andyshane

Ditto. Two visits to Santa Fe Skies, happy both times. Best, the Santa Fe Brewing Company tasting room is just down the road...

Thanks, all. I'll get crankin'. Poliseek and Blue Sky are history.

For the second time, we've had our insurance cancelled without notice by Poliseek, our agent with Blue Sky Insurance. Probably, it's yet another admin goof on their end, the first stemming from a change to our autocharge due to internal problems at Citibank. I have no doubt this is another admin flub, but these are adding up. If members have a preferred insurance provider, I'd enjoy hearing your input. After-Action Report: I screwed up, plain and simple. 'Mis-read their correspondence, am pleased to report all is fine with Poli-Seek and Blue Sky. Summed up, the sole negative is that we had to submit paperwork to back up a change to the autocharge card number, which seems a needless pain. Wayne from Strictly Cycles and I were just on the phone, a great character and a pleasure to deal with. Thanks for his, and all the other, links. We pack a powerful punch, minimize our mistakes, by comparing notes and watching each others' backs. For that, you have my gratitude, each and every one of you! Pilots aren't supposed to make mistakes like this...Controller: "Descend two four hundred." Flying Tigers Crew: "Roger, descend to four hundred." Or, on one flight in the American Southwest: Copilot: "Hey, isn't the minimum altitude here... <BANG!>" Lots of other examples, in aviation history.

Most of the alarms are limited to a five year lifespan. Some manufacturers say to test the unit weekly, that is probably a bit excessive if not living in the rig. A simple test is part of my pre-trip inspection: slowly engage the trigger of a butane lighter so there is no flame, hold down the trigger and place the lighter close to and above the sensor. It should alarm within a few seconds if functioning normally. More fun than simply pushing a button, and grandkids will love performing the chore.

I forgot: the topic came up over at the dysfunctional forum, and the same consensus was reached: if your circumstances require a contract provider, eg not having a shop and skills at your disposal, Coach Net polled as the preferred choice.

When I was a neophyte, I signed up for Good Sam ESP; it is the only serious mistake I've made, in the time I've been RV'ing, IMHO.

Good Sam bent over backwards to deny a minor claim, citing a chain of related items to reach a non-covered aspect of my tie rod replacement. Then, they ignored my BBB complaint against them. As far as I'm concerned, they simply stole my money.

I bought the Tire Traker system last year, and am highly satisfied. Owners Daryl and Cheri Lawrence have gone way above and beyond the call, providing service. I'll give you an example: my wife was on a solo trip, pulling a Roadmaster 2000-1 dolly with her Honda Crosstour aboard, when there was a sudden explosion and the tire alarm sounded. Of course, the stock Carlisle tire* had reached the end of its brief service life and disintegrated, launching the Tire Traker sensor into low orbit. As the doomed transmitter rocketed away from the dolly, it sent one last signal to our cockpit, tripping the alarm. So, I called Daryl and said I needed to buy a transmitter, he refused to charge me for the replacement. Really, the only problem within the system itself has been a fractured leg on the battery clip inside one of the transmitters. I told Daryl that I'd be happy to solder it if he walked me through the process; instead, he immediately put a free replacement in the mail. In short, two minor glitches, each followed by a box in my mailbox free of charge three days later. The batteries in the lightweight sensors can be bought at any Radio Shack, and I have yet to need the booster unit I purchased but have not yet installed. There are two locked-down sensors on the Crosstour's rear tires, which places them nearly sixty feet away from the receiver. Still, I have perfect reception to the unit, under all conditions. * I have reported the early failures of both Carlisles to the NTHSA. This is common, when Carlisles are mounted on dollies or heavy trailers, even when used within their weight ratings. Consumers typically experience catastrophic failure before reaching 4,000 miles, judging from dozens of written accounts. Kudos to the Claims Department at Carlisle for compensating us for the failed tires, the fenders destroyed in these incidents. They are investigating the early failure pattern of their trailer tires. Roadmaster is also looking into the problem, but assumes no liability in these failures, and continues to sell dollies equipped with Carlisle tires.

