urbanhermit

For those who like small, shady rural parks, Point-A-Park on Gantt Lake (Conecuh River) northwest of Anadausia is a gem. Pull-throughs up to 90 feet, some with sewer, some without. Swimming, fishing, boating, good bathhouse, hard-surface pads, concrete tables/benches, screen-covered fire pits. Owned by Covington County run by a most pleasant retired couple living on site. However if your GPS shows a last leg there north to south to the entrance of the park, Murray Road from Rt. 82 south to Point-A Road, DO NO USE IT. That is a 2.4-mile very narrow and rough one-track dirt road with deep ditches on each side. If you meet another vehicle coming the other way neither you nor it can pull over; washouts could occur. You'll arrive with half a 40-acre farm of dust on the back of your coach and anything you pull. Garmin's RV maps will tell you this is the way to come in. It is not, under any circumstances.

Be advised that REV (current owners of Monaco and Holiday Rambler) cannot proive any tech support for Monacos, and I presume for Holiday Remblers, years 2002 through 2006. When REV bought Monaco truckloads of technical information disappeared. This information came to me the hard way soon after I bought a 2006 Monaco. It's rare that a fully professional and competent shop would need manufacturer tech support and the odds are good this situation won't come into play, but it did with mine over a wiring question -- schematics are not available. That said, I've grown quite fond of mine, which is Holiday Rembler's more expensive brother. The engineering is substantially the same.

I did too, yesterday ! (See STAY AWAY FROM ROAD RIDERS RESCUE in this topic.)

In the past I have lauded Road Rides Rescue, which I began using through the Goldwing Road Riders Association and retained for a higher but still moderate premium after I left that organization. I lauded it even though they left my wife and me beside the highway for eight hours, ending at midnight, while they engaged in a dispute with a towing service about sending one or two recover vehicles because I was in an SUV pulling a trailer with a motorcycle on it and the rescue company they were trying to send didn't have a wrecker with a tow ball, and then gave up the effort without informing us. Yesterday I waited for over an hour and a half for a call-back, marooned in my RV on an I-10 overpass before I called them and was told "there are six steps to the process and it got stopped at step four.." Nothing had been done to assist me. I told the person on the phone how they could relate to my posterior and got myself out of the breakdown situaiton at considerable risk to the engine. And -- call me whatever name you want -- it irritates me to have to try to communicate with a person for whom English is a poorly-understood second language. I'm cancelling my freshly renewed membership as soon as their busienss offices open today. Stay away from Road Riders Rescue.

Shower curtaiin in the tub or a cut down one in the shower, litter box on it. If you cut a shower curtain down for a shower, leave enough to come up the sides a bit. It all comes out without muss or fuss when someone bathes. Works with our 20-lb slob Fuzzbutt.

There are other similarities, too . . . .

I'll add transmission service. The heavy duty truck folks I use told me mine had the original filter -- at almost 80,000 miles! They showed me the fluid that came out. Horrors. Apparently no damage -- obviously Murphy blinked. I have a sense that if an RV hasn't been professionally serviced the transmisison may get overlooked.

No go there either. Headlights, marker lights, ICC switch and that's all.

Believe it or not, it doesn't have running lights. That may be my next addition, after I get the headlight lenses cleaned inside (it can be done easily but reauires taking the pods out).

Thanks for the suggestions. How is it that the lights will come only when the flasher is being used if I tap into the incoming hot to the flasher unit and then ground somewhere else, or to the flasher unit ground? Maybe -- likely -- there's something about the wriing of the flasher unit I don't know about. Otherwise, the lights are white, but they're now mounted so far back beneath the nose cone that they can't be seen without getting eyes below the the level of the bottom of the cone, and turned down about 20 degrees and angled out at least 30 degrees. The lenses will be far below eye level and deeply hooded by the cone long before an oncoming driver gets into their range. I think if that doesn't work I'll have to resort to a three-position toggle mounted on the dash or the side control panel. 18-watts apiece. Isn't that 1.5 amps? Shouldn't overload either low beam or turn circuit. If I tap into the flasher carrier, I'm adding 3 amps.

First, replace the GFCI that trips. That is the least possible expense and may well solve that half of the problem. Obviously a difference exists between the two GFCIs. As far as the other, still hoping for inexpensive solutions, I'm suspicious of the ballast or the tubes in your (fluoresent? ballasted bulb?) dome light, which may have decided they don't like MSW current due to a "soft fail" condition. Maybe empty hopes, and I certainly don't have 40 years RV experience, but a new GFCI is pocket change and even changing the ballast in the light won't be much to waste if it's not necessary. Before spending $2,500, I believe I'd risk less than $100. Reread mine after reading kaysmith's below and saw clear evidence of sanother of my senior moments. Of course MSW current isn't fed to a 12"V fluorescent. Assume a CSI hadslap has been self-applied.

I have trouble seeing intersection curbs, driveways, etc. at night. I've acquired a couple of 6" x 2" floods I shall mount under the nose cap, far enough back to top the beam very low, and angle them down and outward. It would be ideal to have them come on left or right when the turn signals are use (not blinking) but I've no idea how, physically, to run the wires for that. At this writing I don't even know exactly where under the dashboard the blinker unit is. I can tap into the low beam wires easily enough -- auxiliary lights are low-draw LEDs -- and allow my "cornering lights" but turn contginuously -- but has anyone an idea somewhere in between, not using a switch I'd have to use manually? 2006 Monaco Cayman 36.

