My Sentiments Exactly

[william & allene white]

Re: ur e-mail to the GMC Club on- line. It sounds like you are having the
same problems I have been experiencing with my Motorhome. It has been one
thing after another. I get one thing fixed, then experience another
problem, each one more expensive than the other. Each trip we've made has
cost a thousand or more. I'm talking about some short trips also.

First I bought new tires and had new brakes put on, then the Onan
Generator quite in the desert between Las Vegas and Mesquite, NV, on our way
to Montana so no roof air and I did not have dash air (it was about 120
degrees) next the black tank cracked in the middle of the street in Helena
Montana which is considered a remote area as far as transportortation is
concerned, it took five days to get another one. Next , while camping out
in a campground near the East entrance to Glacier Nat'l Park, the air bags
went flat, we were sitting on the tires so could not move. We could not get
AAA to come to our aid (they said to get out the best way we could and they
would pay). Ha Ha. Fortunately we had relatives who came to our aid with
an air compressor. After filling the bags we went ton Great Falls where we
bought an air compessor in order to keep the air bags filled so that we
could make it back home. When we turned the receipts into AAA with a letter
of explanation, they refused to pay.

On the next trip we went to Arkansas and we almost froze. This was in
November. We had no dash heater only the butane, the fitting in the heater
core was broken, and we had a short that was draining all three batteries.

When we returned we learned that the previous owner had cut a hole in the
firewall, we also had cracked headers. Oh yes we were only getting 5 mi to
the gal.

We were returning from the garage where we had these repairs made when the
wheel fell off. To be brief, this was caused when we had the brakes
replaced and the mechanic tightened the bearings too tight causing one of
the bearings to burn. Next while I was installing ALL new dash air, the
radiator blew and while repairing the radiator, the oil lines blew.

I agree, by now I could have bought a new motorhome and I haven't even
gotten to the interior or paint yet.

Owner of a 1973, GMC Glacier, 23'.

William & Allene White
White's Computer

 

[thomas g. warner]

Are most of the problems caused by poor or improper maintenance?

>Re: ur e-mail to the GMC Club on- line. It sounds like you are having the
>same problems I have been experiencing with my Motorhome. It has been one
>thing after another. I get one thing fixed, then experience another
>problem, each one more expensive than the other. Each trip we've made has
>cost a thousand or more. I'm talking about some short trips also.
>
> First I bought new tires and had new brakes put on, then the Onan
>Generator quite in the desert between Las Vegas and Mesquite, NV, on our way
>to Montana so no roof air and I did not have dash air (it was about 120
>degrees) next the black tank cracked in the middle of the street in Helena
>Montana which is considered a remote area as far as transportortation is
>concerned, it took five days to get another one. Next , while camping out
>in a campground near the East entrance to Glacier Nat'l Park, the air bags
>went flat, we were sitting on the tires so could not move. We could not get
>AAA to come to our aid (they said to get out the best way we could and they
>would pay). Ha Ha. Fortunately we had relatives who came to our aid with
>an air compressor. After filling the bags we went ton Great Falls where we
>bought an air compessor in order to keep the air bags filled so that we
>could make it back home. When we turned the receipts into AAA with a letter
>of explanation, they refused to pay.
>
>On the next trip we went to Arkansas and we almost froze. This was in
>November. We had no dash heater only the butane, the fitting in the heater
>core was broken, and we had a short that was draining all three batteries.
>
>When we returned we learned that the previous owner had cut a hole in the
>firewall, we also had cracked headers. Oh yes we were only getting 5 mi to
>the gal.
>
>We were returning from the garage where we had these repairs made when the
>wheel fell off. To be brief, this was caused when we had the brakes
>replaced and the mechanic tightened the bearings too tight causing one of
>the bearings to burn. Next while I was installing ALL new dash air, the
>radiator blew and while repairing the radiator, the oil lines blew.
>
>I agree, by now I could have bought a new motorhome and I haven't even
>gotten to the interior or paint yet.
>
>Owner of a 1973, GMC Glacier, 23'.
>
>
>
>
>William & Allene White
>White's Computer
>
>
>
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach

 

[william & allene white]

OBVIOUSLY! it was poor maintenance, but not on my part. I had just
purchased the coach. It was on the first trip that we had all of the
problems.
- -----Original Message-----
From: Thomas G. Warner
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Saturday, March 13, 1999 2:30 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: My Sentiments Exactly

