Independent Inspectors

It seems like there would be 2 ends to inspecting a coach - 1 the chassis and the other the "home". I just don't know if you can really expect a good diesel mechanic who knows all about the chassis to be an expert in all things in the house.

JR45 wrote:
If the oil has been changed and a coolant flush then the samples will tell you nothing. I pull oil samples before every oil change and I just sent in a coolant sample (Cat EC-1 Coolant) been in going on 5 years came back good.
JR45

That's kind of what I thought

If the oil has been changed and a coolant flush then the samples will tell you nothing. I pull oil samples before every oil change and I just sent in a coolant sample (Cat EC-1 Coolant) been in going on 5 years came back good.
JR45

So I think we've found a coach that will check all the boxes and meet our budget. The fluid analysis is something I definitely want to do. Particularly for the engine oil and coolant.

That being said, if the dealer recently changed oil and or flushed cooling system and haven't ran the coach significantly, will I really get to see anything in the results?

I had my rig inspected last year before I bought it. The inspector did a fairly good job but did miss some important issues. For example, he missed that the Zone 1 heat exchangers were not installed correctly and did not work well, House battery water was very low, bay heater did not work, etc. So for the cost, not sure I got a fair deal.

The one thing I did have done which I think is critical is to have samples of all fluids taken and sent to a lab for an independent analysis. This included engine oil, engine coolant, transmission fluid, generator oil & generator coolant. This will tell you if there is any abnormal metals or compounds present and can forewarn you of potential problems.

If there is a next time, I might skip the inspection and do it myself but still get the fluids sampled.

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ACDNate wrote:
I got a couple quotes for inspections and I gotta say I'm a little shocked. I can get a 2000 square foot house inspected by a licensed home inspector for a few hundred less than some of the quotes I received.

I did however find some more reasonable quotes.

True if you go through the NRVIA web site. They get a cut. I've been certified and listed with them for 4 years and I haven't gotten a single inspection from them yet. I get most of my referrals from the local RV shop that quit doing them.

I got a couple quotes for inspections and I gotta say I'm a little shocked. I can get a 2000 square foot house inspected by a licensed home inspector for a few hundred less than some of the quotes I received.

I did however find some more reasonable quotes.

ACDNate wrote:
I'm narrowing down options for a new to me class a. PPL Motorhomes in Houston area has some options of interest. Houston is about a 6hr drive for me. I understand they offer their own in house inspection/demo option but before driving 6hrs to look at a unit, i'd like to find an independent inspection service to look first.

Can anyone recommend an inspection service in the Houston area?

Thanks,

Nate

And you might make some kind of a contingency with PPL, as to this independent PDI. I have now made it a rule to never hire a fox for guarding my chicken house. Made that mistake once and even though the results were of minor concern. Still would have been cheaper to hire out or with maybe paying a little more attention myself.

jplante4 wrote:
Check NRVIA under "Find an Inspector".

Thanks! Didn't know the organization existed.