Bikerman

Hello Everyone, Thank you for your great responses. I have done some investigating and Consumer Reports rated the top brands for ease of application, Overall brightness, and longest lasting. Their pick was: "Sylvania/Headlight restoration kit with UV block white coat". 3M was rated second, but they noted it didn't last as long and needed to be redone every 6 months. The third rated was a Turtle Wax product and the fourth wasn't even worth mentioning here :-). The Sylvania Restoration Kit with UV block white coat is only $19.99. I have read the reviews online and everyone gives it a 5 star rating. One person commented that he ran out of Sandpaper, so he had to buy more, but overall most people said the product lasted them between 4 - 6 years. They said it takes about an hour and some of them even provided pictures (Before and After) of the headlights they restored. I think I can find a little time to get this done while only spending $20.00 bucks. I liked the idea of "Whitening Tooth Paste", but I'm not sure how long it will last in your part of the country. This product is supposed to hold up under all conditions and the UV Block white coat is supposed to be excellent protection in very sunny places. Thanks again and I hope this information is helpful too.

Hello, I got this off of the Workhorse.com website. DeMontrond Automotive Group, Inc. 14101 North Freeway Houston, TX 77090 (281)872-7200 Fax: (281)872-7904 www.demontrond.com Hope this helps. I see your post is from back in November, so you may have already found a place. Happy Travels

Hello, I've seen a lot of products on the market for restoring the plastic lenses which cover the headlights on Auto's and I've even seen people posting they can restore/clean them up with Tooth Paste. I have my RV in the shop right now for regular maintenance and my technician is suggesting to have the "Lens of the headlamp resurfaced so they're clear again. They want $70.00 per headlamp. This seems a little bit expensive for something I might be able to do myself with OTC products. Anyone have or had this problem and used a successful technique to clean or restore them? Thanks

Hi Frank, I'm not to good at navigating the TRVN site, but I did find a link to www.rvcruzer.com which had some Retail prices listed along with the cost for options. Is this the same person you are referring too? I think he said his name was Mark. I was interested in the PowerGlide chassis and he had a review in there about a 2009 he test drove. I'm learning a lot from you and I really appreciate it. I'm a very cautious buyer and I try to gather as much information as possible before making a decision. You have really helped in leading me to the right places. Were you already aware of the Recall's I provided you? I wasn't sure how old they were, but you owning a Phaeton, I was hoping it helped :-). Happy Travels and hope to see you at a Rally here in the Northwest next year. Thanks Ken & Karen Miller Oregon City, Oregon

Hi Frank, With the cost of Diesel these days, I'm wondering if the deals out weight the cost of the trip back :-). I belong to the Tiffinrvnetwork and I just saw something on there you may or may not know about. Seem's Tiffin is having a recall on the Phaeton's and something about some brake issues. Here are the links for more information: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/re ... furl=email and viewtopic.php?f=119&t=38057. Most of the posts says they're referring to the FRED's and some people say they never go a notice so they called Freightliner and were told their coach was not included. Might be something to check out. I'll check some places on the web to see what kind of deals they are offering in Alabama. I own a Honda Motorcycle and when I was investigating them I learned the Dealer's paid the same cost for shipping whether they were right next store to the plant or on the West coast. I thought that was kinda strange :-). Thanks Ken & Karen Miller Oregon City, Oregon

Hi Frank, Do the Dealer's in the East recognize there is no Sales Tax in Oregon? I've often wondered how other States feel about people who purchase something and register it in another State so they can't collect the Sales Tax or Licensing fees :-). Out here, November is supposed to be the best time to buy, but our weather has been real flakey this year. It didn't even stop raining until the end of July :-). In a typical year, the rain would end in June (Just after Rose Festival Week). I have been searching the Web for some deals, but I'm not really sure what's a good price. I have been doing my homework and the Manufacturers MSRP is marked up about 33 -35%. I have access to the getting the Dealer Invoice/Wholesale price and I will never pay anymore than 7% over that. A lot of the RV Dealer's want to make $35 - $50,000 on one sale. The good news is RV Dealers can't rely on volume like car dealers. I feel if they make 7% over the Invoice price, that's a fair deal. I have heard of some rare cases where a person was able to get 6%, but it must have been sitting on the lot for over a year and the dealer just wanted to unload it :-). Do you have any recommendations on States or Dealers where you can get a fair deal and the service is decent? Thanks Ken & Karen Miller Oregon City, Oregon

