thestoloffs

Herman: You make a good point about the risk of theft. I had considered using security (1-way) screws to mount it, figuring that any prevention would be better than none. However, since our home base is Florida -- home of the SunPass -- I have to remove it and put it in a Mylar bag whenever I return home, so it's more often off the coach than actually mounted. That's 1 of the 2 reasons for not mounting it on the A-pillar area (still under the fiberglass overhang) or on the fiberglass itself; the other is in our signature ("customized for Mobility"). I just can't get up there on a ladder these days. But, thanks for the suggestion. Cheers, Gerry​

On our Class C, we had intermittent problems being read when it was on the windshield, under the cabover. So, we obtained a bumper-mount model from our supplying state (Virginia), and have had no problems ever since.

I think I'm being slightly misunderstood in my comments on Born Free's "Bumper to Bumper" 3 year coverage. Installed appliances & RV components (LP, CO & smoke detectors, TV antennas, etc.) are only covered by the component OEM's warranty, not by Born Free. Their Customer Service manager, who has been there seemingly forever and therefore has heard almost every problem possible, will offer his advice only. {promo on} Why can Born Free offer such a superior warranty on their construction & assembly? I can suggest 2 major reasons: Between their consumer RV product line and their custom commercial vehicle business (http://www.dodgenmobiletech.com/), they DO maintain tight QC on their components and materials. They have their own fiberglass shop, because they build each unit's body by attaching end caps to whatever length side walls and ceiling are needed. Similarly, they have their own cabinetry shop, using a CNC-controlled router to adhere to a CAD/CAM designed customizable floor plan, and even their own sewing shop, internally producing their own cushions and draperies. More importantly, every component used in the assembly process is selected to meet their commercial customers' requirements -- including GSA &/or MILSPEC. It doesn't make sense to them to use 2 different grades of materials, since the same teams may be assembling a consumer RV one month and a commercial unit the next. (Less parts inventory and less training required.) IMHO, the real secret is their assembly system. Rather than using an assembly line process, each unit is assembled by its own team of 4 people, who perform all the assembly (body, cabinetry, electrical, plumbing, etc.). They remain dedicated to that vehicle until it passes final testing (including a pressurized water leak test), and then they sign a sheet that goes with the vehicle. (http://www.dodgenmobiletech.com/#!factory-tour/c1ur3 for a Factory Tour) Then, for each calendar quarter that there are ZERO warranty issues on that vehicle, each member of the team receives a bonus payment! So, there's a built-in incentive to build every unit properly the first time. Smart! Until very recently, Dodgen Industries / Born Free has been a privately owned business that is the second-largest employer in a small Iowa town. Most employees have been there for one decade; many for two decades or longer. In fact, there is often a waiting list for hiring, because it's such a popular employer. That kind of loyalty & pride is difficult to find in today's market. But, that's also why Born Free is considered to be one of the more pricier products! I guess such quality costs! {promo off -- I'm just another proud owner.} I agree with Tireman9 that RV builders should seek to hold their component suppliers' feet to the fire on product quality. But, compared to the volumes of units built by the auto industry, the entire output of the RV industry is almost a rounding error! Many RV components are unique to this industry, or are, at best, also suited for marine usage. That's probably why there's a consolidation occurring in their suppliers these days (e.g., Atwood, Lippert, etc.). And, don't get me started on the installation of residential-grade appliances! Do you really expect that they can survive the vibration, etc. of RV'ing? They just aren't built to those specs.

The fundamental problem with RV OEM's offering a "bumper to bumper" warranty equivalent to the auto manufacturers is that autos don't contain a house. Remember, an RV is a house mounted on a vehicle chassis! An RV manufacturer is both a manufacturer & an installer: They are installing a number of household-grade appliances (stove, microwave, refrigerator, smoke detectors, etc.) as well as a number of RV-grade appliances (heater, A/C, CO & propane alarms, convertor/charger/inverter, etc.). Because they're not manufacturing these items the way the RV OEM builds the coach body, they can't & won't be held responsible for repairing or replacing these components. Therefore, they can (& occasionally do) offer a "bumper to bumper" warranty on the coach body-- but, for their installed components, all they can do is pass on their OEM's own warranty! For example, my OEM -- Born Free -- does offer a 3 year unlimited mileage "b to b" warranty. Their Customer Service manager does the best he can to assist on any component problems, but ultimately, it's the component OEM who is responsible. Born Free will accept and handle any issues on how they installed those components.

