By Nanci Dixon
What are some of the biggest RV mistakes that RVers make? I had the opportunity to ask our mobile tech that question when he had finished working on our RV.
Dayton Hill, the owner of Coach Connection LLC in Red Bay, Alabama, has had years of experience both as an employee in every aspect at Tiffin Motorhomes and now with his own business as a mobile tech.
These are the things he sees causing the most and biggest problems:
Biggest RVer mistakes, according to RV mobile tech
1. Not changing tires every 5-7 years, even when they look good.
2. Not having a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) or not using it.
3. Not putting distilled water in the radiator. Putting tap water in a radiator instead of distilled water can rust it. He has seen rust so bad that the radiator drain is plugged.
4. Not running the generator at least once a month with a load on it. Generators need to be run or they get gummy.
5. Not changing the air filter. On a diesel engine in particular, change the air filter at least every two years. He has seen the paper filter flake so bad it got sucked into the engine.
6. Not doing full service on the engine and chassis. Follow the service schedule.
7. Not bringing in the awning. Even with an automatic wind sensor, a gust of wind can bend the awning before the wind sensor even gets a chance to pull it in.
Are my husband and I making any of these RV mistakes? Yes, some. We don’t run the generator enough and haven’t changed the air filter often enough. We’ll do better. Lessons learned!
Dayton Hill, Coach Connection LLC, (256) 668-9829 (“text for quickest response”)
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##RVT1153
This article very helpful though my husband does all these things and our RV is approaching 20 years old looks and runs like new. Just last month he replaced our tires. I got an earful when I commented “they look brand new”.
Hi Sherry your husband should be grateful that you noticed that the tires were new, a lot RV owners wife’s wouldn’t even have noticed! Kudos to you husband for doing his own work & at least he knows it got done & not just charged for it like some RV places do.
Snoopy
Any idea on how to start a generator when the temperature is below 50 degrees F?
If you mean how to run it under load, run an electric heater. Do not leave the electric heater unattended, not even for a few minutes. It’s amazing how many things in an RV can melt. . . . Also, keep feeling the cord and plug. If they are warm, unplug the heater. Your socket probably is not wired quite right if the plug or cord are warm.
We’ve not had any problems starting our genny below 50 degrees. I will say that our motorhome’s diesel genny takes awhile to start when cold. I hold that starter button down for quite awhile until it turns over. But Cummins says that’s normal.
Although I don’t, our gasoline burnin’ Onan 7kW fired up pretty nicely at 7 degrees Fahrenheit without anything special. At 40 to 50 degrees in elevation, it fires off the same as if it were 105 degrees in the Mojave. Happy travels!
I exercise my generator every month and have had no problem starting it in the winter where it’s common to be -20F and colder.
We have been using Dayton since he still worked at Tiffin. He’s been able to fix things that stumped other techs. We will go out of our way to drive to Red Bay to use him.
Mistakes RV Technicians make?
Holy cow, where are the jack stands? I see one in the photo.
Yea, it looks like one of the RV levelers is balancing on a chunk of a 2×4. Can’t be safe.
OMG I hate changing my rv tires every 5 years. I take such good care of them they look like they’re right out of the shop. But I grit my teeth and do it. AAMOF…just did it.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Good stuff! 🙂 Dayton Hill and Coach Connections is not in the list of recommended RV service companies and techs. 🙁 I did add him and contact information to my phone. Thank you and safe travels! 🙂
I was under impression that you replace tires when they worn out, even after one year. Air filter, every time oil change. What about fuel filter? Oil change , also every five years? And don’t forget to wear sunglasses when you on the bottom of your RV. lol Sounds like this is the last place I will take my 21 Galleria LI3 for service. Big time fake advertising.
In the photo, the glasses are on the forehead, not covering eyes. But, a chunk of dirt from overhead is a good reason to use something for protection. Tinted is better than nothing.
Common sense has escaped the zoo.