Newbie Questions that scare him

Plumber101010 wrote:
As a first time RV here, going full time, in a 2002 Newmar Dutch star 40 foot diesel, 50k miles, there are things that I just don't understand yet and SCARE THE HECK OUT OF ME.

all I can do is answer your questions as they apply to us. we've had two class A gasser motorhomes since 1986.

Plumber101010 wrote:
1) Just how often do motorhomes like these breakdown and leave you stranded? Is this a common thing, or a rare occurrence?

never. we've had mechanical issues on the engine, slides, etc. but none that left us stranded. there were a couple that happened while at home and before a departure but neither delayed our departure.

Plumber101010 wrote:
2) Assuming this thing were to breakdown, as I get soooo scared reading these articles that say it's $1000 to get it towed somewhere, and that's local!!! Exactly what do you do if you break down on a 200 mile lonely stretch, and the nearest facility is several hundred miles away? You just fork over $5000 for a tow?

get thee a good road service policy...Good Sam and Coachnet are the 500-lb gorillas for this. avoid AAA as they do not have nationwide coverage (motorhome coverage and towing is chapter by chapter).

Plumber101010 wrote:
3) Roughly speaking, what does general every day maintenance cost? Like is a brake job $500 or $2500? Are new tires $500 or $2500? Being a diesel and Allison transmission, how much would it cost to rebuild something like that? Is a tranny rebuild $5000 or $15,000?

it's gonna be more expensive, that's a certainty. my MH mechanics charge $100-$125 p/h + parts, shop fees, etc. but you can plan for this. instead of purchasing an extended warranty we used those dollars to start a maintenance and repair fund. since then we've added $X to that fund every month and used that money for repairs and maintenance. that fund still has a surplus in it.

if you do decide to purchase an extended warranty I urge you to look at the fine print. many of those policies are written in such a way as to make it very difficult to collect on a claim. the only extended warranty I would even think about purchasing is one that is an extension of the original warranty offered by the mfg.

Plumber101010 wrote:
4) Wait times? Again, I read horror stories of how somebody breaks down and it takes them two months to fix it. There isnt exactly a surplus of RV service centers hanging around. How do you handle it if the slide, let's say, were to get stuck in the out position? Bring it to someplace, and then sit it there for a month because they are so busy they can't even get to it, and when they do, they have to order parts? Being a full timer, that would be a nighare.

in the past 28-seasons we've only had a problem getting parts one time and that was from HWH. a replacement leveler took forever to get. things will go better if you have a good relationship with your dealer. but if you take your RV in for warranty work to a dealer other than from where you purchased you should expect a delay. the dealer will honor the warranty but most of them will service their buying customers first. that is a good reason to buy locally.

good luck.