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Some coaches have striping that are decals rather than painted surfaces. That means some really large decals. If that is the case, desartdeals69 above has the best idea, I've not used 303 but it is commonly recommended for preserving appearance. If it worked for him, I would take his recommendation. Here is a link to a general description for Aerospace Protectant 303. The site has a sales component but you can purchase this product on Amazon or at Walmart. If you search the internet for "303" you will get plenty of references where you can purchase the product.

I just picked up the latest GoMedigap Newsletter and it had an article on Traveling with Medicare. This article is short and a very easy read. It gives information on coverage with Medicare, the original, and supplements and how they cover you as you travel in the US and its territories, in Canada and internationally, anywhere in the world. It also describes how Medicare Advantage plans cover travel in the US and in Canada and internationally. I would highly recommend this quick read for anyone who travels and has a Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage Plan. Regarding costs for any plan, they do vary. Medicare Part A covers hospitalization. If you qualify with enough working and paying into Social Security and Medicare credit, that coverage is at no additional cost. Medicare Part B, covering doctors visits and routine health care is about $120 per month for each of us. Some people who were covered before we were are paying slightly less, grandfathered in. We have Plan G Medicare Supplement with a private insurer, the costs for that will vary depending on a number of variables including the company you choose, your medical condition when you sign up and your age when you sign up. You can choose from a number of supplement plans with varying coverage, deductible amounts, etc. If you choose Plan G it will be identical for every company offering Plan G. Plan G is defined by Medicare and every company offering it has to have the same exact coverage. The same is true of each of the Medicare Supplements. Our Plan G supplement costs each of us about $100 per month. Mine is slightly higher because I'm an XY (male), not an XX (female). Compare those costs with what we were paying before going on Medicare. We were in a group plan through our employer but had to pay the full cost of that policy on our own. It was costing each of us more than $500 per month. We love Original Medicare! I just had a severe ear infection. I went to an Urgent Care Center, cost $0.00. Had an examination and prescriptions. I went back several days later, not getting better fast enough, got a referral (not needed but helped me find a local specialist, doctor(s) they recommend). Went to one of the four offices listed as Ear Nose Throat (ENT) specialist, got tested, examined, more medication, a follow-up treatment, cost $0.00 for the doctor, $4.00 per prescription (5 now in all) through our Medicare Part D Prescription Provider. All done within two weeks, never turned down, never a question regarding coverage. Show the card(s) and it is all done. I'll say again, I've never yet been to a doctor or hospital that doesn't accept Original Medicare. I'm certain there must be some somewhere but there isn't even any hesitation at any doctor, urgent care center or hospital I've been to. We are more than 500 miles from our current home, have been on the road for six weeks, don't have a doctor in this area. No problem.

I have had two installations done. The first was done by the company (in St. Louis, MO) that sold the tow equipment to me. I never had a single problem with that installation. The second was done by an RV dealer that is associated with the dealer where I bought the car (Mission, TX). Same overall ownership. They ordered the part needed for installation and did the work. The basic tow equipment (base plate) has worked fine but the wiring for the lights misfired in several ways. First trip out, the plug got knocked out of the socket on the front of the car. It had been mounted in the air dam. It was too close to the road surface, either road debris was the problem hitting the socket or perhaps the cord which was even lower was being hit. Anyway, at the end of that trip I had an unusable plug and had to move the mounting to a higher location. Since then, no problems with the socket. The second problem was wear on the wiring run to the taillights. Improper installation in the car caused the wiring to wear through at the end of the first year of travel. I had that repaired at an RV shop, no problems since. I think that experience is the key. The people that sell the tow equipment know more about installing it than a shop that just does that as an incidental job. I would have the shop where you purchase your tow package do the install. The other take-away could be that there are just good shops and/or good mechanics that do quality work and those that don't.

I made the switch from Goodyear to Michelin several years ago. The improvement in the ride and steering was very noticeable. I made the change because of several problems with Goodyear tires I'd had in the past. I don't think I'd ever go back. I started by changing just the front tires. Last year I changed the rear tires. When I changed the rear tires over the ride improved also. Many years ago I had a really bad set of tires, possibly caused in part by poor mounting techniques. Since then I've had the tire on the rim checked for round. With Goodyear, there were always some issues with the tires being out of round. Even though it is measured in tiny amounts, at 60 MPH it can cause vibration. I've also had the Michelin tires checked for round. Surprise, they test well within tolerance every time. I think this is a good part of the difference in the sensation the tires give when traveling down the road.

