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GSGracie · 12-20-2010, 07:59 PM

Took the Mirada in for a Certificate of Fitness today, after all it ran out on the 14th so it is always a good idea to have a valid CoF before I go on holiday!

Trouble is, "The Beast" failed the warrant

, because of a leaking Hub seal on the rear left. Off I go to the nearest truck repairer - "Can't do anything this side of Christmas, and that is if I can get the parts." Same story 500m down the road, then off to the Ford dealer (it is an f53 chassis) and I wait for half an hour before they tell me they have no idea what sort of seal is needed or where they could be obtained from.

Luckily the second repairer I stopped at gave me some other ideas, and I went to a Truck Spares specialist, where the kind man assured me he would almost certainly have the parts in stock, if he knew which one. I clambered under the MH and got a list of numbers that seemed to make him happy, but now where to get it fitted in a hurry? The guy at Canterbury Truck Spares, rang his mate just around the corner, and if I do most of the labour, he will fit the new seal tomorrow morning at 8.30am!

The total cost was originally going to be around $500 to $600, the seal itself is only $65, so it should be finish up a good deal cheaper than that.

Moral 1: Shop around for the best deal, and remain friendly and cordial at all times with repair and service staff.

On the other hand, I had a TV fitted in the front of the MH, running off a satellite dish, and the guy who fitted it ($1000) assured me that he had the TV working. I couldn't get it going so took it back, where for another $200 he again assured me he had it working. Waited four months, took it to a satellite specialist, who informed me it had the wrong LNB holder ($70) which made the elevation out by over 10 degrees, and the set up was all wrong. Paid $125 to install the parts myself, with the technician checking the final product, now it runs beautifully. Went back to the original repairer, and he swears that it was working for him, and it is just my word against his. I pointed out that my word for him and his business was not going to be favourable, and will contact his boss later when I have calmed down.

Moral 2: Sometimes being friendly and cordial doesn't work, so be prepared to climb the ladder to get to someone who can make a difference.

Moral 3: Don't leave warrants till the last minute before you go away, no matter how confident you are it will pass. The one consolation is the guy who failed the warrant said that the MH is in great condition underneath, much better than most he sees of this type and age, so that is good news.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a relaxing New Year. If I get the warrant tomoroow afternoon, I know I will!

DriVer · 12-20-2010, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSGracie

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a relaxing New Year. If I get the warrant tomorrow afternoon, I know I will!

It must be getting pretty warm for you folks in New Zealand. Today is your summer solstice and unfortunately at the top of the ball it's freezing up here! 28°F Thank you for sharing and I wish you a Happy Holiday even though you're applying sun tan lotion!

Wanabee FTer · 12-20-2010, 09:20 PM

Certificate of fitness, I like that. I bet that would help keep a lot of dangerous vehicles off the road. I remember when I was younger the California Highway Patrol would set up vehicle check points and inspect vehicles at random. If you past the inspection, you would get a sticker for your windshield and were waved through any other check points for that year.
Now days, you just hope the guy in the next lane actually maintains their vehicle.

GSGracie · 12-20-2010, 10:59 PM

In New Zealand, we need a Certificate of Fitness, (or a Warrant of Fitness for a car) every six months. You can get one from a designated Govt testing station, or a local garage, but the CoF costs $120, and a WoF costs $40. They check all the running gear, brakes, lights, suspension, seat belts, rust. Fines are very high if you drive a vehicle without the valid certificate - around $400 a time. And Driver - temp here today was 32C - that is 90F. Strong warm winds, and too hot for covers at night. My daughter has just taken off from the Gold Coast of Australia for Prague, going from 35C to -4C in 24 hours!!

GSGracie · 12-22-2010, 01:14 AM

Well - got my CoF, about 4.30pm tonight. The guy I took it to, had to fabricate a new seal surround, that takes a standard seal easily available in NZ. Total cost was $323 which is about half of what dealers were pricing it. He is making me another fitting for the other side, so that I am ready for the next one! It also means that the RV is street legal for Christmas/New Year so all plans are back on. So now I have Solar, new batteries, a TV that works, and a Certificate of Fitness. If I could just get my Dometic Fridge/Freezer to stop showing the two lights that say something is wrong, I would be ecstatic. Two days left to complete my Christmas shopping - I am guessing that vouchers are always appreciated, right?

28*C here and climbing again - enjoy the snow!

Wanabee FTer · 12-22-2010, 09:18 AM

Congrats on the CoF Graham!
Have a Merry Christmas and happy new year from a wet and soggy Southern California.
John

GSGracie · 12-23-2010, 02:44 AM

Just got an email from the local Ford Dealer (who I had written off as useless). They can access the hub seal from Usa, 7 - 10 days delivery, for $26 + taxes. So parts are available, if only you can anticipate the needs and order them 7 - 10 days before you need them. I think I will still go ahead and have the other adapter made up because it will take a (NZ) standard seal, and can be accessed immediately. After all, I am assuming that if the left hub seal goes after 53K miles, then the right is probably not far behind?

GSGracie · 12-28-2010, 01:26 AM

So I took off up the highway for a couple of days RV'ing, and about 30 minutes into the trip, BANG, and I nearly used the toilet from the front seat without moving. Pulled over (we had just left the motorway) and could not see anything wrong, but drove another couple of km's to the nearest service station and checked the tyre pressures. All of them were a little down, and one would not inflate. It was of course the right rear, inner. Remember, now, I have just had the left rear wheels off to replace the hub seal. So I know how to do this, except that I cant even get the hub cover off. Some goober has put it on with an air wrench and so into the garage I go to get a socket and extension. Get the hub cover off, but there is no way the wheels are going to budge. I get a bit of help from a friendly guy from across the road and we get the outer wheel of, but it takes a sledge hammer to shift the inner wheel. I suspect that they have not been off for a long time, and they are pretty well rusted on. My grateful thanks to Scott from Scott's Diner for help on that. The inner tyre has a big chunk lifting on the sidewall between the two tyres. Luckily my spare is brand new Bridgestone, and it is a hot day (not raining cats and dogs like one day later) so we are on our way again. Man, tyres are heavy! Get to our destination and leaving a day later to go back home for a funeral, the windscreen wiper packs up AGAIN on the drivers side. This time, the entire arm has broken away from the mechanism, but the windscreen is clean enough for the water to bead and allow me to see to get home. I am starting to think that my luck is running out on this RV. I love the living space, the engine is great, the solar works now, and the TV runs off the batteries, but it is the running gear that is causing me hassles now.

BTW - the Goodyear has a listed pressure on the tyre of 85 psi, the Bridgestone has 110 psi on it. Should I run them at equal pressure, or at the pressures listed on the tyrewalls? Should I try to match tyres, particularly on the duals?

As always, I await your expert replies.

User1011 · 12-28-2010, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer

Certificate of fitness, I like that. I bet that would help keep a lot of dangerous vehicles off the road. I remember when I was younger the California Highway Patrol would set up vehicle check points and inspect vehicles at random. If you past the inspection, you would get a sticker for your windshield and were waved through any other check points for that year.
Now days, you just hope the guy in the next lane actually maintains their vehicle.

Wanabee FTer - Many states do require annual inspections as a requirement to licensing a vehicle. We live in PA and inspections are required along with emissions. California should wake up. With the cash strapped state of California's economy think of how much money that could bring, not to mention assuring the safety for all on the road. We used to live in CA for many years and there are a ton of vehicles on the road in that state that definitely would not pass!!