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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Getting fixed up in Red Bay

We arrived in Red Bay, AL on Sunday and were at Bruce Deaton's Body and Paint Shop early (6:00 AM) to get our crack on the front cap fixed.
8 hours later it was done (along with the slideout topper covers I scraped going out of the gate at Maxwell AFB.) Total cost: $500.  I was very happy with his work and the price.

Then we got cycled into the Express Bay sequence at the Tiffin Service Center.  While waiting for a bay to open up, Nick came by and downloaded the latest DirecTV software for our system.  I think it upgrades the basic software and the HD operation.  Since we don't have an HD receiver or DVD-R yet, it just makes us ready for that option later on.
We had some water in the rear tail lights, so Brandon removed them and drilled drain holes in the bottom before putting them back in place.

The old rubber trim was rusting on the inside and coming off the edge of the slideout so Brandon and Ricky replaced it with a new trim.
After that, we moved on to another bay to check the hydraulic leak under the front PS corner.  It was in the hose for the slide out pump.  They found the leak and put on a new connection.
Our last stop was at the paint and body bay where Anthony worked on two slides that had rubbed against the coach.  The rubber trim had failed so it was metal against metal.  Also we found the seam along the PS galley slideout was separating and the paint was cracking so he patched it up to, repainted it all and caulked over the whole area.
Cost for our time in the Tiffin Service Center:  $20/night and $228.43.  That was a welcome surprise.

While in our first bay, we found a chunk of tire missing on the right front one.
Yikes!  Glad we found that here and not while we were barreling down the road at 60 mph!  We made an appointment for Monday in Muscle Shoals at Simmons Tires.  We were hoping to have the current tires last until next year which would be at the 7 year point.  But we can't risk it and will get that new ones now.  Cost estimate for 6 Michelin tires:  $4000 including balancing and front and rear end alignment.

The last thing we are going to do is get an Air Force One to replace our Blue Ox Patriot braking system. We had some smoking brakes when we pulled out Kissimmee last week and now we don't trust the unit.
Cost estimate $1400.

Ugh…  the tires and braking system are not in the budget but we are going to go with it.

That should do us for upgrades and maintenance for a while hopefully.

That should do it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us today.  Until next time...

12 comments:

  1. We just bought tires also. What a chunk of change but well worth it! Brandon does great work.
    Now you have piece of mind...enjoy your day! ~wheresweaver

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  2. I wouldn't feel too bad about the tires. If you're in your sixth year, you've done well. One of them was bound to fail at some point, and you were fortunate to find it while sitting still.

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  3. considering all the work they did the price wasn't bad at all..now as for the cost of new tires..that one is a big 'ouch'!..where the rubber meets the road is an important one!..and peace of mind is worth the money!!

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  4. I was really happy with your cost up until the time you posted about the tires. But six years is not bad for tires. We budget for new tires every five years. And peace of mind is so worth every penny.

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  5. Just like upkeep for your home...We had to side our garage last year...and when we get home we need updates for our 1980 kitchen..new floor and carpet for the living room...Ya gotta keep this stuff up..

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  6. Brannon Hutchinson owns Custom RV in Vina AL near Red Bay. The Brandon I am speaking of works in Bay 39.

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  7. You confirmed it again for me! You can not beat going back to Red Bay to get these coaches maintained! They spot most of the problems with a simple walk around and then fix stuff you didn't even know was broken. And then the price is so much better than what it would have cost somewhere else. I am fairly certain that we will always have a Tiffin product as long as we own a motorhome......

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  8. Glad you noticed the bad tire. That could have been bad down the road.

    I hope you're not in the tornado area.

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  9. We've got the same slide rubbing metal against metal problem you have...We'll be going to Red Bay this summer. Glad you spotted the tire before blowing on the highway! Glad to know the cost, too. Guess we'll have to start saving now for later. Always something, just like a house!

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  10. We've got the same slide rubbing metal against metal problem you have...We'll be going to Red Bay this summer. Glad you spotted the tire before blowing on the highway! Glad to know the cost, too. Guess we'll have to start saving now for later. Always something, just like a house!

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  11. That was a great pit stop, in and out very cheap. The new tires will have you all taken care of.
    I thank you again for getting us down here in Key West. This place is great!
    We are staying at the Gateway and it is very nice. FLY NAVY

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  12. Yikes. $4,000 for tires. We definitely live in different economic brackets! I'm not happy if I pay over $100 for a tire for an old Yukon XL.

    That said, its a good feeling to be on new rubber any time, and you roll many thousands of miles more than we do. Maybe the $/mile is even better than we get.

    Glad all is well. You both look healthy.

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