Today, I traveled 80 miles to Camping World, the dealership in Kingston, from whence Winnie was born. I may have mentioned in an earlier blog that there were a few things I didn't think were "right" for a new RV and wanted them checked out before any warranties expired.
1. In the water service center, I could not turn the plastic fresh water valve from the "tank fill" position to the "normal" position. I didn't want to force anything. As a result, I've been unable to fill the tank with fresh water; with water hookups available at campsites, this isn't really an issue unless I'm "boondocking" (camping without hookups). Drew from the service department used the force necessary to show that it worked as expected.
2. All of the exterior storage compartment doors (except one) have to be slammed (a couple of times) in order to stay shut. Well, once again, Drew, steps up and proceeds to shut them nice as you please with minimal effort. The situation here was akin to hearing that funny noise in the engine of your vehicle or the problem with the TV that seems to disappear once you either bring your car in for service or the TV repair fella finally arrives for the house call and everything works perfectly. For ten minutes he and I took turns opening and closing the one pesky compartment and each time he did it, it worked. Each time I tried, it had to be closed a couple of times before it caught. It should have been captured on video. Conclusion? It's the design of the coach so deal with it.
3. With two ceiling vents located right under the AC unit in the rear, one of them barely seems to be blowing; there's and unequal force blowing cold air into the coach. This was another item on my list that was minor but was addressed because of a warranty. Drew agreed that there's a difference and fetched another tech from service, Bob, to check it out before he wrote up the concern for Winnebago. Conclusion? After taking photos, they'll submit and request Winnebago's team to see if servicing is necessary or is it simply another design flaw. There are three other vents that do the job of cooling off the interior of the coach just fine.
4. I wanted to know if the amount of pressure being applied to the brakes was normal. They seem very "spongy" to me and require a lot of pressure. Perhaps after driving the Caddy, they do "feel" different but, as it turns out: Yes, it's normal.
2. All of the exterior storage compartment doors (except one) have to be slammed (a couple of times) in order to stay shut. Well, once again, Drew, steps up and proceeds to shut them nice as you please with minimal effort. The situation here was akin to hearing that funny noise in the engine of your vehicle or the problem with the TV that seems to disappear once you either bring your car in for service or the TV repair fella finally arrives for the house call and everything works perfectly. For ten minutes he and I took turns opening and closing the one pesky compartment and each time he did it, it worked. Each time I tried, it had to be closed a couple of times before it caught. It should have been captured on video. Conclusion? It's the design of the coach so deal with it.
3. With two ceiling vents located right under the AC unit in the rear, one of them barely seems to be blowing; there's and unequal force blowing cold air into the coach. This was another item on my list that was minor but was addressed because of a warranty. Drew agreed that there's a difference and fetched another tech from service, Bob, to check it out before he wrote up the concern for Winnebago. Conclusion? After taking photos, they'll submit and request Winnebago's team to see if servicing is necessary or is it simply another design flaw. There are three other vents that do the job of cooling off the interior of the coach just fine.
4. I wanted to know if the amount of pressure being applied to the brakes was normal. They seem very "spongy" to me and require a lot of pressure. Perhaps after driving the Caddy, they do "feel" different but, as it turns out: Yes, it's normal.
So, after an hour spent addressing these minor issues and feeling satisfied, I set off for my return trip back to Cross River. But first, a fill-up and the local QuickChek gas station. Much to my delight, diesel was selling for $3.79 (vs. $4.20+ around here). Having kept notes on mileage and gallons purchased since I bought Winnie, I was delighted to see that I am getting 16.29 miles to the gallon; way more than I had hoped for.
And speaking of fuel, the price of propane has bothered me since being ripped off at Luposella's here in Montrose. The campsite I'll be visiting come September 3rd ( Searsport Shores Oceanfront in Maine), supplies propane for $3.25/gallon, $19.00 minimum. Guess they win the propane gas war. My research showed Synergy in Cold Spring, $3.50 and Pidalla Fuel, north of Synergy in Cold Spring, at $3.90.
Update on my thoughts for future travel. A winter itinerary, it seems, doesn't make too much sense when you figure the time of the year. Cold blasts of air off the ocean? Snow & ice on the road? Till when? Are campgrounds open for me? I looked into the weather future using the Old Farmer's Almanac and came up with this:
For the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: A cooler than normal winter with above average precipitation is currently favored. Snowfall is projected to be above normal.
So, instead of hopscotching down the Atlantic seaboard, I will probably drive directly to visit friends, Roger & Wendy (R&W) in Bluffton, South Carolina before heading further south into Florida; namely Daytona Beach Shores/Port Orange, Boynton Beach, and Boca. The 846, 13 hour trip to SC will be broken up into two days with a stopover half way in Virginia Beach, VA, 410 miles and 7 hours away. Although I've been very lucky in the past regarding my "hobby" of driving folks to and from airports all through the winter, traveling during those months eliminates not only the winterizing of Winnie, but the elimination of worry and hassle of driving in bad weather, about flight cancellations and re-scheduling, and early pickups before snow plows or late night pickups waiting in the cold cell phone lot.
The BIG question remains: During which month(s) will it be? The answer will develop as time goes on and more input is received. Stay tuned.
The BIG question remains: During which month(s) will it be? The answer will develop as time goes on and more input is received. Stay tuned.
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