Things I Didn't Understand about my Coach

[Gordon Dewald]

Helped a couple back their new motorhome into the camping site they were assigned. The lady was driving and she knew what she was doing. She told me an interesting/funny story.

They had purchased the coach and moved all of their stuff including the dog from the old to the new. And off they went. The first night they pulled into their site and proceeded to set up. First thing she did was dump the air in preparation to level, scared dog which dumped on the brand new rug!

[Qwimby1]

Try putting your awning up in the middle of a high wind storm and driving rain in the middle of the night wearing your robe. I had stakes in the ground and straps holding the awning down. In pulling up the stakes, I also unearthed a fire ant mound. My right arm was covered with fire ants but I couldn't let go of the awning lanyard or the wind would have taken the awning and half the side of the motorhome with it. I just had to let them keep biting while I got everything secured. I had 17 vicious welts on my arm the next morning.

[Miller205]

As a new RV owner, I was under the misguided perception that I could learn everything I needed to know about my new coach by reading the owners manual.

How silly of me, what a waste of paper....nearly 2 years later, still trying to understand some of the systems.

[Fiesta48]

Now up to 25 locations on fuses. Had to make a list. Now I can't find the list.
Talk about lists... reading them helps.
I've got so many, I've got a list of lists.
Leveling? Get it level and it rains in, off level everything stays dry...
I've got several permanent bumps on my head and dents on the under side of the slides.
Everything I want is on the bottom of the pile, in the back, or unreachable without pulling everything out. Why are my 3' arms always 2" short.
Being tall on a RV is not a benefit. Neither is being short, what is the correct height?
No matter what clothes I put on today will be wrong by 9am. Too hot, too cold, too dressy and will get greasy, too greasy and wife decides we need to go out.
Days on end in a RV with rain, cold and/or wind are not as much fun as staying home.

[Electra 225]

"Fiesta48" you've about nailed it. [emoji41]

[Big Bear Local]

Originally Posted by USMCRET

No matter how much time and practice you put into it together, the person spotting you as you back into a tight campsite will use a new hand signal known only to God.

My wife uses "this away and that away" instead of left or right.

[THenman]

Originally Posted by Campingman

My wife uses "this away and that away" instead of left or right.

Left and right are poor choices IMHO, better driver side/passenger side, better still LARGE hand movements from middle towards side rear needs to move...

BTW: We bought walkie talkies on advice from reading hear and neve use them... (Not a lot of wasted money and perhaps some day they will be handy...)

Tom

[Steven Groves]

My first lesson is that the thing about RV dealers is they only want to talk to you at one end of your RV experience - the one that puts a boatload of dollars in their pockets (yes - a generalization, but I also suspect there are some who say & act diff. Stay with me here.) If the option is not in their price book, they interject that "it's not important" - witnessed as I asked about solar & autonomous driving technology. Ended up buying my rig direct from an individual and could not be happier.

Getting a used rig from an individual which had been in storage for a couple of years put me in a place where now finding maintenance from a dealer seems to require an act of congress. If you get tired of waiting on them, they're just as happy to see you walk away and become someone else's issue. Mentioned that to the customer service ppl from Newmar re; a local dealer and as I wondered aloud about how they managed to maintain their dealership - they took notes on it and promised to share with mgmt.

The net, for me at least is that we should all take classes to learn how & when to perform our own PM & repair work when possible.