Not Sure??

[stearn]

It has been one year owning our Adventurer. I have had a check valve in the hot water tank go bad, engine miss, bedroom slide leak, a bad shock, and a leaking leveling jack. Not to mention none of the remotes to the radio work! All but the remotes have been repaired ( that is except the rear slide leak that was just repaired by replacing with a new seal) , we'll see its supposed to rain tomorrow. Our Adventurer is on a W24 chassis. I am wondering if I am in the average group getting 7.0 mph towing my Malibu? Would changing to the Koni Shocks improve the ride over the original bilstiens?
Is it just me, or have other owners experienced simular problems. I am hoping for some of your thoughts and experience.
I might add that other than the problems above, we really like our MH. Our first MH was five years old when we bought it, and was problem free, maybe thats what spoiled us. Maybe it just takes some time to get the bugs out.

[dirko]

Hi Ho: Modern motorhomes are really a combination of complex systems that all have minimum design lives (to save manufacturing costs) and finite lifetimes. We bought our first coach in 1978 and had no significant problems. But it was by comparison a very simply machine.

Our coach is a 2000 Itasca Suncruiser with about 45,000 miles. Things require maintenance and do wear out, but our coach has never been to a shop for repair. (Well, there was the time that Jiffylube backed into the garage door and replaced the damaged slide topper)

Anyway, I simply maintain things that require maintenance and repair those that require repair. I just replaced the right rear jack cylinder with a rebuilt cylinder, for example. Total cost was $105. I have also replaced return springs on the rear jacks.
I also took the carbureator off the generator and cleaned it. Generator runs great now. Almost forgot, the rear slide wouldn't come back in. Turned out to be just a bad connection in the connector on the hydraulic pump up front. How did I know what to do? Just did a search on this forum. Took me about 30 minutes to find the problem and fix it.

If you want to do work yourself this forum is the place to be. Almost all common problems have been addressed by owners/fixers so you get unbiased useable advice almost every time. And better yet common problems are addressed so that you can fix them before they become a serious issue.

I really don't know how people that can't or don't want to fix things have good success with today's coaches. I think the coach would spend more time in the shop than on the road. Give it a try.

Good luck, Dirk

[stearn]

I agree that things wear out and will need repaired. I am not adverse to doing some of my own maintence, but I have an extended warrany that has covered the problems I mentioned. I guess I sounded like I was complaining,when actually I am trying to get a response from other owners that have had things break.( maybe a little complaining?) More or less comparing notes. I do agree this and other forums are very helpful!

[Rocket Heart]

I have an 07 Suncruiser on a W22 chassis and I have had some things go awry in the 1 1/2 years I have had the coach. Biggest problem has been the overheating of the rear plug wires - now fixed by the vent kit - loose wires for my radio remote - I found and fixed - my fuel mileage is a little better than yours - around 7.8 - 8.3 depending on wind etc.

All in all pretty happy with the coach - I do believe Winnebago could do a better job in quality control - little irritating thing's like remotes that don't work just irritates the heck out of me -

[Doug Sage]

The lifetime mileage on our Suncruiser which is always towing a Suzuki Grand Vitara is 6.5 mpg. It was closer to 7 but the gasohol has pulled it down. :( We have had quite a few things go wrong with our rig and have been back to the factory twice but we still love our Suncruiser!

[smlranger]

I believe Dirko nailed it. These are complex systems and stuff needs tweaking. While it is frustrating to have problems with a new rig, your list seems about average from what I've read here and on other forums.

One of the reasons we bought gently used was to have the other guy work out the bugs in a new rig (and eat that big depreciation expense).

Based on our prior experience with a gas rig with the big block Chevy engine, 7 mpg on a 38' rig pulling a toad is pretty good.

[dajudge]

I agree with smlranger, we bought slightly used, bought a good sam csp plan, and hoped for the best. So far, no problems and saved about 50% of the new price.

[bellsharbor]

After reading your post I just had to share my experience with a Fleetwood Discovery I purchased new in 1997. The following are a few of the problems we experienced.
1. The front A/C unit started on fire.
2. One of the front tires would not balance. After moving both front tires to the rear, the rear end started to shake. Finally out of frustration I replace both tires at my cost.
3. The coach had a recall and the body had to be re-welded to the chassis.
4. The front door had to be replaced twice and it never was right.
5. There was a loud squeak in the lower front cap at the passenger side. Never could get it fixed.
6. On a 5000 mile trip, the breaker box shorted out and burned a connection and we lost power.
7. On the same trip a sensor came loose on the top of the engine and sprayed fuel all over the engine.
8. The water heater valve started leaking.
9. The awning was 25 feet and had a center support that pulled out of the fiberglass with a gust of wind and fell on to an open basement door putting a hole through it.
10. The vent for the washer/dryer would dry out and fill the coach full of sewer smell while driving.
11. The toilet had to be replaced.
12. The windshield came lose in the rubber mount and wind came whistling through a hole.
After trading the coach in we met the people who purchased it and they had a problem with the air ride system where a valve failed and the coach would not maintain ride height. The engine had antifreeze get into the engine oil and had to have the diesel engine rebuilt.
Soooo---don’t feel too bad. Stuff happens! It’s not usually that bad and we are still RV’ing.
By the way--I put Koni Shocks on the Journey and I like what they did for the ride.
Good luck with you coach and happy travels.
John

[Ding-a-ling]

Stearn,

We have the same model coach but ours is a 2005. After 66,000 miles, I have two pages of problems that have had to be addressed, but ..... things happen to a rolling home.