Bill & Barb (and Tex2oma): The requirement for a "hard-wired DSL" connection is a bit confusing. DSL is a service provided by the local telephone company, to permit slower-speed data transmissions over their existing copper wire system from their closest Central Office (exchange) to the service location. As such, there is a severe distance restriction on how far away the service location is from the C.O. Since many campgrounds have to be distant from towns in order to find the available sized plots of land, they often are too far for a DSL run. However, some CGs do have TV cable available, and the cable carriers often can provide a reliable, fairly trustworthy Internet data service. If DW's employer is concerned about security of her remote data transmissions (e.g., HIPAA compliance for medical transcription or ICD-10 coding), regardless of the type of connection used -- DSL, Cable data, Satellite, or Wi-Fi -- they should be providing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service that she can use within the data connection. A VPN provides a secured, encrypted end-to-end linkage to her employer's network, no matter where she is located in the entire world, no matter what type of Internet service connection. If they're using remote access from telecommuting employees, then a VPN is the answer. If they continue to insist on a "hard-wired DSL connection" -- AND expect their employees to pay for it themselves, find a new employer; their IT security department is 20 years behind the times! If you want to create your own VPN to connect to anyone, Google "public VPN services". Good luck!

Herman: I beg to differ with this statement; it appears as if every coach built by an RVIA member company has an RVIA sticker! Many Class C owners would confirm the quality construction of my Born Free coach; they've had an outstanding reputation in this category. However, since they are not and have never been RVIA members, they are not allowed to display RVIA certification stickers. Their reasons for not being RVIA members are their own; until recently, Born Free has been privately owned by the Dodgen family. So, if one uses the RVIA certification sticker as the defining standard, you would be discriminating against many high quality coaches which you might not want to oust.

To expand on Howde's point 6, those of us still operating under a manufacturer's warranty need to be towed to the closest Manufacturer-authorized repair center, regardless of whether there's a closer RV repair center. Sometimes, that may involve 2 tows.

The primary need for this service is the deaf community, who use texting as their main means of mobile communication. If you look at the numbers for that group alone, you'll see why it's so important.

Well, folks, it seems that we can all throw away our Frequent Fueler and MyRewards RV cards. In order to obtain PFJ discounts in the near future, we'll have to become members of that "other" (GS) association. Excerpted from their forum (RV.NET): "What is the status of the RV MyRewards card? The old RV Real Value, RV Frequent Fueler Advantage, and RV MyRewards cards will no longer be issued by Pilot Flying J. That being said, all RV loyalty cards currently in use will remain active for the next several months. Going forward, the only way to receive fuel discounts will be through joining Good Sam Club and using either the new Swipe & Save Good Sam Club Membership card or applying for the Pilot Flying J RV Plus Charge Card." What happened to the relationship between FMCA & PFJ? When Flying J was around, they were at every major Reunion and Regional meeting, and you received an RV FFA or RV MyRewards card automatically in your FMCA membership packet. Now, PFJ has tied up exclusively with the GS/CW/Affinity organization, and FMCA has lost another major membership benefit. We originally joined FMCA for many reasons, not the least of which was the free Emergency Medical Transportation Assistance policy, as well as the FJ fuel discounts. Now, FMCA Assist is an option for pay -- which is now included in my CoachNet policy for half the cost of FMCA Assist; and now we're losing the fuel discounts, as well. It's getting to the point that, if it weren't for our local chapter and regional get-togethers that we enjoy, there's going to be no reason remaining to stay FMCA members -- and we're 2nd generation members, so we're even more reluctant to leave FMCA!

If it's a Monaco Dynasty, why didn't you call it "Grace Kelly"?

http://www.minderresearch.com/

We are, too (D).

