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Thanks for the input. We are definitely staying on 101 (not CA 1) south of San Francisco. However, we were thinking of trying CA 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy) north of San Francisco up to Leggett. Has anyone driven that leg in a coach our size? If the coast road north of San Francisco is anything like PCH south through Big Sur, count us out. On the other hand, we love driving along the ocean and will try it if its a decent drive. Has anybody taken a MH on CA 1 from Leggett to San Francisco? Also, does anybody have recommendations along the Oregon coastline for campsites, food or other "don't miss" opportunities? Once again, thanks SO much for the advice. Tim

Greetings everybody, We are planning a trip south from Port Angeles, WA to San Francisco, CA along Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 101). Our schedule allows about a week for the trip (roughly July 1 to 7). We drive a 40' diesel pusher with a full size Ford Bronco dinghy. If anyone has information about good camping spots, road concerns, bridge weight limits, local attractions, etc., it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Tim

You'll be covering a lot of beautiful territory along the California coastline. The trip from Palm Springs to the coast takes you through Los Angeles, so you might want to time your drive to avoid the daily traffic jams. The Malibu Beach RV Park in Malibu is directly across the street from the ocean and has fabulous views and a nice restaurant/fish market within walking distance. Further north, about 40 miles north of Santa Barbara, we love the Ocean Mesa RV Park near El Capitan State Beach. It is very clean and has wonderful scenery and views. From there, it's not far to San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. Those are you best bets south of Hearst Castle. We usually leave the toad in Morro Bay and make a day trip to Hearst Castle. North from Morro Bay, Highway 1 along the coast presents very tight curves, construction, bridge repairs, etc. We would NOT recommend it for your size coach. Also, there is almost nowhere to park or stay in the Big Sur Area. We simply head inland from Morro Bay and take Highway 101 up to Monterrey. From there, the coast road is again workable for your size coach. Just South of San Francisco there a few places on the water. One is San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica CA. Its all paved, but its literally right above the waves. There is a train station nearby so you can get into San Francisco easily and cheaply. North of San Francisco, you'll find lots of good options at Bodega Bay. Dorian Regional Park has sites for any length and has good facilities , so does Westside Regional Park. We haven't explored north from there yet (but will be doing so in July). I hope this helps and that you have a great trip. Best wishes, Tim

Hi Phil, Welcome to the FMCA forum! We've stayed twice at the Mammoth Lakes RV Park. It is in town with easy access off the main road. It was clean, offered full hookups and facilities, and pets seemed to be welcome. We had no troubles getting our 40' and dinghy in and out. Best wishes, Tim

Hi Tim, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. Good luck with your hunt for a MH, its a great time to buy. Tim2

As Thanksgiving approaches, we should all acknowledge the wonderful efforts of this forum's regular contributors. Whether you are stranded roadside, buying a new coach, or just confused with the technical details of these machines, the regular contributors will take time from their day to help out. Brett, Tom, ****, Herman, DesertDeals, Wayne, Frank, Richard, Bill and so many others .... Thank you for your time, patience, and advice. It is no small effort, and we all appreciate it. My family is hitting the road for the holiday, and it's nice to have you all "along". Happy Thanksgiving to you all, wherever you are for the holiday. Tim and Beth

Every month in the FMCA magazine, there is an advertisement from Essex Credit (www.essexcredit.com). Their advertisement indicates they specialize in motorhome financing. In fact, their current ad refers to a "RV Full-Timer financing program". Maybe they can help; and we should all try to support FMCA's advertisers if possible. Good luck, Tim

In addition to the information requested in the post above, please let us know whether you are looking for an inverter only, or will the unit also be a converter and battery charger? If you can provide further details, it will help everyone offer better suggestions. Best wishes, Tim

From the original posting, it doesn't sound like WM did anything wrong. A sudden and severe windstorm would not seem to be their responsibility. Also, with WM being one of the few nationwide chains that openly welcomes RVers to spend the night, we should all avoid charging them with claims which are not rock-solid.

