How do we decide which RV maintenance tasks we’ll do ourselves and which we leave to the pros, and how much does service cost? And what was the potential fire hazard that First Truck Centre uncovered in our last video!?
Despite the moniker, “DIY RVer” doesn’t mean we perform every item on our maintenance list ourselves. There are so many things to consider, and just about every decision involves more than just price.
In this video, we follow up on our recent visit to First Truck Centre in Abbotsford, BC, Canada by explaining how and why we decide whether to do things ourselves. If it surprises you to learn that RVers who consider themselves DIYers would pay a shop to do something seemingly as basic as an oil change, watch the video to see exactly why!
Since we get lots of questions about pricing, we’ve included details below. Before you look at the cost to replace the air dryer desiccant canister and ask “Why would anyone ever have that done at a shop?” check out the video for a discussion about quality-of-life considerations and see why things aren’t always quite so cut and dry.
While one of the primary reasons we perform any of our own maintenance or repairs is to save money, it’s not the only consideration. So while there are times we do things ourselves, we sometimes decide not to. As mentioned in the video, those sorts of personal budget choices are something we each have to figure out for ourselves.
Following is a breakdown of the jobs we had performed at our recent maintenance visit to First Truck Centre (just click on one to expand it for more detail). Prices are listed in both Canadian dollars and US dollars, using the approximate conversion rate applicable at the time of our visit ($1.00 US = $1.25 CAD).
Motorhome Lube Service (LOF or ‘Lube/Oil/Filter’):
This service included:
- Changing the engine oil
- Replacing the oil filter
- Replacing the fuel/water separator
- Replacing the 2-micron fuel filter
- Checking belts & tensioners
- Lubing the chassis
| Motorhome Lube Service Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| Parts | $230.97 | $184.78 |
| Labor | $299.00 | $239.20 |
| Sub-Total | $529.97 | $423.98 |
Coolant Flush & Replace:
| Coolant Flush & Replace Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| Parts | $183.70 | $146.96 |
| Labor | $217.50 | $174.00 |
| Sub-Total | $401.20 | $320.96 |
Air Dryer Desiccant Cartridge:
| Air Dryer Desiccant Replacement Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| Parts | $75.79 | $60.63 |
| Labor | $72.50 | $58.00 |
| Sub-Total | $148.29 | $118.63 |
CAC Clamp Torquing:
| Torquing CAC Clamps Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| Parts | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Labor | $72.50 | $58.00 |
| Sub-Total | $72.50 | $58.00 |
Ride Height Adjustment:
| Ride Height Adjustment Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| Parts | $17.87 | $14.30 |
| Labor | $319.00 | $255.20 |
| Sub-Total | $336.87 | $269.50 |
Tag Axle Wheel Seal:
| Tag Axle Wheel Seal Replacement Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| Parts | $51.30 | $41.04 |
| Labor | $290.00 | $232.20 |
| Sub-Total | $341.30 | $273.04 |
TOTAL COST SUMMARY:
| Summary of Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| $CAD | $US | |
| All Scheduled Maintenance | $1,488.83 | $1,191.06 |
| Repair Leaking Wheel Seal | $341.30 | $273.04 |
| Miscellaneous Shop Supplies | $120.70 | $96.56 |
| Sales Tax (PST & GST) | $234.10 | $187.28 |
| GRAND TOTAL | $2,184.93 | $1,747,94 |
As we mentioned in the video, we’re including a link (below) to a copy of the spreadsheet we use for tracking the schedule for our chassis maintenance. We’re linking to a ZIP file that contains three versions: Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and a PDF… so you can use the format that works best for you.
Of course, the schedule included in our spreadsheet is appropriate for our chassis. We compiled our list from the recommended service intervals listed in the owner’s manuals for all of our chassis components. Be sure to review your manuals and make the necessary changes to ensure you are maintaining your RV’s chassis properly.
Even though every RVer’s situation is different, we hope you find this overview of our chassis maintenance service decisions and costs to be helpful.
Recent & Related Videos:
- RV Maintenance: Part One — First Truck Centre
- Replacing The Air Cleaner in our Diesel Pusher RV + Tow Bar Giveaway Winner!
