The Guy at the campground said

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by gmcnitt

Man, some of you guys need to calm down....we are all here for information....its a give and take situation, and it is all FREE. I come here for ideas, then decide how to move forward, its INVALUABLE to me.........I for one appreciate Everyone's comments....right or wrong......its called INFORMATION. Enjoy.....

Plus 1. Thank you. We appreciate the helpful hints we get and most times it is figured out even if it did not come from one of the "
professionals"

[1mainiac]

I understand the helpful hints and suggestions to a point but telling a person to replace a 180 dollar Water heater control board without even testing it is wasteful. Or the guys telling people to replace a 3000 dollar reefer because it will never work with a reefer that is not designed for RV's. All without ever once trying to help fix the problem.

It is no wonder many of my customers come in with issues no one can fix because if they came here odds are they had to read several pages of misinformation first. And if they sat around the campfire that got the same at the campground. I also realize many of my fellow techs are nothing more than parts changers and for that I apologize you guys pay good money you should get good work preformed. I would also bet some of the misinformation passed around has started by parts changers giving customers bad info to justify the expense of changing the parts.

[MartySQ]

well, I appreciate all the info and advice I have received here...even had that "guy at the campground" help us change out our city water intake last April... no more leaky! (Thanks Teffy!)
With my old Lady still running... I have asked for a lot of info and gotten some really good help and if no one knew... well, at least we sorted through what was known and not known! The answers even if not correct helped eliminate some things and gave us new questions to ask the mechanics/repair fellas.

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by soricobob

I think what happens, at least it does to me, when I log on I go to the correct forum, but there are "latest questions" on the right side of the page. If I go to any of them, as I did today, sometimes I loose track of it possibly being outside my forum. So, I am answering, commenting, or responding in some way to a question of comment about which I don't have complete information, and have failed to recognize that.

I hear ya, I've done the same thing and then I have to hope that the "edit" function hasn't expired so I can delete the post or edit it!

[Mike and Cha]

When we first bought our MH there were things that we experienced where we thought something was wrong or broken. I went on this site and numerous people made suggestions based on their experiences. For about 90% of the issues we were able to resolve the problem, or realize there was not a problem just "pilot error" without spending any money or losing any more sleep, based on those recommendations.

I do agree with Maniac to some degree that people sometimes go to extremes and recommend buying this or that to fix a problem that may be as simple as following a sequence where a switch wasn't turned on. I always try to fix something or learn how it's really supposed to work before I spend money on it, I have the philosophy that I have more time than money(that's how I can afford a MH). I also know that sometimes things do break and that's when you break out your wallet.

I have also read things on this site that have alerted me to a potential problem to check out and avoid bigger problems or what not to do that may cause serious damage to the MH. When I give advice on this site it is usually based on something I have learned the hard way and something for the person who asked to check out before they spend any money or lose any more sleep like I did, only to find out it wasn't that big of a problem.

So I say keep they advice coming and let the reader be aware that it is all free advice and to use it wisely.

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by 1mainiac

I understand the helpful hints and suggestions to a point but telling a person to replace a 180 dollar Water heater control board without even testing it is wasteful. Or the guys telling people to replace a 3000 dollar reefer because it will never work with a reefer that is not designed for RV's. All without ever once trying to help fix the problem.

It is no wonder many of my customers come in with issues no one can fix because if they came here odds are they had to read several pages of misinformation first. And if they sat around the campfire that got the same at the campground. I also realize many of my fellow techs are nothing more than parts changers and for that I apologize you guys pay good money you should get good work preformed. I would also bet some of the misinformation passed around has started by parts changers giving customers bad info to justify the expense of changing the parts.

What's your 20, man? It would be a LOT helpful to those of us in your area to know where your service lines are.

[TQ60]

Assumptions create a lot of wasted time.

How many times have we seen someghing like this...

The voltage is good but the battery is not charging.

Many folks are not aware of what is really going on and think they know what should be seen and often they are not correct and miss lead themselves and others.

First step is always discover what you need to see otherwise you ate wasting your time.

Like this...

Measure 12 volts on the battery...so what?

12 volts when running or cranking as bug difference.

12 volts or 12.6...the fraction matters.

Please be clear when asking questions and if you are not sure say so and follow instructions given so good information can be collected and problem located.

Many have bad ground connections and spend days changing wires when thry could have performed some measurements to locate the bad connections and verify their repair.

Most everyone here tries to help others so everyone can learn from others isdues.

[tompen]

This is an RV forum. Not a technical Hot Line. I think most people understand that. That said, there is some real good information put out here. I have a Damon Motorhome and was posting on a thread for an electrical problem on a different kind of coach. I was reprimanded (by a MOD) for thinking I could help with a different kind of coach. It was a BIRD problem and with a few questions I was able to get the problem worked out with the owner. If I have a problem I am more than happy to hear from anybody that thinks they can help. I'll sort through the information.
As long as we are here, I would ask that when the problem is solved the OP would let us know what the solution was. We can all add it to our information data base in our head.
Just my 2 cents.

