Full Time RV Living - What Our RV Has Cost Us In Repairs And Maintenance
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- One of the main questions that a lot of people thinking about fulltime RV living ask is - How much will maintaining my RV cost?
It's a very good question because RV repairs and maintenance often rank right up there with nightly camping and fuel costs as some of the most expensive parts of fulltime RV life.
So in this video I reveal the facts and figures of what our RV has cost us to keep it maintained over the last 4 years of ownership. It's important information that you don't want to miss!
Watch my video about buying older luxury motorhomes here - • How To Buy A Luxury Cl...
🟢 GET MY USED RV BUYING GUIDE - "How To Avoid Buying An RV Money Pit" NOW AT THIS LINK - rvinspectionan...
🟢 GET MY RV BUYING GUIDE FOR NEW RVs - "How To Buy And Inspect A New RV The Right Way" AT THIS LINK - bit.ly/3gvaS6P
🟢 GET MY "BEST MOTORHOMES TO BUY NOW" GUIDEBOOK HERE - bit.ly/3Lr5Qpn
🟢 GET MY GUIDEBOOK ON BUYING USED TRAVEL TRAILERS - payhip.com/b/H...
🟢 GET MY USED CLASS C BUYING GUIDEBOOK - payhip.com/b/a...
🟢 GET MY GUIDEBOOK ON BUYING CLASS B AND B PLUS RVs - payhip.com/b/N...
🟢 GET MY GUIDEBOOK ON THE BEST FIFTH WHEELS AND TOY HAULERS TO BUY NOW at this link - bit.ly/3xMwfdE
🟢 GET MY CLASS C BUYING GUIDE FOR NEW RVs - payhip.com/b/W...
🟢 GET MY USED CLASS C BUYING GUIDEBOOK - payhip.com/b/2...
IF THIS VIDEO WAS HELPFUL PLEASE SUPPORT MY CHANNEL BY DONATING WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE AT www.PayPal.Me/...
🟢 SUBSCRIBE TO MY PODCAST - rvinspectionan...
🟢 JOIN MY ONLINE RVing COMMUNITY FORUM - rvinspectionan...
🟢 JOIN MY FACEBOOK RV GROUP "RV LIFE, TIPS AND REVIEWS" - / rvlifetipsandreviews
🟢 FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA -
Facebook - / rvinspectionandcare
Instagram - / rv_inspection_and_care
🔸 PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY UA-cam CHANNEL NOW AND COMMENT BELOW!
🔸 PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR AND SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH OTHERS!
🔸 Don't forget to visit my website for even more helpful RV hints and tips at www.rvinspecti...
🔸 Find out about all of the RV Gear I recommend by clicking here - rvinspectionan...
🔸 Get my monthly newsletter on RVs and RV living - rvinspectionan...
🚐 Have safe and happy travels my friends!
🔹 Note: RV Inspection And Care LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. But I only link to products I personally believe in, love and can recommend to others with complete confidence.
🔹 I am also associated with affiliate programs by a few other companies as well. So if you make a purchase as a result of clicking on one of the links in this description, I will earn a small commission. All purchases are private and using an affiliate link costs you nothing extra. But please keep in mind that using the links in this video description helps me to continue providing free content for you. Any support of my video content is very much appreciated!
🔹 This channel for entertainment purposes only. I am not an RV, travel or renovation expert. I share my opinions based on my experience and what works for me, but you should do your own research.
What type of facility do you recommend for Chassis Maintenance for oil changes and chassis lubrications? A rv dealer or repair facility or a ford dealer? We just purchased a 2019 entegra esteem 29v class C with 450 chassis and V10 motor. I have no records of what has been done and when, but fortunately there is only 6000 miles on the unit. Your youtube videos have been very helpful in selecting out coach and choosing a wholesale warranty.
That's a good question Pete. Any RV repair facility should be able to do the maintenance work on your chassis and engine. The key is to find a good one. To do that I recommend consulting the reviews online for each facility. And the more reviews the better. Also, talk to other motorhome owners and find out which facilities they recommend too. Then once you find one that you feel comfortable with, stay with them and build a relationship over the years. I hope that helps.