Ditto. A friend just sold a perfect late-model Country Coach that was meticulously maintained and always stored indoors for 46% of its book value. The market is truly in the dumps, and represents a rare opportunity for anyone buying a first motorhome. I don't think you could build one for what you'd spend buying the equivalent.

Purchasing a Good Sam ESP was the singular worst decision I've made since starting RV'ing. They went to great lengths to deny one minor claim, have ignored my complaint against them through the Better Business Bureau. I'd strongly recommend against choosing them. Writeup in iRV2 forum.

I just ran for two hours with 5 psi over Michelin's recommended value, was pleased to note a 10F drop, on the average, in my sidewall temps. No noticeable difference in ride quality, wife agrees.

Wow. That's a first. The same profile came up for each post; so, I guess if you try to delete the one that's not yours, it'll work

Size matters, when it comes to Class A's I floated the idea of the newer, shrunken Excursion being offered for 2013 to my wife and her response cannot be printed in polite company. While our 3-slide 40' rig affords ample living area, galley, bath, bedroom and closet; a fourth slide and the extra two feet of length in the models we're looking at provide optimum storage and a little more flexibility with floorplans. Conversely, the new version of our bus blends dinette and living space, sheds storage compartments and abbreviates precious closet acreage. I don't think the market will respond favorably, 'specially if diesel prices continue to inch downward. As far as maneuverability and economy goes, shrinking a Class A (or transitioning to a Class seems to make comparatively little fiscal sense: one sheds luxury and convenience at a much faster rate than one saves dollars.

Ditto. 'Cept, mine finally gave up the ghost, yesterday.

That made milk come out my nose No, I'm glad you didn't fall for it; but that is the silliest scam... A good rule of thumb for us all to follow: ignore the incoming call/email, then initiate contact with who the caller/mailer claims to be on our own by the means we always use. (The death penalty should apply for anyone who attempts to con U.S. citizens over the age of 55)

Does any police department have jurisdiction on private property? As a property owner, I invite you to my house and tell you to park in my driveway. Then, my local police rush to the scene and write you a ticket for being there? I don't think so. Ticketed in a Pilot parking lot, my initial response is xerox the ticket and mail it back, informing Van Horn you've sent the original to the owners of the truck stop with a request that their legal team return it unpaid to City Hall with a reminder that they invite the traveling public to sleep there. Personally, I'd also suggest that Pilot's legal eagles -- they love doing stuff like this -- frame their reply in such a way to clearly convey the notion of an abrupt and unwelcome underside insertion of said document, figuratively speaking How 'bout FMCA demands a list of ticketees under the Freedom of Information Act, see if truckers are excluded, ergo RV'ers targeted. I'd say there is a lawsuit there, if that is the case. StopCityFraud is a site whose members fought back.

We've got two Havanese, a 5 year old and a pup. Havana took to the motorhome immediately, thinks that the sound of diesel signifies the start of a road trip; kind of awkward with the UPS guy when he looked down and she was sitting beside him, waiting to go... She likes to ride on the dash on our DP, a minor mishap would send her into traffic; so, I fabricated a custom harness that she slips easily into. It has a single velcro belly-strap and nylon stiffener to protect her spine. Deceleration is distributed from neck to hips, unlike commercial canine harnesses, which simply encase the shoulders. The primary tether is pleated, so in a serious mishap, the harness has a shock-disipation function. Heather, the pup, is in a pet carrier that is belted to the sofa. When she gets to be a year old, I'll tailor a second harness to her. In fact, I'll do two new harnesses and rig a crash-test dummy, like a sack full of potting soil, destructive-test the prototype with a 30-foot drop to simulate a moderate impact... While each of our canines is different, EMS personnel tell stories of disoriented pet tragedies after animals have survived a road mishap. Granted, some will stay glued to their owners; but, others have darted into traffic or simply fled in a panic. While they are our children, first responders are going to look at them as mere pets. The latter concerns me as much as the primary safety issue. I hope we've prepared sufficiently.