We were on I-40 westbound out of Flagstaff last summer, well beyond Obedb's query. The stretch from Flagstaff to where the road drops down to the desert is absolutely the worst road I've ever been on in the lower 48. Alaska holds a special place in the bad roads category and Canada is another country, I've seen even worse roads there.

Thanks Byron, I'm glad to know things are better there now.

Two years ago I was on I-81 north of Harrisburg and construction had it slowed to a one lane traffic jam that took us two hours to clear. Check to see if there is still construction going on there and get an assessment of possible delays before including that in your trip plans.

Now for on-the-way information. We did about the same travel though in slow motion two years ago. My brother lives in Eastern Kentucky so we made a stop at the Jim Beam Distillery south of Louisville. We drove across Kentucky on several small highways to London, KY where my brother lives. Leaving his home on I-75 north, we picked up I-64 in Lexington. From there we connected with I-79 and then I-68. We visited Harper's Ferry National Historic Park, We stopped in Harrisburg, PA for maintenance at the Cummins shop. For those with a Cummins engine I highly recommend this Coach Care Location. They gave us the best service we've ever received from Cummins. Out of Harrisburg he headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Taking I-81 and I-88 got us into New York. The one problem we encountered was on I-81, there was extensive one lane construction going on and we were caught in a huge long traffic jam. That was two years ago, someone from eastern PA can give you an update on this project. From Cooperstown we headed east through southern Vermont on Hwy 9 and New Hampshire on Hwy 101. Both were scenic and we made a number of sightseeing stops along the way. We ended up staying at a campground in northern MA for a family reunion in Hampton, ME. From there we took I-95 north through down east Maine and on into Canada. That was the beginning of our first trip to Newfoundland and Labrador. That is a look at one way to get there and some of the interesting things you might stop to see or visit on your way, depending on the amount of time you plan to be out on this trip.

As one who loves to visit wineries and also has visited several of the distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, I have a strict policy, taste and spit. It breaks my heart to spit out a fine wine or a great bourbon but that is the only way if you are the driver. At least I'm getting to taste the product which is the objective of tasting. I usually inform the person at the tasting counter that I am the driver and will be spitting out each tasting so they don't think I'm being dismissive of their product. By the way, bourbon is a Kentucky thing. If it isn't from Kentucky it can't be labeled bourbon. The Tennessee Whiskey Trail is a separate entity. You can't beat these two tours for liquor tourism unless you go to the Napa Valley. As to the distillery tours, they have bus and RV parking at many locations. You can go on-line to get information from each distillery and if there is a question about parking, call to find out what arrangements they have for parking RV's. A 25' motorhome isn't that much larger than some pickup trucks. I don't think you will find any problems. If you can park in two regular spots at Walmart, you should be fine. We did find that campgrounds were fairly sparse in the Bourbon Tour area. You might plan your itinerary ahead so you have campgrounds available each night. We found that a visit to a distillery will take from two to four hours without rushing. A good tour may make that a little longer. Some places, you have to purchase tickets for tours and they may not be available for the next tour. Avoiding holidays and weekends might minimize that. I think you can purchase tickets at some distilleries in advance, on-line. Enjoy! For those going to the FMCA Convention in Indianapolis, you won't be far from Kentucky and Tennessee! Great side trip if you are so inclined. And, oh yes, Prism16 welcome to the forum. If you leave Maine a few weeks earlier you could attend the FMCA Convention! It's a can't miss experience to do one of these large RV gatherings at least once. Would love to see you there.

We had a related discussion several weeks ago. Here is a link to "Summer in New Mexico." You might find further information in this discussion if you haven't already found it.

There remains the question of the removal of the panel. Not being familiar with that model coach, I can't offer advice but I would suspect the answer is yes. You have to get into the center of the reel where the gears are. In the case of the electric reel, that means drilling the heads off of rivets which necessitates removal of the entire reel from the coach in our case. It was an all day project for me. I replaced the gear in 2012 and it is still purring like a charm today.

Herman, You may be right. Here is the quote from backhoeJ in the post link above... Posted September 23, 2015 · Report post Hi everyone, backhoeJ here . Still supplying gear kits and also have bracket for motor. Gear fits cord reel and water reel. Please feel free to contact me if in need of gear or bracket. Contact me at: John D jondel1234@yahoo.com I have added the emphasis.

