Saturday, April 25, 2015

Boldly Going where Few RVers Go

Along with the isolation, long trips to the store, everything from dust to rain, eventual burnout, etc.; gate guarding also prevents a challenge to maintain and care for your RV. We regularly run into folks that have no idea what preventative maintenance is when it comes to an RV. For instance; it leaves me to wonder when we get the early winter flood of complaints from folks who can't get their furnace to light off. This after the furnace has set idle for months in a less than desirable environment. Lack of knowledge when it comes to basic care and maintenance can lead to thousands of dollars in repairs. Adding to it all is that getting a reliable and knowledgeable tech to come out to the hinterlands where a lot of us work is difficult at best.
 
When we first got out to the patch, we would finally get someone to come out for repairs; only to watch them drive off and within the hour experience the same problem. This after we lined their pockets with hundreds of dollars. We decided to study voraciously and began undertaking repairs on our own. We extended the overall life of components and got them to work more efficiently by implementing a maintenance schedule. Components like air conditioners get regular filter changes and the evaporator and condenser coils get cleaned at the beginning and end of the year. We learned to trouble shoot and replaced control boards, pumps, refrigerators, shocks, tires; you name it. Besides being a confidence builder, you also have the pride of having done a task well.
 
My strong suggestion to you is to utilize the internet (and other .sources) and learn as much as you can about your RV. They may not look the same; but after a while you soon realize they all use similar components and parts. If you are not physically capable or just don't want to perform repairs or maintenance, find a shop you can trust and let them look your RV over at least twice a year. I promise you will be money ahead; especially if you've done your homework. If you decide to deal with an individual or shop do not be afraid to ask questions. If a component is slated for replacement, insist on seeing and/or getting the removed parts back. There are less than a handful of RV techs that I trust (and even fewer shops). Never be afraid to get a second opinion. Techs and shops like to treat RV repair as a "black art" and depend and prey on your ignorance. These may seem like harsh words, but they're coming from a multiple RV owner with years of ownership behind him.

2 comments:

  1. you can't put a price on that advice.been reading your blog for over a year.your good.can you put a link on hear for your face book rv page becouse i cant find it evan though i typed in the correct words when u made it.

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  2. My Gate Guard Info and RV Maintenance Tips page https://www.facebook.com/groups/307499239449519/

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