Checklist for Pickup
COACH:
Outside
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- Roof sealing – Climb on the roof and inspect seams, gaskets, and any other place where the roof material is cut or drilled. Check closely around air conditioner, vents, antenna, sewer vents, end-caps and side seams. No bubbles, nails or protruding screws! Check for rust spots near cut-away roof joint.
- Windows – Check closely around each window to make sure it has been properly aligned and sealed. A narrow gap between trim ring & frame is OK, but it should be nearly even all the way around.
- Cab & Entry Doors – Check the gasket for proper adhesion and coverage. Check from inside that it is flush against the door jamb. Check keys, lock & unlock. Check that screen door opens smoothly alone, locks to main door easily and does not have gaps to let mosquitoes in.
- Basement Compartments – Open and close each door, checking for alignment and gasketing. Lock & unlock. All hinges should be tight and secure, latches should hold the door tightly closed and be easy to open. Look for any signs of moisture that might indicate rain leakage. Gas cylinders used for keeping door open should be installed so as to not interfere with items stored. Check for protruding self-tapping screws.
- Utility Compartment -Where are the low point drains for the fresh water tank and water heater?
- Propane – Check the LPG compartment to verify that there is proper ventilation downward. There should be no possible way for propane to enter into the RV or any other compartment. Confirm that a leak test has been performed on tank, regulator and the complete system.
- House Batteries – Make sure the battery compartment is ventilated. Verify that battery cables are not rubbing.
- Paint & Siding – Sight down the sides for bumps and depressions. Check the paint finish. Check vinyl film to make sure it is free of air bubbles. Look closely where masking tape was used for paint graphics to make sure there is no over-spray. Check for surface smoothness (no indentations!), color variations in gel coat and paint and any place where paint coverage is marginal or paint bubbles.
- Tires and Wheels – Inspect tires (incl. spare) and wheels and check tire pressure. Ask for proper jacking points.
- Awnings and Step – Check operation of manual awning and automatic step.
INSIDE:
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- Cabinets & Closet – Inspect all hinges and latches. Pull each drawer out to its stop, check for secure locking. Do the same with doors. Check closet hanger rods for secure installation. Run hand along all edges, front & back, to check for delamination & loose edges on molding and vinyl wraps.
- Other Furniture – Examine furniture to check for construction, upholstery, pattern and cloth matching. Check out the dinette by making it a bed with the appropriate cushions. Open and close jackknife. Locate seat belts in the jackknife and dinette. Check mattresses for tears,
- Counter Tops – Inspect counter tops for alignment and fastening. Trim pieces should be tight. Check for caulking quality everywhere. Check the installation of sinks and faucets.
Blinds – Operate each blind and check for alignment. Look at valances and trim to be sure they are secured and matched. Check out the pull drapes that separate the cab from the house. - Windows & Hatch- Open and close windows and hatch and operate the locks. Make sure emergency window operates smoothlyFloor Coverings – Inspect all corners and sides of carpet and other floor coverings to insure that they are properly fastened.
- Wall / Ceiling Coverings – Check that all coverings cover and join properly. 8. Lighting – Operate every light switch. Test battery-disconnect switch and check that it really disconnects everything.
- Measure – Cupboards, drawers, wardrobe, dinette and jack-knife sofa
- Under the passenger floorboard and cabinets. Make sure that tools, spare tire, water hose (?) and manuals are on board!!!
HOUSE SYSTEMS
- RV disconnected from shore power and water. LPG main valve at the tank opened and LPG `Sniffer’ control inside turned on.
- Generator – Start the generator, listening for any unusual sounds or vibration. Let the generator run a few minutes. The electrical status panel should show the status of the generator and the presence of AC voltage. Put a load on the generator by starting the microwave with a water-filled cup in it and operate it for several minutes. Turn on and off all AC loads that are not converter-powered. Turn off generator. Note the location of all AC and DC panels, fuses and breakers. Make sure the loads are labeled. Check all 110V outlets w/ tester for wiring, voltage and GFI. Check all 12V outlets for wiring (inside tip = positive
- Inverter – Make sure the Inverter works and determine which outlets are inverter powered.
