StellersJay

Most, but not all, the problems I have read here center around towing a vehicle with an automatic transmission. If you are not adverse to a standard transmission, that opens up a lot of possibilities with little or no restrictions. We tow a Toyota Corolla standard transmission. To fix it to tow, the only car related items we have to do are: place transmission in neutral, turn off all accessories (lights, radio and AC/heater fan)and take off. There are no mileage or speed restrictions and the odometer does not accumulate towed mileage. Our Toyota is not unique in that there are a number of standard transmission vehicles that can be towed all wheels down. Some of the vehicles with automatic transmissions require special steps and/or speed restrictions on towing. Some also have speed restrictions. The FMCA towing guide has excellent information. Also, before purchasing, read the owners manual on towing. Sam

There is a Passport America park on West South Boulevard and I-65 (south west side of Montgomery). I don't recall the park's name, but you can Google Passport America for information. The park gives the PA discount through the week only. Sites are level and the park is clean. They have some permanent residents. It has always seemed to be a good park for a safe stay. It is in a good location for seeing sites in Montgomery. Sam

Brett, I have the Workhorse chassis -- 190 in wheelbase and 18,000 GVWR. I do not have a before and after printout on the alignment. Sam

We have had our 2004 gas powered 30 ft. Airstream Land Yacht for about 20 months. Last fall we put new tires on the rig and that is when we discovered Reis Tire in Evansville, IN (http://www.reistire.com/). Reis suggested we order the tires from Tire Rack and they would install them. Reis installed and balanced the tires on the axle and we were very pleased with their service. After installing the new tires, we were still not pleased with the handling of the rig. Driving the rig has always required constant attention and minor steering corrections to keep it tracking. A couple of weeks ago we took the rig by Reis Tire and they performed a full alignment on the motorhome. I was surprised at the improvement in the handling on the rig when we took it out for the first road trip last weekend. It now handles more like our former 2002 2500HD GMC pickup. If you are in the Evansville, IN area and need tires or an alignment, I would highly recommend Reis Tire Sam

After staying in our motorhome all winter, I raised the jacks in preparation for departing, but they did not fully retract. I thought to myself that I had intended to clean the jack rods with WD40 before retracting them. I extended the jacks, cleaned the rods (shiny, movable part of jack) with WD40 and then they fully retracted. It seemed to work for me. Sam

Siddy, welcome to the forum. It will be good to get your perspective on RVing in Europe. We are still on the learning curve of coping with higher gas(petrol)prices. Camping World has an Internet site and also has store locations across the US. They also have motor home rentals. See their site at www.campingworld.com/rvrentals/ I have no connection with Camping World, but seldom pass up an opportunity to go into their stores. They have a very wide selection of RV related products. The site shows what kind of RVs are available and where they are available. Assuming you have an extended time available for your visit to the US, another option to consider is to purchase an RV when you fly in, use it for a few months, then sell it when you depart. Sam

I have a Toyota Corolla and like Bill suggested, I have to lock the door with a second key. I have to use one key to place the ignition in the accessory position and then the second key fob will not lock the doors remotely, but the door can be locked manually with the second key. Hope this helps. Sam

Somewhere on the FMCA site, I printed out a coupon that gave us a $10 Sam's gift card when we renewed our membership. I don't recall where I found the coupon, since I printed it off a few months ago. If all else fails, you might call the FMCA office. They are always helpful.

If you made the purchase with a credit card, the credit card company may be able to offer assistance with a refund of your money.

My pick is Sunland San Diego RV Resort -- http://www.sdrvresort.com/ Sites are various sizes to accomodate different RV lengths. It is a very clean park. The best feature, in our opinion, if that it is next door to a new trolly and bus stop. For seniors, an unlimited monthly pass was $15 during our last visit. It is easy to access just of I-8 on the west side of San Diego. The trolly will quickly get you downtown, to a number of shopping centers, and to some good eating places.