- Change the Oil in Your Onan Diesel RV Generator
- Replacing The Fuel Filter in Our RV’s Onan Generator
- Change the Coolant in Your Onan Diesel RV Generator
- RV Tire Age, Care & Replacement
- RV Tire Replacement – Overview & Tips
- Newmar New Aire — First Impression: Space & Quality
Some of Our Favorite RV Gear, Available on Amazon:
- Viair 400P-RV Portable Compressor
- LevelmatePRO Bluetooth RV Leveling Device
- Utility Blocks – Single
- Utility Blocks – 4 Pack
- 20′ Heavy Duty Sewer Hose
- 20′ Sewer Hose Support
- 45° Clear Sewer Elbow
- 25′ NeverKink Drinking Water Hose
- Adjustable Water Pressure Regulator
- Meguiar’s NXT 2.0 Wax
- Aerospace 303
- Invisible Glass w/Rain Repellent
- 360 Siphon Vent – White
- 360 Siphon Vent – Black
Thank you
I have a Newmar Mt. Aire 4305. It has a Onan 7.5 diesel generator. The inverter board in the generator is bad. Does any one know where I can have it repaired rather replace it for $2000.00 ?
Hey Jeff. Sorry to hear about your inverter board failure. Unfortunately, we don’t know of a place that can repair those kinds of things. We hope someone else will chime in here with their experience.
I am a newbie to RVing, but the wife and I are hooked. We tent camped for years and poo pooed rving as “lazy” way to camping, but we were wrong! The convenience of having to take only five to ten steps to use the toilet at night has paid for the cost of our rv already. Thanks for the informative videos, so much to learn and so much to do!
Hi Mark! Thanks for the nice comment. It’s always great to hear we’ve been helpful. So happy to hear you’re not taking extra steps to “poo poo” RVing any more! ?
John and Peter, first a huge thank you for all of your how to videos.
I have learned so very much from you two. I also have learned that because you guide us so well, I can find a way to do much of it myself, or if I have to have someone else do the actual work, I know if it is being done correctly or not.
I can not say how much you have saved me in labor costs as of yet, but know it is in the $$$$.
Allowing me to be able to speak up with knowledge when a shop is trying to take advantage of a female RV’er thinking that I wouldn’t know the difference.
Also in giving me the courage to follow my normal instinct of doing it myself like so many other things that I know I know how to do.
So thank you again for all you do,
Jacque
Thank YOU Jacque for the kind words. It really means a lot to us that we’re helping others to feel confident maintaining their RVs. And as you point out… knowledge is power! We HATE the fact that we’ve heard from many women who feel that they were taken advantage of at service locations! So hearing that our videos have helped you to keep shops honest is really encouraging! And, on the other side of that same coin, we hope that it helps to give you confidence in service locations that you now KNOW are doing things RIGHT! That peace of mind is just as valuable!
We’ve got plenty more videos planned… so we hope they continue to help you!!
Safe travels!
Lots of good info. Thanks. The spreadsheet examples excellent at reminding us to keep track of service and what needs to be done. Sometimes we can forget what was done and when. I guess we are too busy enjoying the RV adventures and forget to record stuff. Now we know better.
LOL! It’s true, Iggy… it can be hard to interrupt all of the “having fun” on adventures and remember that our homes on wheels need some regular TLC! We try to augment the spreadsheet with reminders in our calendar so that we don’t forget! We ARE getting older, after all! ?
Excellent video as always. Looking at the cost breakdown, similar work in a small, ugly, semi-qualified shop in San Francisco area would cost you about $4k. Just oil and filter change here runs for $1,000. I love First Truck center facilities in your video, I wish they had one in California. This is the only reason I try to do my own maintenance on our 2000 Monaco Windsor. If we had this First Truck center in our area, I wouldn’t touch a thing on our motorhome. I am jealous :-)
Sorry to hear about the high cost of service in your area, Ali. I guess being a full-timer in this case is a double-edge sword…. you don’t have a “local” shop to establish a relationship with, but you aren’t stuck with one you DON’T WANT to have a relationship with.
Ali, consider getting some work done in BC (at a huge CAD dollar discount) just ONE of the reason to motor on up for a
visit. There’s some pretty good scenery and delightful people as well.
Great video guys, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following your channel and actually made a trip down to Tough Top for some new slide toppers based on your recommendation.
Good to see the tech picked up the bushings and the tag seal, could have been a real inconvenience had it happened on route somewhere. I’m due for the annual maintenance so I think I’ll try FT in Abbotsford, not far up highway from their other location where I normally go.
Your tail lights look very interesting, they sure don’t look like original equipment, any tips?
Thanks again for the great video.
