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223 Curtis Street, Delaware, OH 43015

RV & Motorhome Service
in Delaware, Ohio

RV & Motorhome Chassis Service in Delaware, Ohio

A motorhome is two things bolted together: a house, and the truck underneath it. The house gets most of the attention. The truck is what gets you there — and it works harder than almost anything else on the road, carrying a full load up every grade and stopping all of it at the bottom. A lot of general repair shops will not take a motorhome. We do.

Wendell’s Garage services the chassis: brakes, engine and cooling, transmission, suspension, steering, tires, and chassis electrical, on Class B camper vans and Class C motorhomes built on van and cutaway chassis. They are the same platforms we work on every day under work vans and trucks. ASE-certified technicians, up-front pricing, and a family-owned shop on Curtis Street since 1986.

What We Work On

  • Brakes

    Pads, rotors, calipers, drums, hoses, and fluid on a vehicle that weighs several times what a car does. Rotors measured, not guessed.

  • Engine & Cooling

    Check-engine diagnosis, misfires, leaks, belts, hoses, radiators, water pumps, and thermostats — the parts that cook first on a long grade.

  • Transmission

    Fluid service, diagnosis, and repair. Heavy loads and towing are exactly what wear a transmission out early.

  • Suspension, Steering & Tires

    Shocks, steering components, alignment, and tires — the difference between a motorhome that tracks straight and one you fight all day.

  • Chassis Electrical

    Chassis batteries, alternators, starters, wiring, and lights. If the coach will not start, this is where we look first.

  • Oil Changes & Maintenance

    Full synthetic oil changes, filters, and fluid service on the chassis schedule, plus a once-over before the season starts.

Signs the Chassis Needs Attention

  • The brake pedal goes soft or the brakes smell hot on a long downhill
  • Squealing, grinding, or pulling when you brake
  • The temperature gauge climbs on grades or in summer traffic
  • It wanders, sways, or gets pushed around by crosswinds and passing trucks more than it used to
  • Steering feels loose or needs constant correction to hold a lane
  • Tires that are six years old or more, or show cracks in the sidewall, even with good tread
  • Hard shifts, slipping, or a burnt smell from the transmission
  • Slow cranking or a chassis battery that dies in storage
  • Check-engine light, or fluid spots under where it is parked
  • It has sat all winter and is about to head out for the season
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Why Bring Your Motorhome to Wendell’s

  • We take motorhomes. Plenty of shops will not. Camper vans and Class C motorhomes are welcome here, and we will tell you up front about anything larger.
  • Chassis work is what we do every day. The van and cutaway platforms under most motorhomes are the same ones under the work vans and trucks in our bays all week.
  • Straight answers about what we can and cannot do. If something belongs with an RV dealer instead of a repair shop, we will say so before you make the trip.
  • Nationwide NAPA warranty. As a NAPA AutoCare shop, your parts and labor are covered by the nationwide NAPA warranty — useful when you are three states from home.
  • ASE-certified technicians, up-front pricing. The estimate comes before the work, and anything found along the way is a phone call first.
  • Family-owned in Delaware since 1986. Same shop on Curtis Street, now part of the Alpha Automotive family of shops.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of motorhomes do you work on?

Class B camper vans and Class C motorhomes — the ones built on van and cutaway chassis like the Ford E-Series, Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster, Chevrolet Express, and Mercedes Sprinter. Those chassis are the same light- and medium-duty platforms we work on every day under work vans and trucks. For larger Class A coaches, call first with the year, make, chassis, length, and height so we can tell you whether it fits our bays.

Do you work on the living-area systems?

Call first and ask. Our focus is the vehicle underneath — engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, steering, tires, and chassis electrical. Coach systems like plumbing, appliances, roof air conditioners, awnings, and slide-outs are a different trade, and we would rather tell you up front what we can take on than have you find out after the drive over. (740) 362-0818.

Will my motorhome fit in your shop?

It depends on its height, length, and weight, which is why we ask for those when you call. Camper vans and most Class C motorhomes are the ones we see. If yours is larger, a two-minute phone call saves you a wasted trip.

How old can RV tires be before they need replacing?

Older than you would think from the tread. Motorhome tires often age out long before they wear out, because they sit for months, carry heavy loads, and bake in the sun. Most tire makers recommend inspection from about five years and replacement somewhere between six and ten years old, regardless of tread. The four-digit DOT date code on the sidewall tells you the week and year the tire was made — “2319” means the 23rd week of 2019.

Why do motorhome brakes need more attention than a car’s?

Weight. A Class C motorhome can weigh several times what a car does, so every stop turns far more energy into heat. On a long downhill, that heat builds until the brakes fade and the pedal goes soft. Brake fluid that has absorbed water boils sooner, too. Regular inspection, fresh fluid, and downshifting on grades instead of riding the brakes all make a real difference.

How often should a motorhome chassis get an oil change?

Most chassis manufacturers have a severe-service schedule, and towing, heavy loads, and long idling put a motorhome squarely in it. Follow the chassis owner’s manual, not the coach manual, and change it at least once a year even if the miles are low — oil breaks down sitting, especially through a season of short trips and long storage.

What should I have checked before a long trip?

Tires — pressure, age, and sidewall cracking — then brakes, fluids, belts and hoses, the chassis battery and charging system, lights, and wipers. A coolant system that is marginal at home will overheat on the first long climb. Bring it in a week or two before you leave so there is time to fix anything we find.

What should I do before putting it in storage?

Change the oil so old, acidic oil is not sitting in the engine all winter, fill the fuel tank and add a stabilizer, set the tires to the correct pressure, and disconnect or maintain the chassis battery so it does not drain flat. Coach plumbing has its own winterizing steps, which belong to your RV dealer or RV service center.

Is RV and motorhome work covered by a warranty?

Yes. As a NAPA AutoCare shop, your parts and labor are covered by the nationwide NAPA warranty, so the coverage goes with you, not just when you are in Delaware — which matters more for a motorhome than for anything else we work on. Ask us and we will go over the details for your repair.

Do I need an appointment?

Yes, for motorhomes. We need to plan bay space, so call (740) 362-0818 or request a time and tell us the year, chassis, and length. If it will not start or should not be driven, say so and we will talk through getting it here.

Motorhome chassis service for owners across Delaware County and central Ohio — Sunbury, Galena, Ostrander, Radnor, Prospect, Waldo, Richwood, and Marysville. Running vans or cutaways for a business? See our fleet and commercial van page. Everything else we do is on our auto repair services page.

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