Starting out in the Bay Area - referrals needed!

[jeremysnell]

Happy Thursday!
I'm very excited to see a community dedicated to motorhome living!!
My husband and I recently purchased a 1985 chevy dolphin, class C, 23' motorhome. Over the next 25 days we will be moving out of our apt in SF and slowly into this home.

It has been sitting out in a field for the past half-year and other than a visit to the mechanic to get it passing smog test and some break work, we have not yet had any service done to the body of the camper. We are looking for any suggestions for the best way to make this happen.

Our priorities we think right now are:
*water system cleanse/refresh
*test LPG system for leaks (it's new as of last year we see from paperwork)
*rooftop AC service (doesn't seem to blow cold)
*basic wash/body clean

It also has a solar panel system that if anyone has experience with, we'd love a walk through of what's taking place from the panel to the 3 marine batteries inside. We have all the booklets and are prepared to learn, but having it shown/explained would be much more helpful.

Are there any places you could recommend that could help with at least a lot of the initial starting up services?
If not a business, do you know of any good hook-up places where we can do a lot of the water flushing ourselves?
We are new to the community of motorhome living/services, so we are very willing to hear your thoughts or opinions for a course of action.

Thanks so much for your time!
Feel free to PM me or reply back to this thread.

[Bird_Freak]

darsben wrote:
Your tires need replacing first. No matter how much tread is on the tires because they have been sitting out in a field the sun has been deteriorating them. If they are over a couple of years old they are blowouts waitnig to haapen.

Before you run out and buy new tires check the date codes for age. This poster has no idea how old your tires are and should not have assumed they are old. 6 months sitting in a field is nothing.
As for as getting someone to do a walk thru with you I would get a mobile rv repair service to come out and go over every thing with you and he can give you repair cost at the same time.:)

[bsinmich]

I would also suggest flushing the brake fluid. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air and when you use the brakes hard (downhill, traffic) the fluid gets warm and the moisture in it will boil. You will then have no brakes. If you survive this experience the one good thing about motorhome travel is that your clean underwear are close by. I usually flush mine every 2-3 years. One time having the brakes fail cured me of taking chances. New brake fluid has a boiling point of close to 500F. Old fluid has a boil point around 200F with moisture in it.
The solar cell on the roof is usually just an advertising feature that may keep the battery up during storage (only outdoors).

[Naio]

You will need to replace the marine batteries, too.

Have you tried putting a hose on the roof, and all around each window, to see if there are leaks? Better to know now, and not wait for rain to find out :).

[Janss]

You might find a repair shop here:
RV Service Reviews

Look here for RV parks:
RV Park Reviews

[rekoj71]

Next time you are at a campground with full hook ups you could do the flushing by just filling up the fresh tank and using the pump to pump it through your lines at all of the faucets and then letting it run to the sewer through the grey tank.
Camping world claims that they will help with a walk through of your RV (small fee I believe). That way you would get to see how your appliances work and they may have someone who could walk you through the solar you have also.
RV repair places are were most people go for all of the stuff you mentioned, but remember that some parts of your RV can be worked on by a regular appliance repairman (air-conditioning is air-conditioning, but a home repair guy might not want to get on an RV roof) and may be cheaper or at least more convenient than taking it somewhere. Also there are mobile RV repairmen who might be easier to deal with also

[pitch]

Remember the waste system is just as, if not more important that the fresh water system. Leaking around the hood is not nice!

[darsben]

Your tires need replacing first. No matter how much tread is on the tires because they have been sitting out in a field the sun has been deteriorating them. If they are over a couple of years old they are blowouts waitnig to haapen.