Motorhome Maintenance

The beauty of full timing is there is no landscaping, painting or hauling the trash to the street. But your motorhome is the most complicated vehicle you will ever own. And it needs periodic maintenance to keep it healthy.

Inspect problems immediately: In 1967 Pete had a 55 Chevy that stopped shifting into 3rd gear. He drove it for months, on the freeway in 2nd gear (ouch!). Finally, he set aside a weekend to repair what he thought were bad "synchros". When he crawled under the car, he found a loose shifter linkage. In 10 minutes the car was fixed and third gear worked again. Check all problems right away. There might be a simple fix. If not, then you can decide to postpone maintenance if it won't hurt to wait.

Maintenance Schedule: Your motorhome, appliance and accessory manuals each have their own schedule for maintenance. We have begun to combine these schedules into one.

Service Locations: Coach Care can work on any motorhome. Your manufacturer's web site should have a list of service locations.

Motorhome Procedures

Reading your motorhome manual and all the appliance and accessory manuals can be overwhelming. Here we reduce these manuals down to a small list of important steps. Note that the procedures for your brand and model of motorhome may vary from these.

Setting Up Camp : Follow this list and set up will be fun and quick.

Dumping your Tanks: : Our very unique procedure for dumping our tanks came from All Pro Waterflow.com.

Camping with 30 or 20 amps : What can you do to avoid tripping the breakers.

Breaking Camp : This procedure will keep you from making mistakes or wasting time.

Motorhome Computer Tips

Paperless Office: Our business for 35 years (04-2012) has been to write business and inventory control software. We use our own software and modified it to become as paperless as possible. The only paper we keep temporarily are receipts. These receipts are eventually scanned and stored as .PDF files, allowing us to destroy the paper and yet have a computer image for reference.

Browsers: Until version 8, IE or Internet Explorer was a lousy browser and we preferred Mozilla's Firefox. Today, we recommend Google's Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Internet Explorer/8. Chrome is simpler and provides for a larger viewing area. You can download Firefox, Chrome, Opera andSafari at no charge.

Thunderbird Email: looks almost the same as Outlook Express but has nicer features. Download Thunderbird for free .

AVG Virus Protection: Paying an annual fee to just keep your computer running is robbery! How many products that you buy require you to pay annually just to keep it working? You can get the AVG anti virus for free for one non-business use PC.Download AVG for free.

File Backups: Trust us when we tell you that eventually you will lose some or all of your data. We backup all our computers onto a USB External Disk Drive. Ours is a the Clickfee one TeraByte (1,000 gigabytes) and cost $125 (04-2012). It backs up all three of our computers daily without any user intervention. Get it, use it and your life of photos and data will be safe.

Fixes and Recoveries: Windows is a system that crashes and gets screwed up all the time (Apple users applaud here). There are hundreds of "fix" and "recovery" programs for sale. The program Eusing Free Registry Cleaner does a great job of fixing PC registry errors. The PC registry is a good idea gone bad and programmers pervert its purpose all the time. This can cause programs to fail to launch, run incorrectly or even crash. 

Motorhome Tips

We have presented a few tips here. This section will grow as we have time to write.

The Walk around: Every time we move, we walk around the entire motorhome, even if we stop for lunch. We check all storage compartments, make sure all utilities are unhooked,check behind for clearance and check to see that our TV antenna is down!

Weighing your motorhome: After you load all your belongings and fluids, weigh your home. Based on your loaded weight, you can determine your required tire pressures.Where can you weigh it? This can be tough. We just kept making phone calls until we found the right place. We wanted to weigh front, rear, left side, right side and total. Then we cross checked all numbers. The cost can be from zero to quite a lot, make sure to ask.

Checking your tires: After determining your weight, refer to your manual for tire pressures. You probably have a tire pressure sticker in your home. Our pressures with a loaded motorhome differ from the sticker. We check our cold pressures each day we move. We carry a gauge, a hose and air chuck to add air. Note that if you drive only a few miles to an air pump, your tires will heat up and your pressures are to be checked cold.

