PinkArnold

Bill, Sorry for the slow response to your question. We bought the tires at Pete's Tire Barn in Rutland, Vermont. At my first inquiry phone call, Pete's Tire Barn stated that they didn't know anything about the FMCA program (and did not offer to try find out about it for me). After I finally got thru to Continental Corporate, the rep from Continental confirmed that Pete's Tire Barn was a participating dealer. That rep then contacted Pete's for me, and thereafter I once again called Pete's Tire Barn, and got the FMCA pricing. A bit of a game, but certainly worth it in the end for the significant savings. PinkArnold

Although we had anticipated getting 6 new tires for our Tiffin 2012 Breeze next spring, we recently noticed a couple of small cracking areas on the front tires that warranted getting them changed out sooner (original tires were 6 years old this month). Researching our options and then calling multiple local dealers, it seemed no one was "owning up" to the Continental Advantage tire pricing from FMCA. We considered the Advantage pricing of Michelins, but then shut that door when we found out they were on back order. So, after 4+ calls in to Continental corporate (3 messages not returned), we finally got thru to someone who could help. Long story short, we bought 6 (265/70 R19.5) tires (Conti Hybrid HS3) from a dealer at FMCA pricing of $372.16 per tire including Federal Excise Tax (FMCA saved us ~ $130+ per tire - Thanks FMCA!). We brought them to our local service guy who did the mounting and spin balancing, and now we are good to go. We have been very happy with Continental tires on our automobiles, and so we'll see how it goes on the motorhome. PinkArnold

I enjoyed the article "Servicing an Onan Diesel Generator" in the February 2017 issue of FamilyMOTORCoaching, however didn't find any reference to service procedures regarding the V-belt, coolant hoses, thermostat. I'm not sure why the article didn't at least make some mention of these maintenance items. My Cummins Onan RV QD 6000 (HDKAH) in my 2012 Tiffin Allegro Breeze has ~ 725 hours on it and is coming up on 5 years old, which according to the owners manual is due (1000 hours or 5 years) for 1) Replacement of the Engine V-belt, 2) Clean Crankcase Breather and 3) Replace Coolant Hoses and Thermostat, in addition to other more routine service procedures. The manual states that the 3 procedures I've listed "must be performed by a qualified mechanic" (authorized Onan dealer) and perhaps that is why the article didn't mention them? Although I change my own generator oil as well as the filters (oil, air, fuel), I'm not necessarily comfortable with tackling the "more involved" items above. I anticipate that Cummins will probably have to drop the generator to achieve the belt change etc? My generator is NOT on a slide. I'd appreciate any thoughts, insight, or advice regarding these service items to help me be better informed when I contact Cummins. Thanks, PinkArnold

Thank you for your reply, Rich. I've opted to go with Fleetguard ES Compleat EG. The local Cummins-Onan service uses this or Zerex. When I change the coolant in the next week or two, I'll have a chance to see how the drained solution looks (after 2 years of use). Then I'll likely change to every 3 year interval. Happy Travels! Pink Arnold

Soon, I will be changing the coolant in my Cummins Onan 6000 diesel generator for the first time (it's nearing 2 years). The Cummins manual states that the engine cooling system was filled at factory with a 50/50 mixture of ethylene glycol antifreeze. (It's green). Does anyone have a preference or recommendation regarding an ethylene glycol solution that contains a rust and corrosion inhibitor? The manual clearly states it should NOT contain a stop-leak additive. Has anyone opted to switch from green to Shell Rotella ELC 50/50? Thanks in advance. PINK ARNOLD

wolfe 10, Thank you for your reply. The dinghy is tied to the coach chassis battery via an umbilical blue cord (7 pin connection at the motorhome to receiving plug at the dinghy). Previously, with dinghy hooked to motorhome, I checked using the digital voltmeter and at the outset, got readings ~ 13.82V at the toad battery. When the indicator light reached the blinking stage, the charging was cycling rhythmically on and off, the voltage was also rhythmically changing from ~ 14V down to as low as 9-ish and repeated in that pattern. The alternating pattern up and down was confusing to me. Of course, the dinghy parking lights were still on at that time. Once I turned them off, within a minute or 2 or 3, the indicator light became solid again. I am unhooked now for the season, but will try checking all the connections when I'm hooked up again. If the Toad Charge can't handle the dinghy parking lights, do you have any thoughts as to what other options might be a good alternative for side lighting? desertdeals69, I will add that when getting the Subaru toad worthy, I had 2 bulbs installed on the rear lighting of the Subaru. Those 2 lights are on when the coach parking lights are on. However, in my opinion, they don't provide adequate visibility, particularly in regards to Side lighting. Thank you, Pink Arnold

