Refused service because RV is too old

[MotoMac]

While I've managed to get most of the problems fixed by myself on my 1999 Itasca 33B SunFlyer, I've come across one that I feel is probably beyond my ability. I need a new master cylinder installed and the braking system flushed and refilled. I ordered the parts but need someone else to install it and do the installation.

I was surprised by two dealerships I went to when they told me "they don't work on RVs over 10 years old". I then tried several independent shops and got the same result. I finally found one who picks & chooses the +10 yr old jobs mainly because of parts availability for the older models. Since I had the parts already and accessibility to the master cylinder on my rig is no problem at all, he took the job (to be done next month).

He went on to explain that taking one job on an older model might reveal other items that are also in need of repair. If he can't get parts, he can end up with a work bay that's occupied by a dismantled RV that he can't finish. I guess I can see his point, but that is really going to hurt a lot of people.

Is this getting to be the norm around the country or is it just something happening around my area.

As an aside, I've had two Honda motorcycle dealerships refuse to work on one of my bikes for that same reason, so it's not just the RV community.

[rk911]

all of our engine/chassis work is done by an independent shop that caters to trucks, buses and motorhomes. you might search your area for a shop like that.

[Eagle5]

Hi MotoMac,
I had a similar out-of-date problem with my 1994 19' Seaswirl Cuddy Cabin powered by a 1994 Johnson Fast Strike 175 horse engine. My tachometer was producing erratic readings, so I called the shop where I bought the boat new (28 years ago) and they said they didn't work on them anymore. The same was true at the marine shop up in Everett which services Johnson outboards. I finally found one old mechanic that still works on the two-cycle motors. My 175 HP is the last of the great carburetor two-stroke engines.
I had eliminated any problem with either the tachometer or the wiring, but I didn't know which of the two engine components was bad. This mechanic found it (the voltage regulator), and I'm back in the water again. I don't know what I'll do when he retires, except hope that nothing breaks that I cannot fix myself.
On a side-note, it was a real blast of nostalgia to see all of the 1960s vintage engines that the mechanic had in his shop. Good memories of boating on the Willapa River.
Eagle5

[BobC]

Originally Posted by rk911

all of our engine/chassis work is done by an independent shop that caters to trucks, buses and motorhomes. you might search your area for a shop like that.

This is the best way to go, and stay away from RV dealerships.

[MotoMac]

Originally Posted by rk911

all of our engine/chassis work is done by an independent shop that caters to trucks, buses and motorhomes. you might search your area for a shop like that.

I did finally end up with an independent shop, but had already been turned down by both dealerships and other independent shops. One of the two independents who turned me down was a place where I'd had over $5,000 worth of work done two years ago.

[hank857]

see if there are mobil mechanics in your area that service in your yard? Down here there are rv mechs, truck/auto mechs that work out of their usually bread truck type vans. I have had a couple come over to do some things in the past and generally they were good and fairly inexpensive.


Go to a couple of rv parks and talk to the operators and get their input on finding good guys.

[Morich]

Originally Posted by MotoMac

While I've managed to get most of the problems fixed by myself on my 1999 Itasca 33B SunFlyer, I've come across one that I feel is probably beyond my ability. I need a new master cylinder installed and the braking system flushed and refilled. I ordered the parts but need someone else to install it and do the installation.

I was surprised by two dealerships I went to when they told me "they don't work on RVs over 10 years old". I then tried several independent shops and got the same result. I finally found one who picks & chooses the +10 yr old jobs mainly because of parts availability for the older models. Since I had the parts already and accessibility to the master cylinder on my rig is no problem at all, he took the job (to be done next month).

He went on to explain that taking one job on an older model might reveal other items that are also in need of repair. If he can't get parts, he can end up with a work bay that's occupied by a dismantled RV that he can't finish. I guess I can see his point, but that is really going to hurt a lot of people.

Is this getting to be the norm around the country or is it just something happening around my area.

As an aside, I've had two Honda motorcycle dealerships refuse to work on one of my bikes for that same reason, so it's not just the RV community.

Sounds like you are in an area where there is a serious labor shortage and shops can pick and choose on what they want to do.
Right now almost every industry has lost much of their workforce and a lot of those folks were the better trained older folks, so it will be years if ever before we get back to what used to be normal.

I'm one which has pretty well closed down as I do not want to send folks I know out to work in the current situation. None of my group or myself are hard up for money so we are just floating until things get better.
No point is making a lot of money if you aren't around to enjoy it!

[MotoMac]

Originally Posted by hank857

see if there are mobil mechanics in your area that service in your yard? Down here there are rv mechs, truck/auto mechs that work out of their usually bread truck type vans. I have had a couple come over to do some things in the past and generally they were good and fairly inexpensive.


Go to a couple of rv parks and talk to the operators and get their input on finding good guys.

Wish I had thought of that first... If this doesn't work out with the independent guy, then I'll go looking for mobile mechanics.

Thanks!

[MotoMac]

Originally Posted by Morich

Sounds like you are in an area where there is a serious labor shortage and shops can pick and choose on what they want to do.
Right now almost every industry has lost much of their workforce and a lot of those folks were the better trained older folks, so it will be years if ever before we get back to what used to be normal.

I'm one which has pretty well closed down as I do not want to send folks I know out to work in the current situation. None of my group or myself are hard up for money so we are just floating until things get better.
No point is making a lot of money if you aren't around to enjoy it!

You're certainly correct about the labor shortages. I don't think I've been in a single store of any type that doesn't have a "Help Wanted" sign out. It doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Always to good to have enough money stuck away to keep you living good. The way inflation is happening so fast these days, I'm think I'd better start cutting back a bit now, just in case it really does go crazy!