We use Banfield as our vet, because their computerized record system means that we can go to any Banfield office in the country (in PetSmart stores). We've saved over $3K already just on dental cleanings on our two cats, with their Preventative Health plans. It's not catastrophic event-type coverage, but it does provide a significant discount on other services when/if we have such an event.

Coach-Net now is providing a service similar to FMCAssist, included with their Premier level membership. Both GS & FMCA charge separately for their medical evacuation plans, so this is apparently giving two benefits for the price of one.

We have the same toilet in our Class C, for my wife's disability. It will open and close the blade valve without water in the tank, so I'd think you'll be fine with the pink stuff.

Here are two starting options: Our friends Tony & Karen have an excellent blog at http://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com, including a wonderful set of interactive maps customized on Google. Her blog lists where they have visited and her accessibility experiences. Mark Douglass is developing a comprehensive directory for accessible campgrounds at http://rvingaccessibility.org/. Mark's work with the RV Accessibility Group earned him a Runner-Up nomination for Good Sam Camper of the Year in 2012. Good luck, and we'll be watching this topic for similar information.

There are 2 on the West side of town: The Barnyard RV Park, 201 Oak Drive, Lexington -- US# 1 & Oak Grove Rd., between I-20 & I-26, at the Barnyard Flea Market. Good facilities, often filled when the flea market is open. Honors all club & senior discounts. http://www.BarnyardRVPark.com Mr. Z's RV Park, 3343 Augusta Highway, Gilbert 29054. http://www.mrzsrv.com A small park with about 10 sites behind a private home. Even further away from Columbia than Lexington. All other parks are on the East side of town, close to Fort Jackson, but are about as far away as from Lexington.

WInnebago's commercial division has several standard designs for modifications to both Class A & C models. Born Free's commercial division can make various versions of accessible Class C's. http://www.dodgenmob...om/mobility-rvs They work with you on the design and, because they have their own fiberglass and cabinet shops, they can virtually customize for your specific needs. (Editorial note: We have a 27' Born Free with a Ricon lift mounted on the rear door. Photos available at the link above; video walk-through at http://tinyurl.com/BornFreeVideo . Marilynn is a retired Rehabilitation Counselor, and can offer advice on various modification options. Anyone wishing to discuss this can PM us.)

Yacht Haven Marina & RV Park is the closest to Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale port), located on State Rt. 84 (Marina Mile Blvd.). Ask for Tammy, and when you get to the park, look us up in the Born Free Class C.

There's a great RV park just a 1/2 mile from the Ft. Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport. http://www.yachthavenpark.com/ They can also recommend another place locally for short-term storage.

It's a commercial product called the Qwik-Fill Battery Watering System from Flow-Rite, and is carried by Camping World.

Before you go investing in a separate surge protector, check out what functionality is in your energy management system first. Many high-quality EMS systems also incorporate surge protection. Of course, if a surge was to exceed capacity and burn something out, I'd prefer it to take out a cheaper surge protector first. Our experience with the Progressive Industries product line has been excellent -- both on quality and customer service.

I'm afraid that getting the site cleared by Norton isn't as simple as clearing your browser cache; merely hoping that the ISP's actions will clear up this problem won't work, either. Norton SafeWeb downloads a new report from Symantec on each URL call. SafeWeb will continue to report this problem against the FMCA site until the site administrator adds some code and requests Norton to perform a new site scan. The site administrator is the only person who can authorize Norton to perform that scan; that's why Norton requires specific code to be added, and the only one who can do that is the site administrator. I uploaded the specific URL in a previous posting; hopefully, FMCA won't ignore this.

In that case, please go to Norton Safe Web and have your site rescanned. This can only be performed by the site admin. This way, we can get the Norton report removed, and anyone using Norton Internet Security or Norton Safe Web will not be blocked or warned incorrectly. Thanks for working on this promptly; as a CTO in my former life, I can appreciate how hard it is to deal with hosting issues.

That's because the name of the company is now Sensata. Sensata Dimensions