RV Travel: ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COSTS - summer 2003 by Peggi McDonald

I also receive many questions about maintenance costs.

I am relaying this so everyone is aware that there are good and bad (months) years, although in the long run everything averages out, some years will be higher than others and you must expect it. 2003 was a good example of a not so good year.

Good times while RVing always outnumber the bad but not every day is perfect and some will be a bit more costly than others. This is the reason I strongly urge every RVer to have a $5000.00 emergency fund so you do not have to use your travel funds for surprise repairs – ours is a zero balance credit card that we can deal with when we return home in the summer....
Having a contingency fund in place that you add to on a regular basis also helps to pay for routine upgrades and unexpected repairs.

I have recently ‘spoke’ to many RVers by email about maintenance costs of RVing. Some years, like this one for us, can be exceptionally costly, BUT most are not. When we drove gas motorhomes we budgeted $3500.00 (Cdn $) per year for both vehicles and frequently came in well under that. (In 1991 our maintenance reached $9000.00 on our 8 year old Kastle #1.) 2002 our diesel maintenance was $3000.00 Cdn$ ($174.00 for the car) – no one thing in particular stood out. Most of the past four years have been similar amounts. (P.S. We did spend $4200.00 on extensive renovations but that was our choice to make changes– details and photos are posted on www.rvliving.net).
NOTE: Just for info the winter of 2004/5 was on the high side only because we had to replace our fridge.

Well nothing in life stays the same – prices listed below are after taxes. Spring 2002 we updated our tow car – the new baseplate and lighting cost us $1300.00 Cdn (1000 US$). During the same time the furnace motor quit on our 95 Luxor, as well as a check valve on the water pump plus other miscellaneous things at an additional cost of $1100.00 Cdn (800.00 US$). One week later the check valve on our water heater quit ($100.00 Cdn more ($75.00 US$) and then the ballast on two 18" ‘thin-lites’ stopped functioning at an approximate replacement cost of $70-$80.00 Cdn each ($50-60 US$). Routine class B maintenance (oil change, lubrication and overall check-up) plus regular tune-up/oil change/some parts on our generator added another $1300.00 Cdn ($1000. US$). A few items needed replacement although nothing serious was wrong but the preventive service contributes to this years maintenance cost. (Our Luxor too was eight years old that year and our house portion to demanded a little upgrade.)

Next our windshield cracked in April with a deductible of $300.00. (In the following 1.5 years we had to replace 3 windshields each with a deductible of $300.00 Cdn This meant we had to add new website lettering (plus we installed an Invisible Bra to our new tow car) at another $250 Cdn$ (approx $200. US$). While at Buffalo, NY dry camping at the FMCA convention, our 4 year-old batteries no longer would hold a charge, so four new golf cart batteries added another $580.00 Cdn ($460.00 US$).
NOTE: I was shocked when the Interstate battery techs told us that most batteries can only expect a lifespan of 4 years – anything more is a bonus.

However we were not done yet that summer. While the coach was coming to life from under a cloud of oxidization thanks to comprehensive detailing last summer (approximately $650.00 Cdn ($500. US$) for service and miracle products) – photos and details are also on www.rvliving.net, John cleaned the wheel wells and the tires. He discovered the cracks on the sidewalls of our four-year old front tires were becoming deeper and he no longer felt safe driving our motorhome. (RV Tires too have a life between 4-5 years). So in August we ordered two front tires at a cost of $409.00 Cdn each plus tax. (Approx $325.00 US$) Replacing two front ones added another $1000.00 Cdn ($800.00 US$) towards maintenance (the other four tires we replaced spring 2004.) From the middle of April to early August our maintenance for both vehicles reached $6550.00 Cdn ($5250.00 US$). The balance of the year we have added another $1200.00 Cdn ($900.00 US$) in furnace control/switch problems, control panel for HWH jacks and repairs to our Power Line Monitor that were damaged during a power surge from a blown main transformer at our park plus our wall thermostat also needed replacing. All in all this has been a costly year.

Remember; look at the big picture to understand your overall cost of RVing. On the days when things look a little black don’t forget there really is no journey as joyful as seeing North America in an RV. RV Living IS the Freedom Lifestyle. What better way to explore this great continent? With a bit of advance planning your travels will be outstanding and breakdowns non-existent. Enjoy your journey everyone.

Peggi and John are RV Lifestyle Consultants, Webhosts of the Information Site For ALL RVers –www.rvliving.net. Peggi’s newest book is RV Living in the 21st Century includes the best of her first best-seller Spirit of the Open Road plus seven years of updates. For details and more listings of ‘where to buy RV Living in the 21st Century’ go to www.rvliving.net/spiritcont.htm
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http://www.rveducation101.com/detailpages/RVLiving.htm?siteID=0

Re-printed with permission for www.rveducation101.com