1995 Concourse- help with a RV Dr. punch list?

[Bett]

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Since professor Blue hasn't chimed in, I'll toss this in for levity. Lap sealant and bedding are totally different. Bedding goes under a flange (butyl putty in our case). Lap sealant goes around the perimeter of the outside of a flange. Re-bedding is advised. Lap sealant is not, although it's standard practice in RV land. Furthermore, lap sealant is severely ill advised if it's placed over existing lap sealant. It sounds like that's what they intend to do and I consider that to be very poor practice.

Got it. Thanks very much for this clarity Scott - super useful. Unfortunately it seems the previous owner had someone do EXACTLY what you recommend against. So someone is going to have to clean all that off and do it right. Maybe that is a $1,200 job.

Rebedding isn't difficult but there are a lot of ways to do it incorrectly. Also, you'd obviously be on the roof 9 feet off the ground, it can get messy, and one needs to take time and care to ensure cleanliness and properly tightened fasteners; too loose and you might get leaks, too tight and you squeeze out too much putty and you can get more leaks. New screw holes might need to be drilled and then the old ones would need to be filled. It's not brain surgery but it takes a bit of a touch.

I feel for ya Bett. This is a bummer. And I'm inclined to agree that they might be intentionally scaring you away.

PS - I bought a brand new, lovely toilet for $120 delivered, and it came with new seals and was an straightforward installation. Their prices are insane.

I think the pricing is terrible. I just want my Chinook back and I’ll start fresh, three weeks and $600 later.

SO- I am wondering if this is something I might consider taking to a body shop and getting the whole thing buffed, rebedded and repainted. I want to do that anyway. If it’s going to cost more than $1000 just to take care of the roof, would it make any sense to just go knock out the bodywork and the restoration of the outside first? And then start working on the inside?

Gah. I need to breathe and remember it’s just a rig and not get emotional about this. First World problem. Maybe I won’t be using her much this summer and I need to accept that and move forward.

[chin_k]

I don't think it is that hard to fix a leak once you find it. It certainly is not a $1200 job unless there are holes that you can drop thru.

I would not be too worry about paint or cosmetic right now if you are short on time and other resource. Just take care all the safety-related items, leaks in the back (we don't rain much at all in the summer here, but Nor Cal have more moisture), and comfort-related item (e.g., the toilet). You can work on it a little at a time while using it, as long as it is safe, healthy, and not deteriorate due to leak.

Make a priority list, and go at it. I would check for fuses for the horn and light, and check the burn-out bulbs. Lots of things can be very easy, and cost less than $5 to fix if you have a few minutes, but you certainly can pay someone $100 to take care of it for you.

[Astrodokk]

I would give cosmetics a low priority, bedsides I consider stuff like that as battle scars and it gives the rig a sort of character.
I do understand that eventually you’ll want thatcdone, but for now, get it functional with the more important items first.

[Kirah]

If summer was my main camping season, I'd focus on getting a few essentials up and running, go ahead and use it for the season, then schedule the next round of repair work for the winter.

My must-haves:

• Drives safely
• Isn't leaking - no water ingress, no propane troubles
• Decent bed
• Air conditioning (I'm in coastal Texas, this is not optional for me! it might be for you)

If all these were met, I'd take it out for weekends and camping trips regularly, and then start scheduling additional repair items around my desired camping schedule. Sure, it's basically hard-sided tent camping (and relying on campground facilities) until you have a working toilet, sink, etc, but it's still a way to get the heck out of town for a while. And maybe you can get them fixed one at a time between trips?

The same mechanic who works on my car also does all the work to the "car" part of my Chinook - brakes, belts, steering, power windows, windshield, wheels, etc. That's who I'd go to for weird driving noises. And he turns it around in hours, not weeks.

And I know this isn't a best practice or long-term solution, but I'd be tempted to see if running a bead of (flexible, non-silicone) caulk around everything that attaches to the fiberglass on the back end of the camper stops the water intrusion into that back compartment. It's not an ideal solution - caulk needs to be regularly re-done, where re-bedding ought to solve the problem for many years - but it's cheap and fast and might be good enough to get you started so you can use it this season, then go back and fix stuff properly between camping trips or in the off season.

