richard5933

Here's a clip from the FMCA FAQs page about the TCS card: As a Canadian member of FMCA, is this available to me? Yes, but all transactions use American dollars and are reported in gallons.

With both the FMCA TCS card and the TSD card in hand, I'm able to start running comparisons on the discounts available. There is a TA just outside of Madison WI. Both the TCS and TSD cards are accepted there. With the FMCA TCS card the discounted price for diesel is $2.588/gal. which is about a $0.411 discount from the retail price of $2.999/gal. The TSD card lists the discounted price for the same station today to be only $2.493/gal, meaning that I'd see an additional savings of $0.095/gallon.

Thanks Brett. Hadn't thought about how fine the newer filters are. Our primary filter looks like a sock covering a paper filter. That probably explains why the older engines are more tolerant.

Curiosity begs a question about all the additives... I understand the purpose and necessity for the anti-gel for those, like us, in the frozen north. My question about the other additives for algae, biocides, and stabilizers. I don't see many with older 2-stroke engines using these products, but they seem somewhat common to the modern, 4-stroke Diesel crowd. Is there something about the modern engines or modern fuel systems that make them more finicky and/or susceptible to problems from things like algae? Or have I (and others) just been lucky up till now?

I did get the card last week, and we finally were able to find a way to fund it by using Zelle through my bank's mobile app. Since Zelle can't transmit all the data TCS wants on the transfer, it's necessary to send an email to accounts receivable to let them know about the incoming transfer so they can match it to my card number. I'm told by someone at TCS that they are working on a more automated method for doing this through Zelle in the next couple of months. That should make it much easier. Haven't had a chance to use the card yet, but it's funded and ready. I'll report back once I get to make use of it to report discounts, and I'll go through the app as we travel this weekend to see what stations are listed as 'in network'.

We live in Wisconsin where winters get to -20 or colder, and our coach is stored outdoors. I park mine from the end of November until probably early March. The tank will be full with anti-gel added (in case we need to start/run the coach for some reason). Unless there is absolute need to do so, we won't start the engine until we're ready to drive again in March. Never have had a problem letting the engine sit for a few months like this. When you first start in the spring, be sure oil pressure comes up before you rev the engine above idle. We leave the multi-stage smart charger on the batteries 24/7 - it goes to a maintenance charge once things are fully charged. Other precautions we take are to change fluids & filters and test antifreeze for adequate freeze protection. I try and find a warmer day every month to go out and check the battery water level. Not usually a problem, but I don't want to have the water level drop and not be noticed. One thing that many forget is to fully drain the air tanks. Check your manual to be sure you don't miss a drain point. If you have an air dryer (you probably do) check the manual to see how to confirm that the water is fully drained before the coach is parked. On the generator, we also change fluids & filters as necessary. Battery is topped off, and connected to the smart charger. About once a month, on the occasional warmer day we get through the winter, I'll start the generator and run with about a half load for 30 minutes or so. Usually I use the electric heat inside the coach for the load. Be sure to verify freeze point on your generator antifreeze as well as the main engine. Finding #1 Diesel fuel is easy up here, especially in the winter. More common is finding 'winter fuel' which is blended to help prevent gelling. Since my last fill up is usually before the stations fully switch to winter fuel, I add the anti-gel to the tank. We really don't need it since we don't use the coach in the winter, but it's in there just in case we have reason to start/run the coach. The roads are covered in either salt, salt water, or salt dust from the first snow till early spring, so I will not run the coach unless there is absolute need to. Of course, we also do all the usual winter prep for all the house systems. I use -75 pink RV antifreeze in the freshwater system. Freshwater tank will be fully drained, and do my best to empty the black tank before adding a few gallons of antifreeze to it. I do my best to close any possible entry points for mice, and then lay out a dozen or so large sticky traps unless one gets in. I'll check the traps during my weekly checks on the coach. All food will be removed, and all items in the bathroom which can freeze are removed. Hope this helps.

What's the condition of the battery cables and ground conductors? A bad ground or battery cable would be my first guess. Sometimes they can look good on the outside but still be rotted inside the insulation.

In most of my cabinets and drawers I've used the same rubber pads that usually go under rugs to keep them from sliding on hardwood floors. I get the kind that has no adhesive, but relies on just being somewhat grippy. One of these can be cut into smaller pieces and cover lots of drawer bottoms: https://www.amazon.com/Epica-Super-Grip-Non-Slip-Surface-Floor/dp/B00IAVY52U/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2F10QOANZ14TE&keywords=carpet+anti+slip+pad&qid=1571156430&sprefix=carpet+anti%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-8 For smaller items, I've found that putting things in larger storage boxes makes a huge difference. A few loose items in a bathroom cabinet get jumbled all over - put them together in a 1-quart food storage container and problem is solved. Small/thin bungie cords also help to hold things together and keep them from moving, as do Velcro wrapping cords.

