Flummoxed RV Plans

[Adventurous Traveler]

So, the manifold was warped, I'm told by escaping hot gasses through the leak. Back to $7500 + to replace. But, be warned, the bolts are known to shear off in the head and if they can't get them out, New head will be needed! Can't get me an estimate until they know if they can get the bolts out

So, I called the Service Writer back and told her I would sell the RV to Velocity, or anyone who works there for the amount due at that time $3500 (no manifold or install yet), $4700 for pay off, and $14,000 I already have paid Velocity. No takers

I started calling dealers in the Raleigh area to see who would buy my rig. Got a couple of responses and they need exterior and interior pics. I have dozens of exterior pictures on my phone but nobe showing the inside. So, yesterday we drive out to Velocity to get some pictures. Mechanic comes out, asks how I'm doing, and tells me he was able to remove three broke off studs out of the head by heating them and drilling them out. Whew, no new head. Should be back to manifold and install Monday or Tuesday next week.

Still talking with dealers on buy out, no offer will be refused. We'll rent a U-Haul to clean out the RV and get back to WNY

 

[DonTom]

Earlier this year, there was a thread, I can't find it, that asked about travel plans for 2026.

Was this it?

-Don- Sac Pass, NV

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Yep, exactly Don.

 

[Derby6]

I’m curious of how many miles on this rig?

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

58,500.

10 minutes ago Velocity Freightliner emailed me. They now want to replace the turbo, which worked fine before taking it to them, for another $7000!

Anyone or repair facility recommends for you to take your diesel motorhome to Velocity Freightliner, run as fast as you can!

 

[OCBlue88]

58,500.

10 minutes ago Velocity Freightliner emailed me. They now want to replace the turbo, which worked fine before taking it to them, for another $7000!

Anyone or repair facility recommends for you to take your diesel motorhome to Velocity Freightliner, run as fast as you can!

That happened to me a month ago. I took my van in for a simple transmission fluid leak at the speedometer cable. They proceeded to remove the Gear Vendors OD unit on my C6 and tell me they want to rebuild my transmission for $7k because it's shifting weird and they found some bits of metal. I asked how they saw the bits of metal when they didn't drop the transmission pan and just removed the Gear Vendors OD unit. They said they peeked in there. Huh? Transmission never shifted weird before either, and it ain't shifting weird now. I just wanted them to fix the leak at the speedo cable. Which they claimed they did...but they didn't. I ended up fixing it myself later. Unbelievable.

 

[UTTransplant]

Well, our rig is finally fixed. We will head out to pick it up some time in the middle of May after the rest of our doctor’s appointments that always happen this time of year. We actually got a nice surprise from Velocity North Las Vegas - our bill was $3,000 less than the initial estimate. New turbo, new manifold, new seals, etc. Of course I am reserving judgement until we pick it up and drive a few hundred miles, but for an 8 year old 105,000 mile rig, I can’t complain too much. This is the first chassis-related issue we have had. I thought about not posting due to the awful luck that Adventurous Traveler has had, but it probably is unfair to paint all Velocity service shops with the same brush. Now we need to re-plan our summer knowing when we can get everything back.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Velocity Raleigh, which has a BBB rating of B- and has several lawsuits against it, charged me $9100 + for a new exhaust manifold, and wanted another $7500 plus, before tax, to replace the turbo. I told them the turbo was working fine when I brought my rig in to them, and that wasn't the reason for it being there, so if there are any issues now, they caused it.

So, I took my RV into Velocity Raleigh for a suspected temperature sensor and wound up getting a new wiring harness, a bunch of EGR hardware, and a new exhaust manifold. This is after four other mechanics, err techs, looked at my RV. None of them detected a wiring harness or exhaust leak. Total charges were just short of $24, 000! They wanted to add the turbo repair at the $7500 figure on top of that.

After denying the turbo repair, miraculously, my RV was done by 7 AM the next morning. We left Raleigh on Wednesday, stopped at a Harvest Host outside of Gettysburg, PA, and are back in WNY today, Thursday. It drove fine!

After trying hard to sell the RV in Raleigh, even offering it to Velocity or anyone who works there for $20,000, and shopping local dealers, even stopping at a Camping World, desperate, the only way it leaves my drive will be if it sells private, or we decide to trade it in for a Class C.

 

[UTTransplant]

I am really sorry you had such a bad experience. I just noted I didn’t. We had codes and symptoms, and everything I read online and from FCCC indicated the work we had done was appropriate. It just goes to show that RVers are mostly at the mercy of repair shops when we can’t travel long distances for work.

 

[Derby6]

$20k is tempting. But my bet is my DW would not be on board. Lol

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

I am really sorry you had such a bad experience. I just noted I didn’t. We had codes and symptoms, and everything I read online and from FCCC indicated the work we had done was appropriate. It just goes to show that RVers are mostly at the mercy of repair shops when we can’t travel long distances for work.

UT, you are 100% right. We are at the mercy of the unmerciful while out on the road.

None of the codes Raleigh Velocity repaired came up at the excellent diesel shop that referred me to Velocity, nor the mobile mechanic that first took care of us in Manning, SC.

Last summer, it was the mobile RV guy from Kalispell, Montana, charging us over $3600 for brake springs, or chambers that cost $62 each, and my local diesel shop says the diaphragm goes, and they cost $6 each! When he came to our camp in St. Mary's, MT, I said I would take my RV to the closest town that had two different diesel shops, 40 miles away. He put all kinds of fear into me about traveling hilly/mountain roads with damaged brakes. So, I was at his mercy. When he was done, and had my $3600 +, he told me I had brakes and could've driven to the shops in town. I probably would have paid less than $500 for the repairs!