wigginsjsr

We have a 2008 Saturn Vue. Great tow car. Does not have all the restrictions on time, speed, etc as many of the others. Almost all of the Chevy models tow just as easy as the Saturn. In particular the Chevy Equinox is almost identical to the Saturn. When my Saturn eventually dies, I'll be looking at the Equinox.

If you are going to White Sands Missle Range, it is much closer to Las Cruces. The White Sands National Monument is a little farther out, but still within easy driving distance of Las Cruces. There are many things to visit in and around Las Cruces along with a better choice of RV parks. I am assuming you will have a toad or truck. We visited this area in September. You don't want to miss a visit to the space port in Elephant Butte. Still within driving distance of LC.

Wayne77590's respone is the correct process. I have towed my 2008 Vue XR over 30,000 miles with no problem. As far as running, shifting, and speed, I just start for a few minutes before I begin the trip, and then let run for a few minutes after I arrive at my stop for the night. You can find a copy of the manual online with the fuse location diagram. With the fuse pulled it will not start; so, I wouldn't get overly concerned about someone stealing the car at a fuel or rest stop. BTW the fuse is located in the fuse panel by the passengers feet, not under the hood. It is a 2 amp fuse.

I agree dry silicone does the job.

Had my coach for two years now. Never turn inverter off because it stops inverting automatically when shore power or generator are in use. BTW, I want the inverter to start if I am away from the coach in order to keep the residential frig going. If afraid of running the batteries down, I could set the AGS, but I haven't found this to be a problem. When not plugged to shore power, I have found the batteries will last for apx 12 hours before the generator comes on.

I have a 2011 Monaco Knight with Queen bed. I went to remove some items from the storage area under the bed yesterday and the front part of the bed broke loose from the wall. There is a 2X screwed to the wall and to each side support with a piano hinge that allows the plywood base to raise upward. That entire 2x and piano hinge has broken loose. Seems to me that there was so much leverage exerted when raised with the mattress pushing against the wall that the attachments gave way. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, any words of wisdom for permanent repair?

The SMI system work great, and it has a lifetime warranty.

Thanks for your prompt replies. I plan to have my oil changed in a few weeks. I'll use the old oil for my first analysis.

Being fairly new to diesel engines I read about some who have their oil tested. Would someone discuss the pros and cons of doing this, how often if done, and where do you get it done? Thanks

Personally I have found that using Eternabond Tape solves roof seal issues permanently. Applied properly, you will not have to reseal later. If you use the 6 inch wide tape, it can be put right over the old lap sealant without removal.

Have driven and towed a 2008 Saturn Vue a combined 85,000 miles without any wheel bearing problems. In fact have not seen any other discussion of this type problem.

If your RV came from the factory with a residential refrigerator, it almost certainly has an inverter and batteries designed to run the refrigerator on inverter power while traveling. I do not turn mine off while traveling, no problems over 20,000 miles. I do turn off the ice maker.

I had a Safe-T-Plus installed by Camping World on my previous gas model; I didn't see much improvement. I now have a Monaco DP 36'. I had a Blue Ox TruCenter installed, and was really surprised at the improvement. It is particularly effective in cross winds, high crowned roads, and the buffeting caused by 18 wheelers.

I used the Safe-T-Steer on my previous coach and it did not seem to provide much relief to wander problems. On my new coach, I installed The Blue Ox TrueCenter. What a difference! I really works great.

Replaced my old antenna with the Jack. Significant improvement, and much easier to tune.

I'm sorry hear about all the problems, that type thing should not happen. We purchased a 2011 Monaco Knight new in December 2011. We now have 18,000 miles on it and lots of great travels. No major problems with the coach during that time. So not all Monaco products are junk. Perhaps the new owners will provide better customer service, although when needed their service to me has been great.

If you are going to use the hard wired Progressive consider installing it after the transfer switch. This will provide protection from both shore power and generator power. On my Monaco the transfer switch is very accessible. May or may not be on your RV.

If you haven't already begun your trip I would suggest a different route. From San Antonio we took I-35 to I-30 to Little Rock. From Little Rock we took 65 North to Branson. Hwy 65 thru Arkansas is an easy drive with lots of small towns, but parts of it are really beautiful. If you are interested in a good side trip, consider the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. Great RV sites in the park can be reserved online. Interesting digging in the dirt for diamonds. Didn't find any, but great fun.

We were in Rapid City in early August 2012. It was 100+ every day, and usually a late afternoon thunderstorm. I suggest you look up the typical weather the time of year you plan on visiting, but the summers are a lot hotter than you would think.

We made a trip starting last June from San Antonio, north to Walker, MN, then to Rapid City and Rushmore and other sights, you'll want to spend some time in this area. On to Montana, Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff, Lake Louise, Kelowna BC, Surrey BC, Seattle and cruise to Alaska, down to Oregon, over to Salt Lake City, down to all National Parks in Utah, Lake Powell, Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, Dodge City then home to San Antonio. All together 6,000 miles and 5 months. Great trip. Driving in Montana is just like anywhere else in the Rockies; the only thing that was a problem is finding diesel. Don't let your tank get too low. We left Rapid City with 1/2 tank. No diesel until Garryowen, on fumes!

We traveled thru BC last summer going West from Banff. Our route took us from Banff to Kelowna on to Surrey. We actually stayed in Canmore just outside Banff. Parked RV and toured in Toad. Super sightseeing north of Banff all the way to Edmonton. You'll need some time in this area to see Lake Louise, Ice Fields, etc. Just a great area. We also stayed a week in Kelowna. We stayed on a farm (Orchard Hill) with a great site overlooking the Ocanagan Valley. Highly recommend this park on a small farm. Beautiful private full hook-up sites. Lots of orchards, and other interesting sites. Huge lake with floating bridge, several nice museums, parks, etc. We entered Canada from Glacier National Park. Good place to enter U.S. with lots to see before you reach Wisconsin; Rapid City SD for Rushmore and other great sites, Yellowstone, Salt Lake, and many others. Have a great trip. BC is a great place.

I have a Progressive Industries 50 amp unit that is hardwired. It protects on 50 and 30 amp service.

When you go thru El Paso you should consider taking 375 around the city. May be a little further, but less hectic.

I have had very good performance with my MaxxForce 10. Just turned 18,000 miles, most of which were in the western U.S. mountains. Lots of power, doesn't need DEF. The emission problem has been with their larger engines for heavy trucks. There are a significant number of International trucks on the road as you drive around. They don't seem to have a problem getting service. I agree there are more places that service Cummins, although I don't know if they do warranty work on Cummins. There are a lot of International truck dealers who service these engines. I would think the availability in Alaska might be a problem for all brands.

Check with SMI's site for the answer.