I believe this is the post that you are looking for. About the March 20, 2014 which was on the third page of the discussion for me. There is post from backhoeJ and it mentions the replacement gear is for the hose reel also. He posted again in 2015 and is currently active on the forum.

Thank you for posting your solution. That makes the discussion so much more relevant to others searching for a solution and a bunch of us who now have filed away another cure for a problem.

Our door had been difficult to open for quite a while. A repair shop we had look at it said it was misaligned. Thankfully it was too big a job to tackle, we were on the road and wanted to move on. So they didn't break out the crowbar. Sometime later I had the door jerked from my hand by a strong gust of wind. That bent the hinges, mostly the top hinge. It was now almost impossible to close and the top hinge was visibly deformed. We were parked in a friends driveway and he helped me remove the door and the hinges. We straightened both hinges with the big hammer cure. When we put them back on, the door opened like it was new! Since then I've lost the door to another gust (couldn't be loosing my grip) and the hinge bent again. Once bent easier the next time... So I ordered and received a new set of hinges. Now I have new ones and I'm working on my grip. Haven't had a golf club go flying for months now...

We have stayed there many times. You are right downtown in Independence, walking distance to downtown. I enjoy taking my morning walk in the neighborhoods around there. It is a nice park, friendly people.

We're still running with the factory original Bilsteins. That is 165,000 miles.

Medicare Advantage Plans are HMO's run by private companies and are state based. That may leave you out of the network in other states. They work well for those that seldom travel. Some may compensate out of network treatment but may require you to visit a certain cooperating physician. Basic Medicare, Part A, covers hospitalization, Part B covers doctor's visits and treatments, Part D covers prescription drugs. You can purchase supplements to help cover the gaps in Medicare. Supplement plans will pay many of the deductibles. Medicare and You is an annual publication that explains all of this. There is a company, GoMedigap. They will help you find the best price for a supplement plan for basic medicare. There is some great information on that website and you can call to talk to a representative if you prefer. Go Medigap isn't licensed in all states but they are good to go in South Dakota. We started using their service when we went on Medicare and they periodically review our supplement. So our choice was the standard Medicare plan with a supplement. It is working for us, wherever we are located in the US. I have never been turned down by a doctor because I was on Medicare. I'm certain that there are some who do but in our travels I've always been able to find the treatment I need. I had knee surgery as I was starting on Medicare and asked my doctor if he had any problems with medicare. He laughed and said, "Have you seen my waiting room? I wouldn't have any patients if I didn't take Medicare."

Here we go, this is an extensive listing. Colaw is located in the central US if you are nearby but there are salvage yards all over the country. These places do ship so you don't have to travel to get parts if a supplier isn't nearby. Another resource for parts, check out this recent posting. If you just need a replacement part for the door, not the entire door you might find what you need here.

Here is the link for the REV Group. You will find Monaco listed on that page and can get to the service center and parts department from there. If you have your owners manual, the phone number listed in the manual still works and will get you directly to the Monaco Switchboard. You will want to know the last six digits of the vehicle serial number, not the VIN. Monaco uses that six digit number to identify all their coaches in their records. There have been numerous discussions and links to salvage yards but I'm unable to locate a link. I'm going to keep looking...

I had to look up RC7, I think we had one before I changed inverters, we now have a newer version but still an Xantrex model. The autostart function worked on the old RC7 and it works on our present model. I had to take it to the factory service center to find someone who could set the programming to get it to work. I tried for quite a time with Xantrex service people and couldn't get it set right. Once the factory got it set, I haven't touched the menu. I love the autostart. The factory service center even set it to automatically exercise itself once a month! We leave it on automatic all the time. If we need to start the generator manually, we use the control panel to start and stop the generator. Using any of the manual switches will cause an error condition that has to be cleared before the autostart will work again. That might be your problem or it could be in the menu settings which as Herman has stated, are written in Greek.

