wildebill308

What does being over 40feet have to do with anything? Bill

At the last rally we had some one selling a clean out service for your gray and black tanks. I spent some time watching what he did and how it worked. He had a special hi pressure pump set up with a hose and adapters where he could hi pressure clean your tanks. There was a clear section in the drain hose so you could see what was broken loose and flushed out. The first coach had a macerator installed. He got a lot of "stuff" out of that one including the gray tank. The second coach used the standard 3" hose and only dumped when 3/4 full and had a black tank spray built in. He got nearly nothing out of those tanks. I think for some special applications it may be beneficial to have a portable macerator to use. I have seen that you don't get the complete dump with one you get using the 3" hose. I will stick to my old fashion 3" hose setup. Bill

I bought a older DP and have had nearly no problems. I might upgrade by buying a older coach. I do know where there is a 2001 Newell that is getting closer to my price point. Bill

My standard practice when I had a propane refrigerator was to turn it on (auto)2 days before I left and turn it off 2 days after I got home. Bill

The composition of the roof doesn't bother me as long as it is maintained. The outher thing to watch for is leaking around the windows. I would bet most of the sidewall delamination I have seen came from leaks around windows. Joe, I agree the better built coaches with more insulation, thicker roofs are quieter. Bill

Mark, as long as the oil meets the MB standards it is acceptable for use. 0-30 flows faster on startup. Did you miss the part where Mercedes Benz stated " We recommend MOBIL OIL." You may use whatever you want. Bill

I would think you can use any oil that meets the MB standards, MB-Approval 229.31 MB-Approval 229.51, MB-Approval 229.52. Did you know you are to use a full synthetic oil oi your sprinter? From your owners manual. Engine oils and oil filters are especially tested for their suitability in our engines and durability for our service intervals. Therefore, only use approved engine oils and oil filters required for vehicles with a maintenance computer. Conventional petroleum-based oils must not be used for vehicles equipped with the ASSYST maintenance computer. The following cases are not covered by the limited warranty for new vehicles: Rusing engine oils and oil filters of specification other than those expressly required by the maintenance computer. Rchanging the engine oil and oil filter at longer change intervals than those specified by the maintenance computer. Rusing any oil additives. We recommend MOBIL OIL. Here are a couple of oils that meet the requirements and recommended by Mobil 1 This one one is a 0-30 This one is 0-40 Bill

This may help if you are running the dash air but would hurt performance if using the roof air as it does not circulate outside air. Also when looking for max cooling set your dash air to "recirculate" Bill

I have seen Tiffin at a couple of small rallies in Texas. Usually they have a big dealer carry the flag for them. I had lunch with Bob Tiffin last fall at a event at The Vineyards Campground & Cabins,1501 N Dooley St, Grapevine, TX 76051, vineyardscampground.com. This was a non FMCA event. Tiffin had a couple big dealers provide stock for show and sell. I believe it was around the November 2-5th Eric, hope that clears it up but don't hesitate to ask questions. One outher thought if you do a search, manufactuers do rallies in different parts of the country. Bill

I have had coaches with metal roofs and fiberglass, I have worked on a rubber roof but never owned one. I don't see a big difference as long as you keep up on the maintenance. You are going to have seams and penetrations in any roof. Ok I thought the aluminum roof on the 1978 Executive was pretty solid but you still had to maintain the seals on all the penetrations. Bill

Welcome to the forum Eric. Obviously Chandler is not in Tiffin's back yard. Often there are reps from different manufactures at rally's. The most/more common are the venders who will be able to install the product they are selling. The bigger the rally the more likely the manufactures will have a presence. Bill

Welcome to the forum. That is a nice coach. I like the full wall slide. I can understand your desire to buy new. The best advise I can offer is to use it and enjoy it. Yes you may find some things that need to be fixed. The key is to use it now so you can get them fixed under warranty and so you won't have to rush because the warranty period is running out. I don't recommend the aftermarket warranties. Bill

Perhaps it might be enlightening if you read the previous post in the thread. The OP Tireman9 wants to run his refrigerator on 120V ONLY. There fore he would need a 120V power supply. Bill

I didn't find the temps that bad coming across on I-40. I wouldn't go to Death Valley in the summer but the rest isn't all that bad. If you need to you can run the generator and the roof air. I do recommend staying out of the Southern part of Arizona/Phoenix area. The Grand Canyon should be great because it is higher elevation. Bill

You may be able to use a map like this. http://wildfiretoday.com/tag/smoke/ The local news should have updates if the smoke is a problem. Going down through California would give you a chance to see many interesting places. I would stop and spend some time at Yosemite. Go re read my post about getting reservations at Trailer Village in the Grand Canyon park. Bill

Thanks for checking back with us with your results. Bill

The first thing I would try is, turn the thermostat to off pull the front cover off and see if there is a fuse in there. Remove the fuse and check it. Re install the fuse and see if it is working. Bill

Well at least they are working on I-40. They were doing some work between Williams and Flagstaff in March. The areas that they had finished were nice. Enjoy your stay at the canyon. Bill

Next time you change your oil leave 4 quarts out and after running the engine to fill the filter let it set for a few minuets and then mark the dipstick. Then add the rest of the oil and mark the full line. You could ask Cummins what/ how much low they consider as a limit. With your over all oil capacity I think marking a low at 4 Quarts would be ok. With that new of an engine I think it will be just a mark you will never see. Bill

Welcome to the forum. Have you tried starting it again to see if the fault clears? Try driving it enough that it warms up. Bill

I agree with Tom. You should be ok. If you are going to Philadelphia first I would take I-90 East. to Cleveland and south on I-75. Do you have reservations in New England? Where in New England are you headed? I would not recommend just showing up and expecting a spot at any campground that time of year. Many campgrounds close after Labor Day. Hear are a couple of apps you might like. http://www.rvparky.com/ http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ http://www.passport-america.com/ Bill

We don't know that DD until the OP reggink comes back and answers some questions. The original question included the LA area,"Planning to travel in August from Spokane to Seattle to the LA area going toward the grand canyon." Bill

Welcome to the forum. If you want to go down I-5 it isn't that bad. Do you want to be in LA or by pas it? I went around the north side to Pasadena then the 210 to I-15 north to Barstow to pick up I-40 to Williams and the Grand Canyon. Have you made reservations in Trailer Village RV Park (in the park) yet? I would do it now because it is much easier to get around the park. Shuttle buses come to RV park and pick you up. Trailer Village RV Park, 100 Trailer Village Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023, visitgrandcanyon.com (928) 638-1006 If you don't want to go into the LA area you can cut a lot of driving off by cutting over to Bakersfield from I-5 and taking 58 into Barstow to pick up I-40 Let me know if you have any questions. Bill

I agree that they could do better in the retention department. However we are dealing with demographic whose average age is ( I heard it but don't remember exactly) mid70's. You are going to see a point where people can't travel, sell the coach, and drop their membership. You also have some make that last trip. So with out access it is hard to know the breakdown of your 22%. Simple improving recruitment by 25% would more than offset that trend. Bill

Start a chapter in your area. Bill