Has anyone had luck preemptively contacting dealers, offering to wait until it's possible to get fresh tires? When I read more articles in the paper like this, rolling the dice on DOT dates is no longer an option.

I'm currently processing claims paperwork for Carlisle tires, having joined the ranks of owners who've suffered blowouts running on Carlisles (they came with my 2011 Roadmaster 2000-1 dolly). We had two blowouts in six months, perfectly-maintained new Carlisle tires that were kept indoors. Along with contacting the dolly and tire manufacturers, I've filed a complaint against Carlisle with the NHTSA. Evidence suggests it is an unsafe tire, my experience affirms that conclusion. A friend is doing research for tire replacement on their trailer, sent me the following excellent link that explains DOT codes and lists American-made tires. http://www.americanmadetires.com/where-tires-are-made.html Our independent searching has come to the same conclusion: Goodyear Marathon. But, there is a fly in the ointment: at present, there are still failure-prone Marathons that were made in China out there, being sold. They are currently being made domestically, reportedly with higher reliability; but, it's hard to find the American ones. In the interim, I had to settle for Karrier Loadstar, which owners report enjoys good operating safety and reliability, even though... you guessed, it's made in China.

Didn't Michelin just change the verbage in their new materials from "minimum" to "recommended"? In fact, I think either their engineering or legal staff made them purge the term. That said, I still add an extra 5psi as a technique, just to get my running temps down and to hedge for a time when I'm a few pounds low. Their latest is at this link, the inflation and load tables; and, all their safety stuff for RVs. http://www.michelinr...s/new-tires.jsp

I just spent time with a Rev owner with your tires, same vintage, he was experiencing classic Goodyear wear problems. Our rigs were side by side, he was drooling over my Michelins of the same age with no visible wear. If I recall, folks believe Goodyears are less tolerant of non-optimum inflation. It shows in the form of scalloped marks on the outside edges of the tread. I'll replace mine with the Michelins, without a doubt. I like our tire specialist's advice: replace steering tires at 5 yrs or half tread, whichever occurs first. Manufacturers might give longer spans; but, with the steering tires, I'd prefer to err to the conservative.

We ditched the dreadful stock mattress, bought a new plush-top for our master bedroom, carefully inched the old master bedroom queen-sized around the entryway horizontally and to the rig's bedroom pedestal. With the slide closed, it gently presses our drawers and keeps 'em secure and quiet en route

We discussed this problem at my former forum, I was surprised at how often it happened. In my own case, we sometimes get the famous "Blue Screen of Death," that grim mainstay of Windows personal computers, and cure it by turning the system off then on. Cleaning and tightening the connections is still an open item in my maintenance logbook, 'hope this effectively stops the nuisance.

We've had two explosions in the last three years, one with an obvious source of ignition near the battery. In the second case, last Sunday, I simply sat down in my wife's 2010 Honda and turned the key. It was just like a car bomb, only non-lethal: the battery casing split along its top edge and an acid mist hung over the front of the car like smoke. No damage to the paint, thanks to immediate rinsing by yours truly. I immediately installed a replacement, was relieved to find everything was fine. HERE is a discussion of explosion causes and effects. I'd rank motorhomes as a steeper risk than automobiles for such events during periods of inactivity due to way we use them. Before we get too technical, I'd like add that we all know what safety measures to employ; it's just a matter of disciplining ourselves to consistently apply them.

I think the floorplan is fantastic, dispenses with many of the shortcomings inherent to the last decade's offerings, ie watching TV underway. Wonder about the low torque/lb ratio. I mean, we have 30% more power in our Fleetwood and I judge it as marginal. But, an interesting design that could impact the Class A scene. I look forward to reading more about owners' experience with this model.