I'm interested in knowing how many of you keep your coach outside and your inspection and maintenance procedures because it's kept outside.
Thanks
We keep ours outside, next to the house. It's in shade till about noon or so then by early afternoon the suns rays are broken up by the trees on the other side. Makes it easy to do any work I need to do, plus it's always plugged in to power.
We live in San Diego so it does make it a little easier.
We keep ours outside in the Arizona sun. I keep the gel coat polished and protected with Rejex and frequently apply Aerospace 303 to the decals. If we are at home when it is really hot (100+) I run an air conditioner in the afternoon. Better to be covered for sure but with some care you can keep the exterior looking good and the interior from getting too warm.
jor
Just depends where outside is. Richard probably does it as well as possible. The sun does a lot of damage but trees help. Our garage is still not done so we keep ours covered with a HF tarp while only partially under the unfinished roof. We also keep it plugged in all the time and monitor both 12V systems almost every day. Just bought and installed a new converter/charger so both house and engine stay at 13.2 volts.
Absolutely nothing like storing it indoors with stands to keep the bags from bottoming and also jacking it a little to take some weight off the tires.
For those buying a "trickle charger," I quickly found that with a digital voltmeter, the trickle charger brought both sets up to 12.7 but would not go over that. Tried on the whole set of house batteries as well as a single 12V with the same result.
Pierce
Ours has been stored outside all its life by all 5 (including us) owners. It has lived in OK and TX most of that time. When not on the road, has been parked in our driveway for 5 years under the brutal West TX sun. It has survived this treatment pretty well. The decals are faded and getting old looking up close, but from 20 feet it never fails to impress passers by.
Our coach is kept ready to hit the road on short notice. We always keep it plugged in to 50A because we have a residential fridge that is totally stocked. I keep the temp inside the coach between 60 and 80 degrees year round, and we never "winterize". Yes, it costs a few bucks to keep it air conditioned, but it helps preserve the interior wood, furnishings, and dry goods in the pantry. Worth it, in our opinion.
I would really like to have a cover or a barn, but we are looking to relocate so don't want to spend the money at this time.
Thing we worry about most is big hail storms, but have been lucky so far.
Our 1994 has been stored in a similar situation to Chuck and Jeannie's. Stored outside beside our house plugged into 50 amp service. We use it as a spare living area when overflowed with Our kids and other friends that come to visit. I keep the fuel tank full, the water tank full and the Black and gray water empty for the most part. We are in southwest Florida and have no shade where the coach is sitting so the sun does a number on the exposed side, and you can tell by the decals drying and cracking. Gelcoat holds up good, I try to keep it clean and waxed. If the roof over that I wanted did not look so out of place in Our side yard I would have built one.... ::) ::)
Our '96 Safari was stored outside and had "burn through" on the color coat. We decided to sell shortly after, but mostly because we wanted to get a slide (we had been adamant about not having one for years) after spending three months on the road. The prospect of having to repaint was not appealing, so we decided that was the time to do it. We presently have our FT under a fabric cover, but are in the process of building a garage for it. We live just outside San Diego.
We're down in SW Arizona, in full sun. Our 3M decals are self destructing (especially on the nose) after a fresh application six years ago. Try to keep the coach in the shade! ^.^d
Our coach was under a shelter when we got it, but all the shelter did was keep rain and hail off of the roof. Sides were all open. Since we've had it (March 2013) it has been outside. Since we're full-timers, pretty much each side gets full sun somewhere along the way. Last week we were parked pointed almost due east. This week we're pointed almost due west. Who knows what next week will bring. If I have a choice, I prefer to park pointed north, as that gives the afternoon shade on the curb side.
Especially for those who have to store the coach outside, keep a heavy coat of hard shell wax on the roof. Wouldn't hurt to have some kind of covers even home made for the ac and vent covers if not running ac duh.. I haven't had time to thourghly read all replies so this may have been mentioned. At that point you have done about all you can do.And keep those rubber window gaskets treated. Nothing draws heat like black rubber.
What do you suggest?
Thanks,
Trent
For anything made of rubber, 303 Aerospace Protectant seems to be the Forum favorite.
Amazon.com: 303 (30307) UV Protectant Spray for Vinyl, Plastic, Rubber,... (https://www.amazon.com/303-30375-Protectant-Plastic-Fiberglass/dp/B00J8NKGSG?ie=UTF8&tag=foreforums-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&th=1)
We Fulltime in ours the last 5 years, just try to keep a coat of wax on it. Prior to that it was stored under cover. The last 5 years are starting to take their toll on the decals.
I'm sure 303 is a good product. I use Adams VRT to treat my rubber gaskets on my coach and all the rubber window and door sealing gaskets on my Corvette. I won't say use it instead. Corvette and collector car people put me on it some years back. To be honest before that I used Armorall. I've never had any gasket issues but admit I keep coach and cars inside a building. I don't imagine any product will stop all extended hot sun exposure damage but it sure has to help with units that sit outside year round.
Have always found covered storage makes a difference.
Adams VTR wouldn't be practical to use on any large surface because you apply it with a rag and 2 fingers. It's a lotion type product you squeeze on a rag.. point is, use something to help your bus fight the elements.
Of course it does but everyone can't have inside storage, that's the reason for the conversation.
Keeping one nice outside is certainly doable, look in the ports at the multi million dollar boats and smaller that are kept in pristine condition in a more harsh environment, just have to be a bit more attentive. Wish mine looked that good but it doesn't and never will but it's ok.
Lots of good ideas on what to use. In my case my coach is under cover and plugged. The only sun it gets is on the rear but not much direct sun. Florida is not and humid so coaches storage while expensive saves money in the long haul. On rubber and Windows I use a product call sil-glide. I have had it a long time and don't know where I got it. On the fiberglass I use new finish works well and is check. I am thinking of spending some money and trying f11. Has anyone used it reviews are great? I'm thinking if it's good I'll use it on the coach any my older cars.
I Florida we have a coach port with a concrete drive and full hook ups that helps us with shade. This is where I do all of my work on the coach. In Illinois we are outside and under the trees and on gravel with full hook ups. Here we have to deal with the crap that comes off of the trees.
John M.
Joe buys and sells cars thru Barret Jackson sort of flattered for him to ask us about shine.. I do know it can be overwhelming looking down the side of a 40ft bus... much different than a split window Stingray..size wise...
If you keep the coach outside in freezing weather, I would definitely Keep a tarp over it. The destruction from the freezing/ thawing in any crack or crevice will just worsen over time. Have a great day ---- Fritz