Roadrunner Memories: Camping at the Repair Shop(s)

We were in Richmond VA at the Atlantic Cummins shop earlier this month to check out our 'cold start'.

We scheduled our time here to check out our starter.  At times, it is sluggish even after preheating the engine overnight.  We have new chassis batteries, so we were thinking it may be a starter or a solenoid or a charge issue with the inverter or??

Really not sure but we wanted to check it out instead of just crossing our fingers.

The set up here for staying overnight is fine.  Completely adequate but nothing fancy.  It got us to think about where and when we have parked overnight and stayed in the repair shop parking lot.  We have done that a few times.

For the fun of it (and for curiosity sake) I decide to look back over the years and note when we had actually done that:

October 2009 - Freightliner, Dallas TX 
This was our first experience getting towed outside of Waco, Texas.  Replaced a fuel pump and stayed in the coach overnight at their new facility.  It had 50 amp service and was a brand new facility.

March 2012 - Fleet Maintenance, Fort Walton Beach FL

We stayed at the Ft Benning Army Recreation Center RV Park in Destin when we saw a leak.  We were able to drive it over to Fort Walton Beach.  They had to replace gaskets and other stuff and let us stay in the coach.  We were able to plug into a 50 amp circuit and left later the next evening.

October 2012 - Freightliner Factory Service Center, Gaffney SC
We attended the Camp Freightliner course and were able to stay free at one of the campground sites at the facility.  Had full hookups and internet.

July 2013 - HWH Factory, Moscow Iowa
Broke a foot on the rear jack and had it replaced.  Also replaced the electronic keypad on the driver's console. Parked in one of their free sites (W/E, no sewer).

April 2015 - Freightliner Service Center, Gaffney SC
Had some routine yearly maintenance done.  Stayed overnight in one of the full hookup sites

August 2015 - Bay Diesel, Red Bay AL
Roadrunner was 'chugging' going up hill.  It was a tough one to diagnose.  The mechanics worked on it all day and we stayed overnight parked in front of one of their bays.  They hooked us up with 50 amp.  Finally, after they changed a fuel pump and it was still doing it, Chris Thompson got us an appointment with the Cummins folks at MHC in Tupelo.

September 2015 - MHC Kenworth, Tupelo MS
Changed out two more fuel pumps before they figured out it was the fuel line to the gas tank that was causing the issues. Was able to stay a few nights parked outside the rear bay but hooked up with 50 amp electric.

May 2016 - Custom RV, Vina AL
Stayed out front of Brannon Hutcheson's shop.  Had a sheared bolt on the front DS which he replaced plus a number of things on our list.

August 2016 - Cummins Northwest, Portland OR
Time for yearly service on our fuel filters.  Stayed overnight in one of their eight full hook up sites at their Coach Care facility.

August 2016 - HWH Factory, Moscow IA
Had a broken chain on our PS slideout which we got repair there.  Stayed overnight in one their small but adequate campsites with 50 amp/water.

December 2016, Cummins South, Ocala FL
Made an appointment to have them check out why the Roadrunner seemed to start so slow.  They determined we needed to replace a couple chassis batteries.  Stayed one night with 50 amp/water.

February 2017 Atlantic Cummins, Richmond VA
Wanted to check out if there was an issue with the starter or solenoid.  They troubleshot as best they could but determined there was no issue.  We were OK with that and liked their customer service.  We stayed overnight parked outside one of their rear service bays with 50 amp service.

Surprisingly, that is about 12 times that we have parked overnight (or for a few nights) outside of a repair facility.  Seven times the business had a parking spot/camp site with hook ups, the other five times, they had a 50 amp electrical outlet we were able to plug into.

Though it is not my favorite way to spend the night, it always has turned out OK and been part of the intrigue of this adventure!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!



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Van Leigh 5th Wheel Factory Tour

Posted from Bakersfield CA

Back in February Pam and I visited the Ocala RV show.  We like to see what's new in the RV world and possibly pick up a new idea or see a new product.

Toward the end of our visit, we saw VanLeigh 5th wheels for the first time.  A new 5th wheel company.  Who are these folks?  Never heard of them...

We came to find out that this new company was part of the Tiffin family.  Bob Tiffin serves as the Chairman (and probably Chief Financial Backer?).  The company is headed up by one of his sons - Van - and his grandson Leigh  (VanLeigh).  The company is located in Burnside MS about 40 minutes from Red Bay AL.

We found the large warehouse that is the hub of the operation.  It also has the main offices and assembly plant.  We met Don K in Ocala and he gave us a tour of a couple of their RVs.  Interestly enough, he was on a visit to the factory and he showed us around that facility.  He remembered us and had some time, so we got a detailed explanation of what was going on at each of the stations and production lines.