Hello, Thank you for your very helpful information. We had considered the Phaeton but my wife is concerned about it being too large for us to visit most Parks or Campgrounds. I would like to have a 40', but out here in the West a lot of the RV Parks are now restricting larger RV's. I am new to the DP side of the house and I want to make sure whatever we get will last for a very longtime. I want to make sure it has the power and torque to make it through any terrain. I hear going over the Rockies is rough if you don't have the right RV :-). I was reading more about the Cummins ISC engine and a lot of the blogs suggest you stay away from the ISB 340 HP. The Allegro RED we were looking at was a 2011 38QBA. With a Gross Weight of 29,500 lbs, and the Hitch weight of 5000 lbs as Frank mentioned. I'm looking at the "QBA" model because I have some plans to modify the area with the Bunk Beds. I'll check out some of the Phaeton's and see what the dealers are carrying these days. Thank you all for your help. I love FMCA and all its members. Hope I can return the favor sometime :-). Ken & Karen Miller Oregon City, Oregon

Hello Friends, We are considering the purchase of an Allegro RED 38'9" Motorhome with 4 slides. The spec's say it comes with a Cummins 340 ISB Diesel engine. I have seen other RV's with Cummins 360 ISC or some other notation and I'm trying to determine if the 340 is a large enough engine to provide the kind of power we'll need. We will be carrying a 1500LB motorcycle on a lift and towing a vehicle with a weight of about 5000LB. We haven't decided on the tow vehicle yet, but most of what I have seen average around this weight. Anyone have an opinion or experience with this engine? Thanks Ken & Karen Miller Soon to be full timers

Hi, i had considered this, but the headlights work. The pullout switch for the headlights does serve a double function. You have one contact for pulling and a twisting motion for dimming the dashboard lights. I have seen double throw switches before, but they've all either worked or they didn't. Is there a way to test this switch without taking it out? Thanks Ken & Karen Miller 2002 Fleetwood Southwind

Hello, I went to turn on my headlights the weekend and for some reason the Instrument panel lights would not come on. I turned the dimmer switch each way, but nothing changed. I have a 2002 Fleetwood Southwind with a Workhorse W22 Chassis. The manual says the fuse box location is determined by the builder. It also says there are two on this chassis. One under the drivers side by the parking break (I found this one :-)) and one in the Engine compartment. I located the fuse diagram in the manual and the one under the drivers side didn't seem to match the picture. I'm having a hard time locating the one under the hood. Has anyone else experienced this problem and determined the problem to be other than a fuse. I need to find the fuse box, but if that proves not to be the problem, I'd like some other suggestions on places to look. Thanks Ken & Karen Miller 2002Fleetwood Southwind FMCA F32345 Soon to be upgrading :-)

Hello, and welcome to the FCMA Forum, The "BEST" tow vehicle is the Saturn. However, since they are not made anymore, getting a 2011 is not possible. Our second choice is the Honda CR-V. Honda has always been towable, but I've also read in 2006 Honda stopped providing instructions for towing because people were not following the instructions and they were getting hit with warranty issues. On the other hand, I have read where people are still towing the new Honda's with no problems. In considering a vehicle it is also important to consider the up front costs for the tow bar, electric, cabling, etc. Any car can be towed 4 down (except the Hybrids), but most require a lot of modifications and some require disconnecting the driveshaft. Manual Transmissions and most 4 wheel drives are the easiest to tow. Good Luck in your search. We are currently looking for our new tow vehicle also. We currently tow a Saturn and we love it, but it's getting hard to find qualified service centers. Ken & Karen Miller F332468 Portland, Oregon 36T Fleetwood Southwind

