I have a 1996 Monaco Dynasty. It took me 3 weeks to travel from Ontario to Florida since the RV broke down 3 times and had to be towed through 3 states. Two service shops threw new parts at the problem and the 3rd shop had to work on the RV on two separate occasions before an excellent technician whose experience was in electrical issues found the problem. Extremely bad experience all way round. I am at my winter spot now and very very happy with the park. I am and maybe this sounds ridiculous to most of you as I am fearful if I drive the RV it will break down again. I have put a lot of money into the RV and have drawn out all my options. I am leading towards that when I leave Florida to go home at the end of March I will leave the RV at my current camp site and drive my vehicle home. My intention is to come back next winter and use the RV to stay in for next winter and hope that my courage comes back and faith in getting my courage back so I can enjoy driving the RV in the way I did before the unfortunate experience on my drive down. Has anyone on this site had similar thoughts?

A friend of mine says RV's come in two states: They are broke and you know it or they are broke and you don't know it. I think we all have had a problem that was so frustrating that we have thought about quitting but once you relax from the trip, have a few margaritas, and think about how much fun you have had in the past you may change your mind. Weird electrical problems especially ground problems can be hard to troubleshoot, especially if they are intermittent. Anyway, it's too soon to decide what you are going to do. You have all winter to get over the experience. Hakuna matata,

Was all 3 problems related? If so, and problem is fixed, you have it made.My fuel system fell apart and over $3,000 dollars and 3 mechanics later I nursed it 1,200 miles back home and have to re-do the mickey mouse install myself. At second mechanics garage, a couple was having to live in motel as their motorhome was broke big time, they were waiting for new engine. So ya, things happen, takes awhile to get over it.

We are mostly just weekenders, but it seems every time we go out, something else breaks.slideslevelerswater heatercheck engine lightrefrigeratorIt is killing us as we were pretty close to really not being able to make the purchase and still be able to use it.We love to go and do not want to give it up, but repairs are killing us....All I considered is our 2008 Cummins only had 32k miles and we should be able to go for hundreds of thousands of miles on that engine, but all the other stuff.....

Enjoy Florida....you are here now. Time may change your mind. But, to sort of answer your question about leaving it and going back home by car, several here in my park to just that. Some fly back and go north, leaving car and motor home here, some just drive car back and forth. They protect the interior from FL heat and sun by putting insulation in windows, front windshield and cover tires. Probably in your park, you will find those who leave the motor homes behind. Find out what they do to prepare it for the summer here.But, maybe you will change your mind in a few months and take it home.

Just think about it? Letting the motorhome set another season will not make it any better than it is now. If it were me I would want to know real quick if it has anymore problems.

Time to take a break...I think | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

ncrowley
Explorer II
Jan 04, 2017
If you decide that you do not want to drive the RV any more, I would sell it and get a park model. A sitting RV is not a happy one and if you decide to use it or sell it, you will probably have a lot more issues caused by it just sitting around.
jplante4
Explorer II
Jan 04, 2017
If all you do is drive to the same park in Fla in the fall and back in the spring, then why not sell the MH and buy a park model in your park? I'm willing to bet there are a few for sale right now. Most of the places we visited last winter had at least a couple for sale.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Jan 04, 2017
I know you had some severe rusting problems with your chassis and I think I mentioned before about the possibility of high water damage.
I am not sure of your capabilities but I would have someone go underneath your coach and inspect ALL of the wiring. While under there, I would disconnect each electrical connection, coat it liberally with Dielectric grease(Click here) and then see if that helps with your problems. Corroded electrical connections can cause problems that come and go and are extremely difficult to diagnose. The Dielectric grease will prevent further deterioration and may eliminate some of the things that you have experienced. Doing nothing and letting your coach sit in the high Florida humidity is going to aggravate any corrosion that you already have.
Scottiemom
Nomad
Jan 04, 2017
Electrical problems are the worst, I think. We had one on our 06 Tiffin, but we, too, found a mechanic who found the problem and fixed it. It only cost $80. There was another unrelated problem which was giving us fits and my DH was able to track that down with some good diesel help on the phone. That problem occurred from a "not so good" technician who fumbled around some fuses in a fuse box, loosening one which was for starting the coach. Grrrr.

Later, a fuel problem we had been experiencing manifested itself in a way that could no longer be ignored. We were close to our winter roost and found Holt Cat in Edinburg,Texas, (RV service center). From describing our problem, the two head service guys told us exactly what was happening. They took her in and fixed it (it was injector cup seals), and she has been trouble free since then. I no longer worry when we start up that she's going to run and run well. She's still going strong and for what we spent, we could never have traded coaches. We are happy with keeping her running.

DAle
olfarmer
Explorer II
Jan 04, 2017
Mr.Mark wrote:
Ricelake922, I'm not sure exactly what happen to your Dynasty as I didn't follow your thread. I sure hope everything is good now.

Personally, I would not leave the RV sitting until next season. RV's liked to be moved and driven to lubricate all the parts. If you let the RV sit, it might be your permanent 'park model' and will continue to deteriorate.

Wishing you the best of luck.
MM.

I agree, it is not good for any vehicle to just sit and never be run, things rust and loose their lubrication, not to mention the interior and roof not being watched. I would be worried about leaving it sit for a year and then trying to take off on a long trip home. It is more likely to be ready to make the trip home now than it will be in a year.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Jan 04, 2017
Did they find the problem and did it get fixed? Sounds like you are not sure they did??? Tell us more about the fix so we can answer your concerns better.

I agree with the above post on taking some short trips to test it out.
CharlesinGA
Explorer
Jan 04, 2017
You are in Florida, take a few overnight trips sightseeing and test it out. To me, better than parking in one spot all the time.

Charles
Bruce_Brown
Moderator
Jan 04, 2017
I'd plan a bunch of short trips all headed towards home. You'll never know if it's fixed until you jump in and try it. A few short trips headed towards home will bring up your confidence. Before you know it you'll be home and ready for your next trip.
Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Jan 04, 2017
Ricelake922, I'm not sure exactly what happen to your Dynasty as I didn't follow your thread. I sure hope everything is good now.

Personally, I would not leave the RV sitting until next season. RV's liked to be moved and driven to lubricate all the parts. If you let the RV sit, it might be your permanent 'park model' and will continue to deteriorate.

Wishing you the best of luck.
MM.
K_Charles
Explorer
Jan 04, 2017
We don't make reservations and often we don't know where we are going. We take many short trips and twice a year we go for 2 months. The fall on the way home for thanksgiving from the gulf shore we had a rear hub seal go bad. The two truck garages I went to said they didn't want to work on a MH. The two TV dealers I went to said I would have to leave it. I bought tools took it as part and found a bad bearing. We overnighted parts and it ended up costing us a couple hundred dollars and one day. It's all about the adventure. Relax and have fun. At least you weren't up north in the cold.