Shes an old Gal with Heart of a Teenager

[Decuct CoCo]

New to Winne world

2007 Vista M-30B purchased yesterday 16,237 miles confirmed via Carfax
Indoor climate controlled storage kept her out of desert sun and winter snows.

Needs shoes all around as fronts are 2013 rear 2006 originals.
Other minor issues with expired CO, Propane, Smoke detectors & Extinguisher.

National RV Inspectors Association (NRVIA) inspection report came in handy helping me obtain reduction of sellers price..

Spent many years as ASE & truck fleet mechanic so it's lack of use wasn't of great concern after I inspected the engine and drive train..

I'll be lurking and reading through threads to glean all the information I can

[Eagle5]

Hi Rod,
Is this what we call a "Barn Find?" Sounds like a great rig. My Minnie Winnie is four years old this month, and just today my Propane Detector aged-out alert went off; new one coming in the mail now.
I noticed my Carbon Monoxide Detector has a six-year life, but I don't see anything on my smoke detector. I wonder if Smoke Detectors have a life-limit too?
Here is your:

• Brochure
• Owner's Manual

Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

[Wyatt]

Most propane detectors have a five year recommended replacement lifespan.

In California, all smoke detectors must have a 10 year lifespan, so I’m ASSUMING that a combination smoke/CO detector would be the same.

I REALLY like the NEST smoke/CO Detectors I swapped in. They actually talk to you, and at night detect movement, and glow ever so bright as to illuminate the isle…

If there’s a fire, they all speak to you at once, and tell you which room there’s smoke.

Since we park our RV in our driveway, they are connected to our house system via WiFi. If something goes awry in the RV outside, the detectors in our house will tell me that’s there’s an issue in the RV.

Pretty cool…

[Eagle5]

Good to know that the smoke detector has a 10-year life. Yes, those NEST devices sound pretty cool. Illuminating during an alert is a good thing.
Thanks, Eagle5

[Decuct CoCo]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

Most propane detectors have a five year recommended replacement lifespan.

In California, all smoke detectors must have a 10 year lifespan, so I’m ASSUMING that a combination smoke/CO detector would be the same.

I REALLY like the NEST smoke/CO Detectors I swapped in. They actually talk to you, and at night detect movement, and glow ever so bright as to illuminate the isle…

If there’s a fire, they all speak to you at once, and tell you which room there’s smoke.

Since we park our RV in our driveway, they are connected to our house system via WiFi. If something goes awry in the RV outside, the detectors in our house will tell me that’s there’s an issue in the RV.

Pretty cool…

Good to know, I shall look further into that system..

Originally Posted by Eagle5

Hi Rod,
Is this what we call a "Barn Find?" Sounds like a great rig. My Minnie Winnie is four years old this month, and just today my Propane Detector aged-out alert went off; new one coming in the mail now.
I noticed my Carbon Monoxide Detector has a six-year life, but I don't see anything on my smoke detector. I wonder if Smoke Detectors have a life-limit too?
Here is your:

• Brochure
• Owner's Manual

Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5
Attachment 188235

Thanks for the links
I downloaded owners manual, brochure, plumbing, electrical diagram book, Vista parts & sealant pdf files as well as Onan 4000 maintenance manual before sealing the deal with seller.. Can't have too much source material imo.

PO literally built barn door garage with roll up doors at each end as part of house..
I believe being a fire department captain had something to do with that design..

[creativepart]

There are three immediate concerns with an older RV. Tires, batteries and roof sealant.

You are on the tires already. That’s is a must do ASAP. Assessing the age and condition of the house and chassis batteries is necessary before using the RV as an RV. It’s the roof that you may not have considered as an eminent issue.

Even being stored indoors does not eliminate this concern. And if your inspector is not aware of Winnebago’s unique roof system they may not have even known of the issue to check.

Are you aware that the roof can “blow off” while driving down the road if specific maintenance is not maintained?

One other thing, a motorhome is two things; a truck and a house. When new owners have an automotive or truck repair background they naturally tend to center on the truck side of the equation. But what most find is the truck is pretty bullet proof and 80% or more of your problems are going to be with house systems not chassis systems.

So, well stored and low mileage are great but can mean nothing to the overall condition of the rig. The fact that it’s 16 years old with little mileage and original tires should put you on guard for much more issues than CO/Fire detectors.

Sorry to be such a downer. The truth is we hope, like you, that you’ve found the perfect RV that will take you on great adventures.

[Morich]

One to consider and easy to miss is the brake fluid. When stored it can tend to draw moisture and that can be an expensive item that sneaks up on you?
Testing can check for the water in the fluid but if not tested, the water can cause rusting of the brake items like the master and wheel cylinders.
Point is being aware and testing can save a tub full of money! Not checking can mean you drive a few hundred or thousand miles and one day find all the items are leaking because the rust has scored the cylinder walls!
We did that one time but it did not catch us! We bought a "good enough for one trip" Brave that had been used as a photo studio at Wall-Mart and driven very little. One trip to take grandparents from Missouri to LA for a graduation and then back home to sell it?

A few months after selling we happened to meet the new owners who asked about the brakes as they had to replace almost all the parts!

[Decuct CoCo]

Originally Posted by creativepart

There are three immediate concerns with an older RV. Tires, batteries and roof sealant.

You are on the tires already. That’s is a must do ASAP. Assessing the age and condition of the house and chassis batteries is necessary before using the RV as an RV. It’s the roof that you may not have considered as an eminent issue.