VanLeigh is currently building 10 5th wheels a week and can not keep up with production needs.  They are signing up new dealers every week and are slowly expanding their network to the midwest and northeast.

The factory looks like a typical RV production facility and is brand new.

Lots of materials and supplies and equipment in the factory waiting to get moved into place and part of a new 5th wheel.

Frames/chassis arrive a few times a week.  The production could fluctuate a little so they have the supplier 'on call'.

One upgrade for 2017 is the new brake system that is one of the first things that are installed.

The floor is one piece and done before any of the units are moved down the production line.

This station is where the aluminum supports for the roof gets put together.

The rubber roof is built over here.

It is a little different seeing the 5th wheel at a station with no motor in place to drive it along to each station.

Here are a couple of front end caps with out the covering on them.

The interior of the endcaps is the bedroom entertainment suite and cabinetry.

In one of the kitchen slideouts, a new microwave is installed over the counter and backsplash.

The slideouts and front cap is moved into position.

The decals are being applied in this station.

Our guide Tom and a woman who is checking for leaks are describing the process.

Inside at the final inspection station, the high ceiling and new furniture make for a comfy living room next to the island and kitchen area.

Large TVs and in-cabinet fireplaces are the norm these days.

This Vilano has a light system with a ceiling box and lots of LED lighting.

We loved being able to see the Tiffin Facility and take a look at the new VanLeigh 5th wheels being built.  It was a bit of a drive from Red Bay, but worth the trip and it was fascinating.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Short Visit to Red Bay

We always love coming to Red Bay.  Everytime we come here it is worth every penny and we leave knowing that we got some things fixed and usually enjoy our time here.

We started off staying Sunday night at Brannon Hutcheson's Custom RV shop in Vina.  It was a quiet

 night and we were able to get started first thing on Monday morning.  Here's what we had on our Fix List:

• Bathroom hallway ceiling fan 
• Trouble shoot rope lights inside slide out above trim on Driver Side (DS) 
• Check chassis batteries
• Repair leak in clear water tank near drain spout (as a result of my attempt at repairing it months ago)
• Touch up wood near shower, bathroom back splash and floor corner round trim piece in bathroom
• Replace bolt in slideout that sheared off when we were getting ready to drive it into position in the bay at Brannon's (talk about great timing!)

We were prepared to purchase a new fan but Brannon worked with it and sprayed some silicon on the mechanism on the roof and it works perfectly now.  We have been without the rope light working a couple of months and he fixed it in 15 minutes.  The water leak in the clear tank is really a drip and it has been there over a year.  He fixed it in 30 minutes.  

The moisture and steam in the bathroom and shower area has affected some of the wood and trim paneling.  Brannon used a spray treatment that made it look great and it was fixed in a couple of minutes.

The chassis batteries checked out fine so no need for new ones.  The slide out would not retract because of the sheared bolt.  Glad it happened where we could get it fixed right away.  It took Brannon about 15 minutes to drill a slightly larger hole and use a more sturdy bolt to fix it.  

Total price of $230 was very fair and a less than I thought it would be.  Plus Brannon does great work and does it quickly.  He doesn't lollygag around.  He gets on it and gets it done right.  If you haven't ever had work done by him, you should give him a try at Custom RV in Vina near Red Bay.  We've never been disappointed.

Later that morning we went to the Downtown RV Park in Red Bay where long time RV friends Steve and Karen were staying.  It was great to see them again and catch up.  Lots of stories and fun adventures to hear about.

Later that morning we went over to the Tiffin Parts store where my hubcap and middle insert screw attachment.  Last time we filled up I notice the Passenger Side rear hubcab was gone!  I ordered a replacement one and put it on in a few minutes.

We had a nice time chatting during an impromptu happy hour with Steve and Karen.  Those kind of evenings are some of the best times in the RV experience -- just hanging out with friends and hearing their stories and experiences and sharing ours.

This morning I got up motivated to clean out the main storage bay area.  I pulled everything out and vacuumed the inside, threw away some stuff and repacked it.  I stopped to chat with a new friend in the campground - Brent and Eileen (who are actually from our new home town of Green Cove Springs, FL).  I found out the entire side mirror on the DS need not be replaced.  It comes apart as the arm and the mirror.  Our arm is pitting and may need to be replaced in the future so I could save a few hundred bucks by just getting a new arm.

 While I was doing that Pam went for a long walk.  After she returned we went over to Bruce Deaton's Custom Paint and Body Shop.  Here Pam is talking with Melody Deaton and new friend Carleen.  We have been to Bruce's Shop many times and he is another one we have high regard for.

Next we went to a new restaurant downtown - Mason Jar on the Main.

Very friendly place and good food.  Here the owner (Sherri) and our server (Savannah) let me take their picture.

Next, we drove over to Burnsville, MS to see the Vanleigh RV 5th wheel factory.  Bob Tiffin is co-owner and chairman as well as mentor and strategic advisor to the company.

