RV repair blues

As I mentioned in my "California Here We come" blog we had some concerns about the RV refrigerator.  As it turns out the refrigerator worked just fine.  Maybe because we have the leveling down now?  I think that is the case.  Anyway, I'm glad we don't have to spend $2000 to get a new one, at least for now.

While we were on the road I received an email ad for the Good Sam Extended Service Plan and we decided to look into it.  A service plan has always been in the back of my mind because there are so many things to keep maintained on the RV, it's like a second home.  The Good Sam Extended Service Plan covers everything we have concerns with; the generator, appliances, the slide, chassis, power train\engine, suspension, plumbing, AC and more.  We made the call to Good Sam and after speaking with Jaime Carolina, the Insurance Representative, we decided to sign up.  So, for $136 a month we have some piece of mind.  Good thing because 2 days after signing up for the plan the grey water flange broke.  Not bad enough to where we couldn't use it but bad enough to worry us.  We also had a concern about the exhaust from the generator when the carbon monoxide alarm went off one night when we were running the generator.  We knew the exhaust was pretty rich but that scared us.  Oh, and remember me writing about the bathroom fan handle falling off and the fan blade falling low enough to hit the plastic casing?  Well, the RV repair shop said they fixed it by pushing up the fan motor and screwing on the handle tighter.  My husband thought that the vent cover wasn't closing all the way since the repair shop pushed up the fan motor and he was right. On our way home south of Salinas, CA in the town of Chualar we had to pull over to let the dogs out for a break.  It was real windy and as we got out guess what came flying off the top of the RV right onto the ground in front of us? The bathroom vent cover!  I couldn't believe it.  I took a picture of the bathroom vent with no cover and now the fan blade has fallen off and is lying on the screen of the vent.  I emailed it to the repair shop and then I called to let them know what happened.  They were really nice about it and said to bring the RV in and they would take care of it since it was their fault.  On our last day home my husband had a concern with vibration in the steering wheel so we added that to our list of repairs.

Bathroom fan blade fallen off motor

no vent cover

When we got home we took the RV in to have everything on our list looked at and it turns out that we need the front rotors turned and the wheel bearings repacked, $425.  While they were testing the generator for the exhaust issue it stopped running. The circuit board went out, $300+ labor.  Need to replace the grey water valve & flange, $400+ labor.  Everything is covered under the new service policy except the rotors and we have to pay a $500 deductible but that's still better than paying for everything.

Looking out from the refrigerator (bathroom right behind)

Looking from the cab.  Couch makes into a bed and so does the dinette but that's a little too small.

I always mention how little storage we have in the RV so I thought I'd add pictures of the inside. When I say that we always take storage into consideration now you can see why.  Not only is the storage limited inside we only have one storage compartment outside and it's 3' long by 1' wide! Thank goodness we have storage under one of the dinette seats. We use it for the leveling blocks, sewer hose cradle and a few other small items.  We don't have an oven but we have a NuWave oven that can bake, broil, barbecue, roast, grill, steam, sear, & air-fry.  It's a bit cumbersome because it's bulky for the space but it does the job. I'm looking for a smaller version of the NuWave called the NuWave Mini but I haven't found one yet because it's been discontinued.  I'm sure someone has one they don't use and want to sell.  I'll keep my eyes open for it.  If we don't use the NuWave we either use the stove or we barbecue on the space saver grill I told you about in the last blog.

   

bathroom close quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bathroom with cabinet storage on the left and closet on the right

 I'm constantly reorganizing to utilize as much space as I can.  I think I just about have it perfected.





Our next trip is in a few weeks to Chico, California for a couple days then off to old highway 50 through Nevada to Kanab, UT.  We think that we may dry camp along the drive this way we aren't pressed to make it to an RV campground before they close but we will stay at a couple RV Parks too. We are calling this trip "Beat the Heat" because it's been 100+ every day here at home.

Until then . . .

"Adventure is out there"