Check out St. Andrews State Park in St. Augustine. It is close to all the attractions. The park is on the beach, but the camping area is a short distance from the beach. St. Augustine also has a KOA and a number of private parks. Be sure to have lunch at Barnacle Bills. It is just north of Old Town and the Fort. Sam

The non-contact laser thermometer looks very much like a unit sold by Harbor Freight for $25.99 (sale price). Interesting study! Thanks for posting. Sam

I purchased a Sharp Aquis from Target that I used in a travel trailer for a number of years with no problem. Our Airstream motorhome came equipped with a smaller Sharp Aquis. Neither TV is HD, so I use a converter box. Both TVs have been trouble free, even after dropping the larger Sharp. I was setting it up on a shelf and dropped it from about four feet. Just like a Timex, it kept on ticking. Sam

Coach Dave; We use the original equipment "bat wing" antenna on our motor home and am very pleased with the reception we get in Melbourne, FL and on the road. Don't forget to turn on the booster. Without the booster, the reception is poor to non-existant. We probably get about 30 over the air stations in Melbourne. Go to http://www.zap2it.com/ and go to your location and you can see the schedule for that area for your choice of cable or over the air TV.

To update my situation, someone recommended Tire Rack. I went to their on-line site and they have Michelin XRV tires in stock in my size. They had two local tire shops as recommended dealers on their web site. I checked out one of the local shops and they could balance the 19.5 inch tires either on or off the motor home. They said Tire Rack would send the tires directly to their shop and they would call me to set up an appointment for installation. I ordered the tires from Tire Rack and they were shipped out the same day. Looks like it may be a good way to go for tires that are not readily available in the local tire stores. This could also be an option if a tire is destroyed on the road and your schedule would allow for a short layover until the tires are received at a local tire shop. Sam

If you change tire sizes on the duals, keep in mind the spacing between the duals. You do not want to create a situation where the dual's sidewalls make contact. Most, if not all, the tire spec. tables will indicate the dual spacing for various tire sizes. Sam

Brett, thanks for the reply. After posting, one dealer told me that internal golf balls or tennis balls MIGHT cause internal damage to the tire and he recommended that these items not be used. Thanks for your reminder on truing the tire. It would be hard to "balance" an egg! I've got a couple more local dealers to talk with. They say they can spin balance a 19.5 motor home tire, but I don't know yet if they do it on or off the motor home. I will also check into truing. Sam

A trucker/Motor Home buddy of mine said he uses tennis balls in his tires as a means of balancing them. Anyone had any experience with this balancing method? Sam

Thanks, Brett. Will be interested in seeing the reply you receive. Sam

Brett, thanks for the reply. Power Solution's website says the adapter "works with Ground Fault Interrupter outlets". I fully agree with your comment on getting permission from the campground before using a second (20 amp) outlet. We spend most of our time at a leased lot in Florida where we are billed directly for electric usage from Florida Power and Light. Sam

The Power Solutions website http://www.psrv.net has an adapter that allows a 30 amp motorhome to be plugged into a 30 amp supply and a 20 amp supply and run both ACs at the same time. My 2004 Airstream Land yacht is wired for 30 amps, thus only one AC can be run at a time. When running off the generator, both ACs can be run. The Power solutions dual power adapter utilizes a 20 amp hook-up to run the second AC while running the other AC from the 30 amp supply. Has anyone use this system? If so, any comments? Would also appreciate any suggestions for installing the adapter. Thanks, Sam

Tom, thanks for the suggestions. I will keep them in mind when we get an exact time on our Lexington arrival. Sam

We will going through Lexington, KY in early October and will be stopping to visit with our daughter and family for a couple of days. We typically stay at the Kentucky Horse Park, but they have an International Horse Show/Compitition going on at that time. I do not have an exact date for my visit, so cannot make reservations at the Horse Park now and we are afraid that the camping area will be full when we get a firm date. Any suggestions for alternate places to park/camp in or around Lexington, KY? Thanks, Sam

Tom & Mary Irwin, when we started looking for a toad, we contacted our hometown Toyota dealer and asked about a 2010 5 speed Toyota Corolla that was shown in the FMCA guide as flat towable. The sales person (many years at this dealership) said that no Toyota could be flat towed. I had seen the Corolla owners manual at another dealer, and I knew that it said the Toyota Corolla 5 speed could be flat towed. I suggested to him that he check further. He did and came back saying that it is now OK to flat tow the 5 speed Toyota Corolla (2010). If you are seriously interested in the Buick, go to a dealer and ask to see the owners manual. Our Corolla toad does not register mileage while towing. I have to put the key in acc. position, turn off radio and heater/AC fan, and place the transmission in neutral. We have not had the toad long, but it does a fine job for us. Sam

I have tried various lubricants on the vent seal, but none seem to work for very long. I get around the problem on my Fantastic Vent by pulling the lift knob down to disengage it from the lift motor and then turn the knob back and forth to free the vent cover. I then push the knob back up to engage it to the lift motor. Sam