Oil change in new RV

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

DonTom

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2005
Posts
13,071
Location
Auburn, CA or Reno, NV
In new 2022 Motorhome listed below, the day I bought it new it had over 3,000 miles on it. I guess that is mostly just to get it delivered to Sparks, NV from Indiana or wherever it came from.

I only added a couple of hundred miles to it, as I have so far only done one short trip in it.

I looked in the manual WRT oil changes. It says change the oil every 10,000 miles or once per year. Says nothing about the first oil change being needed to be done sooner.

I am debating if I should do an oil change in it before my trip to Florida next month or wait until I get back.

It looks like I can do it myself, if I simply get the front right wheel a few inches off the ground, which shouldn't be too difficult to do at my Auburn house where the RV will soon be parked for the winter, just before and after my trip to Florida.

So should I change the oil and filter before the trip?

-Don- Reno, NV
 
If it were me, I would change it.
If you are concerned about it at this point, you will be worried the whole trip, and be waiting for the slightest thing to go wrong. Change it, ease your mind, and enjoy your trip.
 
I personally would change it after the trip to Florida. I believe in "fresh oil" winter storage.
 
Change after your trip as a few more miles won't make a difference in the long run.
Greater importance is type of oil. Ever since Mobil One came out with full synthetic I've been using it. Had a VW Rabbit that ran 500,000 miles on Mobil One. As a minimum, and probably best balance is 50/50 blend of synthetic. Really makes starting in freezing conditions much easier.
 
Yes, it's a good idea to change the oil even on a new rig with that low of miles.

The engine has likely been short-cycled a lot, moving it around the factory and in transport, and around the dealer lot. It may have sat for months between build and delivery, or it may have sat on a dealer lot for a while. Along with new-engine wear metals and substances, the short-cycling degrades the oil.

IMO, unless specifically indicated by the manufacturer to run a specific break-in oil for a set period of time, I'd go ahead and start fresh. Depending on what the factory fill oil is, it would also be a good time to opt for a synthetic that meets the manufacturer's spec.
 
I agree with ChasA. It is not that expensive for peace of mind on your brand new motorhome. Keep all receipts during warranty period.
 
I would NOT change it until much closer to that 10,000 mile recommendation, but if it is a cause for concern to you, go ahead and do it. It never hurts to change oil & filter early (except maybe in the wallet).
 
I would do both before and after.
I was afraid of getting different opinions on this one, as with any thread on engine oils. But I will do exactly that, I will change it before and after. I figure it cannot hurt.

BTW, I am only supposed to use synthetic oil in this 7.3L engine, according to the owner's manual.

I discovered the big advantages of synthetic engine oils are only in the engines that are designed for synthetic. Any other owners manual will say something like "you may use synthetic, as long as it is changed as often as the dino oil". And that is usually every few thousand miles.

But all the engines I own where it says ONLY use synthetic engine oils, they all say change at 10,000 miles. That includes my newer motorcycles.

-Don- (near Lake Davis, CA on a motorcycle ride)
 
Something I just now thought about.

I hear the chassis is built a full year before the rest of the motorhome is completed.

It's a 2021 engine in a 2022 motorhome. It's a 2022 model when we buy it, but NV DMV l registers it as a 2021. NV DMV doesn't care when the house part was added, they only care about the chassis.

That means the oil should be changed the day purchased! The oil had to be put in well before the house section was put together. A full year before on the average.

And according to the manual, the oil should be changed once per year regardless of miles.

-Don-
 
Something I just now thought about.

I hear the chassis is built a full year before the rest of the motorhome is completed.

It's a 2021 engine in a 2022 motorhome. It's a 2022 model when we buy it, but NV DMV l registers it as a 2021. NV DMV doesn't care when the house part was added, they only care about the chassis.

That means the oil should be changed the day purchased! The oil had to be put in well before the house section was put together. A full year before on the average.

And according to the manual, the oil should be changed once per year regardless of miles.

-Don-
The only way you will know when your chassis was built is ti run the VIN. Mine is a 2016, house built in 3/16 purchased in 6/16.
 
The only way you will know when your chassis was built is ti run the VIN. Mine is a 2016, house built in 3/16 purchased in 6/16.
Another way is to register it with the NV DMV. :)

I just did a search on my VIN number and got his.

