Rubber roof. Interior.

[StanleyandIris]

Hi Everyone!

I haven't been here in a few years so I am a bit lost all over again. But, I need a little help, well, a lot of help.

We have a 42' diesel motorhome which we have not used since DH's open heart surgery 3 years ago. Frankly, it is sitting and looking sadder by the day, in a storage lot near home. I think we need to sell it and get something much smaller and easier to handle. BUT, we need a new roof, we have leaks and we have TERMITES!

I do not know here to begin.

We have nothing here as far as repair people. The RV dealerships here are horrid. We have dealt with them before and the experiences were so unpleasant, I would rather not even try. As it is I am scared to even start fixing things because we do not know what we are doing. I am afraid to see what might be under the roof and am convinced that no one will ever be able to put it back together again.

Where do I go?

Thanks,

Iris

[crasster]

EDPM coating will work on the roof. Termites are another story. Odd to get those in a coach. Usually they need to be on the ground or connected to ground.

[gonesouth]

Hi Iris, I remember when you and Stanley bought your motorhome. I was looking as well and used to haunt this place. but for the life of me I can't remember what you bought, other than it was a 'nice' rig. If you tell us what model and year it is we may be able to give you advice on the value to expect for it.

Hope you and Stanley are doing better these days.

Regards
Jim

[John_Joey]

GMandJM wrote:
You're obviously a good person, Iris. I hope everything goes well for you.

Please do let us know.

X2

Seems like this happens more then most people would think. We bump into a lot of RV'ers that set out with a workable retirement lifestyle only to have a crippling illness hit one of them.

Hope things work out for you two.

[GMandJM]

You're obviously a good person, Iris. I hope everything goes well for you.

Please do let us know.

[StanleyandIris]

Thank you all for taking time to reply. I do have a group of great skilled workers, carpenters, electricians, roofers, etc. who did renos and repairs on my home. I guess I thought we needed some special RV people. And, no, I would not sell it in its current condition without complete disclosure and having it repaired correctly. I could never do that to someone.

Thanks again,
Iris

[GMandJM]

Definitely contact a Standby Sam and explain your situation. If there's someone in your area, they could likely take a look at what you have and maybe recommend a mobile service that can help you out.

There might also be a users' group on line for your specific brand of RV that could give you insight and direction.

I agree with DrewE about selling it "As Is" with full disclosure.

You could also contact PPL to see if they'd even consider taking it on consignment.

Good luck to you and your husband.

[DrewE]

I would suggest selling it as is, being honest about the condition, for whatever I could get. I doubt that you'd be able to break even on any repair work to bring it up to good condition in terms of selling price. To properly repair things, I think you'd have to strip off the roofing, replace whatever is water and termite damaged, and go from there. The damage could well be extensive and expensive.

It sounds as though your life has been rather hectic and eventful and far from ideal the past few years. I'm sorry to hear of that. Hopefully you're able to work things out so you can get something that suits you really well.

[John_Joey]

You might want to try this website Clicky. I'm a little up in the air on them, but it's a start.

If you're a Good Sam's member (if not I would join) I would give this site a try. Clicky. I've had nothing but good luck with Standby Sam's.

[Bumpyroad]

and this is why I am resistant to buying a used RV. here we will try to scam a dealer on roof and termite damage.
and it will just get passed onto the buyer.
bumpy

[Golden_HVAC]

First I might suggest getting a price to tent the RV and have it treated for termites.

Then ask the termite people about renting the tent for a few weeks, until you have time to deal with the roof leaks. They probably can let you use the tent for a few weeks - no additional cost or something minimal. Your storage company might not 'like it' but really they can deal with it, you are a long term customer, and probably they can handle it.

As for coating the roof, this is something that 'anybody' can do. You might be able to hire a local handyman to do this work. Look on Craigslist.com for a handyman able to paint. They are not to afraid of heights, and can apply this stuff, easy enough. You will need a couple of dry days, it will be warm enough (must be applied over 55F).

They will need to clean the roof, using care not to push water into the leaking areas. Then paint on this coating, you will probably require about 10 gallons. Cost should be around $1,000 - give or take and that will also allow something like $200 for labor.

If you are really afraid of hiring a stranger to work for you, you might consider a labor company, like Labor Ready (that is what they use at my work to do odd jobs, such as taking out the trash in the retirement center where I work). They can send out a person who has had a background check done, and will perform all sorts of manual labor, such as cleaning the gutters of your home, or raking leaves, and such.

Check out this video, it shows how easy it is to apply the product. Do you have any children who could apply it for you, or perhaps they have friends who can do something like this? It really is as easy as applying paint, and I did this to my RV last year. It leaves behind a really nice looking roof coating, and looks like a white paint job. You probably would not have a problem selling your RV once coated, and the interior stains from any leaks are cleaned up, and painted over or treated so you can no longer see them...

http://www.epdmcoatings.com/videos_play.php?vid=25

Watch the video. Ask questions if you want on this page. Or start a new topic, about roof leaks, and someone might chime in on how they did this to their RV as well.

Good luck, and hopefully you can sell your RV and buy something that you are comfortable driving. A class C in the 24 - 26' range is very easy to drive, and they take in trades of DP's! That solves your problem with selling the old one too! It sounds like you might have to drive to a larger city to get a good deal on the next class C, and trade in the old one. Explore your options. They can come get the old RV if you are making a deal to buy the new one. But it is important to get the leaks fixed, and looking good before trading it in. Anything that the dealer does not know about ( termites and prior leaks) they can find on their own, or really do not want to know about, because anything that you do not tell them, they will not need to pass on to the next buyer.


Fred.