Drew Callahan · January 15, 2026
Slide-Out Motor Replacement for WINNEBAGO VIEW A Lippert IG-42 replacement motor runs about $280–$350 depending on where you source it, but a service call to have a dealer swap one out will cost you $600–$900 in labor alone, plus the part markup. More importantly: that’s just the financial hit. A slide-out that won’t retract turns … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 14, 2026
Slide-Out Motor Replacement for COACHMEN FREELANDER Most owners wait too long to replace a dying slide-out motor on a Freelander—they’ll live with the grinding, the slow retract, the occasional stall mid-cycle, thinking it’ll either fix itself or last one more season. It won’t. I’ve pulled more half-deployed slides in Freelanders than I care to count, … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 13, 2026
Slide-Out Motor Replacement for THOR GEMINI You’ll hear two very different pieces of advice about THOR GEMINI slide-out motor work: dealer service departments almost always quote you $800–$1,200 and insist you need their lift bays and diagnostic equipment to do it safely. Meanwhile, RV forums and YouTube channels make it look trivial — just swap … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 11, 2026
Slide-Out Motor Replacement for ENTEGRA ACCOLADE (Super C) Last spring I spent an afternoon on an Entegra Accolade parked two sites down from me — the owner had been ignoring the grinding noise from the starboard slide for three weeks before finally asking for a second opinion. The slide would extend maybe halfway, hesitate, strain … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 10, 2026
Slide-Out Motor Replacement for NEWMAR BAY STAR Let a slide-out motor fail without replacement and you’re looking at a jammed room, a stripped gear assembly, and potentially thousands in collateral damage to the entire mechanism. I’ve watched owners delay this repair by weeks, thinking it’s a minor annoyance, only to call me from a campground … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 9, 2026
Top 20 Class C RV Models and Their Top 3 DIY Repairs My hands are usually covered in something—grease, caulk, or whatever fluid decided to leak onto the bay floor that morning. After eighty-thousand miles and three different rigs, I’ve learned that Class C failures follow a pattern you can actually predict. A water pump … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 9, 2026
Air Brake System Maintenance and Air Dryer Cartridge Replacement for NEWMAR DUTCH STAR Most Dutch Star owners don’t realize their air brake system is slowly filling with water until the brakes feel like they’re working through wet concrete on a mountain pass. A shop quoted me $1,200 in labor to swap the air dryer cartridge … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 8, 2026
Slide-Out Room Hydraulic System Service for NEWMAR DUTCH STAR Most Dutch Star owners ignore their slide-out hydraulic system until it stops moving — and by then, you’re either pinned in place or facing a repair bill that could’ve been prevented with basic maintenance. The thing is, hydraulics aren’t complicated once you understand what you’re looking … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 8, 2026
Diesel Engine Oil and Filter Service for NEWMAR DUTCH STAR I’m underneath the Dutch Star, oil drain pan positioned, socket fitted to the plug, and I can already tell by the color of what’s about to drain that the previous owner ignored the service schedule entirely. The oil that starts flowing is nearly black—darker than … Read more
Drew Callahan · January 7, 2026
Diesel Engine Oil Service for TIFFIN ZEPHYR I was three weeks into a stretch through the high desert when the oil pressure gauge started creeping lower than it should on flat ground. Nothing dramatic—just enough that I knew something had shifted. Pulled into a dusty BLM lot outside Moab, popped the engine hatch, and realized … Read more
