Old owners are liars

[wstalker]

So when we bought our motorhome we did not educate ourselves all that well. The previous owners had no maintenance records and I am trying to reach the original owners and have no idea if they would be willing to help. I took it to the freightliner place in Tucson for a well check and maintenance. I think they did a fine job on the maintenance, but basically just said" doesn't seem to have any major issues".
There are some things we knew about such as someone butchered the original tv/surround system. Not too worried about that as I would have changed it anyway. Noticed a couple small leaks that appear to have been taken care of and don't seem to leak anymore. We knew it needed tires, due to age. We still figure it will be alright and knew we would have to put money in it, but no way we could have afforded new. This forum has already helped us immensely and we are looking forward to the nomadic way of life. I have traveled extensively through the years in USA with travel trailer in tow. First motorhome. Am kind of curious from those that have had their oils looked at at different labs. Did you just grab a sample when you were changing oils?

[sunflower]

So where is the problem?What did someone lie about?What questions did you ask or NOT ask?

[LSC9901]

The subject matter f your post is fine but in no way matches the title. Can you explain ?

[Charlie72704]

Originally Posted by wstalker

Am kind of curious from those that have had their oils looked at at different labs. Did you just grab a sample when you were changing oils?

I had it done before purchasing our '05 Newmar Northern Star. The amount of information is overwhelming when you get the report. Read THIS - Click me for more information.

As for the rest of your post I can't be sure what or if you are stating or asking something. I'm not trying to snarky or anything but you do realize the research about the coach and the questions you asked about the coach and the decision to purchase were your responsibility based on the questions asked and condition of the coach on delivery.

[wildtoad]

The title of the post may well be true, just in this case no indication of what the "old owner" may have lied about!

[twinboat]

Brings up a great question.

Is the omission of information a lie ?

How about not knowing of a defect ?

[nothermark]

Also question why a repaired leak would be an issue. If it was small and repaired I would consider it well cared for. Things happen. To me the issue is whether or not they were taken care of in a timely manner.

FWIW I suspect a great many people do not save old maintenance records once something is out or warranty. Much after than they become food for the bean counters or waste paper.

[Mr_D]

And, in some cases like ours, the owner doesn't have records because he owned a trucking company with it's own shop. So anytime it needed anything not warranty related he just ran it through his shop and no records were kept.
The selling dealer went through a replaced all the filters and fluids except the Allison which still had the original filters that were supposed to be changed at 5,000 miles (this was at about 45,000 miles)
Had an oil analysis done on the engine, came back good except the iron was a little high, Cummins said that was due to it sitting too long and not being run.
2,400 miles later the engine dropped a valve in #6, cost us over $22,000 even after Cummins paid $10,400 of it.
Even with perfect records and due diligence mechanical problems can happen from a poor design!!

[luckyd]

We keep very detailed accounts of everything done, fixed, changed, etc.
to our MH. We still like to look at later coaches and always ask the salesman
for records. We always get the same reply..."we do not keep those records".

When buying privately, I would not buy without records.
We bought our coach from a dealer that had it in on consignment.
We thought the price was a little low and demanded a complete service of
the running gear of the coach. We were informed that the owner had agreed to do this. We still thought there was something wrong so we offered 30K less than asking. The salesman said he would try but doubted it. We were all surprised when the owner accepted. We made the deal based on a complete walk through of all systems.
Everything appeared to work properly including running the Aquahot and having hot water.
We made the deal but were still dubious.

We found out very quickly we needed to replace the Aquahot.
This was a cost of 10K.

We have upgraded things on the coach because we feel it is a quality coach.
This is a 2002 Monaco Windsor that was fully loaded from the factory.
We hope that when we sell it, we will have a buyer that ACTUALLY WANTS TO
SEE ALL THE RECORDS.

[Mike and Cha]

I do pretty much all my own maintenance so the only "records" I have is of course what I write down and document and any receipts for things purchased such as oil/filters ect. So that doesn't mean it wasn't done just because I have nothing from a dealership, if that is what you are concerned about. Even though I probably didn't need to I went up on the roof and touched up any areas that looked like they could use some sealant even though I have no leaks. I used the self leveling sealant around some of the vents ect, where some really minor cracks in the original sealant were. So would that make you suspect I was hiding something, or just maybe I was doing something precautionary. My MH is maintained meticulously and still looks better than the day I bought it, inside and out. If someone accused me of not taking care of it or questioned my own documentation, I would just tell them to go buy some other MH and see what they get.

