Do you fear the pitfalls of owning a Vintage RV?
You are not alone.
When you consider that an RV is a home on wheels.
A home swaying, bumping and bouncing down the roadways.
The sheer complexity of an RV ought to frighten any sane person.
I struggled with the same fear.
The fears of wasted days sitting along the roadside.
Stranded, alone and lost.
I’ve managed to conquer doubt and tame those fears.
Would you like to learn how?
Roadside assistance.
There is no illusion greater than fear.
Lao Tzu
What is the worst that can happen?
Seriously, what is the worst that can happen?
Flat tire and no spare?
Out of fuel and no station in sight?
Dead battery and no jumper cables?
Motor quit and puked its guts on the ground?
Okay, so you are broke down sitting on the roadside.
Here comes that little voice from inside …. “I just knew this was going to happen.”
Oh shit (outside voice).
What now?
The journey home.
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
A noise that can best be described as a wailing baboons frenzied battle cry.
A horrible screeching scream of impending doom.
What the hell is that?
A quick scan across the gauges.
Oil pressure check, air pressure check, coolant temperature check.
All gauges check out.
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Blood pressure catapults as the screaming alarm continues to wail.
That irritating screech that sends every cat within a mile scattering for cover.
The journey home with our new to us Vintage RV just got real.
Let’s back up and start from the beginning of this adventure.
This adventure began way back in the year 2000.
Married just a few years with 2 children ages 4 and 6.
We decided it was time to introduce the world outside our town to Nicole and Taylor.
Actually I decided it was time and coaxed Erica into the idea. She was reluctant to say the least.
The dot com bubble had burst not long ago and the World Wide Web was wild and untamed. A jumble of flashing pages, cheesy adds and Bulletin Boards (A pre-cursor of forums).
Searching for a Vintage RV was a combination of scanning adds in the printed newspaper and eBay (craigslist didn’t exist).
Traveling to actually see an RV in person was akin to an episode of The Barn Find Hunter. You weren’t quite sure what to expect.
We expected a clean, well maintained and polished RV.
Hopefully, a diamond in the rough.
The most common find was a neglected RV that was put out to pasture and forgotten.
Eventually after 3 years of searching, researching and a costly long distance attempt we made a deal and set off on the adventure.
The adventure began on eBay.
Including several exciting and tense days during the auction we won.
The RV was ours and the deposit was due.
The RV was a 1983 Blue Bird Wanderlodge FC33.
The first thing I did was contact the seller by phone and discuss the process and expectations.
Only after I was comfortable with the arrangement and his reassurance he would refund my deposit if the RV wasn’t as advertised did I send the money.
The RV was located in Rapid City South Dakota.
The journey traversed the plains of South Dakota and our home state of Minnesota and covered 500 miles.
We decided to rent a car for the trip out and drop it off at a local rental station and drive the RV back.
Since this was our maiden voyage we decided to leave the kids with the grandparents.
The plan was to set out early, pickup the RV and drive at least half way home the same day.
If you’ve never travelled I90 across South Dakota well it’s flat, boring and mostly uneventful.
The adventure began at daybreak with the clothes on our backs a cooler with snacks and a toolbox with the basics, pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, wire and duct tape.
The drive out was uneventfully boring.
Upon arriving we were very pleasantly surprised.
The RV was exactly as advertised.
After a far to brief inspection the funds were exchanged, title signed over and rental car returned.
As we entered the roadway we felt like we were sitting atop the world.
Giddy with excitement and anticipation we ventured east towards Minnesota.
The drive from the pickup point to I90 was about 3 miles, not much time to acclimate to the driving this RV.
After a few miles I felt comfortable cruising 55 mph.
So far so good … all signs pointed to smooth sailing ahead.
The serenity didn’t last long …
It happened about 2 hours after departure.
A surprise.
The type of surprise that grabs your attention like a fart in church.
The first surprise
South Dakota is mostly flat.
On a clear day you can see 25 miles ahead.
When you can see the next town and the road sign reads 25 miles ahead you know the land is flat.
Anxiously, we continued to the next off ramp to find a safe place to troubleshoot the problem.
After finding a spot in an open parking lot we began the investigation.
The first task was to walk around the RV and check for signs of a problem.
No fluids pouring out, check.
No hissing, burping or unusual noises, check.
No parts hanging down or visible damage, check.