I think if you go far enough back, most cars had positive ground. I'ved no idea why. And yes, earlier Studebakers had positive ground. I think that went away before they changed from 6 to 12 volt sometime in the early 50s. My mother's '52 had six, my father's 56 had 12. Oops. Sidetracked into my Studebaker infatuation.

Be advsised that if it's 2002 through 2006, the current owners of the Monaco line, REV, cannot provide technical assistance. The word is truckloads of technical manuals and data were lost in the procdss of REV buying Monaco. I've gotten splattered on that barrier myself. I own an 2006 Monaco. Not even my very high-voltage, multi-state, Freightliner and Cummins dealer service facility could get anything out of them. As d&l intimatded, getting hold of serice records is extremely advantageous to knowing what's needed now. If there's a manual on board, it may be that the previous owner used the sectoin in the back for recording maintenance tasks.

I-10 and offshoots, Dallas area popped my shower stall loose from the wall.

On a more constructive note, my method is to put as close to 100 psi cold in each (33,000 GVRW, six tires) as I can, actually ranging from 100 to 107, and watch the temperature readings on my TPMS. I think 100 psi significantly over-inflates the front tires, but the coach steers and brakes well and we'll see about ride next trip after the shock absorbers are replaced.

This reminds me of discussions on motorcycle forums about which is the best motor oil . . . 😁

Bet if you go to a local, established, trusted heavy truck tire dealer you can get your Hankooks at nearly as good a price -- right away or within days.

I've never trusted Firestone since a brake job they did on the car of one of my father's coworkers almost killed him. As a matter of fact I dont' trust any chain store from Firestone through Wally World.

I've used Michelin as replacement tires on all the passenger vehicles we've owned in the last quarter-century, expcept one, where I opted to Toyos, a brand I'd been pleased with a decade earler. I was disappointed with the Toyos, though they weren't bad. Pricy or not, I'll continue to put Michelins on our cars (asssuming, at our "experienced" ages, we need to buy more) -- tried and true, if admittedly probably overpriced. But thanks to y'all, I fully intend to put Hankooks on Mother Superior within the year.

The cooland temperature guage -- new, one of three in one gauge with fuel and oil pressure -- failed. A highly competent major truck and RV facility here, Empire Truck Sales (and service) determined that the fault was with the wiring between the new sender they put in and the new gauge. REV refused to divulge any informaiton to them over the phone. I phoned REV myself, trying to add owner pressure, and was quickly and firmly rebuffed. Empire then e-emailed. The response was that massive amounts of technical data for the 2002-2006 years, including all wiring schematics, had disappeared during REV's purchase of Monaco. (This wasn't discussed, but I assume for Holiday Rambler as well.) In the process of discussing how to deal with the failure of the cocolant gauge, Empire mentioned that the wiring was part of a complex centralized system and just disconnecting the wiring would probably make the system go haywire. I then feared that some future failure might "haywire" something that would disable the engine and/or transmission and could not be tracked down. Empire also told me they'd replaced an entire wiring harness one time at the cost of $15,000. That's what prompted me to go looking elsewhere -- a preemptive move -- and stumble on the Berkshires. The Berkshire's floor plan appealed to us more than a 2007 onward Cayman. But, agreeing with Manholdt about the cost of making the change, we've decided to roll the dice and accept a distant maybe of having to spend up to $15,000 on a new harness over a certain loss of at least that much buying/selling. Empire, bending their rules about not doing anything non-stock because they are a dealer for Cummins, did a beautiful job of installilng, in parallel with the original, a separate coolant gauge that matches the air pressure and boost gauges. All is well -- for the moment.

Based on my one direct experience, I'd avoid Texas RV Supeerstore in Willow, TX, outside Dallas. The salesman was cooperative and straight-forward, the closing agent was pleasant, efficient, and helpful, but the manager did his best to welch on his word about a make-good. It took me months to wear him down.

Have nothing of technical information to add, but I emphatize with hassell as I had to climb through the thankfully unlocked dirver's window three times on the way home from purchase of Mother Superior because the door, which apparentley the dealer had never locked, would not unlock. I used the bottom half of the roof ladder as a stepladder. Whatever was the problem my coach guy fixed it. No remote involved.

Thanks to all. The recommending dealership is well established and well respected, but y'all have added confidence.

Have a 2006 Monaco Cayman 35, GRVW 33,000. It is shod with Goodyear 670s in 255/70 R22.5, all six years old. I like their performance. Road noise doesn't rise to conscious level, no wandering, only the slightest wind push from passing semis (have a steering stabilizer). Good tread, no cracks in the side walls, but I assume at their prudent replacement age. A heavy truck tire/chassis shop recommends Hankooks. Pretty good price, $2,845 out the door with glass beads. A mostly auto discount tire store quoted $3,141 for six of the same Goodyears, tires and tax only -- no mounting or balancing. I consider that a benchmark, not a price to consider. Any advice about Hankoooks or other empassioned recommendations?