Grandson Leigh is the running the day-to-day operations and his father Van also works there a couple of days a week.  Van is also one of the main people involved at Tiffin Motorhomes along with Tim and another brother Lex.

With the Tiffin backing and reputation, I would bet this startup will do well.

When we returned to the campground Steve was replacing the anode rod on the water heater.  Yearly maintenance cuts down on the rust inside, helps extend the life of the water heater and helps it run more efficiently.  It has been far too long since we replaced ours and we were overdue.  Years ago we bought a 1 1/16" socket (what an odd size) just for this purpose.

Draining it became a bit of a mess but the water ran off the concrete pad and down the back pretty easily.  Meanwhile it was a bit of a shock to see how overdue we were on the replacement.

Here is a look at our old one compared to Steve's.  As Karen said, "Not much chicken on that bone!" It is really a simple maintenance item so we'll be staying on top of that one from now on!

Next it was time for some social / happy hour time.

We were joined by neighbors Bob and Jan and Carleen.  All full-timers, it was fun to meet them and to hear about what's going on.  Bob and Jan are going over to Sherman RV in Tupelo MS to pick up their brand new 2017 Allegro Bus!  Carleen is in town for some paint work at Bruce Deatons.

Steve, Karen, Pam and I walked over to Jack's for dinner and enjoyed it as well as pleasant spring evening in Red Bay!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Time in Tupelo Getting Fixed

We spent a week in Tupelo MS getting the Roadrunner fixed.  Before that we spent a week in Red Bay AL which is the home of the Tiffin Motor Home factory.  I always like to go to Red Bay despite the cost.  To me, keeping up on maintenance is worth it in the long run. 

We started out the week at the Allegro Camground and also had work done at Bruce Deaton's Custom Paint shop and Bay Diesel.  After our time at the Tiffin Service Center, we went over to Bay Diesel.  Our engine was stumbling/chugging coming into Red Bay going up the hills.  Bay Diesel replaced a lift fuel pump and blew out air from some of the fuel lines.

But after taking it out on a couple of test drives, the problem was not solved.  We spent the night outside of the garage at Bay Diesel and they decided the issue was beyond their abilities and scheduled up for a 7 AM appointment in Tupelo MS, about 65 miles away.

We got in to the MHC Kenworth facility early Saturday morning and they got right on it.  MHC has Cummins engine - certified mechanics and their diagnostic software was more extensive.

Although we spent the weekend at the

Campground at Barnes Crossing (and one night in the week to dump tanks), most of our time was spent at the MHC Kenworth facility.

Good news is that they (Tommy) found some debris in the main fuel line from the tank.  Other good news is that the Service Manager really worked with us on the bill.  Instead of a really high $$$$$ fix, it was only a $$$$ fix.

We got in early Saturday morning and Tommy

did some diagnostics and tests showing high pressure and low pressure issues.  We brought it back again on Monday morning and they began the long and arduous process of troubleshooting and eliminating potential issues one by one.

Another thing they did was check each injector 'pencil' and clean each one individually.  Next they checked the tightness on each injector.  I wish I could give more details, but I am pretending to know what he did for all the tests and analysis.  Each day it seemed as if the mystery grew a bit instead of narrowing it down.

 On Tuesday or Wednesday, a high pressure fuel pump was ordered.  We had the lift fuel pump replaced at Bay Diesel in Red Bay but it did not solve the problem.  Once the part arrived it was installed and tested.

We took it out for a test drive and it seemed better for a little bit, but the 'stumbling' and 'hesitation' persisted when I pressed the accelerator.  Hmmm.

We took it back to the shop and he decided maybe the main fuel tank was the issue and he tried to crawl under the motor home and see how to get at it.

Tommy pulled the main fuel line and 'blew it out' and indicated there was some debris.  Next, he installed some test equipment and we took it for a test drive.

Problem solved!  How can that be??  Just like the whole issue began out of nowhere, it seemed the 'fix' came out of nowhere.  It was very anti-climatic.

We had one other issue.  When Tommy was removing the test equipment, the piece he had removed broke off.  He order another part and it arrived Saturday morning.  Once the part was in, we took it for another test drive and all went well.

It was about 10:30 AM when we got out of there and we headed south for Pensacola!

It was another adventure in the maintenance facilty.  One I hope we don't have to repeat for a while.  In this whole process I was very impressed with MHC Kenworth and found out they have a number of facilities throughout the U.S.   We will have to add them to our list.

That's a quick summary of our unplanned week in the shop.  Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Red Bay Repairs Recap - Aug 2015

I always like going to Red Bay.  Red Bay is the home town of Tiffin Motorhomes.  We have found it to be the quickest and easiest place to go to get our motor home (the Roadrunner) serviced.  Since Pam's sister and brother-in-law live in Maynardville, TN we are in this part of the country each year. Getting to Red Bay only takes about 6 hours from there.

