a lightbulb burning to help keep things on the dry side.  If you live in a mildew-prone area, you might want to do the same thing when you put it in storage, keeping in mind that you don't want to run down the battery.  This is more feasible if you can be plugged in rather than in an outdoor storage lot.

ArdraF

Good ideas, thank you very much. Why do we have to wait to give it a coat of wax? Also, on the newer models, will the furnace run on shore power? The old one needed 110 to operate but used up propane to actually heat. Just wondering if the newer ones have an electric auxiliary type heat in them or not?

Your furnace will run on 12VDC and propane and does not need 110VAC to operate.  You may have heat pumps or heat strips in the A/C units that do run on 110VAC and do not need propane.

Why do we have to wait to give it a coat of wax?

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If it's a fiberglass laminate, it will continue to cure and out-gas for some time. Waxing too early will slow this process. Sorry, but can't give an exact length of time - depends on when it was manufactured, and under what conditions is was stored before you purchased it.

Why do we have to wait to give it a coat of wax?

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I'll disagree with the others here.  Don't worry about it. Go ahead and wax it whenever you feel like it.

For the technical-minded, the sides of nearly all RVs are fabricated from filon panels which are pre-cured. Only the front and rear caps are actually molded and gel coated fiberglass and they were almost surely made enough in advance to be cured by the time you get it. And most new RVs are fully painted anyway, in which case the fiberglass is already sealed under the paint. And modern acrylic paints don't need a long curing period like older lacquers and enamels.

Gary,
I stand corrected

Opening this up again. Is there a list of chemicals, waxes, etc. that are the favorites of the group, in other words you have had great results/perfromance from them?

I have noticed that some of the MHs in my area are parked on wood planks. These units sit on blacktop, concrete and gravel surfaces. Is there any known benefit to doing this for the tires?

Moisture control in the unit while sitting, what's the best way to control it? Vents open, closed, fans running or some other form of moisture control.

Thanks!!

Yes, lots of favorites here. Check out this file in our library on the subject of maintaining the new look of your RV.

Is there any known benefit to doing this for the tires?

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No. It used to [supposedly] prevent the concrete from leaching moisture and chemicals out of the rubber, but that's mostly a non-issue with modern tires. Not much rubber in modern tires anyway.

what's the best way to control it? Vents open, closed, fans running or some other form of moisture control.

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Depending on where you are and the relative humidity, nothing may be required or having a vent open is usually sufficient. In a high humidity area (Houston or Florida in the summer), a fan is probably a good thing, though air conditioning would be even better.

Once again, thanks to all for the tips, it's great being able to get real information back.

We took her out for the first time this past weekend to the racetrack, had a blast save for the motor in my dragster breaking a couple of $2.00 parts. Towed my son's '89 Camaro on our open trailer and the only issue was not having the EBC wired for that trip. Had to pay close attention to my braking distances but other than that, no problems. With the EBC wired up now and having the trailer brakes functional, it should be a worry-free tow.

Our unit has two slides, one for the dinette and one for the bedroom. It's funny but we spent about 1 1/2 hours with the technician going over the coach and never once did he tell me that the engine had to be off to move the slides. Great saftey feature, but you should seen the panic on our mugs at the track when we were getting ready to leave and couldn't get the slides in - we had already started the engine to warm it up a bit!!

Have to admit that while our old coach probably would have been okay, I am way too happy with my new to give it back!

Have fun.