[CharlesMoore]

Gee, I live here in Indiana just east of the RV heartland. I have never heard of being refused to have work done if you have cash or valid credit card. Yes, it is a higher Covid-19 area in NE Indiana but not higher than FL, AL, LA et.al. Most of us seniors have Covid-19 shots 1,2 and 3 and wear mask too - imagine that!

[NeilV]

Unfortunately parts availability is going to hurt a lot of people with vehicles that are more than a few years old and may have some uncommon parts. On a 1999 there will be older less common ABS parts that might be needed to finish a job that will have to be shipped in which due to the shipping issues from Covid can cause weeks or months in delays so I can see a shop being reluctant to work on a vehicle more likely to need parts that are not stocked locally or may require hours of phone calls and research to get within even a weeks time.

The 1999 Sunflyer 33B looks like it only came with the F53 chassis so that should be relatively common Kelsey Hays brakes but some year specific ABS or Hydroboost parts may be harder to come by. The Cast Iron Hydroboost unit for the 20,500 lb chassis for example is not stocked locally where I live which is an RV mecca being in Florida so if the brake booster comes apart or starts leaking once they take the master cylinder off then there will be a delay waiting for that to be ordered in and may even require the old one to be shipped out for rebuilding unless you can use the Aluminum one which costs about $30 more and is available locally.

If the shop has no way of moving disabled vehicles that could put them in a world of hurt especially when considering having to store multiple over sized vehicles. At that point it may be the mobile mechanic that will be more willing to do the job since the vehicle will be disabled on your property and not theirs.

Its pretty much par for the course today when dealing with older large vehicles unfortunately. Pushing an few old VW Beetles into the back corner while waiting days/weeks/months for parts is one thing but a few 10 ton or larger motor homes and they've got quite a problem.

[sajohnson]

The Itasca 33B SunFlyer is on a Ford or Chevy chassis, right? I'd think parts would be readily available.

I don't understand why replacing the master cylinder and flushing the brakes is a problem.

Then again, my experience is mostly working on cars -- but our cars are 20-28 years old and I've never had a problem getting parts.

It just seems strange that availability of parts would be an issue for a common Ford or GM chassis.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by sajohnson

The Itasca 33B SunFlyer is on a Ford or Chevy chassis, right? I'd think parts would be readily available.

I don't understand why replacing the master cylinder and flushing the brakes is a problem.

Then again, my experience is mostly working on cars -- but our cars are 20-28 years old and I've never had a problem getting parts.

It just seems strange that availability of parts would be an issue for a common Ford or GM chassis.

The 33B did not have a GM option so its a Ford F53 and there were three options available for the brake booster depending on whether you have the 18,000 lb or 20,500 lb series and then whether you have the cast iron or aluminum hydroboost assembly. On top of that the axles even on the same chassis series might have forward or rearward mounted calipers or a combination of both and on some they will all be the same caliper in every position while on others each will be different. Note that the GM/Workhorse of that vintage still has its own uniqueness and uses a hydroboost system with variants so faces similar issues with getting parts the same day or week.

After 22 years some of the individual ABS components are not available either so you could end up having to special order complete assemblies at higher costs and due to those costs fewer local suppliers are going to be investing in seldom needed parts to sit on their shelves to rarely be sold.

In harsher climates brake components tend to have their fittings freeze up and gall leading to more effort to disassemble them without destroying them plus the component they are attached to and if they are connected to a heat sensitive ABS pump or controller valve then you can't use heat to remove them. Bottom line due to parts availability especially since Covid hit, higher chances of collateral damage, project creep and limited storage space many shops just can't justify taking a chance on certain older vehicles that may have some less common components than an F250 or F350, etc, etc. Just the chances of breaking an old brittle brake hose could put you behind several days if you could not source one locally or have one made up.

I had to deal with a brake pad coming un-bonded in rural Alabama and could not find a shop withing 100 miles that was familiar with the F53 and it took several days to order in just the correct calipers plus they had to reorder two because they were the wrong ones adding another few days to the repair that I ended up doing myself while stranded on an abandoned air field. Thankfully there was a water hookup and a dump station near by. And that was almost 10 years ago on a 2001 F53 so now all these years later you can expect even more of the same. As stated in my earlier post just on the brake booster only one shop where I live in the heart of RV Friendly Florida has only one of the various brake booster assemblies that might be on a 1999 F53 in stock at a local warehouse and available within 24 hours while all the others would have to be special ordered which could take days or perhaps weeks to arrive. While the ABS controllers, pumps and valve body components might be even less likely to be locally available. The new model is to carry a bare bones inventory of only the most commonly purchased parts that people buy every day not the once every few weeks or so stuff.

Anyways its understandable that shops with limited space and bare bones profit margins would not want to get into older motor homes that could more likely end up occupying needed work space for an extended period of time while waiting for parts to come in.

[Jos 56]

I have the Ford components worked on by a Ford Dealership and the coach by a RV dealership. The Ford dealership is around the corner, they are good, and they service trucks for the city. The shop supervisor there was commenting on having a hard time getting components from Winnebago, or the local dealership. The dealership does not service any of the mechanical components and they mentioned long delays getting parts ffrom the US.

[Rick 99037]

Over a decade ago, I too found out to my surprise that motorcycle shops wouldn't work on older bikes. In their case, at least; I'd guess there's multiple reasons. It costs as much to do the same repair on a $500 bike, as a $5000 bike comes to mind.
I have to wonder if class C's fare better, being tied a little tighter to the manufacturer's chassis.
My 2005 is unbelievably clean, and has < 40k on it. And has the GM chassis under it. I hope I don't find myself dealing with these issues.