jrwitt

Well, I'm not a lawyer, but about 5 years ago I had a friend who was one. He told me that you should never, never give permission to law enforcement to search your vehicle. If they find something a previous passenger left behind, you (the driver) are responsible for it being there (even if you didn't know it was there). If the police have reasonable cause to search, they will be able to obtain a warrant. If they don't, they don't need to search anyway. In the case above about crossing the border, I think I would give permission. In fact I am not sure you would really have a choice other than to turn back and not cross the border. Anyway, just a thought I wanted to share. I had always assumed I would give permission until I heard this. I assume my friend's advice would apply to motorhomes as well as passenger trucks or autos.

There is an old saying: "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." I have received many of these same "promotional survey" emails but always with a different sponsoring company and different porducts. I can't say for sure if this one is legit or not, but I seriously doubt it. From what I have read on other forums, it you respond then your email will be added to dozens of mailing lists and you will receive tons of junk mail for your trouble. Again, I can't say specifically about this one. Good luck.

I live 30 mins from Estes Park and go over there (by car) very often. There is no significant difference between Hwy 34 and Hwy 36. 34 goes east through Loveland, CO to I-25 and 36 goes southeast through Lyons, then east on Hwy 66 to I-25. Once you reach I-25 from 66, you turn north and go back to Loveland. From this point on, it is the same I-25. Hwy 34 is more scenic but no more difficult to drive and a shorter route then going 36/66 to I-25. I see all kinds of RVs on that section of the road (34) all the time. In fact, there are several RV parks along hwy 34 between Estes Park and Loveland. The grades are pretty much the same on both 34 & 36. I guess what I am saying is that it is a no-brainer. If your objective is to end up going north out of Colorado on I-25, then take 34 from Estes Park. Only use 36 if you want to go to Boulder, Longmont, Lyons, Denver or points south. I have never noticed any difference in wind conditions between the two highways either. Where you may experience winds is after you turn north on I-25. Winds can be significant between Denver and Cheyenne, WY and maybe further north. Not usually a problem, but definately possible. The highway department turns on warning signs all along I-25 whenever winds are high. They state that high-profile vehicles should use caution. Enjoy your trip.

Is there any chance you can get to the other end of the cable and disconnect it? Then maybe the battery will slide out a little farther. This is just a guess, but seems like it might work.

Keep in mind that using the Brake Buddy will apply the Ford's brakes by pushing on the brake pedal. This probably turns on the brake lights just like if you were driving it. Depends on how much stopping you do, but this will be some drain on the battery. Just a thought.

You mentioned "wet April." Any chance that this water leak is rain coming in on the roof around the black-water vent pipe? If so, it could be running down the wall or down the vent pipe and leaking under the bath wall to the carpet. Wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't mentioned the wet weather. Might be worth inspecting the roof to see if any seals are broken around the vent pipes or wherever. Good luck. Water intrusion can be so frustrating! Jack

Depends on what you are looking to do. You can rent RVs in Jackson Hole, WY which is just outside the south entrance to Yellowstone. However, Jackson Hole is kind of remote. If you are flying in from Europe/UK, you could fly to a major city like Denver, CO and rent then drive the RV to Yellowstone. It is about a long day's drive from Denver to Yellowstone. Here is a website for RV rentals in Jackson Hole: www.jacksonholenet.com/rv_camping/rv_rentals.php You might check out Cruise America www.cruiseamerica.com for almost any rental location in the US. They are in most major cities and some smaller ones. Check their website and click on the states near Yellowstone. I memory serves me correctly, Yellowstone is primarily located in NW Wyoming near the borders of Idaho and Montanna. Boise is probably the biggest city in Idaho. For Montanna, maybe Billings or Bozeman would have what you are looking for. I believe Cruise America has one-way rentals where you can rent in one city and drop off in another. This way you can fly into one city, pick up the RV there, drive to Yellowstone then drive on to another area where you might want to visit. If you are looking more for natural beauty, Yellowstone is great. If you want to see the rugged western landscapes, try Monument Valley in SW Utah or the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There are way too many places to see in one trip and if you decided to visit the eastern part of the US, you will see a completely different landscape and history. And the southern states are different still. Good luck to you. You will probably get more suggestions from others on this forum. Enjoy your visit. Jack

If you are using a Brake Buddy, then everytime it pushes on the brake pedal it probably causes the car's brake lights to come on. This would be a drain on the battery in addition to the current drawn by the Brake Buddy itself. If your motorhome-to-vehicle wiring supplies power to the vehicle's brake lights, then this probably won't be an additional drain. Anyway, just something you could check for. Good luck! Let us know if/how you resolve this issue.

