As with anything mechanical there are going to be repairs that are necessary and have to be done even after an inspection. RV's are probably the biggest source of repair work required after a purchase, whether new or used. When we bought our new to us Fleetwood Jamboree GT we were unable to obtain an independent inspection of the rig. That was unfortunate, even though we managed to scrape by and avoid any major pitfalls with the RV. I certainly don't recommend what we did. The only reason we went this way was due to my experience, and mechanical abilities with RV's and there systems over my 15 years of RVing. I am a backyard mechanic that loves to modify, repair and improve the vehicles that I own, and my RV is always my biggest project.

Now with the Fleetwood, after inspecting it myself and testing what I could in the dead of winter, I only found a few issues on the surface. All of the issues were relatively minor in nature. they were:

•  Awning - near end of life and needs to be replaced
• Bedroom slide topper needed to be replaced
• Shelving required in large living room storage compartment
• Noisy Water Pump
• Cracked rear fiberglass bumper
• No Inverter
• Only two batteries
• Stock Shower head
• Minor Water damage on fiberglass panel underneath overhead bearth (to be fixed at later date)
• seals needed to be redone on several seams
• Roof seals needed to be repaired

Overall the RV appeared to be in great shape and all systems appeared to be working as expected. A chassis inspection and test drive did not reveal any obvious issues.  So with this knowledge in hand we decided to purchase the RV. Now when we got it home I decided to take it for a full mechanical inspection at a Ford dealership here in Calgary that could deal with big rigs, as well as get a wheel alignment.  Here I was both relieved and disappointed with the results. The overall mechanical inspection only found a leaky transmission seal that needed to be replaced, Otherwise the RV was in excellent mechanical shape. The wheel alignment did not go so well. Upon inspection it was found that all four ball joints needed to be replaced before an alignment could be performed. Certainly this was not a deal breaker and it was also something that I could not of known about during our inspection and test drive. This was our first major expense on the chassis but based on the inspection report probably our last for a while.

After dealing with all of the mechanical issues, it was time to turn our attention to the coach issues that we identified during our initial inspection. We decided to get the following items fixed professionally before we went on our maiden voyage with the RV. The items to fix were:

• Add shelving to compartment
• Add inverter and two more batteries
• Repair cracked rear bumper
• Replace bedroom slide topper

The total cost of these repairs was $6,310.00 which included the ball joints and alignment. Overall it took about three weeks to get it all done during the off season ( March & April).  The remaining issues I was able to take care of myself at an additional expense of $300.00.

Here is what the cost break down was for Initial purchase and cost of upgrades and repairs prior to our madan voyage.

• Cost of mechanical inspection and repairs: $1,750
• Ball Joint replacement and wheel alignment: $1,350.00
• Cost of Coach repairs and additions: $2,910.00
• Coach modifications: $300.00

Total cost of repairs and modifications: $6,310.00

As you can see by this breakdown, even though the amount of work required to put the RV into tip top shape was small it still cost an additional $6,310.00 in repairs. So even though on the surface things appeared to be in good shape when we dug below the surface we found issues that needed to be addressed. So goes the cycle with RV's. RV's will always require repairs, because each trip is like putting the RV through an earthquake, and the parts on RV's are typically the cheaper variety, and will fail at the most in opportune moment. Also, once you get out in your RV and live in it for a while, you find things that you would like to upgrade to make life in your RV more glampurous.

After our first year in the Fleetwood and with the above repairs and modifications done we were very happy with the livability, functionality, and reliability of the RV. RV's are expensive, and always require love and attention and therefore money to make them a hassle free vacation experience. If you put the time, attention, and of course money into your rig when needed, I can almost guarantee that you will have a wonderful hassle free vacation with your beloved home on wheels.

 

Happy Trails

The Glampurs