Tools you need: Sometime we will post a list of the tools we have needed for the last six years.

Walkie Talkies: For $20.00 (12-2007) you can purchase a pair of walkie talkies. They are useful and fun in a lot of places, but mainly we use ours when setting up camp. We each carry one when we park. We can talk about backing into a site; checking the cable TV which several times has not worked; yell "stop" when a slide is going to collide with something, etc. Basically, it saves you time from not having to run back inside to talk to one another.

Digital Photography Tips

We are not experts, but we have taken and modified some very outstanding photos. We have taken 63,624 (09-2012) photos and put over 7,700 on our weekly travelogues.

Cameras: Today's cameras are amazing. We recommendthe following features: 12x-30x Optical Zoom (or greater): You will miss a lot of good shots with a small camera with minimal zoom. The larger zoom cameras will be bigger, but they are worth it. Get a large LCD screen so you can see your photo and re-take it if needed. Ours is the largest we could find at 3 1/4 inches and we can view it without glasses!

Photo Sizes: We take all photos at 7 megapixels. The bigger the photos, the fewer number the camera will hold, the longer it takes to upload to your computer, the more space and the slower the viewing. Note that we reduce our emailed photos to 900 x 675 , about 1/2 of one megapixel. As of 04-2012, 98% of the monitors in the world, can see a 900 x 675photo without scrolling. If you take large photos and send them without shrinking them, your audience will either have to scroll up/down, left/right and never see the whole picture or view each attachment with a number of clicks for each.

Both are unacceptable. So if your only use of photos is to email them, take them close to 900 x 675. Note, as time goes on, with higher resolution monitors, bigger photos can be viewed. If you are going to print 4x6 or larger photos, you will want to use more megapixels.

Snapshot Tips: Take many shots from different angles, different lighting and different zooms. Learn to "frame" your subject and include or exclude "junk". You can also crop photos later so it is better to include too much than cut off something you want. Digital photos are free! Take lots and after you upload to your computer, delete all the crummy photos and duplicates. Clean your windshield before you take off!

Storing Photos: Every camera comes with some photo album software. We don't use them. See Photo Journal.

Modifying Photos: This will be a huge section full of great procedures that have allowed us to produce our weekly emails. For now, know that we use  Paint Shop Pro X4. PhotoShop is better in many areas than Paint Shop Pro but cost about four times as much. To read about some basic editing techniques, seePhoto Editing for the Travelogue.

Communications Tips

Eliminate all Postal Mail: We signed up for online notification and bill paying for everything possible. Then we made a list of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual due dates. Between the two, we don't miss any payments. We still need a few items sent to us, such as, DMV tags, annual membership cards and some government forms that cannot be emailed or accessed by the web. These steps will minimize how often you need your mail sent to you. We alsocanceled all magazines or any other periodic mailings!

Post Office Mail: You will need to have a "mail forwarding service", someone to receive your mail and send it on to you. We are fortunate to have Ellen's sister Janice for ours. She picks up the mail; reads Ellen's certain items; faxes when necessary and holds on to the rest. Janice has only sent mail to us a couple of times in six years (04-2012). When we need something, we just have her send the items to General Delivery at a city in our path. Note that each city has a single post office for general delivery; you must find that office on line. Lacking an angelic relative, you can sign up for a number of mailing services. We will be providing a list of those we researched.

Cell Phone Tips: You may have your favorite companies, but we have been using Verizon for 18 years and the coverage has been amazing. We have been at only one RV Park, Outdoor Resorts in Aguanga, California, where Verizon did not work and another carrier did. They now have a Verizon tower! (11-2008). We have been in many places where we had good reception and others could not make calls or the calls were dropped.

Internet Tips: Again the Verizon Aircard has been great. We can't tell you how many times we have been on roads with no buildings in sight and had good coverage. We need the Internet Monday to Friday, as we run our software business. We check our coverage at an RV park check in. If coverage is not adequate, we leave. Another reason not to get reservations. We can also call Verizon and they will "predicct" how good the coverage will be.