Mark, Welcome to the FMCA forum. You raised two issues; i.e. bulging and recommendations. Let's deal with the bulging first. In most cases bulging of a battery case results from gassing. When wet cell batteries are charged, gas bubbles form. If a battery is overcharged or charged too long, the gassing and the accompanying heat can cause the battery case to bulge. That is a likely cause of the condition you described. There could be other causes, but gassing would be a first guess. As to choosing replacement batteries, there are lots of good brands and alternatives. First off, consider your usage. Do you dry-camp a lot, or do you usually have 120V power available. The proposed usage will help you determine the type and capacity to purchase. Also, how old is your coach and what kind of inverter/charger do you have. You'll want to make sure that your inverter/charger can be set to the charging voltage you new batteries require. I have a 1997 Monaco Dynasty, and recently replaced the wet-cell house batteries with LifeLine AGM batteries. I'm very happy with their storage capacity and performance. However, my inverter/charger doesn't have a setting to exactly match the manufacturer's suggested charging protocols. You'll want to avoid that error if possible. Good luck and happy RVing, Tin

Yes, if you engage the Tow Haul on a downgrade, you will get additional engine braking effect. That is in part due to different transmission settings and part, as Rich indicated above, because the overdrive is disabled. Tim

The "Tow Haul" feature modifies the transmission performance to give you greater control for a heavy load. The shift points will be a bit higher and shifting frequency will be reduced. Also, the transmission will not coast, so the engine will work as a brake whenever you take your foot off the throttle. There should be a small light, probably on the shift lever, indicating the Tow Haul feature is engaged. Are you sure it isn't there somewhere? Also, each time you shut down and restart the engine, the Tow Haul feature should reset to "off" for regular driving. With that in mind, you will probably need to turn it on each time you start with the load attached. Please, please check your owners manual to confirm, since my vehicle is not the same as yours. However, you should find that your TowHaul operates similarly. Happy travels, Tim

Jim, Welcome to the FMCA forum. From the sound of it, one of two things have occurred. The wiper arm may be loose from the pivot post. Otherwise, the linkage leading from the motor to the pivot post has come loose. Let me suggest you lift the wiper arm off the glass and gently try to move it back and forth. It should stay firmly in place, but you will probably find it loose and able to move back and forth by hand. If so, take the wiper arm off the pivot post and see if you can move the pivot post gently with pliers. It the pivot post is solid, the the trouble is likely the arm not staying anchored to the post. If the post moves easily with the pliers, then the linkage from the motor to the post is probably the culprit. I hope this helps. Good luck. Tim

Brent, First and foremost, welcome to the FMCA forum. I'll bet the frost on your cooling fins results from moisture in the unit. Are the fins in both the freezer and the refrigerator compartments icing up, or just one side? One likely cause could be air gaps around the door seals -- letting air get into the unit. You might want to try the "dollar bill" test. Put a dollar bill on the face of the unit and close the door on the bill. If the bill slips out easily, the door is not sealing properly and adjustments or a new seal might be in order. You'll need to test all around the door since the seals need to work all the way around. Let me suggest you make that test and let us know the results. If this doesn't solve the problem, we will take if from there. Good luck, Tim

Oceancouple, Can you also advise what the model of your inverter/converter is? Also, what kind of batteries were replaced (wet cell, AGM, etc.)? With a 2011 model coach, I would assume it came with an inverter/converter/charger. If so, then we have fairly new batteries failing suddenly. The usual suspects would be (1) overcharging {such as boiled dry}; or (2) undercharging {ran down so low they were ruined}. Given your circumstances, #2 seems more probable. For some reason your batteries were not being charged and they ran down so far they were ruined. If so, we need to solve the problem before the new batteries meet the same fate. Are you handy enough to test the voltage at the batteries? If so, what is the voltage (1) with the coach plugged in to to 120 VAC, (2) unplugged and engine off, and (3) unplugged and engine running? Let's see what the readings are. That should answer some of the questions. Tim

Snuffle, One idea for securing your steering wheel would be what tow truck drivers did years ago. When towing a car from the rear (i.e. front wheels only on the ground) we looped a short rope around the steering wheel and closed the driver's side door over the rope. The rope then kept the steering wheel from moving while we towed the car. I haven't used a tow dolly and don't know if this would work; but it might and it would certainly be cheap and easy. Good luck, Tim

Drill, Your mileage will depend on many factors particular to the coach you buy and how you drive. As a very general rule of thumb, the gas coaches I've driven got about 7 to 8 mpg on the highway and as little as 4 mpg in city stop and go driving. The size, weight, condition, tire pressure, and driving habits will all affect the mileage. But, if you "guesstimate" an average of 6 mpg for mixed city and highway driving, and figure gas at $4.00 per gallon, then it comes to about $0.66 per mile. Good luck, Tim

