Are you thinking about buying a new RV?  Please look into the brand, model etc. very closely.  Some of them like to make things “there way” and when that happens, out the door goes generic replacement parts.  I have just found that out rather the hard way.

Several years ago we were looking into buying a nice motor home.  We looked into different brands and found that the upper end motor homes (class A variety) were made by companies in America, using American parts and employing Americans.  They were proud as heck of their quality and all of them espoused “the best of the best”.  Looking into reviews on the web, we found that most owners of them liked them very much.

When we found a local couple selling their Fleetwood Flair, my ears perked up and I researched what I could find and all looked very favorable.  We looked at it and the floor plan was “almost” perfect for what we wanted.  The length of it was just what I wanted, something over 25 ft, but under 30 ft.  It is 26 ft long and very easy to maneuver.  We talked to the bank and found out it was priced about $6,000 under blue book.  So we bought it.

The couple we bought it from were selling it because they couldn’t store it in their Salt Lake City place(s).  They were both widowers and going to sell his home and fix hers up and live in it.  She did not have anywhere to store the coach and he didn’t want to pay monthly fees.  So they decided to sell it and buy another one when they got all their affairs in order and settled and once again would be able to do the “snow bird” thing.  She was in tears when we drove it away.  She really loved that thing and all the memories they had with it.

Ok, to my point.  Last summer I noticed a small leak in the sky light over the shower.  No big deal, but a leak none the less.  I would have to address it before we began any traveling this year.  I was up on the roof making sure all vent covers etc were well caulked etc.  While checking the sky light cover caulking I saw a 4 inch crack in the sky light.  Near the center of the bubble.

More research informed me that the sky lights were made of a plastic that could not be fixed unless by a certified “plastic welder”.  I did not go there, but did try and find out if there was any other way to fix it.  On line I spend about six hours trying to find a fix it way, or to order a replacement.

This sky light, like most comes in two parts.  One on the outside of the coach.  Mounts flat against the roof and is caulked.  The second part mounts on the inside of the coach, over the shower, and it bubbles up into the outside part.  It too is caulked, but the caulking is out of sight from the viewer, between the bubble flange and the coach ceiling.  No big deal to take down or put back up.

Both of my parts are cracked at the flanges in several places and for sure there has been water getting around them both for what looks like several years.  All of the screws holding the inside bubble were rusted in half and about the only thing holding the bubble in place was the caulking.  Oh well, such is life with an older coach.

I knew I had to replace both parts and I went searching for replacements.  The parts people at Fleetwood were wonderful to work with and they even went into their wearhouse, found the part we suspected would fit my coach.  He measured his on that end, I measured mine at my end and we compared the measurments.  Sure enough, the year they made my coach they had used one of two different sky lights on their various models and mine was the one he was measuring.  Ok, fine I thought.  It’s good they have one.  How much?  Well, he says as he looks it up in the book.  $259, plus $3 handling, plus $30 shipping.  OUCH!  That’s $300 bucks!  I can’t afford that!  I’ll look on line.  I saw some for under $100.  Ok, he says, I can’t blame you, I couldn’t afford $300 either.  But just in case, the part number is #502Ou812 (not the real number).

I spent the next 3 hours searching on the web.  All these parts places that guaranteed they had my part, didn’t.  Salvage yards that claimed to have every part of every rv known to have been build since Jesus was around, didn’t.  All the standard sky lights found in every motor home in the world measured generally the same, all within 1/2 inch of both measurements, but not mine!  My rough hole opening is 16X24 inches.  Theirs are 14X22 or 18X30.  Their prices varied, but most generally were in the $150 range.

I can’t modify my rough hole opening.

This morning I woke to a light rain!  And the plastic covering I had taped to the top of the coach was laying on the ground.  I panicked to put a plastic tarp ove the top of the coach and tie it off on both ends.  And then called Fleetwood and ordered the $300 part.

Bears Butt

April 17, 2012