I'm weighing the choice between a motorhome or a trailer for a full-time home. One difference that I have seen noted is that when a motorhome needs mechanical work and has to go into the shop for repairs you must look for other living arrangements. How do you deal with that? I'm sure it's more common with a motorhome. In the case of a trailer which has no motor a lot of repairs could be done at home by the owner or a repairman who makes house calls. This is one reason why if I bought a motorhome I would want one new or maybe a year or two old so that it would have less breakdowns in the first years. I know someone could rent a hotel room, but are there other options? How often does this happen to you and for how long?

No big deal at all.I full timed for 3 years, and never needed to have the motorhome in the shop.You can always rent a motel room, and act like normal tourists for a few days. Mechanically, there is not to many problems with modern RV's. The gas engines must pass a emissions test at 100,000 miles, and they are pretty good for the first 75,000 miles. Buying something that is less than 10 years old is no problem at all. I would not worry about changing out the engine until at least 100,000 - 150,000 miles. Transmission might be another story, but you can still live in the RV at night while the transmission is out. Most transmissions will last 75,000 - 140,000 miles. Keep the radiator clean. This is little checked item for most RV's. It can cause overheating, the #1 cause of engine failures. Of course oil changes every 5,000 - 7,500 miles on a gas engine or 10,000 - 15,000 miles on a DP engine will help it last longer. Good luck,Fred.

One of my considerations while weighing the options, too. Ultimately chose a MH because of the hassle of towing (back up? hahahahaha!), especially since I'll be moving relatively often compared to how often I'd be in a shop.I've read in blog posts that repair places for the larger engines, like a DP, sometimes even have hook-ups so you can live in your home over night. Well, I only have a Ford. I figure if it comes down to it, I'll just make it REALLY CLEAR that THIS IS MY **ONLY** HOME, I have nowhere else to go, and I can't just "leave it 'till we fix it."I'm a girl. I'll cry if I have to. :D And keep my fingers crossed that nothing ever happens which requires some odd part that takes 2 weeks to get.

With the fiver we have settled in for several days while mobile RV techs wait for parts; a number of years ago we spent a night in the parking lot of Louisville Truck Center while our truck was being worked on. Their parts driver took us to the store since we did to have food on board and we plugged into their electric.

In all our repairs, we have used a mobile repair to come to us instead of bringing our home to a shop. It has worked out well. In nine years of full timing, our trailer had to go into the shop only once, for three days. We rented a Class C. It was interesting as it taught us that a Class C was not of us.

We FT for 7 hrs. truck & 5vr. Moved every week or so (never bought into that MH moving a lot vs 5vr if parking a lot concept).We went with truck/5vr vs MH because I don't fold up in smaller vehicles.We had a few occasions when trailer needed repairs........*Blowout on faulty tire ripped up side of 5vr. Checked into repairs vs shop.....2-3 weeks to get parts 1 week to do repairs. Called factory.....3 days for repairs. Made appointment with factory.Day of appointment dropped off 5vr....got motel room for 2 days with option to extend if needed. Picked up 5vr noon of 3rd day.*Major water damage due to line blowing offContacted RV Repair Shop. Guy came out to RV Park and gave estimate----2 days after material received from factory (replacement of large slideout floor)Contacted flooring company (linoleum/carpet replacement)...came out for measurements/estimatesInsurance OKd repairs.RV shop ordered material.......Linoleum/carpet ordered.Week later took 5vr in for slideout repairs....motel for 2 days.Then Flooring was installed on site at RV ParkTruck transmission failed......dealer ordered new. Truck freighted overnight. Took truck in AM picked up that PM (Factory Warranty.......previous dealership did tranny routine/required maint. and screwed up!)Is it a hassle..........can be. But you do what you have to do. Such is life.