Have you asked your dealer if it is possible (or even legal) to remove the locking pin from the steering wheel and the shift lever? I really don't know if it would work or not; idea just came to me when I read your post. Good luck. Let us know how you resolve this issue.

The basic purpose of a thermostat is to keep the engine operating within the proper temperature range. If the engine is cold, the thermostat slows the flow of cooling water until the engine warms up. If the engine starts running hot, the thermostat opens up and allows more of the cooling water to keep the engine within its proper temperature range. I guess that means that both sides are correct. I agree with Dwight! And I will add that you guys sound like engineering students at Yale! Stop concentrating on one isolated area of the discussion and look at the whole picture. Duh?

Not sure if it is applicable for RVs, but check with your dealer and your finance company to see if they offer gap insurance. I have purchased it for the last two cars I bought. If your car is totaled, the gap insurance pays the difference between the insurance settlement and your loan balance. It may not be available for RVs or it may only be available if taken out at the time the loan is made (when the vehicle was purchased or refinanced). I am way upside down on my minivan loan, but if it is totaled, the loan would be paid off between the insurance check and the gap insurance. The car is financed through Toyota and I believe the gap insurance was from the same source, but not sure. The dealer arranged everything. Worth checking into. Jack

I have never actually experienced your problem, but have you tried places that sell AND INSTALL car radios? Some place like Car Toys and some BestBuys. Or go to a large truck stop that has a radio shop on site. Just a suggestion. Hope this helps. Or, of course, you could contact your manufacture if they are still in business. Good luck

Do you mean that the hangers with the clothes still on them are falling off? If so, go to Camping World. They have plastic hangers with tops that wrap around the rod and easily snap lightly over the rod. They are still fairly easy to hang on the rod and take off. I use them and they have worked great. If the problem is that the clothes are falling off the hangers, try clothes pins. Never tried this, but they should work with the stuff that falls off. Good luck.

Ray, Can't say for sure in your microwave, but I have installed several MWs in different homes. The USUAL mounting connections are a mounting plate bolted to the wall behind the microwave. Then the bottom rear edge of the MW is hooked over the bottom of the mounting plate that is now attached to the wall. Lift the front edge of the mw and tilt it up. It is then held in place by two large bolts that come down through the top of the cabinet above and screw into the mw. Check inside the cabinet above the microwave and see if you can see these bolts. They will probably have very large fender washers under them. If you find these bolts try tightening them. One of them may be loose and letting the front edge of the mw hang down on one side. If these bolts are not loose, you might try lowering the front of the microwave by looseneing these bolts and then let it tilt down and lift it off of the back mounting plate. BE SURE YOU HAVE SOMEONE TO HELP WHEN YOU DO THIS AS THE MICROWAVE IS VERY HEAVY. I RECCOMMEND YOU ALSO PUT A BLANKET OR SIMILAR ON TOP OF THE STOVE SO THAT THE STOVETOP IS NOT DAMAGED WHEN YOU SET THE MW DOWN. As it hinges downward, you will have to unplug the power cord and pull it out through the hole in the cabinet as well. You can then lift the mw off of the mounting plate. Once the microwave is out, look at the wall mountain plate and see if it is still level with the cabinet above. I did have one once where the mounting plate sort of twisted on the wall making the microwave out of level. Remember: the key to my instructions is make sure that you have the two large bolts in the bottom front edge of the cabinet above the mw. If they are not there, then you don't have this kind of attachment setup. Good luck. Jack

A regular fire safe isn't the best for protecting CDs/DVDs/floppies. You need a data safe. They are also available in small protable sizes but more expensive than regular fire safes. Something to do with the type of insulation that each one has.

Be aware that the shingles vaccine, unlike most vaccines, is a LIVE VIRUS vaccine. Although the likelyhood of it causing a problem is low, it is much higher risk than with a killed virus like most vaccines. And shingles is a really nasty illness. My brother was laid up literally for months with it. I decided to take the vaccine even with the elevated risk. And I agree with you. I would rather take the risk of vaccines than the risk of polio, flu, or any of the other vacinnes. I read awhile back that smallpox has been completely irradicated. The only smallpox left in the world is in labs in places like the CDC in Atlanta and similar places. Jack

"Senior Citizen Vaccine"? There is a vaccine to prevent becoming a senior citizen? Hmmm ... I gotta quit reading this stuff in the middle of the night.