Real-life maintenance costs on a small B+
Just looking for some info from those who have done it. Possibly next year I'm going to seriously start looking for a B+ in the 21-24', 10-15 yr old, 30K-60K miles, & $20-$30K range. From what I'v...
Forum Discussion
Are you asking about the chassis or the house?
Chassis maintenance is mileage dependent, and costs are not much different than a pickup, full size van or SUV, on severe duty schedule. 5000 mile oil and filter changes, 30K to 50K on transmission fluid, similar range on OEM shock absorbers.
House maintenance depends on how the house is constructed, how much the RV is used, how long it is stored, how it is stored.
House batteries might last 5 years or more if regularly used, properly charged, not excessively discharge, but might not make three years if boiled away by improper charging or repeatedly and excessively discharged in storage. Very small loads can destroy lead-acid batteries in long term storage, by discharging way beyond design limits.
Similarly, if your house construction depends on caulked seams protecting a structure assembled from flat panels, inspection maintenance of that caulking might need to be frequent if the RV is used continuously or stored in the open exposed to rain and sunlight, as compared to indoor storage. This is a task that is labor intensive, can be expensive if you pay someone to do it. Rubber seals, awning materials have similar weather exposure issues, an awning might last 5 years, or it might last 20 years, depending on exposure.
Ron Dittmer pretty well covers the construction issues. There are construction methods with low build costs and high maintenance requirements, and there are high cost constructions that are almost maintenance free, with a spectrum between.
House stuff like furnaces, water heaters, refrigerators probably do better in continuous use as opposed to infrequent use mixed with long periods of storage. I've seen absorption refrigeration units in continuous use for 40-60 years with little or no maintenance (it is a dominant technology for industrial refrigeration) yet RV fridges can go bad with a few years of storage mixed with occasional use.
Over 10 years and 30,000 miles , I've spent $2000 on tires, $600 on brakes, $500 replacing awning material and a couple of vent covers, about $500 on oil and transmission fluid changed, $400 for two sets of house batteries and one chassis battery (another likely soon). Most of the house maintenance I've done myself, tinkering at camp and before and after each trip, less than $500 for parts and materials (like caulking) but I've probably put in 200 hours labor (rate today is usually over $100) so add $20,000 if you don't DIY.
Maintenance costs have been the smaller part of ownership costs, which have included about $30,000 depreciation (maybe more, haven't checked for a couple of years), $6000 for ten years insurance, about $40,000 lost earnings over 10 years on the $60,000 I spent for the thing, a little short of $10,000 for 30,000 miles worth of fuel and $7200 to store it when I'm not using it.
When considering the economics of RVing, you have to look beyond the small things like maintenance.
Chassis maintenance is mileage dependent, and costs are not much different than a pickup, full size van or SUV, on severe duty schedule. 5000 mile oil and filter changes, 30K to 50K on transmission fluid, similar range on OEM shock absorbers.
House maintenance depends on how the house is constructed, how much the RV is used, how long it is stored, how it is stored.
House batteries might last 5 years or more if regularly used, properly charged, not excessively discharge, but might not make three years if boiled away by improper charging or repeatedly and excessively discharged in storage. Very small loads can destroy lead-acid batteries in long term storage, by discharging way beyond design limits.
Similarly, if your house construction depends on caulked seams protecting a structure assembled from flat panels, inspection maintenance of that caulking might need to be frequent if the RV is used continuously or stored in the open exposed to rain and sunlight, as compared to indoor storage. This is a task that is labor intensive, can be expensive if you pay someone to do it. Rubber seals, awning materials have similar weather exposure issues, an awning might last 5 years, or it might last 20 years, depending on exposure.
Ron Dittmer pretty well covers the construction issues. There are construction methods with low build costs and high maintenance requirements, and there are high cost constructions that are almost maintenance free, with a spectrum between.
House stuff like furnaces, water heaters, refrigerators probably do better in continuous use as opposed to infrequent use mixed with long periods of storage. I've seen absorption refrigeration units in continuous use for 40-60 years with little or no maintenance (it is a dominant technology for industrial refrigeration) yet RV fridges can go bad with a few years of storage mixed with occasional use.
Over 10 years and 30,000 miles , I've spent $2000 on tires, $600 on brakes, $500 replacing awning material and a couple of vent covers, about $500 on oil and transmission fluid changed, $400 for two sets of house batteries and one chassis battery (another likely soon). Most of the house maintenance I've done myself, tinkering at camp and before and after each trip, less than $500 for parts and materials (like caulking) but I've probably put in 200 hours labor (rate today is usually over $100) so add $20,000 if you don't DIY.
Maintenance costs have been the smaller part of ownership costs, which have included about $30,000 depreciation (maybe more, haven't checked for a couple of years), $6000 for ten years insurance, about $40,000 lost earnings over 10 years on the $60,000 I spent for the thing, a little short of $10,000 for 30,000 miles worth of fuel and $7200 to store it when I'm not using it.
When considering the economics of RVing, you have to look beyond the small things like maintenance.
