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[RVPioneer]

Frequently on this forum responses are submitted from coach owners who do not own or have never owned an Alpine. Looking at some older threads shows that this has occurred in the past and it continues today. Presumably this occurs from members selecting "search all forums" and landing here as a result. Nothing can currently prevent this from happening.

I would like to encourage all current Alpine owners to add their year and model to their signature and all previous Alpine owners to add something to the effect of "previous Alpine owner" or "owned a 2006 40FDQS for 8 years". By implementing both we will know the basic information about the coach for which the owner is seeking information and we will know which responders possess knowledge about Alpines.

For those with a reasonable understanding of our coaches, it is generally easy to filter the irrelevant information from the useful. For inexperienced owners it can be a challenge. I believe these small changes will benefit all members of this forum in gaining knowledge about their coaches.

[DrDaveMA]

The key is knowing that WRV did things differently. Before you post a new thread search the Alpine forum, most likely your issue has been covered. Two things happen, first you get immediate suggestions to help you resolve your issue and second you avoid responses from owners of some other brand that would like to help, but ultimately lead an Alpine owner down the wrong path. I have been an active Alpine owner since June of 2006 when we bought our Alpine. I don't, by any stretch of the imagination, have all the answers, but if you have a problem with a 2005 38' FDTS I know I can help you. There are lots of folks out there that have decided they want a newer coach, so they have traded their Alpine for something else, they represent a wealth of knowledge we do NOT want to loose. I am not sure they will add info to their signature blocks, but if you wonder about someone reach out to some of us folks that have been here a few years, we might remember the names. Jerry Davis had an Alpine for about 8 years. Renipladlo about the same. I am sure there are a bunch of others, the avatars just don't pop to my mind at the moment.

Absolutely add your Alpine info to your signature block, because even within the Alpine community the model differences can change a response, as an example 1998 - 2003 WRV hard wired the coach. Then in 2004 they started using Vansco, a request for a fuse location in a 2001 gets an entirely different response if the coach is a 2006. The floor plan can also make a big difference, so include the year, length and floor plan to get the most helpful responses. Additionally look at a responders signature block to find out what coach they have, if it is not an Alpine, or if you don't know them as a previous Alpine owner, take the advice with a grain of salt. Many things are the same in our Alpines as other manufacturers, many are not, don't get lead down a rat hole trying to find the fuse block on a 2005 38' FDTS. While there are several, they each only have a few fuses!

[RVPioneer]

Losing or ignoring the knowledge of former Alpine owners benefits no one. That outcome was neither implied nor intended in the suggestion to add information to the signature block. Perhaps those owners could inform us in their response, if they choose to not add the data to the signature, that they previously owned an Alpine. Not everyone reads every thread, so to expect everyone to learn that Jerry, Algoma, Renipladlo and others are former owners is a big ask.

I am confident in my ability to recognize a response from someone who has never owned an Alpine. Some are rather entertaining, like the fellow who tore his coach apart before setting it ablaze trying to figure out why the horn wasn't working. Amusing? Yes. Helpful? Not so much.

Just thought I'd offer up a simple solution to an ongoing problem.