Hi Selah, Since inside storage is not feasable at this time, you have to decide how big a hassle it will be to wrestle with the cover and how much that will affect the joy and ease of playing with your coach. Especially in the beginning, you'll want to head out as often as possible, bring it home for weekends, and get everything set up the way you want it. If dealing with the cover is going to add extra time and trouble, or if you'll need a second person to help each time, then consider how that will impact how often you'll use the coach. Having the coach as nearby as possible and as "ready to go" as possible (at least for my family) means we use it more often. On the other hand, we live in California and use the coach year round. If you won't be going out during the chilly months anway, then the hassle factor may not be too important. The earlier posts are all correct; i.e. inside or covered storage will help your motorhome last longer. As long as your efforts to preserve the coach don't diminish your use and enjoyment, then there really isn't a wrong answer. I if were in your shoes, I'd go without the cover for a few months and see how it goes. You'll have more information then to make a good decision that works for your family. Good luck with your new motorhome. Tim

Tom, Thanks for your excellent post. I'll probably be in the market for tires next year and will certainly specify horizontal inflation and .006" as you suggested. Thanks again, Tim

Ty, Let me add my two cents worth: When you run the genset, the voltage on your indicator is showing the batteries charging at 13 volts; when you shut it down the voltage of 10 volts shows the batteries are fully discharged. So . . . the charger seems to be working, at least when the genset is running. There are a lot of possibilities, but three seem to stand out. 1. You are not getting shore power into the coach. Is there any chance the breaker is tripped on the shore power supply? Have you checked the voltage coming out of the campground pedestal? Let's make sure there is power coming into your coach from the campground supply. If you aren't familiar with 50 amp service, let us know and we will show you how to safely check it with a multitester. For the time being, just plug a drill or lamp into the standard household plug on the pedestal. 2. The batteries are shot, and will not take or hold a charge. How old are the batteries, and what has been their service history? 3. If there is power coming in from the campground supply, and the batteries are still viable (i.e. will take and hold a charge), then we will need to figure out why the Xantrex isn't getting the batteries charged up when connected to shore power. However, I'll bet the answer is either #1 or #2. Let's focus first on 1 and 2. If that doesn't work, let us have some further details and we'll all help you get it straightened out. Best wishes, Tim

Welcome to the FMCA forum. Your issue is remarkably similar to the one posted recently as Assumption - The Mother of All Screw-ups (Coach Batteries) If you can take a few minutes and look through that post, I believe you'll find your questions covered and a lot of good information to help you on your way. Yes, the batteries should be charged before installation. When fully charged, they should show about 12.7 volts. Good luck and happy travels, Tim

Rich, Since both headlights are inoperative, let me suggest you start investigating the power supply to the lamps. 1. With a good ground and a multi-tester or test lamp, check if you have power at the fuse block at the "upstream" side of the headlamp fuse. If so, test the fuse, then see if you have power ad the "downstream" side of the fuse block. 2. Similarly, test if you have power coming into the headlamp switch, and then whether the power is making it downstream to the headlight bulbs when the switch is turned "on". 3. If the tests above all come out positive, then check the headlamps for continuity (is power able to run through them). Thereafter, check if the circuit has a working ground. If you follow a step-by-step approach like this, the source of the problem will probably turn up. Let us know what you find. I hope this helps. Happy Travels, Tim

Brett, We cruised the inside passage to Glacier Bay last summer on the Oosterdam (sister ship to the Zaandam), had a wonderful adventure and plan to go again. Thanks for sharing the pictures. They brought back great memories. Tim

Brett, Thanks for the suggestion. If a better solution doesn't surface soon, I'll head for Home Depot for the timer. Happy travels! Tim

Thanks for the input Gents. I've also contacted the inverter/charger's manufacturer to see if they have any solutions to the charging voltage dilemma. No word back from them yet, but I'll let you know if anything useful arrives. In the meantime, the battery manufacturer suggested using option "a" (14.3 volts for 3 hours, followed by a float of 13.8) and NOT leaving the coach plugged in during storage. Their thinking seems to be that the higher voltage for bulk charging will get the batteries close to capacity and the slightly over-charging on the float will not hurt the AGMs if they are not connected on term during storage. It's not an optimal solution, so I'll keep searching for a solution that does not involve the out-of-pocket expense of a new inverter/charger. Once again, thanks for your feedback and suggestions. Your help is most appreciated. Tim