[V3600]

I've learned a lot from reading the different RV forums that I belong to. I'm also competent enough to separate the good info from the bunk. Yes, there is some bad information out there but there is also some very good info to be gleaned.

My Voltage TH a/c was not blowing well. I checked around and found that the duct taping done at the factory was substandard. I followed the procedure from another forum member and successfully removed the a/c and re-taped the duct work. I also learned the location of my TV co-ax splitters so I could upgrade them to satellite quality.

I've done many such projects, having learned from other forum members on various forums. I've also learned that much of the information is valid. In the process I've learned how my TH works, fixed problem areas and haven't had to leave my RV at a dealership for months waiting for repairs.

I'm not against a dealership fixing my rv but if it is within my abilities I'd rather do it myself.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I'm also competent enough to separate the good info from the bunk.

And therein lies the difference. Many RVers are not that competent, either through lack of RV experience or lack of technical know-how. They hear several opinions, whether around the campfire or online, and have no clue which are relevant or even accurate. How would they know which to believe? Often the opinions are well-intended and earnestly expressed, but just plain WRONG!

The stuff they hear at a dealership is often not much better, especially if it came from a sales guy or even a service "advisor". Some of the crap I've heard from supposedly knowledgeable personnel boggles my mind! And they are fixing (?) people's RVs every day. Well, they are spending the customer's money every day...

[SomeDay]

Excited in 2011 when we got our first MH RV. Ruined vacations heartbreaking as she broke down and we had to be towed several times, and we were working so limited vacation times. Got accused of using bad gasoline, dirty filters with less than 3000 miles on her and we'd only put on about 500kms of that rest was delivery. Wouldn't show me the filters and wanted to charge us not under warranty. Finally with arguing, Fleetwood agreed with me it was garbage they'd left in the tank, if indeed it was that!! Several breakdowns later it was a FORD regular garage worker on a forum that said, get them to check your fuel pump. Rescued from a junction by firemen, cooled till late at night in Great Falls, limped to South Dakota, and garage there agreed to replace the fuel pump - never a problem after. Just scraped in under warranty.

Air conditioner wouldn't work - in and out of dealership under warranty, weeks wasted years ago. Finally someone on forum with our model information suggested there was a small fuse, hard to find but, hidden behind the main fuse panel in the bedroom and gave detailed instructions to remove, this, then remove that and over here and behind that you'll find etc etc.....

Awning auto wind retract not working properly and many other niggly things.

This was our introduction to the help on forums like this from so so many after much frustration with so called dealers years ago. Now we ask on the forums as a guide, before even entertaining going to the "so called" professionals that by experience have emptied our wallets and not solved our problems for the most part.

It's folks on forums like this that have saved us tons of money and on going hassle thankfully, and usually you'll get three or four that concur on a suggested solution so ........ Sincere thanks for always trying to help us.

[tompen]

So Gary:
If we can't get free good information, or pay for good information, where do we research our problems. In my experience on this site, when the information is "off base" it is usually way off. I admit that after 35 years as a Service Manager in a multi line dealership and 7 years as General Manager in a 12 technician large truck, RV repair shop, I may be more able to sort through the information than some. But, I think the speed at which the threads fill up gives those that know , or have actually experienced the problem, a chance to comment on the bad advise. It just needs to be done without trying to make the poster feel like an idiot. Everybody is just trying to help.
Again my 2 cents.
Tom

[Falcon190]

Charlie Chan once said in a movie, "Theres no use in running if you're running for the wrong train!" In other words, without good info, the suggested fix is likely to be wrong and a waste of time and money.

This thread has been great to read because of the gems of common sense found in between the emotions and the excuses. On the other hand, let's say there's twenty responses to a particular question, one doesn't have to follow all the advice. If possible, just cull out what actually works for you. Again, just common sense.

For me, the questions generally are: Can I fix it? Do I even want to fix it? Do I want to take it to get serviced? As in, sure I can change the oil but I choose not to. But there are many other things I'm glad to tackle and the advice and ideas I've gotten on iRV2 has helped a great deal. Thanks to all of you!

[TeJay]

I've already responded in post #10 but I'll add another 1 cents worth.

If you are technically adept most can determine that you are by the questions. Any information given will probably be used wisely.

If you are technically challenged and ask for help most technical individuals should be able to determine your level of understanding based on the post. If they can't maybe future posters should state their level of knowledge so poster can respond accordingly.

Some posters ask questions with the idea that they are willing to try and just want some direction. That's good and should be stated as such. We are all learning about our coaches. I know a lot about a lot of things but will never know all that I need to or want to know. Most poster that I've encountered are very willing to share and guide. That is what makes this forum so great.

Here's a suggestion for future posters. Using a scale from 1-10 simply state your level of knowledge/understanding etc of your current problem. We could call it the KU Number. We might also include someway of indicating the tools you currently have. If it's an electrical problem do you have a DVOM?? Can you use it???

This might be a way of directing the diagnosis aspect of a problem a little more effectively.

Just a thought!!

TeJay