Hello Friends, Never mind. I just read online all Hybrids have to be towed on a dolly with the front wheels up. Bummer..... :-). Thanks Ken and Karen Miller F332468 Portland, Oregon

Hello to all, I think I start this by saying I don't work for the Company I will talk about. I'm just a satisfied Customer sharing with friends. My wife and I are soon to be full-timer's and I have researched this topic pretty well (I think), We currently have a Gas RV, but are moving to a Diesel. I have purchased the 2009-2011 RV Comparison Guide from J.R. Consumer Resources Inc. @ www.jrconsumer.com. What I learned was very helpful and of all the Motorhomes they reviewed, the Tiffin Motorhome was rated the best by the RV Dealers Association (RVDA), and the Customers who own them. This guide includes Buying Tips, Selling Tips, and a review of all the Manufactures. It also includes information about who is still in business and who was bought out. (e.g. Navistar Inc acquiring Holiday Rambler, a product of Monaco, and now Monaco has been renamed to Monaco RV). Most everyone already knows this by now :-). I would recommend this Guide because It discusses the pro's and con's of each type of engine (Gas vs Diesel), provides links to Chassis builder's websites, RV Online Forums and more. This guide talks about almost every topic from Purchasing, Financing, Extended Warranties, and (if you purchase the Ultimate package, which I did), you can fill out a form and they will provide you all the details about the RV you are considering. I found it very useful in making my decision. If anyone is considering a newer Motorhome, I would recommend getting this guide. It appears N.A.D.A. is now the "Official" source for determining the resale value of an RV and what a lot of Dealer's are using to decide what your trade-in is worth. Visit their site at www.nadaguides.com determine the "Low" and "Average" Retail value of your coach so you will be prepared if a Dealer tries to get your Coach for less than it's really worth. I found it useful. Hope my friends out there do also Ken and Karen Miller F332468 Portland, Oregon Looking forward to joining the FUN!

Hello to all, I think I start this by saying I don't work for this Company I will talk about. I'm just a satisfied Customer sharing with friends. My wife and I are soon to be full-timer's and I have researched this topic pretty well (I think), We currently have a Gas RV, but are moving to a Diesel. I have purchased the 2009-2011 RV Comparison Guide from J.R. Consumer Resources Inc. @ www.jrconsumer.com. What I learned was very helpful and of all the Motorhomes they reviewed, the Tiffin Motorhome was rated the best by the RV Dealers Association (RVDA), and the Customers who own them. This guide includes Buying Tips, Selling Tips, and a review of all the Manufactures. It also includes information about who is still in business and who was bought out. (e.g. Navistar Inc acquiring Holiday Rambler, a product of Monaco, and now Monaco has been renamed to Monaco RV). Most everyone already knows this by now :-). WhiteEagle, I can definitely say you have made a very good choice. ENJOY! . For anyone else interested in moving up to a new rig, I would recommend this Guide because it also talks about Travel Trailers, 5th Wheels, and Class C Motorhomes. It discusses the pro's and con's of each type of engine (Gas vs Diesel), provides links to Chassis builder's websites, RV Online Forums and more. This guide talks about almost every topic from Purchasing, Financing, Extended Warranties, and (if you purchase the Ultimate package, which I did), you can fill out a form and they will provide you all the details about the RV you are considering. I have found it very useful in making my decision. If anyone is considering a newer Motorhome, I would recommend getting this guide. You can purchase it and download it for $50.00 which isn't bad for what it contains. It appears N.A.D.A. is now the "Official" source for determining the resale value of an RV and what a lot of Dealer's are using to decide what your trade-in is worth. Visit their site at www.nadaguides.com to determine the "Low" and "Average" Retail value of your coach so you will be prepared it a Dealer tries to get your Coach for less than it's really worth. I found it useful. Hope this info. helps someone out there. Ken and Karen Miller F332468 Portland, Oregon Looking forward to joining the FUN!