Like others I don't see anything in your post that indicates anybody lied to you or misled you. If I was buying a used MH I would do all the regular maintenance, including tires if needed, anyway just to have a base to start my future maintenance from. That is a part of buying used and being able to have peace of mind that everything has been maintained the best you can since you took ownership. Good Luck

[wstalker]

The old owner lied about numerous things. It appears as if I struck a nerve. As I stated in the beginning we jumped before making an expensive decision so I am not entirely blaming the previous owner. After buying and trying to get some information all I ever got was "well it was working when we sold it". Sorry if the format of this is not exact. All new to me.

[Mike and Cha]

So what is not working on it and what did they actually "lie" about. There are many people on this forum with a variety of experience and expertise that can maybe help you out. Again starting with all the regular maintenance being done, whether needed or not, will give you peace of mind and a good starting point. Being that your MH is 12 years old some things will need attention even if it was maintained correctly.

[ArmandV]

Originally Posted by wstalker

The old owner lied about numerous things. It appears as if I struck a nerve. As I stated in the beginning we jumped before making an expensive decision so I am not entirely blaming the previous owner. After buying and trying to get some information all I ever got was "well it was working when we sold it". Sorry if the format of this is not exact. All new to me.

As others have asked, what specifically did the former owner lie about? You said he lied about "numerous things". It would be helpful if you would list them so everyone can give you a more educated opinion.

Inquiring minds want to know.

[schrederman]

I got suckered in by the title... so... My nickel's worth: I'd rather buy something from someone that knows how and performs their own maintenance, because I do that and I know how. Taking it to the dealer and having a record of their "work" is not a guarantee that they actually did the work properly, or used the correct lubricants, etc.

An example: My first "service" on my new pickup was to have full synthetic oil, and I was charged for that. I saw them put the oil in it and it was not synthetic. I spoke up while they were filling it, and of course it was supposed to be an "honest" mistake. I demanded that they drain what they had put in and do what I requested. They did so, but grudgingly. I was moving at the time and couldn't do it myself, but they will never see it again. Just because people are supposed to be professional, doesn't mean they will be...

As to the oil being analyzed, it's done to make sure the engine isn't "making metal". It's always a good idea if buying used. I haven't done one in a long time, but it's part of annual inspections of aircraft engines unless those laws have changed since I went to IT... many years ago...

I sold a travel trailer recently, and everything was well maintained and working when I sold it. I have no control after that, nor should I have any responsibility after that. I have kept in touch with the new owner and answered his many, many beginner questions, but I had no actual obligation to do that. Not sure where your complaint comes from.

[wstalker]

He lied about who owned it before him, about the refrigerator working, about the so called flat tv conversion, probably about maintenance, but can't nor will spend the effort to prove, lied about where it was for the last five years, about the sleep number bed, about sliding doors, about roof repairs, about entertainment issues. All of these things I now know about and admittedly I was smitten with the coach and it had the engine I was looking for. I have done a few small trips and still have a lot to learn. I'm very mechanically inclined and do a lot of my own work. I am not unhappy with the coach, a bit unhappy about my own naive way of thinking, but that is a whole other issue. I'm glad to have a forum like this and may even figure out how to use it in the right context.

[Mr_D]

Pretty much all those items you say he lied about are all things that could easily be verified by a quick look and test. Plus you really aren't telling us what he said about the items, just that he lied. Did he tell you the TV's were flat screen or LED? There are many flat screen TV's that are still CRT's. Did it not have a sleep number bed or is it blown out?

[wstalker]

I am going to drop out of this conversation. If I handled the subject wrong....so sorry.

[BrianGlenn]

Originally Posted by wstalker

I am going to drop out of this conversation. If I handled the subject wrong....so sorry.

Don't go away! Just be aware you touched a nerve for a lot of us, for two reasons. One we all are "old motorhome owners" and your title blankets us all as liars....(by extension, but we all know now that's not what you meant). Secondly we are a helpful bunch, trying to support new owners who feel they may have gotten into a motorhome over their head and we want to help - you know, we've all "seen that, not a problem, here's how to fix/resolve your issue".

Sounds like you are venting - I accept that.

Brian

[Unplanned]

"Old Owners Are Liars" !! I resemble that remark!! Got caught up in that post too! Entertaining to say the least.

[kustom]

you said he lied about who owned it before him hey people move we bought a motorhome from a dealer and i had old owners name and address i sent him
a nice letter to say i bought it came back return to sender as he moved
cant say he lied he just moved