>Are most of the problems caused by poor or improper maintenance?
>
>
>

>>Re: ur e-mail to the GMC Club on- line. It sounds like you are having
the
>>same problems I have been experiencing with my Motorhome. It has been one
>>thing after another. I get one thing fixed, then experience another
>>problem, each one more expensive than the other. Each trip we've made has
>>cost a thousand or more. I'm talking about some short trips also.
>>
>> First I bought new tires and had new brakes put on, then the Onan
>>Generator quite in the desert between Las Vegas and Mesquite, NV, on our
way
>>to Montana so no roof air and I did not have dash air (it was about 120
>>degrees) next the black tank cracked in the middle of the street in
Helena
>>Montana which is considered a remote area as far as transportortation is
>>concerned, it took five days to get another one. Next , while camping
out
>>in a campground near the East entrance to Glacier Nat'l Park, the air bags
>>went flat, we were sitting on the tires so could not move. We could not
get
>>AAA to come to our aid (they said to get out the best way we could and
they
>>would pay). Ha Ha. Fortunately we had relatives who came to our aid with
>>an air compressor. After filling the bags we went ton Great Falls where
we
>>bought an air compessor in order to keep the air bags filled so that we
>>could make it back home. When we turned the receipts into AAA with a
letter
>>of explanation, they refused to pay.
>>
>>On the next trip we went to Arkansas and we almost froze. This was in
>>November. We had no dash heater only the butane, the fitting in the
heater
>>core was broken, and we had a short that was draining all three batteries.
>>
>>When we returned we learned that the previous owner had cut a hole in the
>>firewall, we also had cracked headers. Oh yes we were only getting 5 mi
to
>>the gal.
>>
>>We were returning from the garage where we had these repairs made when the
>>wheel fell off. To be brief, this was caused when we had the brakes
>>replaced and the mechanic tightened the bearings too tight causing one of
>>the bearings to burn. Next while I was installing ALL new dash air, the
>>radiator blew and while repairing the radiator, the oil lines blew.
>>
>>I agree, by now I could have bought a new motorhome and I haven't even
>>gotten to the interior or paint yet.
>>
>>Owner of a 1973, GMC Glacier, 23'.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>William & Allene White
>>White's Computer
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>Tom & Marg Warner
>Vernon Center NY
>1976 palmbeach
>

 

[william & allene white]

Thank you for all the good information. We will eventually get everything
done, but we are taking it one step at a time as the $$$ becomes available.
If we take our friends' advice we will "jack up the horn and put a new
motorhome under it" But the horn didn't work either until I had it
repaired.

We are going to brave it in a few weeks or a month and make another trip to
the remote area of Montana and hope we can make it without anything major
going wrong.
- -----Original Message-----
From: RickStapls
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Saturday, March 13, 1999 10:14 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: My Sentiments Exactly

>
>> I get one thing fixed, then experience another
>> problem, each one more expensive than the other. Each trip we've made
has
>> cost a thousand or more. I'm talking about some short trips
also........
>(Follows very sad tales of woe..)
>
>William,
> You have my sympathy. No one deserves that much bad luck on one
vehicle.
>FWIW, I don't feel quite so bad about all the things I've had to spend
money
>on the last few yrears.
> If we can help out with info or suggestion, please don't hesitate to
ask.
>Good luck.
>
>Rick Staples
>'75 Eleganza
>Louisville, CO
>
>

 

[david l greenberg]

I decided not to repeat the White's detailed list of problems they have
encountered with their motorhome as it is toooo depressing!

There are always lessons to be learned from these experiences and taking
the solutions in order of easiest to fix:

1/ This is what you can expect from AAA. They now offer RV service but
they still don't get it. I got rid of AAA 5 years ago as I knew they
couldn't compare with Good Sam and the others.
2/ When you buy an RV without knowing the mechanical history there is
great risk. It is sad to hear of the White's breakdown experience and
needless to say it does sour one on owning an older RV regardless of
make.
3/ Don't let pump jockey mechanics touch your coach (not even to pump gas
into it) Over tightening a wheel bearing by an alledgedly competent
mechanic is unacceptable. Seems like a number of the problems the White's
experienced could be traceable to inept service.
4/ Eventually all of these things that will break have broken and have
been replaced with new or equivalent to new and now you basically have an
"Equivalent To New" GMC!
5/ Proper preventitive maintenance from here on out ought to make trips
in their 1973 coach more pleasurable.