I've been an automotive and diesel mechanic my whole life I'm 62 good thing I could do the repairs myself and I can save a heck of a lot of money the biggest problem is finding a place where you can do repairs cuz a lot of RV Parks won't let you work on them
Yes, sometimes it is a challenge to find a workspace especially if the repair job is a bigger one. It may require do some phone work to find a place that will allow you to do that.
Just curious Duane, do you tape your shows from inside your RV? Beautiful kitchen area
Yes, I make my videos right at my desk and the kitchen is behind me. We love our Grand Design kitchen area too. We feel very at home in this rig. Thanks for watching!
I’m new to this channel and thank you for making this video. My husband and I are considering upgrading from a TT to a motorhome. Question, Are you making this video from your class A? The interior is beautiful.
Hi Andi. This video was made in our fifth wheel that is stationary in an RV park in AZ. The folks we bought it from did some very nice interior upgrades that we really like. In just a few weeks we will be back in our motorhome on a cross-country trip though. Thanks for watching!
Have you changed RV'S the background is different in your resent videos, it looks like a new 5th wheel
Hi Barry. Yes, we have been staying in our home base 5th wheel for a few months now here in AZ. But we'll be traveling again in our Newmar motorhome in just a few weeks and the background will return to normal then. Thanks for watching my videos enough to spot that!
We appreciate your dedication to providing the RV community with such helpful, important, and honest info!
Thanks for the kind words. I highly recommend that if anyone watching this video is considering getting a service contract for their RV, be sure to talk to Wholesale Warranties about it first. You can get in contact with them at this link - bit.ly/3y96fcE
What year and model is your Newmar?
It's a 2004 Newmar Kountry Star diesel pusher. We call it Max, and it's built like a rock. :-)
It's very good to know about your budgeting process. Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome Randy. I'm glad it was helpful!
Timid, newly divorced 60's, single female, contemplating the RV lifestyle due to stalker ex-husband, I am overwhelmed with all the things you need to know regarding maintenance on an RV. Are there many single women out there who feel safe traveling by themselves?
There are lots of single women RVing across the country and enjoying it immensely. I recommend that you type "single female rving" into Google and take a look at all of the resources that come up. I think it will be helpful for you. Thanks for watching!
Your budgeting $3500 a year for maintenance and so forth but having a house and keeping up the yard and all the miscellaneous is not cheap, if not more expensive. So if you’re full-timing, keep that in mind that homes are costly also!
That's a great point David. No matter where you live there will be costs involved in upkeep for your dwelling. And as I mentioned in the video, our costs are on the high side of most RVers because of the kind of rig that we choose to travel in. So if $3500/year in maintaining an RV is too much, it can be dialed down by getting a smaller and simpler RV instead. Thanks for watching the video and leaving a thoughtful comment as well!
Great tips, as always, in your videos. Although your experience is mostly with much larger rigs that ours (2019 Flagstaff E-Pro 19BH), your coverage of many types of rigs and situations is appreciated.
I am one of those who do all the work myself and when I looked at your cost for repairs in one year (about $16,000), I almost fell out of my chair. We paid less than that for our rig about 6 months ago and thankfully, it was in excellent condition. That said, our rig is only a 20 foot TT. Our biggest expense has been upgrades:
1. Moved the battery from the tongue to a spot under a dinette bench
2. Upgraded to a 400 AH Lithium Battery
3. Upgraded to a Victron Solar Charge Controller
4. Installed a Back Up Camera
5. Installed a TPMS
6. Upgraded to a digital thermostat
7. Installed backsplash in the kitchen
8. Upgraded the horrible mattress
9. Changed out all locks
10. Installed Battery Shunt
11. Installed Battery and Solar disconnect near new battery placement
12. Installed a bus bar
13. Replaced Weight Distribution Hitch
There were some more minor upgrades but I think you get the picture. Now for repairs and maintenance, there were a few:
1. Repacked bearings
2. Replaced tires
3. Checked torque on all connections
4. Serviced Water Heater
5. Sanitized Fresh Water Tank
6. Replaced faulty awning switch
7. Replaced faulty inverter
That is basically it except for some very minor repairs. As you can see, I do everything myself and will continue doing maintenance, and repairs, for as long as I own a TT and am able to do so. Fortunately, I have decades of home ownership and car maintenance experience under my belt. When it comes down to these tasks it is normally a question of if someone can do it or wants to do it. The bottom line is that if you have the know how and don't mind doing the work, do it. There is no worse feeling than to be stranded and have no clue about how to fix something. Sorry for the very long post!