What Do You Do When Your Home Is In The Shop? | Good Sam Community

sdianel_-acct_c
Explorer
Jul 04, 2015
In 6 years of full timing we have only had one occasion to get a hotel room. We had a radiator leak and they had to remove the radiator, fix it and replace it. Took over a week. Otherwise for other repairs we stayed in the RV. Many RV Service facilities take full timers into consideration and have hookups on site. They work on the rig during the day and return it to the hookup site in the evening for you to sleep in. We have had to empty the refrigerator and freezer a couple of times so they could shut off the propane. Some service centers will plug in the rig and leave the fridge on electric.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Jul 04, 2015
Once in ten years the repair was going to take a week so we took the car and did a loop through RMNP. No big deal... VISA solves most problems.
Oregun
Nomad
Jul 04, 2015
When our 30' 5th wheel that we were living in needed repairs the repair shop picked up the trailer in the morning while we were leaving for work and that night they plugged us in at their parking lot so we could spend the night. The next day while we were at work they towed it back to our park. So we only had to drive to a different location to spend the night.
Executive45
Explorer III
Jul 04, 2015
Dakota98 wrote:
When your home is in the shop, you are officially "HOMELESS"

#1 - Make yourself a sign

#2 - Borrow a dog

#3 - Get a Banjo or Harmonica

#4 - Put a patch over one eye

#5 - Don't wear any shoes

#6 - Strategically place a stroller nearby.

#7 - And, make enough money to pay for the MH repairs

God Bless!
icanon
Explorer
Jul 04, 2015
Dakota98 wrote:
When your home is in the shop, you are officially "HOMELESS"

#1 - Make yourself a sign

#2 - Borrow a dog

#3 - Get a Banjo or Harmonica

#4 - Put a patch over one eye

#5 - Don't wear any shoes

#6 - Strategically place a stroller nearby.

#7 - And, make enough money to pay for the MH repairs

You forgot the all important #8

A container to put the change in.
3oaks
Explorer
Jul 04, 2015
Dakota98 wrote:
When your home is in the shop, you are officially "HOMELESS"

#1 - Make yourself a sign

#2 - Borrow a dog

#3 - Get a Banjo or Harmonica

#4 - Put a patch over one eye

#5 - Don't wear any shoes

#6 - Strategically place a stroller nearby.

#7 - And, make enough money to pay for the MH repairs
That's why the down and out truly needy don't get the help the desperately need. Too many free loaders taking advantage of other peoples' generosity.
C-Bears
Explorer
Jul 04, 2015
The best way to avoid shop time with any RV, BUY A GENTLY USED ONE! Our fiver was back at the dealer 3 times for warranty work. My brother-in-law bought a nice new expensive diesel pusher MH and it was probably in the shop more than it was out for his first year of ownership!

At least with a fiver you can take belongings out of the unit and you have your truck to drive to the hotel with. If the MH isn't rolling and stuck in the shop I guess you either rent a car or ride your bicycles to the hotel.
Jim-Linda
Explorer II
Jul 04, 2015
DallasSteve wrote:
Those are some good tips, and it eases my mind a bit. Dennis MM: I looked at your blog. Why do you have a heavy truck to pull your fifth wheel instead of something like a full-ton pickup? Do you also work as a trucker? Just curious.

I'm not Dennis, but many of us(me included) have tried LDT(1 ton example) and found they were not rated for the weight of the trailer we are pulling. On a fifth wheel, its not how much the trailer weighs(to some extent) but what does the pin weight. LDT can't handle the weight of many trailer, when some pins are 3000 plus. This is not to mention the braking advantage of the MDT/HDT trucks. Go to the Escapee forum and browse the HDT forum and be enlightened grasshopper.

Jim
BarbaraOK
Explorer
Jul 04, 2015
C-Bears wrote:
…..

At least with a fiver you can take belongings out of the unit and you have your truck to drive to the hotel with. If the MH isn't rolling and stuck in the shop I guess you either rent a car or ride your bicycles to the hotel.

Why would we rent a car? We tow a perfectly good one.

I did a blog page on How to Survive Repairs that might be of interest. After 9 years, we've gotten pretty good and finding ways to make maintenance/repair days like other days.

Barb
Oldme
Explorer
Jul 04, 2015
When the Father-in Law was alive, he had the greatest way of not being bored or frustrated wherever he was. He would just say "You got be someplace".

I have remembered that many times in Dr. offices and hospital rooms with the wife. It does change your thought pattern.

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