When's the last time you drove your home down the road at 60+ mph surrounded by other drivers on their phones? I agree that $3,400 is a very high premium, but not sure that comparing to a homeowner's policy is an apples-to-apples comparison. Insurance is one of those areas where I've found it best to make use of the assistance of experts. Rather than calling around and shopping this out yourself, have you tried calling a good independent insurance agent? Especially one that has experience insuring motor homes? Good independent agents know where the deals are, they know how to walk things through underwriting to get the proper coverage, and they've already got the low-down on which companies in the area offer the best coverage. Agents can also go to bat for you should there be need to make a claim, as happened when our first coach was hit by a driver who had fallen asleep. We've been with the same independent agency for nearly 20 years. They have written all our policies over the years (home, auto, business, etc.) and I feel that they do a good job looking out for us, including the policy on our motor home.

Did you check the switch(es) that turn the heating element on & off? There might also be a relay in the circuit which is triggered by the switch. Switches and relays can fail, and sometimes they fail in the 'on' position.

We stayed at one park that didn't have a 10-year rule, but they did have a lengthy list of rules detailing what constituted an acceptable RV and what did not. Didn't matter the age, just the condition. Made perfect sense.

Just a guess, but it sounds like the switch to your heated mirrors failed, or the wiring to the switch has a short in it. If you can get to the back side of the mirror heat switch, take a look and see what's going on there. You might find that switch has fused itself in the 'on' position, or that something is shorting against the terminals on the back of it. Possibly the items which went wonky are on the same circuit, but the items which remained functioning (camera and radio) are on the house batteries and not the chassis batteries.

Sticker? Not so much. I have something that looks vaguely similar to the RVIA certification sticker, but nothing official. Never been asked for it either.

We travel in a 45-year-old coach. Yes, it still has factory paint which takes a good shine, but no one is going to confuse our rig for a new one. We've never been turned away from a campground, and we've never even had anyone raise a concern.

Since the TSD card really only offers a decent discount at Loves, I thought it would fill the gap when traveling in places where there aren't Loves stations. I'm about at the end of the effort on this though, unless someone has the answer as to how to make the thing work.

Has anyone received the TCS card and successfully used ACH credit to fund it? I ask because both of my banks are unable to do the transfer according to the instructions provided by TCS. Normally an ACH transfer is done by providing the recipient's routing number and account number. In addition, TCS needs us to enter our company name and our specific card number. Problem is, both of my banks only provide data fields for routing number and account number. No place to enter my card's specific information. Hopefully I'm missing something here. Otherwise, it would seem that this system is just too impractical for regular use. There are two other methods of funding the card provided by TCS, but they both have fees associated.

What are those called? Where do you find them? They definitely look like something that should be in the emergency repair kit.

I also see a twist-on wire nut in the photo on the ground wires. Those have a tendency to loosen with vibration, so it would be wise to make sure that any wire nuts you see are tight.

We use a small 700-watt oil filled heater in the wet bay. It's large enough to keep the temps above freezing in the coldest Wisconsin weather, but small enough to run on a standard 15-amp circuit. I got this one since it doesn't use an electronic switch and can be controlled with the unit I noted below: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FYNGQPP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I control it with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BFR1Z4B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 These are nice, as you can set the unit to turn on the heater when the temps get down to 35 degrees, and off again at 40. It comes with a temp probe on a wire, which I suspend next to the lower plumbing on the tank to be sure it's reading the colder (bottom) portion of the bay. Keeps from running the heat when not needed so you don't waste electricity.

Sounds like we'd have to plan for it to take 24 hours to have the funds available to us if using the no-cost transfers. There are a couple of quicker options but they incur a hefty fee, negating the savings. There doesn't seem to be a security issue having the funds on deposit with them, it's just not a terribly convenient way to pay for fuel. About the only time that this card would have any advantages over the TSD card is if one is traveling to a place where there were no fuel stops on the TSD network.

Got in touch with Dan, and then with TCS. Apparently the problem is that I submitted my information through the FMCA website before the email was sent out announcing the opening of the program, and those early submissions did not all go through. The answer to how the program works is that this is truly a prepaid program. You have to transfer funds to your card ahead of time in order to use it to purchase fuel.

While I appreciate the additional information provided, still no phone call to get the card set up after two weeks. Has anyone actually gotten a call and been able to get the card set up? Dan - is there any timeline on this? Originally it was 24-48 hours, then 72 hours. It's been two weeks since I submitted my information, still nothing.

Do a quick search of the forum. There was a long thread about this about a year ago with great information.

Has anyone actually received the magic phone call? I completed their 'application' at the beginning of last week but so far nothing but crickets. Tried to call TCS directly, but every call goes straight to voice mail. Anyone from FMCA leadership care to join the conversation and supply some facts so we can stop guessing?

Seen that, but it really doesn't show much information. Be nice to have details about how transactions will be processed, will the ACH transactions be automatic or will we have to do them ahead of time (pre-pay), etc. etc. Can't imagine that commercial drivers have to manually transfer funds before each fill-up, or that companies are required to keep funds on deposit with them. When more information is released I guess we'll see. The programs we've been seeing are tapping into existing programs designed around commercial trucking. They'd have to find another program based on commercial gasoline fleets for that to happen, IMO.