Hi David, I think you heard me wrong. My repair and maintenance expenses were over $16K, but that was spread over 4 years. So my annual expenses after our service contract paid some bills for us, was a little over $3300. But it sounds like you are doing a great job saving money by doing a lot of the work on your rig yourself. Thanks for sharing your upgrade and repair history with us!
@@RVInspectionAndCare Oh, OK! Yes, I did hear it wrong. That is certainly a lot more reasonable. Yes, it is a lot of work but I don't mind and enjoy the challenge and the satisfaction of knowing that I did it myself!
Wow, full timing is not cheap.
It would be very interesting to get an idea of the full cost of full-time RV living. I'm talking about the additional costs of taxes, insurance, fuel, and campground fees.
I drove a car from Connecticut to South Jersey and back. Tolls alone cost close to $50.🤔
Well, fulltime RVing can be whatever you make of it. As I said in the video, you can always downsize your rig to something smaller with less upkeep. And if you do, all of the expenses associated with your RV drops considerably. We like to travel in our 40 foot diesel pusher, and that means that we will experience higher costs than most other RVers. But we have budgeted for that and it is affordable for us. But I know folks who travel in smaller travel trailers that spend very little on upkeep for their RV. It's all relative. :-) I hope that helps.
Hi, can you help - how can I find an rv inspector in an area where the rv I want to buy is located?
Sure. Visit nrvia.org and click on the link for "Find an RV inspector". On the next page zoom into the area where your RV is located and you will find the certified inspectors nearby. You can get their contact information by clicking on their name and then contact them about your needs. I hope that helps!
I’m looking to get a Country Coach 2006-2009. My friend just bought a 2004 Tiffin but now is looking to sell it right away because the first place she went to in Florida said it won’t except anything under 10 years. But I know you’ve been all over with your 2004 and plus others have too. Have you experienced issues not getting into campgrounds?
That's a great question David. And believe it or not, I will be addressing questions about older RVs, including the ten year rule, in next weeks video. So be sure to check it out when I release it next Wednesday.
Dwayne I'm looking at a 2003 newmar kountry star 39 ft with 3 slide outs and 56.000 miles what do you think
Well, since I own a 2004 Newmar KS DP at about the same length, with 3 slides and similar mileage, my answer is that we love our coach. If that RV has been cared for well over the years as ours was, it may be a great find for you. But always be sure to have it inspected first, so you know what you're buying.
Great tips! Especially guarding your extended warranty service contract with keeping proof of maintenance items even if you’re a DYIer. Simple parts receipts and consistency in servicing by mileage or time! Great information! Thanks 🙏🏼 😊
Hi Aubrey. Yes, DIY is a great way to save money on RV maintenance. But if you have a claim to make on the engine or drivetrain but have no records of when the maintenance was done other than your word that you did it, the warranty company can easily deny the claim. They could say that the problem may have happened because you have not been maintaining the RV properly. So I keep careful records of every bit of maintenance that has been done, especially on the chassis. Thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment too!
You mentioned that diesel pusher were the most expensive, maintenance and repair wise, except for Super Cs. Do super Cs cost more to repair and maintain?
Hi Jean. Super C RVs can certainly cost more than a normal gas-powered Class C. Anytime there is a commercial diesel engine involved, it will usually be more to maintain and especially to repair than a gasoline engine. But if you stay up with the maintenance, diesel engines last a lot longer before they need major repair or rebuilding too. Thanks for watching!
Great information as always. I have a 2004 bounder (gas) I took the NRVITA home study course and also taking the NVTI Certification courses. Like you said, trying to learn as much as you can do fix your own repairs. Thanks Don
That's awesome Don. You're doing the right thing by learning as much as you can about RV repair. The courses you take will pay you back many times over. Thanks for watching and leaving this comment!
Hello and thank you for your informational videos! Your knowledge has helped my family immeasurably in our acquisition and maintenance of our motorhome. One area I have found lacking in information on the web, (and it seems many people are searching for this) is the particulars of child seats in motorhomes. Where is the safest place to have a child seat and how to anchor them. How maybe even to install an anchor bolt and eye, since the dinettes seat belts wrap around plywood seats. As a parent with a 5 year old, I found there is not much information out there. Maybe because giving bad advice on this subject could jeapardize a child's safety, however because of that I feel that is even more important to get the right information out there for parents.
