Save bucks on RV parts

If you do your own RV repairs, you know that RV parts can be pricey. It seems the minute those two letters, R and V are added to any kind of part, the price goes up. How can you squeeze your buck when part shopping?

First, don't be afraid to do a bit of comparison shopping. We have our "favorite" parts supplying guys, but we've found that our favorites aren't always the least expensive on everything. A recent foray into shopping on an RV toilet project illustrates it well.

We've had to "flush" our cranky old bathroom throne with a tin can of water ever since we bought the rig – a couple of years ago. Call it stubbornness or just not enough time, but getting around to replacing the flush valve just wasn't high enough on the priority list. Finally, after we had to do a floor job in the bathroom and the toilet had to be removed "anyway," we decided the flush valve just ought to be replaced. At the same time, we decided to stick a riser under the pot to make it a bit easier on tired knees when ascending from the throne.

In Quartzsite RVers flock to a "discount" RV parts seller called The Gambler, and we've been happy to do the same thing. A quick call to the outfit quoted $35 for the flush valve. This is the first half of the comparison part of the story. We'll put that on hold on roll out the second part: Think alternatives.

Knowing the specific part number we needed (looked it up on the Thetford web site), we then poked the part number in our Google search engine, hitting the "shopping" tab, and what came back? The usual RV-parts-on-line vendors, but a different contender. Amazon. Who would've thought the Internet bookstore would offer RV parts? Folks at The Gambler told us we'd better hurry to get their $35 "bargain," as they only had two left, Amazon called their bluff and offered us the same valve for $19.93. They also listed the toilet riser we needed for $40.00.

The price was right on that valve – if we could wait to install it for a few days. Now here's the second part on comparison shopping. Having been stung before by another local RV parts dealer, RV Lifestyles, we weren't so keen on another fruitless trip down the lane with them. But again, what's a phone call cost? "Lifestyles" had the flush valve for $17, and no waiting for delivery. We'd already abandoned the idea of the riser, deciding we could "wait" before spending another $40, but on picking up the flush valve at RV Lifestyles we found that riser for $29. 

And that "think alternatives" idea? Those little ancillary parts we needed for the install, the RV plumbing elbows, connectors, etc? Rather than buying them at an RV specialty dealer, a quick trip to Herbs Hardware Store found all we needed for excellent prices.