apierro36 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Hi All! To usher in the new year, I've gone ahead and fulfilled a long time dream of mine, to buy a new (to me) used (lightly, hopefully) toyota motorhome! We picked up a decent condition decent aged vehicle for what I think is a decent price. Now the work begins! We are planning on doing a relatively major interior remodel (Cork tile floors, stamped tin backsplash, new countertops with a bar extension, some modification of the table and seats, junking the old heavy fold down sofa, upholstery, paint, etc etc,.) As well as some not so cosmetic upgrades (solar, switching to LED lights inside, Removing the heavy AC unit and awning, not to mention the yet to be discovered issues w propane etc.) We'll see how far we get before the warm weather lures us out... In the meantime, I'm just starting to deal with the nuts and bolts of ownership. Any help or advice anyone could offer on here would be greatly appreciated! Firstly, does anyone have or know of an owners manual for this year/model camper? Or where I could locate one? 2. Does anyone in the greater NYC metropolitan area know of a reputable shop who know RVS where I could take it to get checked? I can, with limited mechanical ability and experience, tell the obvious things, but to have it checked out by someone who knows what theyre looking for would be a great peace of mind. 3.Any experience with portable (read; not hard-mounted, like the fold up ones,) solar units? Our energy consumption is very low (No TV, no AC, limited laptop use), and we won't be on park power hardly ever. I am currently (no pun intended) looking at 90 and 130W systems. Any recommendations? I'm sure I'll be mombarding this forum with questions as I delve into this project. I'll post pictures all around! Thanks in advance for the advice, and Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 3.Any experience with portable (read; not hard-mounted, like the fold up ones,) solar units? Our energy consumption is very low (No TV, no AC, limited laptop use), and we won't be on park power hardly ever. I am currently (no pun intended) looking at 90 and 130W systems. Any recommendations? The "suitcase" solar panels are real handy for RV use since they stow away so easy. Not cheap though. Then tend to cost around $7 per watt. A conventional large panel can be had for $1 per watt. But a 120 watt conventional solar panel is very difficult to transport unless you attach it to your roof. These little suitcase panels fold up and stow away easy. Note that a 30 watt suitcase panel is only going to charge at a little over 1 amp @ 13 volts in good light. That's not an awful lot. Three of them in good light will yield around 5 amps total in good light. http://www.earthtechproducts.com/solar-panel-briefcase.html http://www.ebay.com/itm/Escape-30-Watt-Monocrystalline-Portable-Solar-Panel-/250787030086 http://www.amazon.com/Mono-crystalline-Portable-Briefcase-Solar-Charger/dp/B000GDC2MA/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apierro36 Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) jdemaris: Thanks! Yeah the little suitcase ones are what Ive been lookin at...I was thinkin 130w...My energy use is low, but not 30w low! I know I'll pay for it, but I was thinking go portable because I don't know where I'm gonna end up parkin the beast. Better to have the option to scoot the panel and point it at the sun than have to bake in the RV to run a nightlight. Edited January 3, 2013 by apierro36 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Regarding a reputable shop who know RVs, if your concern is more on the engine/transmission/suspension than the coach area, don't take it to an RV shop, most either have never seen a Toyota or it has been years (5-10) since they saw one. You have a 100% Toyota truck chassis, take it to your regular auto shop that you trust or a Toyota dealer, about the only non-original items on your Toyota is the rear suspension (extra leaf springs and air bags) and a transmission cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Welcome to the group. I agree that taking your MH to an RV shop would not be the best idea. I have talked to several RV shops and they don't want anything to do with a unit that is more than a couple of years old. They want to sell you a new one, not keep a very servicable older unit on the road. I have also stopped at a couple of campgrounds (RV Resorts) that did not want to let me camp due to the age of my MH. I gladly left when I found out what snobs they were. Things to remember: All of your appliances are off the shelf parts that are universal to MH's of that age. The parts are all available. Your chassis, engine, transmission is a Toyota, not a Gulfstream. I have a great shop that was started back in the 70's to service imports. The owner hires excellent mechanics. He is not cheap but he will fix what needs to fixed, including finding rebuilding pieces is it works good and saves money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Recommend finding a great Transmission shop that does all other things. Get in good with the owner; I shoot guns with my mech. He knows my kids now. My rig always gets first rate service. Avoid the tech college cookie cutter service shops like the plague. Ask the shop you are looking for if they ever worked on an old Toyota Uhaul or wrecker; if they did they've done what you need done before. the shop's owner or master mech should have more age on him/her than your motor home does for sure. As far as all other RV stuff; do it yourself. Its ridiculously easy. The only things I wont do personally are : Axle swaps Transmission replace/ repair fuel filter replacement and that's because I need my hands to not be infected for my other job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apierro36 Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Great stuff, thanks all! I guess I was also wondering if anyone had "a guy" in my area. Don't see a lot of rvs in nyc, but hey...theres always north jersey! @Bob C I've heard a lot recently about age of a MH being a factor in excluding people from parks. Take that hard earned money elsewhere! Thanks for the great advice, keep em comin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Great stuff, thanks all! I guess I was also wondering if anyone had "a guy" in my area. Don't see a lot of rvs in nyc, but hey...theres always north jersey! @Bob C I've heard a lot recently about age of a MH being a factor in excluding people from parks. Take that hard earned money elsewhere! Thanks for the great advice, keep em comin! Lots of RVs and RV/marine shops in nearby Long Island. Probably more then in North Jersey (I was born in Cresskill, north Jersey). I've lived in central NY for near 40 years. I worked as an auto and heavy equipment diesel mechanic for many years. Also had my own shop and still have several friends with their own repair shops. That being said - I could not even recommended someone in my own area. There aren't many people around with public repair shops that have the expertise to work on older equipment. It's getting to be a "lost art." I know many individuals that have the skills but don't deal with the public at large. When I first went to work in a repair shop, we rebuilt (in house) all our alternators, carbs, rear axles, auto and manual transmissions, cylinder heads, water pumps, diesel injection pumps, etc. Now adays hardly any shops fix anything "in house." They remove and replace components rebuilt or gotten elsewhere and many are lost if there are no computer codes to guide them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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