I am retired. And have been for 10 years. At 65 today, I basically wore out a 99 Suburban and 99 Mallard TT.I bought on a whim, and now love it, a 96 Bounder Class A 34ft with less than 30k. 460, F53 frame. Outside somewhat weathered but inside is almost perfect. Original owner donated it to charity and I bought it. (The sellers are sleazy, but I got a deal). Folks donate to charity and these 3rd party clowns sell the donates, pocket most of the proceeds, I am sure the charity designated, gets peanuts, but that being said, (there is no oversight on this stuff) I have a nice motorhome on the somewhat cheap. And I have questions now.I'm trying to figure everything out. It goes to an independent shop to get the brakes and shocks checked. Tires were original OEM and cracked.ok---how do I start the generator? ok---how do I start the generator? Do I just replace all the batteries, (2 house and 1 general 12v)? Does the Onan draw fuel from the main fuel tank? What do I wake up with the heating system? Just get the propane bottle filled and play with the switch in the kitchen area? That wall switch has slides, LOW HEAT, HIGH HEAT etc etc. Do I just move the slider up to what I want and bingo? My Mallard had a thermostat on the wall.Next is the hot water heater. Do I just get water to the main tank, fresh batteries and (where is the switch that turns the HWH on?)Uptop AC's both work. Dash AC works. I did oil change yesterday and got it smogged for California also. It is now in my name.Now I can actually drive it, fiddle with it, and get everything working so I can go camping again with my Siamese cat.Any additional advice?

Congrats on the nice score, may it serve you well for many years.I think I’d go find a smallish RV dealer and ask them to look it over for things needing fix. Make friends with their service guy, (you want one old enough to be near retirement him/herself so they might know about rigs of that vintage), and ask your questions. Sooner or later you will need those guys because something will break, so you might as well find a good one now. I’d refer you to my guy, but the 3,000 miles makes a rough commute.

True. not your typical commute plus the rear tires are circa 1995...they might not like the road trip/.I'm trying to find a dealer, but the big boys are crooks, and the smaller ones come and go like the wind. The mobile mechanics never return phone calls. So, I am on my own. I'll figure this out. It CANT be rocket science.

96 Bounder manualUse the link to download the owner's manual.Start switch for generator is usually on dash but there should be a start button on the generator.

Congrats on your purchase. You'll enjoy your Class A.Obviously, you need new tires. Next, check the roof for potential leaks. You should be familiar with Dicor self leveling lap sealant and Eternabond. If you're driving the Bounder, the chassis battery is working. Check the house batteries, make sure the terminals are clean and tight, replace batteries if necessary. The Onan draws fuel from the main tank. Make sure you have at least 1/4 tank of fuel or the generator will not run. It's designed that way so you can't run out of gas while running the generator.Put some propane in the tank and see if the furnace will ignite when you turn the t/stat up. If not, start your diagnosis. Make sure the water heater is filled before you turn it on. Look on the master control panel for the water heater switch. It may be on the range hood, that's where it is located on our 96 Southwind.Your air conditioners are working and you changed the engine oil. That's good. I would have the transmission serviced. Check or change the differential oil, flush and replace your antifreeze and replace your brake fluid. Also, check and consider replacing your belts and hoses.I would do the transmission first and the others as I get to them.By doing this, you have a baseline of when the rig was serviced.For the weathered exterior, consider the Zep/Red Max Pro process. If you don't want to use floor wax use the car wax of your choice. This process did a nice job on our Southwind. Prep is the important part of waxing your rig.Don't hesitate to ask questions on the forum. Someone will have the answer.Enjoy your travels.

Your FIRST move, is to crawl to a tire shop. Tires that old and cracking need immediate replacement. I second the suggestions for either a small dealer or a mobile tech. Basically a full PDI from the tech will help you understand everything, and he can tell you what needs attention and whether or not he can do the service.

New Class A owner. Need some advice | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

wanderingaimles
Explorer
Oct 24, 2019
Your FIRST move, is to crawl to a tire shop. Tires that old and cracking need immediate replacement.

I second the suggestions for either a small dealer or a mobile tech. Basically a full PDI from the tech will help you understand everything, and he can tell you what needs attention and whether or not he can do the service.
gbopp
Explorer
Oct 24, 2019
Congrats on your purchase. You'll enjoy your Class A.
Obviously, you need new tires.
Next, check the roof for potential leaks. You should be familiar with Dicor self leveling lap sealant and Eternabond.
If you're driving the Bounder, the chassis battery is working. Check the house batteries, make sure the terminals are clean and tight, replace batteries if necessary.

The Onan draws fuel from the main tank. Make sure you have at least 1/4 tank of fuel or the generator will not run. It's designed that way so you can't run out of gas while running the generator.

Put some propane in the tank and see if the furnace will ignite when you turn the t/stat up. If not, start your diagnosis.

Make sure the water heater is filled before you turn it on. Look on the master control panel for the water heater switch. It may be on the range hood, that's where it is located on our 96 Southwind.

Your air conditioners are working and you changed the engine oil. That's good. I would have the transmission serviced. Check or change the differential oil, flush and replace your antifreeze and replace your brake fluid. Also, check and consider replacing your belts and hoses.
I would do the transmission first and the others as I get to them.
By doing this, you have a baseline of when the rig was serviced.

For the weathered exterior, consider the Zep/Red Max Pro process. If you don't want to use floor wax use the car wax of your choice. This process did a nice job on our Southwind. Prep is the important part of waxing your rig.

Don't hesitate to ask questions on the forum. Someone will have the answer.

Enjoy your travels.
scbwr
Explorer II
Oct 24, 2019
96 Bounder manual

Use the link to download the owner's manual.
Start switch for generator is usually on dash but there should be a start button on the generator.
RustyMacIntosh
Explorer II
Oct 24, 2019
True. not your typical commute plus the rear tires are circa 1995...they might not like the road trip/.

I'm trying to find a dealer, but the big boys are crooks, and the smaller ones come and go like the wind. The mobile mechanics never return phone calls.

So, I am on my own. I'll figure this out. It CANT be rocket science.
naturist
Nomad
Oct 24, 2019
Congrats on the nice score, may it serve you well for many years.

I think I’d go find a smallish RV dealer and ask them to look it over for things needing fix. Make friends with their service guy, (you want one old enough to be near retirement him/herself so they might know about rigs of that vintage), and ask your questions. Sooner or later you will need those guys because something will break, so you might as well find a good one now. I’d refer you to my guy, but the 3,000 miles makes a rough commute.

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New Class A owner. Need some advice

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