brochelle06…Hi,
Your main concern with American built Class A RV’s over here in Spain is a total lack of support for maintenance, repairs and spares. We had a 30’ Chevy 6.2litre V8 Diesel Allegro. OK it was an old one but quite low mileage.
We found out the hard and expensive way about the V8’s tendency to shed water pump and alternator drive belts. We broke two on the run from the UK to Granada the second time the belt took out all of the other drive belts power steering, cockpit aircon and braking assist. No spares were available in the whole of Spain and we were truly stuck. Since the RV represented our home whilst our house was being renovated, being stuck some 1000kms from the house meant that we had no option but to load it onto a Heavy Recovery 18 wheeler for transportation to the campsite we had selected.
During the trip down the diesel tank was perforated by one of the chocks being used as part of the tiedown on the trailer. So more problems. The transportation charge from San Sebastian to Granada was in excess of 4000 Euros and that was five years ago.
We never did get it repaired; he campsite owner eventually bought it off us and now uses it as a bungalow on her campsite.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the internal LPG tank for domestic use utilizes an adaptor; without the adaptor it is impossible to refill the tank. Which also raises another problem…The availability of Automotive LPG in Spain is very limited.
Yet another problem is that the chances are that an RV purchased in the US will use 110Volt electrics. Over here the standard is 230v. So unless you have the electrics modified you wont be able to use campsite hookups and most campsite owners do not appreciate the use of an RV’‘s built in generator due to the noise and exhaust fumes. It is also quite rare to find hookups rated at more that 10 or 15Amps., so power management becomes a big factor. Don’t try to use say a kettle and a microwave at the same time…you will take out the hook-up…and possibly more if the sites electrics are not up to par.
Insofar as CA vs EU emissions are concerned, I’m pretty sure the policies are aligned.
At some point it may become necessary to put Spanish registration plates on the vehicle, for this your friend will need to subject the vehicle to a special examination by the Spanish Traffic Authorities and they will insist on a Certificate of Conformance issued by the vehicle manufacturer (in Spanish). The gas installation will also need to be certified, again in Spanish.
The lighting standards are different over here too. Separate direction indicators amber in colour, tail lights and brake lights. Flashing tail lights to indicate a change of direction are not acceptable. Running lights down the side length of the vehicle must also meet with Spanish and EU regulations.
Best bet frankly is to buy an RV in Germany that has already had all the Spanish and EU modifications carried out. It will save a lot of aggro, not to mention shipping costs…
Hope this helps…
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