Most common problems?

[MrNoodly]

We vehicle dwellers have various concerns and anxieties. Many of them never happen, or at least haven't happened yet. So, in order to focus our attention on the more likely things and put the less likely (or unlikely) things on the back burner, what problems have you actually had? And are the problems a one-time thing or something chronic? Perhaps your responses will let us rank problems from common to uncommon. The more responses the better.

 

[MrNoodly]

To start things off, for me it has been mechanical things. Three flat tires, warped brake rotors, anti-sway bar mounts, brake master cylinder, and power steering pump. Oh, and my Dometic fridge died and had to be replaced.

 

[maki2]

Writing more articles based on answers received in this forum? Appreciated when the last time you did this that you were upfront about why you were doing a survey.

I am not at all against such things, in fact I encouraged my son to take up writing articles about life on the road. He has now done that regularly for several companies.

 

[WanderingRose]

What used to cause me problems consistently were not dealing with things, mechanical or otherwise, that I knew I needed to deal with.

Niggling concerns about something with my rig, or people who just made me uncomfortable for some reason.

Thoughts that keep surfacing in your mind do so for a reason.

So pay attention before something with your rig becomes an emergency or the person you didn’t feel fully comfortable with walks you off a cliff because you don’t want to pay attention to your suspicions.

It took me a looooong time to learn to pay attention to my instincts.

That might not have been what you were after, but it was what came to mind.

 

[MrNoodly]

Writing more articles based on answers received in this forum? Appreciated when the last time you did this that you were upfront about why you were doing a survey.

Yes, this might end up as a CRVL blog post, depending whether there are useful, interesting responses.

 

[bullfrog]

Getting used to doing chores is my main problem. We are stationary and hooked up to the grid several months of the year. I take out trash, check the mail and do some maintenance and cleaning. Everything becomes harder when on the road. Getting and hauling water, dumping waste water, hot water showers, maintaining batteries and watching power use, getting fuel and propane, hauling trash, dumping the toilet and planning moves to stay comfortable. All the everyday things you take for granted when hooked up to utilities and nearby stores and restaurants go away when remote boondocking but the peace and quiet times when you are not working are worth it!

 

[user 423]

To start things off, for me it has been mechanical things. Three flat tires, warped brake rotors, anti-sway bar mounts, brake master cylinder, and power steering pump.

Mechanical problems for me, too. I do most of my own maintenance and  repairs but for what I can't or don't want to do it can be a headache finding a competent shop to do repairs for a fair price.

Also, finding quality replacement parts at a reasonable cost can be a challenge. The quality of many rebuilt or aftermarket parts is pretty bad and you have to choose wisely.

I've been lucky with my present van and haven't suffered any major drive train failures but have replaced quite a few parts over 4 years.

And only 1 flat tire!

 

[jacqueg]

I would say my biggest problem is finding a trustworthy mechanic on the road. As nearly as I can tell, most mechanics in the popular RV destinations are sharks. Unless I can get a recommendation from a fellow CRVLer, I feel totally vulnerable!

Another thing that bothers me is the issue of leaving stuff at my campsite while I go off gallivanting. If there isn't anyone nearby willing to keep half an eye on my stuff while I'm away, it's hard to relax. Most of my stuff is easily replaced, but... it would be a pain!

 

[highdesertranger]

"I would say my biggest problem is finding a trustworthy mechanic on the road."

This is why I always say it everybody must have a working knowledge of how your vehicle works. You need to know what's involved with fixing a problem that way when a mechanic says your muffler bearings are shot and they need replacing you know he is full of BS. If you know what's wrong and what the repair entails you won't get ripped off.

Highdesertranger

 

[Scott3569]

I could not agree more with the last 3 or 4 answers, I have done a lot of my own work on my vehicle also, But there are things I am not able to do or even want to try to do.. And finding an honest Mechanic now a days just doesn't seem to happen..

At the moment I am in the town where I grew up, I have been talking to a mechanic and he has been helping me with some things..

I think the idea would be to find a good mechanic you can trust, and if you have problems out on the road, ask if you can give him a call and sort of haggle for you.. A mechanic is going to know a poor one from a good one..

 

[MrNoodly]

I've had good luck with mechanics in small towns. Their customer base is so small that they would soon be out of business if they were incompetent or dishonest. Also, their overhead is usually much lower than large city mechanics.

 

[RoamerRV428]

biggest pain and concern is the pet on the road which boils down mostly to leaving pet in rv and going out to sightsee or just be gone for hrs and hrs. Pet takes top priority. One day, no pet. Can't wait for that time in truth...no more pets for me.

Next is truck trouble. We broke down 1 time very big but luckily hit it just right for being fixed with alot of nice people helping and truck being towed to service etc. Worked out ok but I know one thing, breakdowns are the biggie for me.
Then tire blowing and wiping out $6K worth of damage ripping off back end of 5th wheel toyhauler but again, super lucky, we were only like 30 mins from home on a 5 hr drive to our destination.

