Help-Unusual amount of rust on chassis-looking to buy

[S-n-L]

Hello everyone,

I am confused and need some advice and guidance, sorry for the long post. I recently put a deposit (refundable) on a sight unseen 2008 Holiday Rambler Navigator. The dealer said it was in exceptionally good condition. This unit was being traded in for a new coach and the dealer did not get it in until last week. Saturday my wife and I went to inspect the coach before giving the approval to buy.

The house part of the coach and the exterior painted surfaces were in great condition, just as the dealer said. However when I crawled under the coach to inspect the chassis and related parts there was an unusual amount of rust and corrosion. In addition, when I opened the doors to the service bays there were lots of rust on the pistons that hold upon the doors. The supports for the generator are also rusty. I poked around at the metal and welds and everything did seem structurally sound. The exhaust from the generator looked like metal that has been sitting in salt water for 2 years, if you know what that looks like. The gen only had 96 hours so this was not from a lot of use. In comparison to other similar and older coaches I have inspected, this one had so much more rust than anything else I have seen.

I live in northern Vermont and if you are familiar with northern winters the chassis looks similar to cars that has been driven for 8 years in the salty winter roads of Vermont.

Here is the history of the coach, the owners are from Nebraska and it wintered at Lake Havasu, AZ and summers in Nebraska. When not being used it was stored in a barn, may have been on a dirt floor.

I went to see the coach hoping to love it but now have some reservations as to if I should go forward or walk. I do not want to make a mountain out of a mole hill but also do not want to buy something that I will regret.

Thanks so much for your input,

Stuart

[Tom_Anderson]

Lobstah wrote:
You could probably use any other rust converter product as well, such as Rustoleum's converter product that comes in a rattle can.

I wouldn't recommend the Rustoleum. In my experience, it converts rust into slightly shinier rust.

[Lobstah]

You don't need exposure to salt for rust to form on the undercarriage of an RV, or anything else for that matter.
Park a car in a field, or on a grass surface such as a lawn for a few months and then look at the undercarriage. You'll see a lot of surface rust forming on pretty much every weld/seam. And it doesn't take long. Ground/dirt creates a very humid environment, and will grow surface rust very quickly.
Knock off the flakey stuff with a wire brush and hit the area with POR-15, using their surface prep first. You could probably use any other rust converter product as well, such as Rustoleum's converter product that comes in a rattle can.

Jim

[J-Rooster]

WyoTraveler wrote:
That rust didn't come from Arizona and not from Nebraska either unless it was driven on roads where they used salt or caustic material on the roads in the winter.

X-2, My coach has some rust under it and it's never run in salt or salt water! I live in Washington State (Summer - 6 months) and in Arizona Lake Havasu City (winter 6 months) where I pick the rust up is going over Mountain Passes where the California and Oregon DOT Road Crews use this liquid solution to prevent the roads from freezing (they apply it on roads & hwys when the temps get close to freezing even if it's not freezing). I suspect your prospective RV got the same solution that I got on my coach from traveling over the Rocky Mountain Range going to and from. This solution IMHO is worse than salt!

[deejay41]

Walk away from it

Don't Walk Away from it, RUN Away from it !!

[MustangGT]

if you or someone you are really friendly with are handy with tools and maybe a welder, low-ball the dealer and use the money saved to fix the problems yourself. All the "parts" can be replaced, no problem. the frame could be a major fix, but also fix-able with a grinder, a mess of rust-neutralizer and maybe some welding. Then just keep an eye on things underneath and enjoy the heck out of your RV.
If the dealer initially says no to your offer, walk away, but leave your phone #. I'll bet he calls with a counter-offer.

[John_Joey]

The other thing to consider is the old owners were snowbirds and not all the time was spent in Arizona. I've seen many nice looking coaches that were all rusted up underneath because they wintered along the Texas gulf coast (would be an easy drive from Nebraska.)

Many of those owners trade in their coach's after 5-6 years. Much longer then that and the rust starts showing up so much that it affects value.

Should you buy or not, hard to say. I just wouldn't pay "excellent" NADA for it.

[Dp4me]

I've seen a lot of nice coaches with heavy chassis rust because they were driven on salted roads during winter. They leave too late from their summer place and wintering in CA/AZ on the way to/from the west hit those storms with salted roads and it wreaks havoc on the chassis. if not properly rinsed.

I've passed up 2-3 coaches because of this situation. My advice is to pass it up as too many issues can arise, not to mention major depreciation to the coach with all the rust when you try to sell it!

[S-n-L]

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for your responses. I am sure the coach was not in salt water, I was just saying that the rust on the generator exhaust looked like metal that was sitting in salt water. I have been in touch with the owner of the dealer and a number of rv techs. I may have overstated my concern and this appears to be more superficial. I did bang around the chassis and did not find any weak metal or welds. I am having an rv tech check it out and give me a report by Friday with any potential electrical issues, propane tank rust or structural problems. The dealer did say they would replace the genny exhaust. Other than this one issue (the rust) the coach is in great condition. The electrical panels and electric service bay is in great condition.

I am still vetting this unit and will let you know what I decide to do.

Stuart

[vacuumbed]

My 1996 Monaco Executive has no rust at all underneath. From what you're describing on this 2008 coach I would run!

[Leewhiz]

I just wrote on your other posting a dealer that might look at it, but you state here it is at a dealer and there is a lot of rust. Your from Vermont, and I am from upstate New York. My current coach has not seen winter, or salt spray which is common here. But if there is a great deal of rust I too would recommend you stay away from it. Also, there is one dealer in the Albany (Capital District) area that you should also stay away from for various reasons.

[mustangglp]

Here in california when see this it means that its been stuck in the surf line
( seawater ) bad news

[BobR]

Walk away from it.

[steelpony5555]

Yep usually means it sat on grass not moved for a long time.....

[Dale_Traveling]

Although it may have been stored undercover parked on dirt will cause some rust to build on exposed areas. The problem is once the rust gets into the steel it's nearly impossible to stop. From the description it almost sounds like the coach was in a minor flood. 2008 isn't old enough for the rust to the extent as described to occur thru normal wear and tear. I would reconsider unless you plan to keep the coach until the wheels fall off which might happen sooner than you think.

What also don't add up is the location history, presuming the coach is in Vermont. Owners live in Nebraska and wintered in Arizona. How the coach end up in Vermont or even this side of the Mississippi?