BTW, mine has every option mentioned there, the 12 CF refrigerator, 3rd TV and drop down bunk bed (press a button to bring it down just above the driver's seat). That's why mine was a bit more expensive than other Model 27A's found on the web.

I also see here that my "M" as my 10th digit means 2021. No way can it be built in 2022 but that is the MY.

But is the month the chassis was built in the VIN number? If it is like the frame date of my motorcycles, that will be mentioned somewhere on the chassis but I don't know where to look for that with a motorhome. I will see it the next time I check out the RV. For now, I have it at a storage place in Lockwood (near Sparks, & right next to I-80).

-Don- Reno, NV
 
Last edited:
I also see here that my "M" as my 10th digit means 2021. No way can it be built in 2022 but that is the MY.
The coach manufacturer designates the model year, and it's much the same as a car, in that the 2022 models start selling in Aug or Sept. Model year isn't the year built -- for example the 2007 Beaver I had was built mid-summer of 2006 but designated a 2007. After a bit of research I discovered it had, in some ways, more in common with the 2006 models but they called it a 2007, so '07 it was.
 
The coach manufacturer designates the model year,
In the USA. But in England, it's the same year model as you buy it, even if on Dec 31.

Perhaps almost everywhere except the USA/ Canada?

That caused some confusion in the Triumph Trophy SE motorcycle forum. My 2013 TTSE is the first year made. In England, where made, it is a 2012 model which does not even exist--in the USA.

Also, taxes can decide. For an example, my 1984 Yamaha Venture motorcycle was built in "9/83". There was a new tax on bikes built after Jan 1, 1984. So my 1984 motorcycle still must be registered as a 1983 model to avoid that extra tax. But when I buy a part for it, it is 1984 bike. And many of the parts changed between 1983 and 1984. So most call it the "1983 and a half Yamaha Venture".

BTW, the tax was on foreign made motorcycles made in 1984 that were above 1000 CC. That was to help bail out Harley who was having serious problems in their sales.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
It's a 2021 engine in a 2022 motorhome. It's a 2022 model when we buy it, but NV DMV l registers it as a 2021. NV DMV doesn't care when the house part was added, they only care about the chassis.

That means the oil should be changed the day purchased! The oil had to be put in well before the house section was put together. A full year before on the average.
Your state DMV is wrong and in violation of federal law if they use the chassis VIN year only. The title MUST represent the year the "final vehcle" was completed, as stated on the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin. If thatsays 2022, that's what the title MUST show. The DMV clerks often get this wrong, but their supervisor will know better.

The fact that the chassis has a 2021 model year (if it actually does) does not at all mean it's a calendar year only. It may have been built only a few weeks or months before the coach body was added. Each manufacturer designates model years on his own schedule and criteria that may have little to do with the calendar date. I'd guess your chassis is only 3-4 months older than the house. The internet tales about a chassis sitting around for years before the coach is built is not myth, but it's a very rare occurrence.
 
Your state DMV is wrong and in violation of federal law if they use the chassis VIN year only.
Well, I guess somebody needs to tell them such. :)

I was told by RV Country the only reason NV does NOT allow RV's to be registered on-line is because of the year issue. I had to go to a full-service DMV office to deal with it.

But I still cannot say I see the big issue. My Chevy Bolt is a 2022 model and is listed as such with DMV. Why the difference with my RV where is must be registered as a 2021 model? But I was told that at RV Country in Sparks, NV and I still tried to register on line. My New RV was listed under my log-in by its VIN number. But when I tried to register it on-line it gave me a message "this vehicle may only be registered at a full service NV DMV office.".

At least the new DMV Office in Reno in very fast and easy to deal with. The old one was almost impossible. The parking lot was always full. At the new DMV less than half the parking spaces are used and they even have EV charge stations there!

-Don- Reno, NV
 
Our Bounder is a ‘94, according to the State of Texas. All the paperwork for the coach indicates it is a ‘95.
 
Our Bounder is a ‘94, according to the State of Texas. All the paperwork for the coach indicates it is a ‘95.
Likewise, all my RV paperwork says my new RV is a 2022. My NV DMV registration says it is a 2021.

But both say they are 2022 for my Chevy Bolt. NV treats RVs differently, but I have no idea why.

-Don- Reno, NV
 

Forum statistics

Threads
131,749
Posts
1,384,215
Members
137,520
Latest member
jeep3501
Back
Top Bottom