But then, I have a high tolerance for half-done work, as evidenced by the fact that I am slowly dismantling the passenger side of my camper, while I continue to take it on trips So here's a bucket of salt to go with my suggestions.

[chin_k]

Not a pushy person myself, but here is a list of tasks from the invoice:

1, pre-trip checkup, done
2, water pump replacement, high priority if it leaks and you need water from water tank. Easy DIY
3, missing AC shroud, medium-high priority, Easy DIY
4, toilet replacement, high priority, easy-medium easy, can be a messy job
5, stove vent. It just recirculates the fume, there is no vent. What's wrong with it? Broken fan?
6, Power windows, fixed
7, Water heat replacement. What's wrong? completely rusted out, or no heat? Related to propane or electrical? Low priority (water from the fresh water tank is room temperature, so "cold" shower is not that bad in the summer.)
8, Propane gauge, assume no leak, low priority, will ask local propane shop to fill and repair when needed.
9, Coolant leak, any mechanics can work on this. If leak is visible, maybe tighten up the clamp? High priority if leak is significant.
10, Horn not operational. Fuse? Pretty straight forward to trouble shoot, but if no experience, any mechanic can do this. Get estimate.
11, Generator problem. If it starts, maybe try to use seafoam in the fuel and see if it helps. Tons of info on web that you can DIY first. Surprised the shop did not suggest a genset replacement for $4k to $6k instead . priority depends on if you need the genset
12, Water leak in rear compartment. Is this the closet behind the spare tire? can be as simple as replace the gasket. easy DIY if that is the case, but need more info. Can be low or high priority if it rains
13, Furance. Freudian slip for a nice vacation in wine country in Europe. Maybe it is related to propane? Was the furnace shut off at the propane tank? do the simple solution first, need more info. Low priority for the summer
14, various lights. Can be fuse or wiring, or simply lamp replacement. eliminate each possible cause. High priority due to safety. Easy DIY if lamp or fuse.
15, Brake fluid. Get estimate from regular mechanics. Priority depends on brake condition and service interval.
16, Inspect roof, and post pictures. Priority depends on condition and weather. Can be easy or difficult.

Pick one, and start posting question, and I am sure you can knock off some of the easy ones this weekend if you have the time and plan ahead.

[Astrodokk]

I agree with start posting questions for your repairs and upgrades. I would suggest doing so by starting a new thread for each topic or reviving one that had a similar problem.
Running a long thread with many issues in it can cause some good info to get lost or not read. Just my $.02.

[Bett]

Thanks so much! The lists are *great* and help tremendously.

I just emailed the service advisor and said I was going to take the rig somewhere they could redo it all correctly for a fiberglass roof instead of piling more sealant on it. Besides the resealing that the PO just had done (over at least one other layer of sealant!) unless it’s actively leaking, I imagine it should just be left alone until I have it all redone properly. Or as someone suggested- another blob of inappropriate sealant as insurance (until It’s done correctly) but do it myself and save $1000

I’ve reached out to another local RV place that is well loved but was hard to get into, and am going to bring them the list I’ve paid dearly for.

What I’ll do immediately is take it to my mechanic and have the engine goodies done now.

You guys have been incredible. I’m very grateful for the encouragement and impressive experience you all bring to this site.

I’ll definitely start a thread with some pics when she’s back in my possession and the projects begin. THANKS AGAIN!!

[Astrodokk]

Just my own philosophy, but I wouldn’t show the new shop your list. I would have them do their own inspection without any other influence.
I would tell them that once their inspection is done, you can share the other estimate, that is, if they already know you’ve gone somewhere else. Otherwise I would just say start from scratch.
Not that the new shop will just agree with your original estimate, but they may say, “oh yeah that’s a good repair to do”, even if it’s not critical. I’ve had that happen before so I know.
A second opinion is just that. No third party influence.

[chin_k]

I agree with Astro. I don't think much in your list is not obvious for anyone familiar with RV. A lot of it should be already disclosed by a seller on a for sale ad, for example.

If you show the new shop the list, it would indicates that you may just get the list and go to a different place, which may or may not affect their effort to give their best effort.