2004 Tiffin Phaeton - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Miris · RV-Dreams Community Member

2004 Tiffin Phaeton

Old Snipe · RV-Dreams Family Member

There are many things to look for, where to start? Maybe maintenance records, to see what has been done to the RV.

Diesels require lots more routine maintenance that gas powered RV's. A few items:

Oil and filter changes
Fuel filter changes
Air filter changes
Air brake dryer filter change
Valve adjustment (if it is a CAT diesel)
Chassis lubrication
Engine coolant change/corrosion inhibitors level
Transmission oil and filter change

On the generator, how many hours? Should have been run at least a half hour per month. Again, oil, fuel and air filters, generator coolant change. Low hours on a generator can cost big bucks, if they sit and are not run as recommended, they can rust get gooked up inside.

Tires: Check the sidewalls for the date code, should be a four digit number like 4104, meaning the tire was built the 41st week of 2004. Chances are the tires are originals and need replacement, even if the tread looks good. Tires in the 5-7 year old age should be replaced due to deterioration.

Inspect the roof and all the caulking. Look all around inside for signs of water leakage.

Inspect the body, any buldges? Could be signs of delamination, where water has gotten inside the panels causing the fiberglass to seperate from the panel underneath.

This is not to discourage you, Tiffin builds a great product and chances are none of these items will be a problem if the owner took resonalby good care of the RV. I'd recommend a visit to a chassis dealer, such as Freightliner, if that is the chasssis it has for a good inspection, or at least a good truck repair center, then maybe an RV dealer, too to look at the "house" portion.

Good luck in your search, I'm sure others will jump in here with so other ideas.

Best Regards!

Miris · RV-Dreams Community Member

Hi Paul, thanks for getting back to me so quickly! We are driving up to New York on Friday to check this one out so it's really good to have this info. The people tell us that it has always been wintered inside at a heated storage building so we are hoping it is in good shape. They have all the service records as well. This is the first RV we are looking at that is being sold by a private owner instead of a dealer. After seeing your list of things we should know about I'm thinking if we like it we can just have them bring it to a dealer for us to be checked out. If it's the place that normally services it, should I trust that they would tell me if something was wrong with it? Or should I try to find some place else? I never realized this would be harder than buying a house! At least with a house you can just call a home inspector. Thanks again for the info. I'm going to make a list to bring with us. :)

RVRon · RV-Dreams Family Member

Tiffin has a great reputation for building a quality unit. I have several friends who have bought the brand and are delighted with them. Bob Tiffin is a very approachable person and has an "open door" policy if a customer wants to talk to him. If you get the chance to visit their Red Bay, AL headquarters you can sit down and have a conversation with Bob himself. Bottom line, if you have something really wrong with your RV you can call Bob himself and it will get straightened out. That means a lot, especially if you're living in the RV.

If you've never owned an RV before and are buying it from someone other than a dealer it would be a good idea to have an outside expert check out the RV before you buy it. If you do an Internet search for "RV Inspection Service" you will find there are several companies that specialize in checking out used RVs and presenting you a report, much like a home inspector. Not sure if there are any close to where you're looking but it might be worth a try. Other than that, taking it to a dealer would be the next best bet.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

The last few years Tiffin has had some problems with how they mounted the water and waste tanks in some motorhomes so get underneath and look at them. This is probably a good idea anyway, you want to look at all the places you can look including the dark corners of the bays and underneath, so you don't have a surprise later. Don't fall in love, keep your cool, and inspect it thouroughly.

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Your comment about a house inspector is a good one. Hire an RV tech (most mechanics with diesel experience will suffice here) and pay him to inspect the unit. Do a google search in the area and see what shows up. Old Snipes list is a doggone good start, but without a lot of RV'ing background, you don't really know what you are looking for or at. Good luck!!