Inspection and Evaluation for Eastvale, California

The roof is walked or accessed from a platform, and every sealant bead around vents, air conditioners, skylights, antennas and the front and rear cap seams is inspected individually. Membrane condition, previous repairs, fastener corrosion and any soft areas underfoot get documented. Roof problems generate most of the expensive water damage found in coaches, so this portion of the assessment receives considerable attention rather than a glance from a ladder.

Underneath, the vehicle is examined on a lift. Frame members, outriggers, crossmembers, suspension attachment points, holding tanks and their supports, plumbing runs, the underbelly enclosure and any previous repair work are all inspected directly. Corrosion, cracks, sagging supports and wet insulation are documented with photographs and location references so the owner can find each item again without a technician standing beside them.

Appliances are operated rather than observed. The refrigerator runs on both propane and electric with cabinet temperature recorded over time. The water heater is fired and its recovery checked. The furnace is cycled through its full sequence. Air conditioners run to steady state with temperature split measured at the register. A generator is started and load tested rather than idled, because a set that runs and a set that carries two roof air units are different things.

Electrical testing follows the same principle. House bank condition is assessed under load rather than by resting voltage. Converter output is measured at the bus. Shore power is verified on both legs with a thermal scan of the panel and transfer switch. The fresh water system is pressurized and held. Each result appears in the report as a figure, so a reader can compare it against expected values instead of reading a subjective judgment.

Water intrusion is the condition that most affects value and most often goes undetected. A meter is used at a grid of points across sidewalls, around every window and door, at the roof to wall transition, around slide openings, in the floor near plumbing fixtures and along the lower sidewall. High readings are recorded by location so the pattern is visible, because a cluster of readings tells a very different story than a single high point.

Where readings indicate moisture, we look for the mechanism. A wet reading below a window points at the window seal. A pattern along the roof line points at a cap seam. Readings in a floor near a fixture point at plumbing. Delamination is checked by tapping and by looking down the sidewall in raking light, since a wall that has separated from its substrate shows a visible ripple long before it feels soft.

Findings are organized by priority rather than by location, because that is how decisions get made. Safety items come first: anything involving propane, combustion, structural integrity, braking components or electrical hazard. Then items requiring attention in the near term, typically active water intrusion or a condition that will worsen quickly. Then items worth monitoring, which are noted with what to watch for rather than presented as urgent work.

Each item carries a photograph, a location, a description of what was observed and, where relevant, the measurement that supports it. Where a finding suggests repair work this shop performs, the applicable published price band is referenced so the owner can estimate the total picture. Nothing in the document commits the owner to anything, and many take it elsewhere or use it to negotiate a purchase price, which is a perfectly reasonable use of it.