- Water Pump & City Water System – Water pump should pump for several seconds. Run water in the kitchen and bathroom sink and check that the pump will come back on. Now is the time to fix a noisy or vibrating pump. Turn off the pump, connect to city water supply. Is there pressure regulator? Look for leaks at the inlet, under sinks and check the operation of all faucets / toilet, while on city water.
- Water Heater – Try the water heater on propane first. A few seconds after you turn it on, you should hear the click of the igniter and the small pop when the burner lights. The red light should stay on until that process happens. Understand the operation of the bypass valve for winterizing.
- Furnace – Turn the furnace on and set temp at least 10 deg. Higher than ambient. In ~ 10 sec the furnace fan should come on. Shortly thereafter you should hear the click of the igniter and the sound of the burner. Hot air at about 110 degrees should be coming out of all vents. Turn the furnace down and the hot air will gradually turn cooler and the fan will eventually stop. During this process check for smell of material getting too hot, or exhaust coming into the RV.
- Propane / Carbon – Monoxide Alarms & Smoke Detector – Check the function of these alarms. The PAI person should have a small canister of gas that can be sprayed at the alarm to test its operation. Have them perform this test and learn how to shut it off. Same for smoke detector: check battery and write date on it.
- Refrigerator – Set the unit to propane and turn on `high’. Go outside and make sure that the propane heating column is lit and heating. While there, check that the drain line is routed for proper drainage without kinks or blockage. Check in about 10 minutes to feel that the coil is actually starting to cool.
- TV, DVD, Antenna & Input Switching – Turn the TV on. Review and understand the switching system that allows the selection of viewing channels on the TV. Raise the TV UHF/VHF antenna and learn how to turn on the amplifier. Activate the control on the TV that scans for local stations. Rotate the antenna to maximize the quality of the picture. Understand the video selection switch. Put DVD in and play (both TV and DVD are 12V).
- Air Conditioner – Start the Generator. After the generator is settled and stable turn on the A/C. After a couple of minutes, cool air, 20 degrees cooler than ambient, should be coming out of all registers. Leave A/C running!
- Microwave – With air conditioner running, put a cup of cold water in the microwave and set the timer for 3 minutes. The generator should hold strong with this load. In three (3) minutes, the water should be very hot. Make sure there are no unusual sounds coming from the Microwave.
- Propane Stove – Turn on one burner of the cook top with A/C and Microwave running. The automatic igniter should cause a strong spark to light the burner. Turn on the other burners to verify that there is enough propane flow to operate the refrigerator, water heater and all burners. Sometimes the igniters interfere with the operation of the thermostats for the roof air (caused by improper routing of wiring with the AC too close to DC inside the kitchen cabinet). If everything is OK, turn the burners, water heater, Microwave and generator off
SLIDE-OUT
OUTSIDE
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- Check seals, manual retraction process and operation of slide-topper. Check for proper routing of wires and cables under slide.
INSIDE:
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- No light shining through or airflow with slide in or out. Check Emergency Brake interlock. Confirm that no screws or bolts are cutting into the carpet during operation.
CHASSIS
- Don coveralls. Block tires. Inspect brake lines, wiring, shock absorber attachments, and in general every place that a wire or pipe could rub against something that will cause a problem later.
- Look at exhaust pipe routing. All wiring and piping should be properly fastened. Verify for undercoating that has been sprayed on.
- Check wheel brakes. Check for any fluid leakage.
- Check the operating levels of all fluids: brake / hydraulic, transmission, fuel, oil, coolant.
- Inspect engine drive belts.
TEST DRIVE:
- Adjust the rear view mirrors. Turn the ignition on, but don’t start the engine yet, so that you can see all of the status and warning lights that might illuminate when you are driving.