First of all, I would like to know if anyone uses the Dinghy parking lights while the vehicle is in tow by a Tiffin diesel motorhome. I like to use the Dinghy Parking Lights to provide increased side lighting/visibility when it's dark or rainy (I try to avoid driving in such conditions with the motorhome/toad). With my prior toad (2000 Toyota Camry) I would put on the dinghy parking lights when it was dark or rainy, and could drive for 14 hours and never had a problem. A dealer had wired the dinghy for "charging" when in tow - not the "Toad Charge" product. Now, I have a new vehicle (2014 Subaru Forester), which has "Toad Charge" installed. The Toad Charge is able to sustain routine charging of the dinghy with no apparent problem, but when I put on the dinghy Parking Lights, the Toad Charge yellow indicator under the Subaru hood starts blinking somewhere around 1 1/2 to 4 hours into the journey. I'm trying to calculate the wattage used to see if it's Feasible or Not with the new car -- versus discern if it's a problem with how the Toad Charge was installed. How should I go about testing voltages? The Toad Charge is supposed to deliver up to 10 amps of trickle charge. The Parking Lights take ~ 45 watts. Subaru Corporate is unable to tell me how much wattage is used when the key of the toad vehicle is in ACC mode. Thank you. Pink Arnold

No, but have had one instance in busy "city" driving while towing, that an oncoming car looked like it was going to pull quickly behind our motorhome, until it saw the dinghy! Made us very aware that the toad needs to be as visible as possible. That leads to another question about parking lights which I'll post on another thread. Pink Arnold

Doug, Thank you again for following up with Subaru with our question. Your help is much appreciated. Looks like the new toad is going to be a 2014 Subaru Forester! Robert

dougu, Thank you very much for your excellent reply and link. Having read that, I called 1-800-Subaru3 for a second time and referenced the letter & it's signature. The gentleman I spoke with provided affirmation that the Subaru manual transmission CAN be towed, and that I could receive an email similar to the one in the link. I have not as yet received that email letter. If you hear back from your contact(s), it would be great to know what that yields. Thanks again. Robert

We recently had the unfortunate incident of being rear-ended by an 18-wheeler on I-81, totaling our 2000 Toyota Camry dinghy. Entirely the fault of the trucker, nonetheless we are now in need of replacing our toad. Referencing the FMCA 2013 towing guide, we test-drove a 2013 6-speed MT Subaru Outback. However, when we reviewed the Owner's Manual, were unable to verify that recreational towing with 4 wheels down was specifically allowed. At the recommendation of our local (Subaru) dealership, we called 1-800-Subaru3 to talk with a Subaru Customer Service representative. The rep stated that Subaru does NOT recommend 4 wheels down towing, other than in the instance of emergency/short distance. If the Subaru automobile was to develop problems that could be attributed to 4 wheel down towing, the warranty could be voided. We would greatly appreciate your feedback. We would want something in writing from Subaru permitting 4 wheel down towing before purchasing the Outback (which we otherwise Really Like!). Thanks, Robert

We purchased Even Brake in May 2012, and had it dealer installed. We have had nothing but problems. Roadmaster sent us a whole new Even Brake system during the first couple of weeks because the unit basically wasn't functioning reliably (usually not braking unless applying the coach brakes forcefully). The replacement unit seemed to work (although not quite to the degree we thought it should) for a few weeks, and then, while on a road trip, the braking function stopped working. The TESTING processes worked appropriately at startup while stationary, but the monitor continued to hang on "Test is Good, System Ready", and no braking would occur when in motion. We tested this by having my wife ride in the dinghy while at a large rest area, and despite several attempts, no car braking occurred. The rep thought it might be a faulty accelerator. At any rate, we are again waiting for Roadmaster to correct the problem. We have paid to mail the unit to them.They state it will be another 4 weeks before we will have our "repaired" unit back. We lack confidence in their product, and we regret at this point having purchased it.