Email Tips: We send a lot of email. Our email accounts are not web based, like Yahoo and Gmail. You can't compose your email offline with these accounts. Many times we compose our weekly emails offline and send them when we have a fast connection.

Faxing Tips: Our phone service is www.OneBox.com. They provide an 800 number, an 800 fax line, voice mail and many more features.

Non-RV Web Sites

We use these sites and they are "trusted sites". They won't infect your system with viruses, but you should still block pop ups.

Zip Codes: Many sites ask for city and state or zip codes. Some ask only for zip code. Use this site to find a city from the zip code.

Weather: AccuWeather Enter the city and state.

TV Schedule: Titan TV is best, but also TV Guide Enter your zip code and connection type, such as Analog Broadcast for antenna. You can access IMDB.com to review TV shows, movies and cast.

Learning Facts: Wikipedia Enter your search criteria. You should read About Wikipedia to build your trust in this site's facts.

FoxNews and NewsMax are Pete's favorite sites for up to the minute news.

Free and Trusted Computer Software: These will require software downloads. Click to access our Computer Tips

Web Search Engine: Google Simply the best!

Other RV Web Sites

These are the web sites of services that we have used. There are many other choices but BigRigBible is about products and services that we have used and found valuable.

List of Diesel Motorhome Manufacturers. Find new homes, service and other information.

Motorhome Accessories: A list of products that we have reviewed and purchased.

Fuel Stops: Find truck fuel stops by clicking: Pilot / Flying J,Loves, T/A

Motorhome Washing: Blue Beacon Truck Washes We have used them a dozen times and got good and inexpensive washes. Once, we did have water spotting, but they told us to come back to have it taken care of.

Christian Service: SOWERS Servants on Wheels Ever Ready is an organization that connects Christian RVer's with 501C organizations that need volunteers. The host project provides RV hookups for one month in trade for 72 hours of service.

Service Locations: Coach Care has been great. We will add all other locations we have been to and rated.

Towing Services: Coach-Net provides towing, technical support and other services. We have used them twice with great service.

RV Insurance: We use the insurance broker Poliseek. They carry many lines and will compare rates and offer you the best company for your state. Make sure that your insurance company specializes in motorhomes as these companies will offer you the best coverage, e.g. Total Cost Replacement and Window Glass coverage. We recommend that you check the rates before renewing each year.

USA Dump Sites. Click it, then click on your state for a list.

Black and Gray Tank Flushing. All Pro Water Flow and click on find a dealer. There are only a few states that have these franchises, so search hard. We use this service annually and our tanks are returned to factory fresh condition.

Monaco RV Clubs:There are many clubs to belong to as a Monaco owner. Most are regional. As we travel full time across the USA and Canada, we joined Monaco International

Finding RV Parks & Campgrounds

If we are traveling and looking for a park for a few days, we search in the order on this page until we find a park we like. We don't reserve and we only pay for one night. On the second day we decide how long to stay.

Elks Lodges:You must join the Elks; this will take a few months The above link gives you access to all Elks. Elks RV Parking list those lodges that have posted there RV parking. We use the first link because many lodges have not posted. And many have no designated parking but welcome you to stay. They may even drag out a power cable for you. 

Passport AmericaYou pay an annual fee, it is worth it!

Escapees Parks. You pay an annual fee, well worth it if you travel in these areas. 

Woodalls Directory. Optional sign up.

Trailer Life Directory. Optional sign up.

Big Rig Resorts. No sign up or fees.

Reserve America. Government parks are listed here. Optional sign up.

Renting at Ownership Parks: These are the nicest parks and include groups like Outdoor Resorts and Signature Resorts as well as single location parks.

Parks we have visited and rated: These are the RV parks that we have visited, listed by state and rated.

Learning About RV Parks

The longer we travel, the more we learn of types of places that we can stay. If you can afford any price, or you move back and forth to the same parks each year, then skip this page . If you are like us, you travel randomly and will want all kinds of parks to fit your needs.