I've stated my position on this issue. We can always complain about how money in an organization is spent. The complaints only have impact if you are an elected official or talking to an elected official. So if you want to complain about FMCA expenditures, get the facts and then talk to those who can make changes. If you want to change the way the organization is run, put your name on the ballot. Membership numbers translate to more dues money, they also relate to the prices for advertising in the magazine or here on the website. Advertisers want to know how many members their advertising will reach. If the numbers are too low, advertisers can't justify spending big dollars. The numbers also impact the costs and revenue from events like the national conventions. If convention attendance drops, fewer vendors will show up at conventions and meetings. All these things impact dues. The less revenue from these other sources, the more that must come from dues. It's that or you start paring the organization back. Some members could pay more for membership while others would not be happy to see their benefits cut back in order to keep dues the same. So as pinch comes to shove, some will pay more in dues while others will drop out because benefits that they see as important are no longer offered or are at a cheaper rate through another organization. My sense is that the industry is in decline due to high costs of ownership, particularly for the most complex RV's, our motor homes. Couple this with fuel prices that were above $4.00 per gallon at times in recent years. The state of the economy following the 2008 collapse compounded the situation. Numerous manufacturers dropped out of the market, some restructured, and those still in the market frequently cut back their production and the number of models they offer. As the industry goes, so goes FMCA. There is a counter to some of the above. As the number of motor homes in service declines the bond between motor home owners becomes stronger. This could be a way of maintaining membership. My favorite example of this effect is meeting someone from you home state when you are in a foreign country. Suddenly you have a connection with someone who in most cases you would never even stop to talk to. Think about it. If you hear someone in your local Walmart says they are from your home state do you break into the conversation to say, so am I? But if you are in France, they are suddenly your new best friend.

I guess they were planning on the tank never leaking or needing any physical maintenance. Words like always and never will make a liar out of anyone eventually...

We returned to our winter residence in Edinburg, Texas, in Mid-April after a three-week trip to Tahiti that included a two-week cruise in French Polynesia. Living the high life agrees with me but all that food seems to find a home somewhere around my waist. Nine days after our return we were headed north in the motor home with friends accompanying us on the trip. The motor home had been in the shop for about six weeks during the winter, some repair, some upgrades and some maintenance. We also had the carpeting replaced. The upshot of this was that for the first time in thirteen years we had emptied the motor home almost completely. So we’re like newbees, having completely re-stocked the motor home we’re finding out what we forgot. The list isn’t short. We travel all summer long, visiting relatives, touring and attending conventions. We didn’t have definite plans for this summer, mostly visiting our children and grandchildren. In early March the bucket list came up and our friends suggested the Kentucky Derby. We gave it about 5 minutes thought and decided we were going to sign up. I had just seen an advertisement for Fantasy Tours Kentucky Derby Tour in the e-mail that morning. I thought it was for 2018, but no, it was for this year. Several spots were available and we signed up. From Edinburg to Louisville is about 1100 miles and we decided to make it a four-day trip. Doing about 300 miles a day would get us there on time. We planned to arrive on Sunday, a day before the tour started. At our first fuel stop our friends said their dash air wasn’t working. Consulting with the manufacturer, they checked the fuse and several other causes and then decided to run the generator and the roof air to try to combat the 90+ degree temperatures of south Texas. Our goal for the first day was to get through Houston before stopping for the night. We pulled into the Houston East RV Park about an hour before sunset. Problem two cropped up at this point, the single slide-out on our friend’s motor home wouldn’t slide out. In the morning, they were on the phone with the manufacturer again. After checking several items, it was decided that if they did get it to work, they may not get it back in so they are going to have to live with this until they could get to a repair shop. Our schedule didn’t allow for a day or two in a repair shop so we continued our journey. On the good side, departing Houston put us in lighter traffic on I-10 for the first hour or two. We stopped in Lake Charles, LA to refuel and it became a lunch stop. Departing I-10 to the north we headed for Hattiesburg, MS. That became our overnight stop, now about 800 miles behind us. In the morning, I followed the GPS and led us on an extended short cut on roads barely wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass. We all laughed about it later and it did cut off quite a few miles. Our trip continued through Nashville, TN and on to Louisville, KY. The problems with the slide out were solved by a careful reading of an on-line version of the owner’s manual. When we parked for the tour their slide operated perfectly. The solution was to hold the activating switch for 10 seconds which re-synchronized the motors. Later we learned that the dash air conditioner failure was due to a loose connection. They are on their way to the east coast and we are with my daughter and her family in Missouri. The Kentucky Derby Tour, that is another story…

And also to the families that stood behind them and supported them in their service and mourned their loss when they died.