Even being stored indoors does not eliminate this concern. And if your inspector is not aware of Winnebago’s unique roof system they may not have even known of the issue to check.

Are you aware that the roof can “blow off” while driving down the road if specific maintenance is not maintained?

One other thing, a motorhome is two things; a truck and a house. When new owners have an automotive or truck repair background they naturally tend to center on the truck side of the equation. But what most find is the truck is pretty bullet proof and 80% or more of your problems are going to be with house systems not chassis systems.

So, well stored and low mileage are great but can mean nothing to the overall condition of the rig. The fact that it’s 16 years old with little mileage and original tires should put you on guard for much more issues than CO/Fire detectors.

Sorry to be such a downer. The truth is we hope, like you, that you’ve found the perfect RV that will take you on great adventures.

Not a downer at all.. I appreciate all the heads up I get.
Primer NRVIA Inspection can take 10-11 hours and is quite extensive..
Exterior inspection looks into the following areas and is a small portion of overall inspection report.


Inspector was able to do roof inspection indoor than moved rig outdoor for slider and end cap portion.. This image is just 7 of 23 points on roof inspection that continued on next page..

[Decuct CoCo]

Originally Posted by Morich

One to consider and easy to miss is the brake fluid. When stored it can tend to draw moisture and that can be an expensive item that sneaks up on you?
Testing can check for the water in the fluid but if not tested, the water can cause rusting of the brake items like the master and wheel cylinders.
Point is being aware and testing can save a tub full of money! Not checking can mean you drive a few hundred or thousand miles and one day find all the items are leaking because the rust has scored the cylinder walls!
We did that one time but it did not catch us! We bought a "good enough for one trip" Brave that had been used as a photo studio at Wall-Mart and driven very little. One trip to take grandparents from Missouri to LA for a graduation and then back home to sell it?

A few months after selling we happened to meet the new owners who asked about the brakes as they had to replace almost all the parts!

Good point as a retired mechanic I hadn't thought that far ahead

Typically I do a complete caliper refurbishment w/piston removal as accumulated moisture sinks to the bottom of system collecting grime and rust along the way..

Not the first time i've seen piston that fails to retract due to the garbage that has collected in bottom of caliper while bleeding brakes doesn't remove any of it as bleeder is at top of caliper..

Y'all have a more humid atmosphere in Midwest & Southern states than we do in desert regions of the West and are likely more prone to rusted out calipers, brake lines, & master cylinders..

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Decuct CoCo

Inspector was able to do roof inspection indoor than moved rig outdoor for slider and end cap portion.. This image is just 7 of 23 points on roof inspection that continued on next page..

None of those roof points correspond to the unique roof system only Winnebago uses. If the inspector was not specifically knowledgeable about Winnebago roofs he could completely miss the important part that keeps your roof from tearing off as you drive. So, it’s possible you still have to do a complete rechecking of the roof sealing at the drip edge along both sides.

The top of the roof looks great, almost too great. Was it replaced or coated? This is great but it’s where the roof radius is seated and sealed in the drip rail that holds the roof down in high winds (driving). This is unique to Winnebago motorhomes.

This is not a gimmick or low level risk. Winnebago roofs, if not maintained properly, can and do blow off while driving.

Here’s a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDd3NrdWSQA

[Decuct CoCo]

Originally Posted by creativepart

This is not a gimmick or low level risk. Winnebago roofs, if not maintained properly, can and do blow off while driving.

I'll check with the inspector on what he knows if anything about Winne roof separation..
Passing this discussion on to him for his edification as he is also a certified RV technician but none of us know it all..


There is no indication roof was repaired or replaced nor noted on Carfax which seldom catches all vehicle incidents.. No indication from PO either..

Thanks for the link as I got an education from the video and will be checking roof radius closely.

Your knowledge is invaluable

[Morich]

I hesitate to look too closely or too critically at how others operate but what I see on this specific inspection is not what I would want as it seems to be more just a short look around on exterior items and that is NOT what I worry most about when shopping.
Is there more to this inspection that we don't see or is it truly just an exterior look?

I am far more concerned about the things I can't see than the small stuff on the outside!
My experience with inspections has been more in real estate and that is often almost a waste of time as the report is often so slanted, depending on who ordered it.
Is it an inspection for the buyer who wants the price run down or is it for the seller who wants the price to be justified?
Meanwhile we often get a bunch of garbage that really has no effect on the price of the property.
On RV inspections, it appears to be the same? Who cares if a ten dollar vent cap is cracked? What I want to know is how long the engine and transmission will last. How does the generator run? Does the air cool the unit or just barely get by when it is hot?
Are the start capacitors swelling or do they look normal? How old are the tires and batteries?
Those are things that can cost hundreds or thousands on the first trip but often not mentioned on inspections.

[Decuct CoCo]

Originally Posted by Morich

Is there more to this inspection that we don't see or is it truly just an exterior look?
Yes it's a far more extensive inspection
I am far more concerned about the things I can't see than the small stuff on the outside!

had to convert listing in Word docx to doc file enabling posting on this forum
You can decide whether inspection is thorough or not..
I found it quite extensive and far to long to be posted as a single screen shot..
PremierMotorHomePOI.doc

[Morich]

Originally Posted by Decuct CoCo

had to convert listing in Word docx to doc file enabling posting on this forum
You can decide whether inspection is thorough or not..
I found it quite extensive and far to long to be posted as a single screen shot..
Attachment 188260

Good enough!
I had thought there might be more but then I also am amazed at how little actual good I get out of the house inspections, so did have questions!