Type of Parks: We have stayed in 463 locations. Places to stay range from free overnights like Walmarts to high end parks like Motorcoach Country Club in Indio, California at $99/night (04-2012). There are free locations, private parks, city, county, state and federal parks, rallies, casinos, repair centers, truck stops, rest areas, friends homes and more . Elks members can stay at Elks Lodges, from free to $25 (06-2012). Private parks vary: parks for travelers only, parks for snow birds and parks with trailers and park models where people live full time. And there are private ownership parks where you can buy your own lot or rent.

Park Discounts: We purchased yearly memberships in FMCA,
Good Sam Club , KOA, Passport America, Elks andEscapees. We recommend all except KOA. We feel that most, not all, KOA parks are overpriced. While you get 10% off with a membership; we just pay the full price when we stay at a KOA.

Searching for Parks: We do all our park searching on the Internet. This entire site is designed to be your one Internet portal to every site you will need. Our search order depends on our needs. If we want luxury or know the park we want, we go directly to their web site. If we want an couple nights on the way to somewhere, then we search in this order. Elks, Passport America, Escapees, Trailer Life, Government Parks, Big Rig Resorts and finally surfing the web.

Our Park Ratings: We have stayed at 325 different parks (06-2012) and revisited some of them. We rate every site that we stay at, on a scale from 0 =Won't stay there again to 5=We would like to live there. We rated Beebe Bridge County Park in Lake Chelan, WA as a 4. It had only 30 amps and water, a dump site and showers, no other facilties! So what do we care about that it could be rated so high. We like a solid, spacious, level pad, a patio, nice grass, a clean park and a great view. This park would be a 5 with 50 amps, a spa and cable TV. We like clean showers, bike trails, a pool, volleyball and pickleball. But, we don't downgrade a park if it lacks these. You may not find our ratings valuable if your desires and needs are vastly different from ours.

Scooter-Motorcycles

Why a Scooter?: We having been riding motorcycles since 1973 and have owned both on and off-road bikes. We understand that many people are fearful and would never want to ride on the road with other vehicles. But for those who do, or might like to try it, the rewards are great.

1. It's fun! It is great to be out in the elements and feel the weather, not just read about it. Compared to an enclosed car it is like living in an area where you notice the four seasons, versus a climate that is always temperate.
2. It's economical. The scooter costs less than a car in its purchase, fuel, maintenance, registration and insurance.
3. You get the best parking spaces. You can always find a spot and always park closer than a car.

If you have only a scooter and no car, your motorhome can:
4. ...travel at maximum speeds.
5. ...back up, so you can travel any road and not worry about finding a turnaround spot. 
6. ...travel in carpool lanes on the freeway.
7. ...back into an overnight RV site without unhooking.
8. Toll roads and ferries cost less.
9. Moho weight is less, gets better fuel mileage than with a car. 
10. You can pull into any grocery store or shopping center and find a spot.
11. Less road damage to your "toad" and much quicker to clean up dirt and dust.

How Big?: Fast enough for the freeway. A 400cc is okay, but our 650cc Suzuki Burgman goes anywhere, as fast as we want. And it's under seat storage holds five plastic bags of groceries.

Brands and Models: Here are few that we would consider.

Carriers: You will need a carrier. We will review many of the popular models here.

Scooter Driving Tips: There are tons of tips we will share with you to keep you safe.

Communications Products

This is a list of items you will need or might want. Each will have its own page, in time.

Cell Phones: We are sure that you know that this is a must.

Mail: We will review your choices in "mail services" and show you how to all but eliminate any mail.

Email: Vital to your travels and keeping your connections to family and friends.

Internet: We will share tips on using the Internet and finding needed information in the shortest time.

Fax: You can send and receive faxes on the road. And this will help eliminate the need for mail. See Business Phones below.

Business Phones: We are running a computer business as we travel. We have found an amazing service to help us.

Daily Diary: Keeping a simple one-line per day diary will allow you to find any information quickly.

Photo Journal: Have you used any photo album software? Our method uses just Windows and is really easy and efficient.

RV Products

 This is a list of items you will need or might want. Click here for larger image.

AirCard: A cellular computer Internet connection.

Air Hose and Connectors: For filling of tires. 

BBQ: Get a new small unit, not your large one from home. 

Bicycles: You're missing the boat bike, if you don't bring these.

Chairs and tables: Outdoor chairs and tables are a must. 

Cleaning products: You need many for every different surface. 

GPS: Optional, but we would not be without it. 

Kayaks: Optional, but great fun on lakes and rivers.

Ladder: You need one for maintenance high up on the walls.

Level: Optional, we bought the best, you may not want to!

Long TV cable: Get a long (30-50 foot) cable, you'll need it. 

Notebook Computer(s): For all your communication needs. 

Power: 30 amp cable, 50/30 and 30/20 adapters : Must have!

Products researched and not purchased: Here's a list!

Soda Maker: Make your own soda for cheap!

Sewer hoses: The hoses you are given are not adequate.

Storage Boxes: Proper storage adds joy to your travels.

Tool box: You will need a lot of hand tools for inside repairs.

Walkie Talkies: Great for parking at sites and more ... 

Water filter: Clean water is good for you and your tanks.

Full Timing Costs

The Motorhome: Obviously, you must purchase your motorhome. We built our own house in 1977 and our motorhome cost far more than our house. Beyond the motorhome, there are many more items you will need to purchase. The MH was expensive, but we encourage you not to scrimp on accessories. The amount you spend on smaller, more compact, RV-designed items, the more you will save in storage room and time.

The Toad (tow car): Your vehicle may not be able to be towed. If it cannot, budget for a vehicle that can be. The alternatives, are a car dolly or trailer, are burdens that can really take the fun out of moving around. They take extra time and require that you find parks that have room for these items. Our "Toad" is a 650cc Suzuki Scooter. For that we had to purchase a carrier and pay for mounting alterations. With a vehicle you will need to purchase tow bars, an in-vehicle braking system and dirt and gravelshields. Air tire monitor systems will keep you from dragging around your car with a low tire.

Accessories: You might be surprised at the accessories that you need. Click here to see many of the products that we rate.

Modifications: You can have dozens of modifications made, from simple issues of changing furniture to adding solar panels, a window and other items. All of these cost more than they would in your home. Don't assume anything will be cheap!

Food, fuel and RV Parks: The largest part of your monthly expenses will be these items. The good news is that traveling by RV is far cheaper than traveling by cars or airlines and hotels and eating in restaurants.

Activities: You can spend nothing or thousands on activities. Be aware that many things that 20 years ago were free, now are available only for a fee. Like visiting Four Corners. It was free when we were kids, now it costs $3.00 per person (08-2012).

Maintenance: If you want your MH to last for 10 or 20 years, you have to take care of it. Maintenance includes, but is not limited to: oil changes, filter changes, battery maintenance, washes, checking tire pressures, chassis lubes, roof sealing, slide out lubrication, cleaning levelers, tightening bolts, interior cleaning, black/gray tank flushing and cleaning, fresh water tank cleaning, etc.

Driving Tips

We found it amazing that one of the first things many salespersons asked was "do you want to take it for a drive?". Driving a large Class A motorhome can be frightening and it takes a while to get comfortable. Here are a few things that helped us.

1. The MH is wide. You must drive close to the road center line, about one foot closer than a car. Move to the left and find a spot on your dash that lines up with the center line. If you can't find one, put a piece of tape on the windshield. Soon, you will get used to being "left" and no longer need to focus on it.

2. When turning left, you need to drive straight until your head is lined up with the center line of the road you are entering. It feels weird, but it works. Once out that far, turn hard left and you will find that your back wheels will not clip the center line, divider or a vehicle in your path.

3. When turning right, you must drive straight until your head is lined up with the curb of the road your are entering. "Cheat" over one half lane to your left, basically taking two lanes. Watch for bikes or small cars trying to pass on the right and wait for these people to get out of your way. Once past the curb, turn hard right, but watch the curb. It is closer than when you are turning left. If the road you are turning onto is narrow, wait for all cars on that road to clear out.

Don't be intimidated by anyone wanting you to "get out of the way". You are bigger than them; take your time. Move slowly. If you do run over the curb, just do it slow and you will be fine. Hit it fast and all your dishes will crash to the floor! 

4. When turning left you must be in the rightmost left turn lane. When you come to a turn and you are not sure how many left turn lanes there are, take both lanes! Once you determine your lane, move into it. Again, you are big, don't let anyone intimidate you.

5. Don't turn into a driveway for fuel or shopping unless you physically  see your exit. You may get trapped and have to back up. With a tow car it means unhitching first. 

6. Brakes: Two panic stops in a row and your brakes might be toast! Allow plenty of room to stop. On downhills, use your exhaust brake; use your service brake to get well below the speed you want; then release the brake. When the MH speeds up above your desired speed, repeat the process. On extreme downhills, slow to a crawl and use first or second gear. You'll be fine.

New Owner Tips

Craig's Rule: 2-2-2: We met "Craig" on our second night of full timing. Craig had traveled extensively for years and offered his perspective, which we welcomed. Craig gave us a list of "must see" places in the USA. The best advice he gave us, we have dubbed as Craig's Rule: Drive less than 200 miles per day, get there by 2:00 pm and stay at least 2 days. We have used this rule and it is great! Violate it, and you will be tired, get less value at your RV park, or not enjoy your day. Try it, it works!

Don't pay after dark: We added our own rules. First is when you can't get to your destination by 2:00 pm and not even before dark, don't pay for a park. We did and we would pay, park, level, hookup water, sewer and electric, go to bed, get up, retract the levelers, unhook utilities and take off. Not smart! What is the alternative? Walmart and other empty lots, truck stops, rest stops, etc. Do this and it takes only a few minutes to get to bed. We get up early and move to the RV park or keep on driving.

Don't reserve: We move often, actually every few days. Occasionally, we stay a week or two. Early on, we reserved parks quite a bit. Now? We do not reserve unless we really, really want to stay somewhere, really badly. Why? Every "appointment" makes you either drive too fast or try to find something to do while you are waiting. For example, we made a manufacturer's service appointment months ahead. As the time approached we were one week early. We could not reschedule, so we had to "hover" around for seven days to make the appointment. When you have to, make the reservation. If not, don't.

Get one night first: When we reach our RV park, we pay for one night only . After one night, we decide how much longer to stay. In many areas, there are no nice parks and there is really nothing to do. So we move on. But given a great park or lots to do, we pay for another day or a week or whatever!

The First Few Months

Don't rush: So many buyers will find this hard to take. You are excited about buying your motorhome and you are running on emotion. No problem, it might work out. But unless you take your time, you may lose a lot of time and money by rushing. Rush into the purchase and you may buy a motorhome that you will soon learn is not what you wanted. Rush into traveling and you may get stuck with a breakdown and end up staying in a motel for weeks waiting for repairs. Take your time!

Have a great attitude: We have met many owners that just complain about everything. You've met people like this. If this is you, change your attitude or don't buy a motorhome. You will have problems. We have had many problems. But we are nice to our dealer, manufacturer and the repair centers we visit. And we have been treated great, 100% of the time. "What goes around, comes around." It is true and it will work for you.

Bring it home and test everything: We bought our MH home in April, 2006 and have never slept in our house since then. We camped in our driveway for four months and took only short trips. We tested everything. We tested the heat pumps in the summer and the generator, even though we had shore power. Stay close to your dealer, test everything and where problems arise, schedule a service appointment.

Load only what you need: When we drove to our dealer and picked up our MH, we took no food, a small bag of clothes, our notebook computer and a few kitchen items that we knew we would need. It was kind of like "roughing it" in the nicest home we have ever had. Once home, we did not "load it up". We only brought things out of the house when we needed them. What was left in the house after three months was sold, given away or taken to the dump. We are thrilled; we still have empty space and try not to fill it.

Schedule manufacturer service: It can take months to get a service appointment. Call your manufacturer fairly soon and make an appointment for repairs, it may be months away. Email them your list of repairs. Keep updating the list, removing items that have been repaired by you or your dealer and adding new ones. Trust us, you will have a nice list by the time your appointment comes up.

Pre-Delivery Inspection

Although your motorhome is a vehicle, the quantity built versus cars, trucks and SUVs is miniscule. As such they are assembled manually, not with robots. Motorhomes are very complex. They have 12 and 120 volt electrical systems, city water and onboard tanks, propane and heat pump heaters and electronics galore. It's a car and a house and the walls move in and out. And when you drive it, it is like an earthquake shaking your house. The PDI is needed to find out what works and what doesn't. The factory will check it, your dealer should check it, and you must check it.

Factory pickup with manufacturer PDI: With most motorhomes, you can have the option of picking it up at the factory.They will charge for this. With factory pickup, they know they must fix it before you take delivery. With dealer pickup, the manufacturer may leave small items for the dealer to fix. Therefore the theory is that with factory pickup they will be more careful to build it right. Is this true? We don't know. We were going to have a factory pickup but plans had to change and we picked up at our dealer.

Dealer PDI when picking up from dealer: Your dealer should do a PDI before you arrive. Our dealer did a good PDI and we found only minor imperfections that they fixed quickly.

Your own PDI: We found a very extensive PDI list on the Internet. It was our intention to spend days at the dealer and check everything. As it turned out, it rained heavily everyday we were there. We checked what we could from the inside and headed out. We stayed within 100 miles for a few days. Better to stay close to your dealer for a few days to a few weeks. We did not, but were totally willing to return (350 miles) for any repairs.

Understanding Warranties: This is tough, but read the warranty. Most manufacturers give you one year "bumper to bumper". After that you still have warranties on appliances, awnings, engine, transmission and other items (see your manuals).

Extended Warranties: We did not get one. We have never purchased extended warranties. If you think you want one, talk with others who have purchased them and see what their experience has been. We have heard good and bad, but can't help you here

Working with a Dealer

Finding a dealer: Refer to our List of Manufacturers to find dealers for the brand you might choose. Call the dealer. Ask about which models they have in stock and how many total. The shopping experience can be very fun, but not if you drive hundreds of miles only to find that the motorhome you want is not there. The longer you take, the better. We started visiting dealers almost a year before we bought. We learned so much about the motorhomes, the dealership and the integrity of the salespersons.

Verifying Service Capabilities: Before your first purchase, assessing the service capabilities of a dealer can be hard. Regardless of dealer or brand, you will have problems! The first salesperson we met was honest. He said "If you don't have a tool box and a sense of humor, don't buy a motorhome". These homes are complicated and things will go wrong. Go sit in the service waiting room. Talk to those waiting about their experience. Do this a few times and you will be able to discern those who give you the straight story versus the complainers or those who defend their purchase even when they should not. Find out the billing rates and minimum charges. We once paid $56.00 for a half hour minimum, only to have the technician replace a burnt out 12 volt bulb in a few seconds.

Get References: Ask your salesperson for references. This is the best way to buy anything. After you get the references, follow up and talk with them long enough to get the straight story.

Choosing Options: Get a "build sheet", a list of all the options on the motorhome you like, with the retail price of each option. Find out what the options are and choose what you want. It is very likely that you will get pressure to buy off the lot. But the available motorhome may have options you don't care about. Negotiate a price for the home without the options. We weren't willing to pay for some, so we ordered our motorhome and waited 12 weeks (05-2006) for it to be built. We got exactly what we wanted without paying for any extras. For us it was very exciting as our delivery date approached.

Buy new or used? Buy new and you will have to work through all the problems, but you are covered by a warranty, usually only one year. If you buy used, take an experienced motorhome owner with you to check out all systems. This can take hours, perhaps all day. We did not have such a friend so we bought new. We could help you now.

Negotiating a Deal: This can be easy with a good dealer, hard with others. We got a decent offer from our dealer on first request.Email us for further discussions about this tricky area.

Choosing a Manufacturer

Diesel Motorhome Manufacturers: Our research led us to find every USA Class A diesel motorhome manufacturer. We spent over nine months (10-2006) reviewing, on the web, every model, every floor plan and specifications from every manufacturer. After narrowing down our selection, we set up appointments to drive 14 motorhomes at five dealers in a four day period. After we selected our motorhome, we revisited every web site trying to find a motorhome that might exceed our choice.

Construction Differences: Your motorhome will be the first or second most expensive purchase of your lifetime. And it is morecomplicated than your home, your computer and your car combined. You want it to last as long as possible and therefore the construction is very important. If possible you should take factory tours before you purchase. We took only one and not from the brand we purchased. But since then, we have toured five other factories. When you see the construction you can make a better decision about which motorhomes can endure the punishment of the roads of America.

Manufacturer Service versus Independent Service: Your best service should be from the manufacturer, but many dealers and service centers provide great service. Manufacturers will have all the spare parts and should get you in and out sooner. However, the waiting list for manufacturers can be many months.

Common Components: Many of the components used in the motorhomes are common to all brands. The furniture, appliances, steering wheels, engines, transmissions and other components may be the same. Your focus for reliability should be on the chassis, floor, wall and ceiling structure; the cabinetry, countertops, fabrics and other differing aspects.

Manufacturer versus Dealer: A full timer may not be concerned about choosing a dealer near their current home. Doing this may force you to choose a brand that is not the best for your needs. When full timing, your travels can take you across the USA. Make your best guess about where you will travel and consider any manufacturer that will be near your travel routes. After choosing your brand, then find the best dealer for that brand.

Why buy a motorhome?

Why travel in an RV versus car/hotels or planes/hotels? 
1. You sleep in your bed, use your own bathroom and have all your belongings, therefore no packing or forgetting items.
2. Forget high fuel prices! The cost of RV travel with eating in, issubstantially below travel using hotels and restaurants.
3. Save time not looking for rest stops, restaurants and hotels.
4. Travel at your own speed. Stop in small towns, big towns or between towns. You are not confined to hotel/motel choices.

Why a motorhome versus a 5th wheel?Both get you to your destination and we have owned and enjoyed both. For full timing we prefer the class A, big rig, motorhome:
1. Your views are better as you sit up higher. Views are especially phenomenal with a one-piece front windshield.
2. You can quickly stop and use the bathroom. Your co-pilot can do this while you drive.
3. Your co-pilot can grab you a snack as you travel. Does it get any better than that?

4. If you do not tow, you can travel at higher legal speeds and you can use the car pool lanes!
5. When your temperature-controlled travel is over, your home is already comfortable. A fifth wheel can be cold or hot.
6. Park set up is quicker and easier. You can level the home without wheel chocks and blocks.
7. You can boondock in questionable places (we rarely do) and beable to drive off without getting out of your motorhome.

Why should a full timer buy a diesel motorhome?1. The diesel will get better MPG.
2. The drive is quiet as the diesel engine is 30 feet behind the cockpit, not under it. And the cockpit is cooler.
3. The heavier diesel motorhome is far less affected when passing semis or being blown by high winds.
4. The torque of the diesel keeps it chugging up hills when gas rigs can be slowed to a crawl.
5. Diesel engines can go hundreds of thousands of miles more than gas engines.

Full Time RV Living Wannabes

BigRigBible.com is the perfect web site for Full Time RV Living wannabes.  This site has all the information you need to plan your full time life style. Learn to plan your adventure, purchase your motorhome and accessories, learn how to find RV parks and campgrounds.  Topics include mobile telephone, computers, email, fax and snail-mail. Learn to keep a simple and quick daily diary, take photos and write travelogues. Pages include motorhome procedures and maintenance schedules.  And finally it has photos for hundreds of RV parks with links to their web sites.  And the over 300 travelogues hold 7,000+ photos of every US state and five Canadian provinces.  Enjoy the RV Full Time life style with thousands of hours of research for only $25 per year.