We recently stopped in Centralia, WA for maintenance and repair of some items at Brazel's RV Performance center. After a front and rear axle alignment, new front Michelins, weighing of the four corners of the MH and new Koni FSD shocks the coach rides better than it ever had before.

Enjoy!

Frank F.

[Monaco38]

This spring we purchased our first MH moving up from ten years with a fiver. We found a 2003 38' Monaco Camelot with 19,000 original miles that was everything we were looking for and more! It was like brand new! The dealer had also done an exceptional and thorough job of prepping the unit. With all of that said, a number of small things have been found that needed attention, and what I haven't gotten to already are on a list of items to attend to.

There is one dash light that has been replaced with a bulb with a green tint, another instrument panel light is out. The left headlight is out of adjustment. We have had two water leaks in the cold water supply line to the the kitchen sink. One end had a bad rubber washer, the other end was apparently installed without one. The latches holding the genset from rolling out in front of the coach at a stop sign were out of adjustment!! Picture it out in front of the coach on its own . There's a salon light fixture that won't turn on...the switch on the base is apparently not working, and we discovered last night that the snap thermostate switch on the wet bay heater is apparently not working. Several switch indicator lights around the coach had burned out and have been replaced with new panel lights. A piece of wood trim molding has come loose on the door jam to the bathroom.

I consider these the normal kind of maintenance items that are going to occur in any MH, and even though I know this to be true when we drove it off the lot there was the perception that this coach was just perfect! It wasn't until we got it home and began using it, and going out on our excursions, that we were brought back from our 'buyer's bliss' to the reality that everything mechanical has it's need for attention.

We love our MH and will make every effort to give it the attention that it needs and to keep it in it's perfect condition. This forum has given us much valuable information to do just that. Thanks everyone for the great contributions to those of us that have a lot to learn.

[Jackm]

"Rolling Maintenance" is a humorous term that we "fondly" use for motorhomes. As full-time RVers, we've concluded that there are five main factors that probably influence the reliability of the typical motorhome.

The first is the model and make. Simply put, some manufacturers are better than others.

The second is the fact that there are hundreds of things that can go wrong in an RV. In short, when you're dealing with a house that sits on a truck, things can get complicated.

The third is the fact that RVs have to bounce down terrible roads. I've actually seen screws pop out on some roads. In South Carolina, one of my fillings popped out because the road was so bad (the caramels didn't help).

Fourth, the U.S. RV manufacturing industry hasn't had to face the level of competition seen in the global auto industry. As a result, the quality is sometimes less than it should or could be.

Last but not least is the issue of luck. For example, I've replaced the water pump in our 2004 motorhome 4 times. Other RVers (with the same exact pump) continue to brag about its unsurpassed reliability. Put another way, some people just end up with rigs that are particularly reliable. Others (like most of us here) have to live in a less perfect world.

However, one thing is for sure. These things will keep you busy and it's a great feeling when you finally fix the things that are broken. That way, you'll have more time to fix more things that will inevitably go wrong. Best of luck. Let us know how you make out.

Jack

[stearn]

Gosh this makes me feel better knowing I'm not alone! I am happy to say at this moment we are problem free! The leak in the bedroom slide was by far the worst problem that is now fixed. {after an inch of rain and still dry I can say that} We are now ready to head south in a couple weeks, and hopefully problem free. It was mentioned above about buying a used coach so the bugs would be out, that was my thinking too! I guess some of us are more picky than others. I plan to work on tweeking things to make our life more comfortable while on the road. The longer we have it the more we like our motorized home.

[Izzyblueye]

What you are experiencing is completely normal.

[ROMAD]

As far as the gas mileage, I have been averaging about 7.3 towing a Saturn Vue so you are pretty much on target at 7 MPG. Driving conditions and habits influence this so use the on board computer to show you what driving habits you can change to save fuel. Every little bit helps. Good luck.

[Theberrys]

We bought a used 1999 Tradewinds about two years ago and would have a list of things to fix after every trip. They weren't real expensive or even hard to do but it seemed for the first year the list never got smaller just differant. I need to say the prior owners (also the original owners) did a good job with the regular maintience but when he died she let the Coach sit for a couple of years. This made it low milage but also contribuited to some of the problems. We had roof leaks, plumbing leaks, and the like. Well I finally got caught up with the purchased problems and came home from one trip with nothing on the list. Kind of a post trip letdown so the upgrades started. So far we've swapped out the TV's, Changed the backup camera, redone the flooring with laninate, built a fancy American Coach Type ceiling, and several other things. I guess it just goes to show a RV is more than a camping experiance for us, it's also a full time hobby. We love the projects and somehow continue to find things to do. Some are repairs but now after having it for a while most are upgrades. Just don't let it get ahead of you. If something is wrong fix it right away and it will remain manageable. Let them pile up and you'll bacome discourged pretty quick.

In the end try to enjoy the experiance of owning a Motor Home both on a trip and after you get home and have tasks to do. It's all part of it!

Happy RV-ing
Dick