2007 Roadtrek 210P chassis questions

[Doneworking]

About a month or so ago I posted that we had bought back a 2007 Roadtrek 210P we had purchased originally in 2006, sold four years ago and now bought it back! A rather unusual thing to do (buying, selling and then buying back the same rig) but certain features are on this RT not available on new ones and, obviously, we know the history of this pretty completely. The person that bought the RT from us only drove it about 5k miles in those years of ownership and stored it mostly indoors just as we had done for the years we owned it originally.

The Chevy has 42,000 miles on it and is now about eleven years old. The tires are new and fine. Here is my question for this forum:

If you were buying a rig of this age that you knew well, what specific things would you want to replace and or check on the Chevy chassis??

I am not asking about the RV stuff like water pump, macerator, inverter, etc. Only the chassis. What would you check or replace like fan belts, hoses, etc.?

Paul

[BBQ]

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A lot of websites say the tires have an expiration date, which is 6 yrs from the date of manufacturing. But I have not been able to get a definitive quote from a manufacturer or from the DOT, or an insurance company.

[booster]

Don't know if it is a 2006 or 2007 chassis, but not a lot of difference in most things, I think.

Based on what we have seen in our 2007 Chevy 190P with similar miles;

For cooling stuff, we have replaced the clutch fan on the radiator and the radiator cap. The caps seem to fail pretty often, it appears, as I have found several others when I checked other peoples GM vehicles. Best test for the cap in is to squeeze the upper radiator hose when the engine in cold. It should be firm to squeeze and the coolant level in the overflow tank should not got up as you squeeze. It it does go up, the cap is not holding pressure. Coolant should have been changed twice by now, so be sure to check that.

The steering parts usually hold up pretty well if they are greased very regularly. At 42K miles they should be fine if taken care of, but could be getting loose if not greased enough.

Front wheel bearings have been an issue on many of that vintage, both of ours have been replaced. They can fail without warning, which is the worst part of it.

Transmission, differential, power steering, and brake fluid should also all have been changed at least once by now. Getting the trans flushed and onto Dexron VI is a good idea as it will give you better high temp tolerance. Differential needs a high end synthetic also (it comes stock with the GM overpriced synthetic) like Redline, Amsoil, Royal Purple as it will run hot unless you have the trailer towing package with the better rear axle. I have switched our power steering fluid to Amsoil Dexron IV transmission fluid as the original fluid went dark very quickly (in about 10k miles), likely from the heat because it also runs the Hydorboost brakes. It has stayed much cleaner and less dark for much longer now.

So very few actual mechanical failures and a good maintenance with some fluid upgrades for us. The Chevy chassis is really pretty robust, IMO.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by BBQ

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A lot of websites say the tires have an expiration date, which is 6 yrs from the date of manufacturing. But I have not been able to get a definitive quote from a manufacturer or from the DOT, or an insurance company.

Yeah. That is because it isn't really true. Lots of consumer advocates and some car companies (and of course, ALL tire stores) quote the "6 years" guideline, but there seems to be no real basis for that particular number. From what I understand, the ACTUAL safe lifetime varies widely by conditions of use. According to this guy:

Final words on tire aging - Retail - Modern Tire Dealer

tire companies recommend INSPECTION at 5 years and replacement at 10 (I have not personally verified this claim). They do NOT put expiration dates on their tires--only manufacturing dates.

EDIT:
In 2014, NHTSA decided against instituting tire age rules, citing among other things, the increased robustness of modern tires and the widespread use of tire pressure sensors.

http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/...ge-safety-rule

[Ron J. Moore]

This topic showed up on another Forum. Our Forum has a definitive answer where a Member was in contact with Michelin concerning the tire dates. Michelin warrants their tires from date of purchase. They address tires setting for 3 years in stock, etc. I couldn't copy it and bring it forward, but found it an eye opener.

[Doneworking]

Booster, thanks! That is the kind of specific suggestions I am seeking.

As I said in my original post: TIRES are new and not an issue.

Paul