Life on the road in an RV is not all fun and games. Things go wrong. RVs are complex systems that are subjected to constant abuse. Often we have no control over what happens (e.g. mechanical breakdowns), but sometimes our own bone-headed actions, even after years of rving, cause avoidable problems. Lest you think it is always smooth sailing, I am dedicating this page to all the avoidable and unavoidable “Oops!” that happen on our trip.
1. Did not properly secure surplus strap holding bikes on the bike rack causing strap to drag for hundreds of miles and fraying the strap.
2. 12v sewer pump not operational – will rely on gravity dump until repaired.
3. First rung of roof ladder broke – will use onboard telescoping ladder to access roof when needed.
4. Failed to put toad in park before disconnecting tow bar causing toad to roll forward onto my left leg (good thing it did not roll backwards as I lack the foot speed to catch it) – not planning to do that again.
5. Automatic awning failed to stow properly. Repaired by repositioning the awning fabric at roof line to remove tension on arms.
6. Right side camera not providing image. Will rely on mirrors and trust the other guy to get out of the way.
7. Bedroom lights intermittently do not work. Had this gremlin before. Will hope it goes away.
8. Hotwater feed line leaking at manifold under bathroom sink. Repaired leaky joint. Purchased new pressure regulator.
9. Left rear hydraulic jack partially extended during transit. Cycling of hydraulic system on side of road caused jack to retract.
10. Cabinet door opened during transit. Extension of living room slide snagged the door and bent the hinges. Used calibration hammer to reshape hinges and reinstall door.
11. Retracting bunk slide snagged bathroom door and bent hinges (sensing a theme here?). I put my weight into solving this problem. The door even closes and locks now.
12. Power door steps quit working. Amazon shipped replacement motor overnight. Replaced motor. Recalibrated motor stops to avoid binding.
13. Bolt securing bike rack to hitch receiver snapped leaving bolt embedded in rack. Drilled out bolt and hammered in star bit to unscrew bolt from rack. Replaced bolt with M12-40 bolt from hardware store. Performed this exercise a second time, but replaced with 80mm bolt and secured both ends. Installed hitch tightener to reduce sway.
14. Towel in toaster oven caught fire when oven inadvertently turned on. Towel was used to keep broiler tray from rattling.
15. Toilet chute clogged. Used rod to push blockage into black tank. Reiterated proper flushing techniques.
16. Driver side rear leveling jack is slow to retract. Cleaned and lubed shaft. Still slower than other jacks, but much better.
17. Overflowed toilet while adding extra water for sewer flush. Rod used to hold flush pedal down shifted causing chute to close while still adding water. Bummer.
18. Warning light and alarm for toad brake line intermittently activating during transit. Coiled cable connecting motorhome to toad had loose connection. Repaired.
19. 12 volt receptacle in dash used for GPS quit working. Switched to another 12 volt receptacle. Still need to troubleshoot.
20. 12v Combination co/gas alarm periodically would alarm for gas detection (usually in the middle of the night). I replaced this alarm with a new one before departure. Checked all propane connections for a leak and found none. Purchased plug-in co/gas alarm from Home Depot and disconnected the 12v unit. No alarms since. Will investigate warranty replacement of 12v unit. If claim denied, will hardwire the plug-in unit to the 12 volt system via the battery backup using a 12v to 9v converter. This will enable alarm to run off house batteries instead of a 9v battery when disconnected from shore power.
21. Closing action of toilet blade worsened over time and eventually became very difficult to completely close. Thorough cleaning and lubrication of seal failed to solve problem. Ordered new blade. Removed toilet from bathroom, turned upside down, and unscrewed the two toilet halves exposing the blade mechanism. Removed old blade, popped new blade mechanism in place, replaced seal and buttoned it back up. Replaced closet seal at base of toilet in bath and bolted repaired toilet in place. This was a crappy job.
22. Hitch connector on Blue Ox Tow Bar broke allowing ball connector to rotate. Sent video of issue to Blue Ox customer service. Blue Ox overnighted a replacement hitch connector. Disassembled tow bar and reassembled with new hitch connector.
23. Supplemental refrigerator stored in baggage compartment crapped out. Milk spoiled and ruptured the jug, spilling nasty contents into fridge and storage bay. Fun clean-up!
24. Lost supplemental car brakes. Eventually diagnosed problem as a bad controller. Ordered new controller and swapped it out.
25. Emergency breakaway switch quit working. Ordered replacement. In the meantime, unit began working after good cleaning with WD-40.
26. Cabinet door opened in transit. Popped the hinges when opening slide. Ordered new hinges and repaired door and cabinet.
27. Bike rack hitch bolt broke again. Rack remained secure as one side of 80mm bolt remained tight. Replaced with spare 80mm bolt. Hopefully, we will get as many miles out of this bolt as we did the last.
28. I’ve always thought the tailpipes on the motorhome were hung too low. That proved to be true as we backed into our site in Strafford, NH. The rear tires crested a root and dropped down the backside with the tailpipes following. A bolt holding the driver side tailpipe heat shield hung up on the root bending that tailpipe toward the front. The bend from its normal 90 degrees to about 70 degrees certainly restricts exhaust flow. I think it will be OK until we get home, but will keep an eye on performance and get it repaired if needed.
29. Passenger front tire on the Equinox developed a slow leak. Finally found nail embedded in innermost rib of tread. Local shop declared it not repairable because the puncture was too close to the sidewall. Drove from Brattleboro, VT, to Costco in Springfield, MA. Costco replaced tire under their road hazard warranty at no charge.
30. Freezer not keeping ice cream cold enough. Defrosted freezer and fridge to no avail. I think unit is just struggling because of the high ambient temps.
31. Suspension started groaning and popping while departing Del Rio, Texas. I inspected the undercarriage and did not see anything out of order, other than maybe some worn teflon shims. Had suspension inspected in San Antonio and shop said everything looked OK. The popping stopped, but intermittent groaning accompanied us for the rest of the trip. Eventually noticed that passenger side seemed to be leaning a bit. Took motorhome to truck shop near Wisconsin Dells for inspection. Everything looked OK, but they did say the chassis body at the passenger rear axle was sitting about 3/8 inch lower than the driver side. Appears springs are weakening. I shifted more weight to driver side and will figure out what to do, if anything, when we get home.
32. Accidentally drug tow car about 10 feet with transmission in park instead of neutral. I originally attempted to disconnect the tow from the motorhome after pulling into a pull-through site, but the angle of the car made disconnecting difficult. I decided to drive the motorhome further forward so the car could straighten out. Unfortunately, I had already put the car in park for the disconnect (see lesson from Oops #4). I thought the extra drag I felt when pulling forward was from a ridge the front wheels of the motorhome were attempting to crest while exiting the site…not!
33. Step motor failed again, but this time in the out position while attempting to leave Natural Falls State Park. Disconnected motor and manually closed steps and secured with zip ties for travel. Ordered replacement motor from Amazon and repaired while staying at Lake Fort Smith State Park.