I know what you mean. Unfortunately, safety has taken a backseat in RV design up until now. And I am not qualified to make any suggestions on how to keep your children safe in a moving RV. Let's hope that RV manufacturers start paying more attention to this vital part of RV travel.
Great video. Our 3-1/2 ownership costs are very similar. I'm not physically able to do the heavy maintenance service anymore but fortunately have shops close by that are locally owned and reasonable in their charges. Our biggest expense involves the 365 front tires and getting those sourced since Michelin is the only manufacturer and they are only made one time a year. Our budget is similar to yours but we are averaging a little over 5K per year in annual costs. Thanks again from this long time subscriber and Wanderlodge owner.
Tire costs are a big hit on a Class A, but I'll bet yours are even higher than normal. Of course, it sounds like a lot when you say $4K - $5K per year for upkeep on the rig. But for me, it's just the price I am willing to pay to enjoy life in my comfortable RV. Thanks for sharing your expense budget with us. It's always good to hear from more fulltimers on their experiences!
Hi Duane,
Great Video but I have a couple questions:
1- On average, how many miles do you put on your Newmar Class A?
2 - What is the cost of the Service contract per year?
Unrelated question: I know from a previous discussion that you use a Grand Design 5th wheel as a fixed base of operations when you are not traveling. What year is that unit? I'm curious whether the 2000-2007 MY "sweet spot" applies to all RV's or just Luxury Coaches?
Thanks!!
Hi John. Question #1 - We average between 8K - 10K miles per year in our motorhome. #2 - We got a great deal on our service contract when we bought our RV and it only cost us $1700 for 4 years of coverage. Unfortunately, the rig is too old to get any further coverage at this point. But at least I know how it has been cared for up until now. #3 - Our Grand Design is a 2015. As you mentioned, I feel that older RVs built between 2000 - 2007 are often built much better than modern RVs. And that's why our motorhome is a 2004 Newmar. But that doesn't mean that newer model rigs can't be a good buy. And so far we are very happy with our 5th wheel home base. Thanks for asking!
How much more or less did you spend on repairs with the service contract than if you just paid out of pocket with no service contract?
There is no difference on the cost of repairs if you use a service contract or not. At least not with the repair techs and facilities that we used. It would have cost us the same either way. But we did have a $500 deductible for each repair on the service contract. And I did not include the deductible in the amount that the service contract paid out. I hope that helps.
I'm confused by your response. If there is no difference in the cost of repairs if you use a service contract or not, what is the point of paying for a service contract?
@@louportelli Well, I'm confused by your question then. I thought you were asking whether the price for the repairs was any different if you paid for it or if the warranty company pays for it. Apparently you were asking something else and I'm still not sure what it is. If you're asking how much the service contract paid out, I explained that in the video. It was $3120.
Maybe this will clarify. You have two repairs done, and the bill was $3500. If you paid $2000 for the service contract, and paid two $500 deductibles, you spent $3000 out of pocket to get the repairs done. In this case you are ahead $500. If you paid $3000 for the service contract, and paid two $500 deductibles, you spent $4000 so in that case you are behind $500. I was just wondering where the break even point for your service contract is. I understand of course, like any insurance, you never know what the future outcome will be.
@@louportelli Going strictly by the numbers, I came out $500 ahead of the cost of the service contract and the deductibles Lou. But I personally don't think that whether or not you make or lose money on a service contract purchase is the defining factor of whether the purchase was a good one or not.
That's because a service contract is basically insurance for your RV repairs. And insurance is not about whether you break even or make money on the premiums you pay. For instance, I have paid health insurance premiums for years and have never come close to getting my money back. But I still pay my premiums anyway because I want the peace of mind that if something drastic happened, I would be covered for major medical expenses.
And that is the same reason that I bought the service contract. Mainly to have peace of mind that if anything major happened to my Caterpillar diesel engine, I would not have $25K or more come out of my pocket to pay for it. But as it worked out, nothing happened to the engine. But I still had some major expenses that the service contract covered anyway.
My point is, whether or not I made money on the service contract or not, the peace of mind that it bought me was well worth it and I would make the same purchase again.