- Turn on and adjust the rear view camera monitor. Understand how to adjust it for day / night operation
- Wait until `Wait to Start’ status light goes out. Engine should start easily within 2 seconds. Oil pressure should be present within 1 second (maximum 3 seconds) of starting. If no oil pressure, immediately shut engine down > we are done!
- No warning lights should be illuminated on the dash at this time.
- Turn on the dash A/C and let it run. After cooling is checked, turn dash heater on. We can do this on our test drive after the engine warms up.
- Brake Test: Do this test with space in front of the coach and on a flat surface. With the engine operating, apply the emergency brake, put gear selector in `Drive’ and apply a little pressure on the accelerator. The coach should not move. Release the emergency brake, drive forward at 10 mph and press the service brakes hard. It should come to a complete stop immediately, without screeching or pulling from one side to the other.
- Operate the Windshield Washer and Wiper , including delay.
- Instrumentation should show normal reading throughout the test, be sure to check the gauges often.
- Start with city-street driving, with little or no traffic.
- Perform several turns, watching the mirrors closely to get a feel for where the coach is relative to the road. Once comfortable with low speed maneuvering, head for the freeway. Leave yourself lots of room, because you don’t know how this coach accelerates! As you enter the on-ramp, floor the accelerator and you should get steady acceleration. Listen for any sounds that are not normal, like whines or grinds from under the coach, wind noise from the front door or slide out, flapping awnings, engine and transmission.
- Bring the speed up to merge safely into traffic and go the speed limit. Observe gauges for normal range of operation. Observe the steering effort necessary to keep the coach going straight. If it takes too much steering then the wheel alignment is probably not correct.
- Go at least two exits before turning off the freeway. Leave the rear view monitor operating. Set and check Cruise
Now what? We probably have a list of things that need correcting. Decide if we are going to accept the Motor Home as is, or if there are too many repairs, and it needs to stay with the shop. If you accept the unit you will camp in the area for the night. This will also give you a chance for further testing.
ACCEPTANCE
When you are satisfied that all systems are `Go’ and we have all the Manuals, sign the acceptance, hand a check over and schedule the first return trip at a convenient date.
FIRST NIGHT:
`Dry camp’ with water hookup in the CG. Have enough kitchen equipment and food to prepare an evening meal. While camped it’s a good time to read all the manuals. This will allow you to review what you learned during the day and probably come up with more questions.
- Leak Test Gray & Black Tanks – Re-fill the fresh water tank if necessary and run water into the gray tank to verify the gauge reading and that there are no leaks. Filling the gray tank until water comes up in the shower will make it easier to find leaks inside & out.
- Fill the black water tank with the flushing system until water comes up inside the toilet. Check for leaks.
- Check the gauges for accuracy.
- Drain the gray and black water tanks.
Other Items
- Check water heater on shore power.
- Check refrigerator on shore power, switch to gas
- Check shower in wet bay, hot and cold.
- Make sure all hot faucets produce warm/hot water!
- Batteries – The batteries should be fully charged. There should be enough battery capacity to dry camp at least one night without running the generator, even if we watch TV /DVD for several hours.
- Next morning start the generator or plug into shore power. Verify that the converter goes directly into the bulk (highest) charge rate. It will take two or three hours to recharge the batteries.
Going Home
You are ready to take your shake down cruise (=going home).
- Refuel on the way home, stop at a name brand fuel station that sells diesel. Make sure that you select the diesel pump/hose. Do not rely on the color of the dispenser, there is no industry standard color for diesel ful dispensers. Test the fuel fill rate. Fuel should go readily into the tank without splattering back at you. If it splatters back then the fuel tank is not properly vented.
- Locate a Propane distributor (Google Maps is a start). The Propane tank should be refilled, even though it will not take very much, just to test the refill procedure and the gauge.
This should eliminate or reduce any surprises when you start your first adventure in the RV.