Graeme Arnott
Hi Graeme! Thanks for the nice note. We’ve now been to both the Surrey and Abbotsford First Truck Centres, and we gotta say, there’s something about brand spanking new that’s awesome! Of course the service at both was great. Nice to hear that you’re local and can take advantage of either location. As far as our taillights…. they’re dead stock! We LOVE the look, and it was one of the things that attracted us to the Mountain Aire. Glad you like them, too. :)
by the way, we just replaced the slide out toppers on our RV with the help of your videos. Have to laugh because it took four of us to do it, but the important thing is we did it. the tough top awnings are great, thanks for the video and the heads up on who to order from.
Excellent! That’s great to hear. Thanks for letting us know. :)
I must say , if you ever trade this unit in on a new MH, the person who buys the old one will get a like new MH. you sure take excellent care for her
Thanks so much, Pius. We sure do try to take care of our stuff. And since pretty much all we own is an RV and a car, we can really focus on them! :)
I can’t get your “RV Geeks Chassis Maintenance Spreadsheet to download.
John… try right-clicking on it and chose the option for “Save Linked File” (or whatever is appropriate for your operating system… it varies). That should prompt you for where on your computer you want to save the file.
John Koenig was a famous CHP officer on the front line of the 1965 watts riot!!!
Some excellent information. I do most every maintenance item and repair on my RV. However, there are just some things that require professional eyes, experience and tools. Sometimes I even have routine things, such as an oil change, done at a shop just for mere convenience. Great video as usual.
Thanks Lou! Right on. It’s great to be able to DIY on as many tasks as possible, but it’s nice to have a trusted pro get involved sometimes, too.
Awesome and nice to see a pro do a great job. Back breaking and hard dirty work. I always tip guys like this. If you can give chickee poo 10 dollars for bringing out your Fajitas then its OK to give this guy a 20.
Thanks for the follow-up video that you teased us with a couple of weeks ago. If you have any photos or video of the old inner wheel seal beside a new one it would be great to see. Looking at the old one I see where the mechanic is pointing but can not see any damage.
(Hit return and it posted, but I wanted new paragraph) Also wanted to mention – I like your built in jack. Were jack stands also used?
The only reason our jacks were extended is that, since we were standing right there, we offered to jack the right side so they could place the jack stands. Of course they normally would use a floor jack to raise it before placing the stands.
Hi John! Sorry we were trying very hard not to interfere with their work, so it was difficult to get as much footage as we would if we’d been doing the job ourselves. The only footage we have of the seal is what was shown in the video. In person, we could indeed see up at the top where the rubber was torn, but it’s hard to see on camera, especially with oil all over it.
I’m sorry if I missed it, but how often is this service due? I understand that you guys are full timers but the wife and I are still deciding which class we want to start at. Thanks for the great videos
Hi Jim,
We didn’t include the details of our maintenance schedule in the video itself… but included in the text of the post (down near the bottom) is a link to a ZIP file that includes the spreadsheet we put together to track the schedule for when things are due for our chassis. Some things are every year (like the oil change & chassis lube), while other items are every 2, 3 or even 5 years. Unfortunately, most RV manufacturers don’t give you a consolidated maintenance schedule when you buy a new rig… so you’ll end up doing what we did: digging through all of the manuals for all of the chassis components (axles, engine, transmission, etc) in order to compile them into one master. Takes a while… but it also helps you to know/understand your RV that much better. Good luck on your RV shopping!
Hmmm, usually these posts contain the video. If it’s out there, I’ll find it.
If you’re ever out this way, I’m just up the street from Acacia Grove RV park, and there’s room in front of my house for an RV. In August, SB, hosts the Desert Daze music festival so in addition to CP and CN trains going by, there’s live music. :)
Jon (formerly from Vancouver, BC)
Hi Jonathan! The video is embedded at the top of the post as always. It’s possible it didn’t load correctly, so if you try reloading the page, it should show up nice and large right at the tope. Thanks for the invite. We’ll keep you in mind.
OK, now it’s here. After I watched the video on YouTube. :)
Jon
I have a 99 37s pace arrow and got stuck in some cold weather and ruptured one of my water lined down in the basement. Have you ever blown out a water line in you RV and fixed it yourself and if so what procedure did you use to find and fix it.
Sorry to hear, Scott. We did a video last year about a plumbing repair we did. Although it’s likely a different situation that yours, it goes into some detail about working with PEX, which is what many (most?) RVs use. Hope you find this helpful. You can find it here. We also did a video about looking into difficult-to-see areas that might be helpful as well in this case. That one’s here.
Thank you