Beginning to feel better now we continue the search.
Let’s verify the fluid levels because gauges can be off.
Engine oil level, check.
Engine coolant level, check.
Transmission fluid level, check.
Air pressure, check.
Power steering fluid level, low.
Wait, what… low power steering fluid.
Could that possibly trigger an alarm?
An annoying armageddon is coming screeching wail.
Can’t hurt to add some fluid but…
I didn’t bring any power steering fluid.
Tip #1: When in a pinch improvise.
Automatic transmission fluid works for pump fluid so we top it off with that.
Now the moment of truth… we turn the key…
The second surprise
Silence.
No alarm wailing.
Worse yet no engine running.
We have another unexpected surprise.
When turning the ignition key to engage the starter nothing happens.
I mean nothing at all.
Not good.
Try again and nothing.
Turn the key seventeen more times and still nothing.
Close the doors, windows, wiggle the steering wheel and stand on my head but still nothing.
Double oh shit!
This is the point where the “I told you this was a bad idea” turns to “What the hell did you get me into now”.
Unfortunately my attempted reassurance that we have food onboard and a bed to sleep in isn’t well received.
The crying starts and the stress levels skyrocket.
For some reason the words “Relax I will get this figured out honey” doesn’t improve the mood.
When confronted with an unusual problem with a new vehicle the next step is to consult previous owner.
Thankfully cell phones had been invented and we have ours with.
A quick call the to previous owner offers hope.
He has had the same problem.
These RVs use spring brakes for parking.
There is no park in the transmission.
If the transmission is not in neutral the engine starter will not engage.
A quick scan shows the shifter is in the neutral position.
Probably give it a quick wiggle to verify.
Then the most pleasant sound reverberates into my ears.
Click.
The gear selector was a hair short of fully locked into neutral.
A quick turn of the key and the engine roars to life.
Whoop whoop whoop!
A quick glance to the copilot to for acknowledgment of success isn’t met with the same excitement but a scowl that translates into something like “You dumb ass”.
Anyway the engine is purring and to our delight the wailing buzzer of doom is silent!
Double whoop whoop a fist pump and I got this honey look which is again met with a look that can best be described as “You lucky dumb ass”.
Life is an adventure
Heres the point, every RV ever built from home conversions to factory production models experience problems.
These are mechanical machines.
Built by hard working people.
The results are not perfect.
You should expect the unexpected.
Surprises happen, some fun and some unpleasant.
There will be delays.
Theres never a good time for the unwanted surprise.
The key is how you deal with the unexpected.
Evaluate the problem
The first task is to identify the problem and the severity.
Some problems are simply inconveniences.
Like a busted mirror, flakey water heater or poorly cooling refrigerator.
A cooler with ice will get you thru the current road trip.
Inconveniences are annoying and likely can be addressed after your current trip is done.
Problems that may result in a break down and sitting along the roadside should be address ASAP.
Leaking oil, coolant and low tire pressure are examples of items that should be addressed at the nearest stopping point.
A roadside rest area, fuel station or parking lot.
The side of the road is no place to address these types of problems and can be dangerous.
Problems that jeopardize safety need immediate attention.
Critical systems include the steering components, brakes, tires and lights when driving at night.
Breaking down on the road can be costly and fortunately there is an option when this does happen.
Roadside assistance programs are available in the U.S. specifically for RV owners.
Companies like Good Sam and Coach-Net offer annual plans for providing road side assistance when needed.
The plans include phone assistance, fuel delivery, locksmith service, mobile service tech service and towing service.
These plans have operators available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including holidays.
The cost for towing an RV can run into the thousands of dollars.
These service plans begin below $100 for the basics like fuel delivery, technical assistance and towing.
Over the years these providers have realized that there are people who wait until they need the service to enroll.
Now they require a 24 hour waiting period before coverage begins.
So don’t wait until you need the service, enroll now.
I’ve used both CoachNet and Good Sams.
Once when the starter stopped working. In this case a mobile service technician was dispatched and a new starter installed.
The first $150 was covered thru the service provider.
Another instance was when I ran out of fuel on my tow vehicle.
Fuel delivery was coordinated and we were back on the road in short order.
If you take away just one thing from this article please take the time to enroll in a roadside assistance plan.
Nearly every RV owner I’ve spoken with had good experiences and continue to utilize the service.
Make the call or follow the links and enroll today!
