MTPockets
Well-known member
Reading the forums on topics that include broken appliances, parts, tires, frames, finishes, etc.. causes me to reflect on my own years of experience with just about every type of RV; the common thread = maintenance is way of life. Preventative maintenance can greatly reduce incidents of failure and disappointment; while, some break downs are imminent, your knowledge of your RV components and systems is necessary for continued enjoyment of the lifestyle as well as peace of mind.
Lots of posts talk about the long waits on dealer lots for service, while others just fix it and move on. Also, we all have different levels of mechanical experience and there are some things that only an experienced shop can fix, but most of what I read could have been dealt with at home by a person with minimal mechanical ambition.
Some personal examples:
-My cabinet finish looked good, but almost immediately any water on the surface would cause a white spot. I was able to cure this with an outdoor clearcoat that was not hard to apply and now after 2 ½ years, no more problems.
- After less than two weeks of ownership, I had several water leaks. I got down and started tightening every joint I could find and have had zero leaks since that hour or so of snugging up fittings and drain pipes.
- I was never happy with the roof ladder support and when the factory wouldn’t help, I added two sets of the stand-off supports, which now gives me a much more stable ladder.
-A good exterior surface protectant application can keep the finish shining and decals looking like new. I use Rejex and that works great for me.
-Using a torque wrench, I’ve checked and re-checked/tightened to proper torque spec wheel lug nuts, pin box mount, axle u-bolts. I’ve found quite a few nuts well below torque spec on more than one occasion during the past 2 ½ years. Failure to keep these to proper spec could cause other problems on the road at inopportune times.
-My refrigerator drain hose quickly deteriorated and from this forum I discovered how to easily replace it, which I did with a better quality vinyl hose.
- I had a recent front jack switch failure somewhere in Texas. I sat down and read some things and gave it some thought, then removed the switch and fabricated a jumper wire to actuate the hydraulic ram. I found a replacement switch a week later, but in the meantime was able to continue our travel.
**There are some other examples, but my point here is that had I not been able to address these items myself, I would have spent many hours of travel to the dealer, hours of waiting time, and many headaches. I am by no means a mechanic, but do read my manuals and have followed suggestions for maintenance and troubleshooting.Things anyone can do.
This all came to the surface yesterday when I was talking to another Heartland owner here in Arizona. They have had their Big Country just under one year and were two weeks out on their first long excursion of six months. During our conversation, he mentioned two separate trips to the dealer to fix a water leak and an exhaust fan issue that turned out to be a bad ground wire. He was also unaware of the need to check torques on his wheels and other points I mentioned earlier. I suggested he check his torques when he said he had a torque wrench (Unaware of needs but had the wrench?). I finally showed him my crude preventative maintenance notes that I got from reading my manuals. That’s when he told me he had never read the manuals and wasn’t sure where they were!
We got off the subject and finished up talking about pets and scenery.
Arguments can and have been made that RV manufacturers could do a better job, and dealers could do better, standards could be higher and owners shouldn’t have to deal with some of these things; some manufacturersare better than others, that’s why we should do our homework when shopping. In the meantime ……………….
Bottom line, do your best to bone up on your systems and how to take care of them for peace of mind in your RV’ing journey.
Lots of posts talk about the long waits on dealer lots for service, while others just fix it and move on. Also, we all have different levels of mechanical experience and there are some things that only an experienced shop can fix, but most of what I read could have been dealt with at home by a person with minimal mechanical ambition.
Some personal examples:
-My cabinet finish looked good, but almost immediately any water on the surface would cause a white spot. I was able to cure this with an outdoor clearcoat that was not hard to apply and now after 2 ½ years, no more problems.
- After less than two weeks of ownership, I had several water leaks. I got down and started tightening every joint I could find and have had zero leaks since that hour or so of snugging up fittings and drain pipes.
- I was never happy with the roof ladder support and when the factory wouldn’t help, I added two sets of the stand-off supports, which now gives me a much more stable ladder.
-A good exterior surface protectant application can keep the finish shining and decals looking like new. I use Rejex and that works great for me.
-Using a torque wrench, I’ve checked and re-checked/tightened to proper torque spec wheel lug nuts, pin box mount, axle u-bolts. I’ve found quite a few nuts well below torque spec on more than one occasion during the past 2 ½ years. Failure to keep these to proper spec could cause other problems on the road at inopportune times.
-My refrigerator drain hose quickly deteriorated and from this forum I discovered how to easily replace it, which I did with a better quality vinyl hose.
- I had a recent front jack switch failure somewhere in Texas. I sat down and read some things and gave it some thought, then removed the switch and fabricated a jumper wire to actuate the hydraulic ram. I found a replacement switch a week later, but in the meantime was able to continue our travel.
**There are some other examples, but my point here is that had I not been able to address these items myself, I would have spent many hours of travel to the dealer, hours of waiting time, and many headaches. I am by no means a mechanic, but do read my manuals and have followed suggestions for maintenance and troubleshooting.Things anyone can do.
This all came to the surface yesterday when I was talking to another Heartland owner here in Arizona. They have had their Big Country just under one year and were two weeks out on their first long excursion of six months. During our conversation, he mentioned two separate trips to the dealer to fix a water leak and an exhaust fan issue that turned out to be a bad ground wire. He was also unaware of the need to check torques on his wheels and other points I mentioned earlier. I suggested he check his torques when he said he had a torque wrench (Unaware of needs but had the wrench?). I finally showed him my crude preventative maintenance notes that I got from reading my manuals. That’s when he told me he had never read the manuals and wasn’t sure where they were!
We got off the subject and finished up talking about pets and scenery.
Arguments can and have been made that RV manufacturers could do a better job, and dealers could do better, standards could be higher and owners shouldn’t have to deal with some of these things; some manufacturersare better than others, that’s why we should do our homework when shopping. In the meantime ……………….
Bottom line, do your best to bone up on your systems and how to take care of them for peace of mind in your RV’ing journey.