Roof bubbles/wrinkles & tires on used RV

[8amps]

We are looking at a used 2010 Bighorn. Climbed on the roof yesterday and saw some wrinkles and bubbles which the seller (original owner, private seller) said was "normal" - very well could be. I have no idea. This is our first RV. How big of a concern is this? I will attach some pictures. Link --->
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...uthkey=!ACU0wEtEj7KgZbA&v=3&ithint=photo,.jpg

Thanks!!!
PS There is one of the tire, which in my opinion needs to be replaced - we are planning to full time in it. Seller says they can be re-grooved.

PPS Having never bought an RV before, we don't know what is proper "etiquette" - can we ask for an inspection prior to purchase?

 

[danemayer]

Hi 8amps,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

From the picture, I'm not sure I can tell too much about the roof bubbles/wrinkles. The subject comes up periodically on the forum and typically the answer is to not worry about small bubbles. My question would be more about how solid the roof feels. If the roof feels spongy or gives in that area, then the wrinkles might indicate a problem underneath. If it feels solid, it may just be a few spots where the adhesive didn't take so well.

It looks like there are some joints showing in the picture. Again, I'd evaluate how the roof feels.

As for tires, if these are Goodyear G614 tires, the Goodyear literature says they can be regrooved. But I asked that question of the Wingfoot staff, Wingfoot being the Goodyear retail location, and they said they don't regroove and never heard of anyone regrooving G614s. Note they didn't say it can't be done. But I'm not sure where I'd get it done, how much it would cost, and how long the tire would last, etc. Also, many times on RVs, tires age out before they wear out because the rubber loses strength over time. An original tire on a 2010 is probably getting near the point where you'd want to think about replacement anyway.

As for etiquette, I'd say if you want to hire someone to inspect you should tell the seller you'd like to do so. If it's at your expense, and the seller isn't hiding anything, I don't know why they'd object. But choose your inspector carefully. RV service people vary greatly in knowledge and experience.

 

[8amps]

Thank you for answering. The roof felt pretty secure. Would you have the seller hook up to power and make sure everything worked. At first look, everything looks fine. But seeing that we're newbies, the last thing we want to do is to get something that needs work we aren't anticipating. Naturally, the seller has someone else looking at it this afternoon. It meets all our "must have" list, so our only concern is hidden things we can't see. PS The tires aren't Goodyear, I'm sure they are the stock tires.

 

[Garypowell]

One other thing you could try is get the VIN and call heartland. They might tell you the service history on the unit. Obviously this can get tricky and maybe they won't share information like that. I have experience that some will.

You could also call the selling dealership or whoever they say worked on it for them.

You could also ask the seller what maintenance he did.....AND what problems he has had.

If they answer that no work was ever done and they never had any problems then I would quietly walk away from the deal. If this is your first RV you need to realize they "break" a lot. Someone might write in that they had a perfect unit but I have had five since 1996 and even though I love them and have had two Bighorns.....there is always something "going on" with them.

I mean a latch does not hold, the sink plumbing has come loose again, an outside light is bad, the front landing gear is making a funny noise, etc, etc. please don't let me discourage you but what you are doing is buying a 250 sq ft apartment on wheels with several rooms that move in and out!

so in addition to hearing what has broken you can also get some insights into what is about to break.....but the most important thing is you will get some insights to the character of the seller.

About regrooving tires. I think we are all told that when we buy the G614's but when you press them on the issue, well at least my salesman admitted, that he had no idea how or where you would get it done.

Unless the the tires look like they were installed last few months I would simply put new tires into the budget.

 

[8amps]

Hi Gary, thanks for answering. When I asked what had been done, maintenance, warranty or otherwise, he said the only problem they had was the air mattress on the pull out was pinched and Heartland replaced that. He had new brakes and the wheel bearings packed this winter as he was planning on keeping it. (Then came the RV show... hahahaha...have known that feeling.

 

[rjr6150]

Hi Gary
Just sent you a pm

 

[oldmannj]

PPS Having never bought an RV before, we don't know what is proper "etiquette" - can we ask for an inspection prior to purchase?

It's your money that you worked for!! An inspection of the trailer,just like a home you were going to purchase should be done. If you don't feel comfortable doing the inspection yourself, then by all means have the seller take it to a dealer of your choosing nearby. Even for a nominal non refundable charge this would be a good idea and give you some peace of mind. If it is found to be deficient then your out $100 bucks not thousands. ED.