David Lee Greenberg F22009
GMC Motorhome Registry
200 MacFarlane Drive PH4
Delray Beach, FL 33483-6829

 

[william & allene white]

In response to the e-mail of Mr. Greenberg as well as others. We sincerely
appreciated your sympathy and words of understanding and compassion for a
new inexperienced owner of a GMC. I was merely replying to another
individual who had run into many problems and $$$ to commiserate with him.
You heard the old saying, "Misery loves company".

At least Mr. Greenberg, you realized that this was in the beginning, when we
first purchased our Motorhome and we were very inexperienced. We also
received superfluous information or statements, however, I'm sure it was
well meant and we appreciate it.

Let me clarify the e-mail that Mr. Duane Simmons sent regarding my 1973
Glacier GMC. He wrote as though he knew all about my mechanic experience
and what I have done and/or had done to my Motorhome. Now let me tell you
"from the horses mouth" so to speak.

When I first purchased the motorhome, I knew the condition it was in. It
had been sitting for ten years. I only paid $7,000 and my bargaining point
was that I will have to put that and more into it.

The coach didn't look too bad, except for the color but we figured we could
live with that for awhile. I very cautiously drove the coach home as it had
VERY VERY little brake and the tires were shot. I stopped at the nearest
tire & brake garage to my home and I had the cheapest tires put on so that I
could later afford the recommended ones and since I had no brake, I had
front brakes, rotors and bearings sent in from Sandusky. Now it was
unfortunate that the bearing was tightened too tight and it could have been
disastrous, but I guess that could go for anything. Anyway, I traveled to
Montana, twice to Arkansas, San Francisco, etc. on those "rag tires" as
Duane called them and they are still going.

We also had to new seals put into the transmission and fluid changed because
it had been sitting. I was given an outrageous quote for the work, but
"Dennis Richardson" of GMC RV, who was recommended to us by another GMC
owner, told me what had to be done and how to do it and saved me many $$$.

Now as for the "GMC doctor". before I went on the trip to Montana, I did
some repair work on it, (actually I can do some things), then I took the
coach to Lamey for a brake booster and new brake line. He also fixed a leak
in the gas filler line, put on a new alternator belt pulley, and he replaced
my "Chinese" points. and gave it a cursory exam. I also had the Onan
generator inspected by the Onan Dealer in Santa Ana and it still failed! In
Great Falls, Montana there was an expert Onan mechanic. He rebuilt the
carburetor, installed new points and discovered solder on the electronic
control board, which he determined was the cause of our problem after it was
given a "clean bill of health" by Santa Ana. Now our generator is working
great.

After our trip to Montana we had NUMEROUS repairs made by GMC RV. these are
repairs I could NOT do. such as install headers, muffler and tail pipe, run
down numerous shorts, put ball valves on my airbag, rework carburetor and
many other repairs for the same price we were quoted just for the headers
some place else. and we are well satisfied with his work. He has saved us
a lot of money.

As for the wheel bearing mishap. The garage made the repairs for free
without an argument. They sent a mechanic to our house to do the work.

As you said Mr. Greenberg, "we basically have the equivalent to a new GMC"
mechanically. Next will be the cosmetics.

- -----Original Message-----
From: davegreenberg1
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Sunday, March 14, 1999 5:33 PM
Subject: GMC: My Sentiments Exactly

>I decided not to repeat the White's detailed list of problems they have
>encountered with their motorhome as it is toooo depressing!
>
>There are always lessons to be learned from these experiences and taking
>the solutions in order of easiest to fix:
>
>1/ This is what you can expect from AAA. They now offer RV service but
>they still don't get it. I got rid of AAA 5 years ago as I knew they
>couldn't compare with Good Sam and the others.
>2/ When you buy an RV without knowing the mechanical history there is
>great risk. It is sad to hear of the White's breakdown experience and
>needless to say it does sour one on owning an older RV regardless of
>make.
>3/ Don't let pump jockey mechanics touch your coach (not even to pump gas
>into it) Over tightening a wheel bearing by an alledgedly competent
>mechanic is unacceptable. Seems like a number of the problems the White's
>experienced could be traceable to inept service.
>4/ Eventually all of these things that will break have broken and have
>been replaced with new or equivalent to new and now you basically have an
>"Equivalent To New" GMC!
>5/ Proper preventitive maintenance from here on out ought to make trips
>in their 1973 coach more pleasurable.
>
> David Lee Greenberg F22009
> GMC Motorhome Registry
> 200 MacFarlane Drive PH4
> Delray Beach, FL 33483-6829