RVing message boards > Fulltiming

RV Maintenance and Repair - Expected Tasks and Costs over 10 to 15 years

(1/4) > >>

Mr_Toad:
Hi, RV Forum Folks!

LIKELY HOUSE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COSTS:   Now that I’ve owned my first house for six years, I’ve learned that "brick and mortar" homeownership carries a series of ongoing maintenance costs and out-of-pocket repair expenses, that a homeowner should expect to pay.   And that a homeowner should be prepared to pay these costs at some time in a ten-year period of owning a home.   Specifically, for a 2000 square foot brick home (purchased in 2005, built 1997), some typical house repair costs that I have paid include:  (a) new appliances, $2000; (b) cedar fence repair, $1000; (c) shingle roof repair, $6000; (d) air conditioning repair, $6000; (e) hot water heater replacement, $1000; (f) miscellaneous plumbing repairs, $1000; (g) lawn and shrub maintenance, $50/ month; (h) tools, supplies, minor household repairs and expenses $2000; and (i) preparing house for sale in 2012, $10,000 (expected value).       :P

QUESTION – LIKELY RV MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COSTS:   Can some of you describe the ongoing maintenance and major repairs, and dollar costs, that a full-time RV’er can expect to encounter over a ten to fifteen year period?   

CAVEAT:    I am sure this is an “it depends” question.   However, homeownership has taught me the “probable repair costs” that I listed above.  So, it seems logical that RV ownership carries its own list of “probable repair costs”, over a ten to fifteen year period.

RV PURCHASE PLAN (TENTATIVE):  My current plan is to sell my house and purchase a new Thor Redwood 36FB fifth wheel…to live in for 15 years, getting me to the age of 70 (…though I am probably deluding myself.)

Thank you in advance for any advice or horror stories you may provide!

Robt.

Note:  I've been reading the excellent thread:  "Cost of full timing compared to living at home..", but that thread seems to favor costs of campgrounds, fuel, and lifestyle differences between a home and RV.   ..whereas, I'm asking about the big ticket repair bills!

Gary RV Roamer:
Few of us ever keep the same RV for 15 years, so data may be hard to come by.  And the answers may differ widely based on the RV you start with - some are more robust than others. Interior furnishings in particular can vary a lot in quality between the low end and high. And how many miles traveled in that time - chassis parts are more dependent on miles/hours of use than years.

Here are a few things I can think of:

1) In 15 years, you will replace the tires twice
2) i would expect to replace at least one a/c and maybe all of them.
3) Probably a new fridge
4) A roof re-coat or major repair by the end of that time.
5) If in excess of 100k miles, I would anticipate things like alternator and fuel pumps to begin failing.
6) Lots and lots of routine maintenance over that time period.
7) Probably an inverter or converter charger to replace

That's what comes immediately to mind, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a dozen things. Anybody else?

Jim Godward:
A few things that have come up for us in the last 11 years and in 15 years, I would expect the following that Gary did not mention:
1 New flooring, replace carpet, wood or ?? etc.
2 replace the water heater at least once and possibly 2X
3 replace any skylights due to becoming brittle or fading, allowing more sun in to the RV
4 replace TV, GPS and other electronics due to technology changes
5 IF you drive in areas that salt the roads in the winter during the winter or in the rain in other seasons, expect to replace the radiator once.
6 maintenance on the tow truck and possible replacement

Wendy:
We had a Class C for 14 years, put 100,000 miles on it. Things we did included replacing the circuit board on the refrigerator and replacing a circuit board on the furnace. If we had kept it we probably would have done some upholstery replacement and perhaps new flooring. Basic maintenance on the engine. Tires twice. The decals went to caca but we never bothered replacing them.
 
HTH
Wendy

tonyandkaren:
 We had our last class C for about 13 years ,fulltiming. I'm just going to list the house parts since you're getting a 5th wheel. Our experience has been very similar to Gary ,Jim and Wendy's. Generally the furnishings and flooring will wear the same as they do in a stick house. It depends on the quality and how hard you are on them.
 
 We had to replace
 
 Refrigerator once
 Hot water heater twice
 Toilet once
 Water pump twice
 Bumper once - rusted from sewer hose storage
 House batteries - dry camping so new ones every 4-5 years
 Bathroom sink twice -cheap plastic cracked
 Roof vents once

 Original furnace - tear down and lube several times
 Original stove
 Original inverter/convertor
 Original roof

 Lots of continuous maintenance. The most important thing is to check the caulking and fix any spots where it's loose or missing. It also important to put a good coat of wax or other sealant on the fiberglass at least once a year ,maybe more depending on the climate. This will keep the fiberglass from drying out and chalking.

 
 
 

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page