We usually don't have to wait a long time to get things done and we learn a lot.  We get a chance to talk with people in the Allegro Campground

to hear the latest on what's getting fixed we find new things to buy in the Parts Store.  We also take advantage of the Tiffin factory tours and learn lots, no matter how many times we take the tour.

This post summarizes the highlights of what we got fixed this trip.

We left Maynardville and arrived at the Allegro Campground on a Saturday.  We have found the earlier we check-in, the sooner we get on the list to be seen in the 'Express Bay'.  So we were ahead of those that checked in on Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Our fix-it list in Red Bay looked something like this:
Tiffin
- Heater/air conditioner thermostat (front temps often go to 103 degrees)
- Sink drawer need to be tightened
- Keyless entry:  front door and a bay door sometimes would not lock

Bruce Deaton Custom Paint Shop
- Check the rails for cracks
- If there are no cracks, spray on new Clear Coat (Clear Coat was peeling on top of rails)
- Install a new wind strip / black deflector piece near the hinges on the main front door

Bay Diesel
- Check why engine appears to 'chug' a little going up hills
- Amber light comes on going up hill, then goes off on the down hill.

On Monday morning we checked in with Bruce Deaton to make sure we were on track for our Tuesday appointment.  We were and next we went over to Bay Diesel to schedule a Thursday appointment for the Roadrunner.  Next we took our time and went over to the Tiffin factory and walked through some new models.

On Tuesday we left the campground and were over at Bruce Deaton's a little before 6:00 AM.  We dropped off the coach and then went over to Jack's for breakfast.  They finished up a little before 11:00 AM.


Then we got a call from the Express Bay and were in by 11:30.  They moved quickly through our list and replaced the front heater/air conditioner sensor in the ceiling in the front of the coach.  It fixed our thermostat problem.

Next, they sanded off the metal contacts inside the door opening near the hinges.  They also sprayed some cleaner on them.  That also worked.  While they were at it, a QC guy came by and check the rails and wet bay.  No problems there.  And they check the floors on the slide out.  Big problem there.
Yikes!

Yup, the DS slideout floor needed to be replaced.  They told us they could get us in the repair bay as soon as the next day or as late as 10 days....It all depended on how many work orders came in before closing time.  None did and we thankfully got in the next morning at 7 AM.

More bad news. They pay for the floor repair for units 6 years old and under.  The Roadrunner is 8 years old.  They wanted to be sure I understood it was going to cost me $950 to repair the floor before they started working on it.

I didn't see a) how it was going to get any better if I didn't get it repaired, b) how I would ever find someone else to do it cheaper or better somewhere else.  So we gave them the go ahead to proceed.
While they were doing that, I was going through my options on how to get them to cover the costs or at least reduce them.  I figured if I saved $100 or $200 it would be worth it.

I started with the techs and asked if there were 'magic words' or some approach I could should use with management.  No ideas there.  Next I talked with the supervisor.  He wasn't very helpful at first
but after I asked if he had any 50% coupons laying around he started to be a little more interested on doing something for us.

After they got the slide out and laying on its side, a number of them were looking over things and then the supervisor walked by en route to talk to his boss say, "I think we may be able to do something..".  False alarm he came back and said he talked with his boss and we had two issues that we probably couldn't overcome:  the fact that our paperwork was stamped "Not Original Owner" and it was over two years out of warranty.

Next I went to go see Wade and talked with him.  It was a short conversation.  Cordial to a degree but when I heard him say, "I am just going by what 'they' told me to do -- the customer pays half and we pay half".  I asked if he didn't have some leeway, or if there wasn't something he could do, or if he could work with us?

He replied with the same thing he said before. I knew I lost him when he got that '1000 mile gaze' through the window for the third time and we sat there in silence.  So I dusted myself off and said 'thank you' and went back to watch them fix the floor.

Some days are tougher than others when you try to negotiate from a position of weakness and zero leverage.

They finished up the floor and put the slide back in and we were out of there before noon.  We went back to our campsite and went over to Bay Diesel the first thing (7:00 AM) Thursday morning.

It took them a while at Bay Diesel to get going on it but moved it into the Service Bay and put the diagnostic gear on the engine and ran some tests.  From that they determined we needed a new lift fuel pump.  They put that in, we took it out for some test drives with the diagnostics hooked up and it did not solve the problem.

We spent the night parked outside of their shop and took another run at it on Friday morning.  They were not successful in finding the issue and ran out of ideas so they called a repair facility in Tupelo, MS (100 miles away) and got an appointment with one of their Cummins engine tech for 7 AM on Saturday morning.

So that's a recap of the repair work we got done and tried to get done on our 7th trip to Red Bay.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!