RVs Require Constant Care And Repairs

RVs are like pets, don’t buy one unless you have the time and inclination to take care of the beast. A few months ago I opened our motorhome pantry and found this. The staples had worked loose and I had to fix yet another problem on our Country Coach motorhome. You may be thinking I abuse my coach, but if you knew me, you would know I take excellent care of my equipment and besides the coach only has 21,000 miles on it. Staples are heavily used in RV construction because they are fast and cheap. They are fired into the wood with a pneumatic staple gun at a rapid clip. You would think a high end coach would use screws and quality glues to put cabinets together, but alas, gone are the days of quality craftsmanship. In fact, I just replaced the carpet in my rig (didn’t like the color) and I had to remove about a thousand staples from the wood floor because Country Coach didn’t use the traditional tack-strip, just staples….lots of staples. If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself or hire a qualified conscientious professional (very difficult nowadays). I took the pantry rack down, removed the staples and replaced it with screws and gorilla glue and I haven’t had a problem since. Speaking of craftsmanship, let me show you how the drawers in my coach were made. Yes, they were slapped together with staples and particle board. Here’s how I make drawers. So what's the difference? I have the time to do it right and I don’t cut corners, I “dovetail” corners. It’s only a matter of time until my coach drawers fall apart (I’ve already had to repair some of them). So, it’s a good idea to carry enough tools to take care of RV problems when they crop up. Least you think I’m picking on Country Coach, I’m not, it’s just the nature of RV manufacturing. They have to produce and sell products and shortcuts in production help get the product to market faster and improve the profits for the company. Staples are cheap and fast and if they fail under warranty the dealerships will “fix” the problems by putting in more staples. My 2005 Hitchhiker 5th wheel also fell apart like this, so it’s not one manufacturer, it’s the entire RV industry. RVs could be made with Japanese automobile precision, but that would require an RV industry revolution not likely to happen in my lifetime. So, for the time being, carry enough tools to fix most problems and don’t expect perfection out of your RV or you’ll be gravely disappointed. My advise is to be pro-active and fix small problems before they become larger problems. Don’t ignore leaks, broken drawers, plugged drains and that funny sound in the engine. The old saying, “a stitch in time saves nine” is especially applicable in RV maintenance and repair. Keeping you in stitches - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing