It’s an awful feeling: you’re due to leave your campground today, but when you start your engine … nothing happens. It won’t start! You call road service and they tell you the nearest repair shop is 100 miles away and they don’t work on RVs or their engines. And it’s Sunday, which always seems to be the day most problems occur!
Or, another case, you push the button to bring in your slide, and it won’t budge. It’s stuck in its out position, and no matter what you do, you can’t get it in.
This is serious, you think, as you check your watch and see you have 90 minutes before you need to be gone. Your space, after all, in the packed-to-the-gills RV park, is reserved by someone else two hours later. So what the heck do you do?
That’s the topic of today’s poll. If your answer is yes, you have been in this situation, would you please leave a comment about what happened and how you got rolling again?
Remember, the poll can take a few moments to appear if you’re on a slow connection, so stick around just a wee bit and it will show up.
We personally have not had a problem. However our friends were camping near Yuma and stopped in a campground because a friend need to do a repair on his truck. He drove to the store for supplies and was involved in a vehicle accident. That was 3 weeks ago. Most of it was waiting for parts.
First day out on a Saturday, in our 2022 Entegra Vision. Brakes seemed mushy. Made it safely to first nights RV park. We were advised NOT to drive it. Sunday, made as many phone calls that we could to get help. Monday, Ford told us to make an appointment with Viva Ford in El Paso, then Ford would schedule a tow truck for us. Contacted Viva Ford Monday. Tuesday. and finally wednesday they said to bring it in whenever, and they’d get to it when they could, in 5-7 days. Tow couldn’t schedule us until Friday. It was h*** also trying to get a rental car. That’s another horror story. So we ended up at Rv park for 6 nights. Fortunately, RV park owners were understanding. Brakes were finally fixed.
Back in 2008, at 4:30 in the morning we were packing up getting ready to drive down to the docks at Haines AK to board the ferry that would take us down the coast of AK and BC Canada. Had everything ready to go, turned the ignition to start and……nothing. Checked all the normal things, but she still wouldn’t even turn over. Wife went down to the docks and informed the ferry people we were going to be forced to reschedule and made arrangements with the rv park to extend our stay. Both were very accommodating and said no problem, just let us know when you get it fixed.
Two days later after I had exhausted all possibilities except for the starter, I was under the engine getting ready to remove it when I realized that the battery cable to the starter solenoid was not firmly attached. On a whim, I tightened the nut holding down the cable, crawled out and with my fingers crossed, turned the ignition key. Engine fired instantly!
Last year we arrived at a campground in NY missing a wheel, disc rotor from our triple axle 5th wheel. The bearing had seized causing the tire to separate from the RV. The repair require a new axle which was order directly. We were told it would arrive in 3 week which was fine because we were scheduled to be there for a month. However, the axle did not arrive for seven weeks due to the trailer parts supplier not being forthcoming to our inquiries as to what was happening. Fortunately our relationship with the campground owner (and their generosity) we were able to stay at the campground.
Three times. A jack spring broke and had to order a new set, only cost an extra day. The starter on our car quit, so I extended our stay for two days but replaced it in the park in two hours, thank the auto parts store for free delivery. Last time was more serious, fuel pump died when we were supposed to leave. Had to extend for two days to arrange for a tow when AAA bailed on me. We went to a hotel for 10 days waiting for repairs. It was in the shop anyway, so got the broken exhaust manifold replaced and some other issues fixed.
Never stuck longer, but have had to leave early due to mechanical problem.
Yep twice. The Ignition switch on our 04 Flair melted both times. I have since repaired it myself by adding the relay mod as I found described online, no problems since. Knock on 🪵
I have had several issues with mechanical problems but although we stayed past our expected leaving time, I never have had to stay an extra day or so. At least not yet.
Yes, in Albuquerque, NM. It was a Sunday and we were supposed to leave. The slides would not budge and we didn’t know how to fix it (we were newbies). The balloon festival was starting the next day and the park was fully booked so there was no staying an extra day. The “helpful” owner told us if we didn’t figure out how to get our Class A moving he was going to call a tow truck and have us hauled out. Try finding someone to fix it on a Sunday. We finally found the guy selling firewood in the park who knew a lot about RVs and figured out that we had no hydraulic fluid in the lines. We ran to a Camping World and bought a gallon of fluid. It saved the day and we were out with minutes to spare.
Yup, the slide-outs and the landing gear both failed to retract. We found a mobile tech that diagnosed the problem, a solenoid that reverses the polarity, but the part wasn’t available in the area. We were able to retract everything by tapping on the solenoid while pushing the retract button but it was too late in the day so we stayed an extra day. Ordered the part on Amazon and left for Tucson the next morning, where we received it and replaced it. We were able to travel because it was not affecting downward movement, only up!
Yes. We had a coach with the d*** GM Autopark and it wouldn’t release. Had to wait for a road service truck to come and pull the pin let us get home. I fixed it once I got home and learned for myself when it occured the next time.
jacks would not come up.
Once near Mt Rushmore when the shore power/generator isolator switch fried and we lost one side of our power, I rode the motorcycle down to Rapid City to an electrical supply store and bought some wire and connectors to bypass it so we could head on back home, we just had to stay the one extra day.
We’ve had stay-longer problems w/ both non-starting engine (fuse inserted incorrectly) and a sheared pin in stabilizing jack. Fortunately, we almost always are workamping, so therefore didn’t need to worry about the follow-on person. The coach got towed to a Cummins shop & got fixed; I rebuilt the jack myself (w/lots of parts/advice from a Lippert installer).
We are currently waiting for the conclusion of this segment of our 2022 trip. Starting from our driveway we were delayed by slide issues. The bed slide would always close but not always open fully. Cleaning and dry lubricant didn’t help. Next it was truck transmission problems in Eagle Nest, New Mexico. Help was 80 miles away in Espinoza, New Mexico (by the way if you ever find yourself in the Taos area in need of expert transmission rebuild or repair you won’t find better than Affordable Transmission Repair in Espinoza, NM. Steve Lopez is a great guy who really knows transmissions.)
We’re preparing to leave tomorrow 4-24-22 after a 7 night stay.
Our bedroom slide motor decided to quit. DH went to the parts store, bought a motorcycle battery and bypassed the slide motor. We still haven’t replaced the slide motor and still use his jump method everytime we move. Ingenious, but a procrastinator!
Yes, a slide that wouldn’t come in. I was able to stay another day and found a moble rv repair capable of fixing it, however he was 100 miles away.
Stuck in a campground due to mechanical problems… Heck yes ! More than once. Our Mercedes Sprinter (Winnebago View) had numerous problems on one of our first outings.
We ended up rerouting our trip (losing out on reservations). Spending a rainy week-end (in a town that was not on the original route) waiting for Monday so we could get into a Mercedes Benz service department. It was the trip from H***. We had 13 different problems. Basically one a day on our 2 week trip.
I have to agree with Bob P no not yet
Yes, slide motor in bedroom burned out. Schwin Tec. ..Branson, MO
Our Dush Pedestal froze in the ground….added 2 extra nights.
Rush no more CG south Dakota
Oh yes, husband mentioned….we broke down Labor Day weekend in Sheridan, Wyoming. 4 day lay over, but if you are just passing through…stop. the greatest people anywhere. Helpful, friendly and caring.,(Alternator) we went to a rodeo, saddle museum, dinner, horses near by pasture next to our site, shopping and the most courteous AAA wrecker driver anywhere.