I don't know about common problems cause to me those are like just life and a pain ya know, ones that all of us deal with kinda but what my biggest is mechanical for rv and truck. Not even so much the rv, truck takes priority over it all LOL

 

[user 423]

I've had good luck with mechanics in small towns.

Actually, if I think back, I've also had many good experiences in smaller towns. 20 years ago I broke down in a rural area of West Virginia and was treated wonderfully by the tow truck company and by the 2 shops that I used.

I guess it's just natural to remember more vividly the times you got ripped off or when something wasn't fixed right.

 

[Cammalu]

"I would say my biggest problem is finding a trustworthy mechanic on the road."

This is why I always say it everybody must have a working knowledge of how your vehicle works. You need to know what's involved with fixing a problem that way when a mechanic says your muffler bearings are shot and they need replacing you know he is full of BS. If you know what's wrong and what the repair entails you won't get ripped off.

Highdesertranger

I’m so glad to see you have volunteered to give basic mechanics classes this year at the rtr. I’m looking forwards to it HDR.

 

[Ravella and X]

I’m so glad to see you have volunteered to give basic mechanics classes this year at the rtr. I’m looking forwards to it HDR.

LMAO!

I almost responded to HDR about the having to have a working knowledge etc etc. HDR, there is not enough spare room in my head for that! Luckily, there is this thing called the internet. With good search skills, I have been able to accurately diagnose problems and figure out what to expect for the fix to cost.

Drat. Now I have to contribute to the OP's original question.... Hmmm. Getting rid of stuff is a recurring problem. For instance, I have a cast iron frying pan that X messed up the seasoning on a long time ago. I need to burn off the old seasoning and start over, but that isn't going to happen on my gas stove. So I should ditch it. But I still have it.

 

[highdesertranger]

Ravella that is so true. I had a teacher way back in the day and they said,

You don't need to know everything, but you need to know how to find the information that shows you how to do everything.

They went on to say,

once you know how to find the information do everything you can do any job

Of course that is not what they said word for word but the basic idea stuck with me. Today it's much easier because of the internet, when I was young I had to go to the cave and read the paintings on the wall. LOL

Highdesertranger

 

[Ravella and X]

The cave! Ahaha!

I believe I have superior research skills due to my years of being mistaken for a "real" librarian. But maybe we are all super-searchers by now =D

 

[eDJ_]

In my first rig, Dad's hand me down,  there was years of use on it and a much of the daily use functions were at their upper wear limits.  Little details we tend to just take for granted could become major concerns..

Door lock & handle opening mechanisms.  Especially the driver's door and side bay door.  As a single user these get the most use. Then the back doors and passenger door.  Being able to lock your rig up so your belongings won't be pilfered when you are away from it is critical.  A lot of your stuff can vanish when you are away for a few minutes. (for whatever reason)   And again, even if you have it locked up YOU still have to be able to get back in it.  Having a hidden key somewhere on the vehicle is also a good idea should you accidentally lose it or lock it up in the rig.   I got to where I would visit wrecking yards to find old Ford Van's like mine that I could purchase small parts like working door locks that I could buy and take to a lock smith to have reset so my key would provide as spares.

Sun visors seemed to be a problem on my rig, so I purchased another pair at a wrecking yard.  My rig had a big front window and the sun visors got a lot of use an would thus wear out.  Meaning they wouldn't stay adjusted.

As I'm able to do my own mechanical work anticipating having the necessary tools to take on the road with me was a nagging problem.  Do I really need to take that offset 5/16 box end with me or not.  It only loosens the bolt to adjust the distributor/timing or do I need to pack those brake tools along ?  Yes, I've tuned the engine before setting out and inspected the brakes and know all's well with them...but what if ?  The more you know the more you have to worry about.

And last, forgive me for saying this,  there are those clueless people who want to be into the Van Nomad scene and expect others with tools and skills to be "community workshop" for them.  This may be why some of the Nomads who have the skills of self reliance to choose to be somewhat reclusive.
As a kid I worked in Gas/Service Stations where mechanics were employed.  The service part of it got to be such a problem that there was a shift in the industry to Fuel  and convenience items. (service was discontinued)  Suddenly it was like 7/11 stores with gas pumps.  In these facilities females were employed more often than the boys who had formerly pumped gas & worked on cars.  The reason given for it was that "Service had too often become a charity"  and was not yielding the profits the company wanted. But the convenience store items were highly profitable with dependable returns since the prices on items were set and could  be rung up on a cash register. (service was more subjective in it's pricing and with the cost of operating that department it wasn't breaking even)

In the bottom link below there is an image of the gas station I worked at as a kid.  That's where I learned of these things.

 

[Matlock]

snip... So, in order to focus our attention on the more likely things and put the less likely (or unlikely) things on the back burner, what problems have you actually had?

The one glaring issue that I spent the least amount of time thinking about was health.

Had some major blockage in a couple arteries last year that had it not been for family I would have never made it to surgery.
Second issue, due to meds after the above stent work was cataract surgery. Means I'm stuck in the S&B for another 5 weeks.

Given my health history, neither of these things were on my radar.

 

[Deborah]

I miss gardening and hot soaks.

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