MSRV Solutions - New Carpet etc

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We scheduled some work at MSRV Solutions and were there Monday and part of Tuesday morning.  We could not be more pleased with Daniel and Carl's work.

When we arrived just before 7 AM, the first thing I noticed was our new carpet laid out on their clean floor.  In fact the whole grounds, building and work area was well maintained, cleaned up, and well organized.  Impressive.  "You only get one chance to make a first impression" as the saying goes.  It was true here.

I had talked with Daniel a number of times and we made sure we ordered the correct thickness of carpet.  If it is too heavy, the slides won't slide in and out correctly.  Initially, we contacted Daniel for an appointment and had to reschedule.  Then as our appointment got closer, we ordered the carpeting from the Lowe's in Tupelo.  Carl picked it up and it was ready to go on Monday morning.

We went over the list of repairs that we wanted to get done. We had talked on the phone previously but the list grew longer as we got closer to Red Bay.  About 10 days before we arrived, out DS slide out would not go all the way out.  It was not the shear bolt that we had replaced a couple of times over the years so we didn't know cause of the problem.

Also we needed new arms for the main "patio" awning.  One arm was not working properly and would not retract.

Another big item for us was a leaking hydraulic cylinder for a rear slideout.  It was a slow leak but something we wanted to get fixed.

Repairs were also needed on the rubber gaskets around the DS slideouts.  We had rope lights installed near the ceiling in the front slide out interior area of the coach and one was not working.

Repairs:

• New carpeting
• DS slide out not working
• Rubber gaskets around DS slide outs
• Replace arms on patio awning
• Interior rope lights
• Hydraulic sync cylinder

Fixes:

Carpeting. We removed all the items we had stored under the bed.  The bed frame was dismantled and put temporarily in the front of the coach.  The old pieces of carpeting we removed and used as patterns for the new carpet.

 In no time the new carpet went down.  It was immediately a major improvement.

When the bedroom bed and frame were put back together, we moved the items back where they were originally.

Daniel removed the couch and only the heater hoses and seat belts remaining.  One they were removed, the grungy carpet was carefully removed.

Once the DS was done, Daniel worked on the PS.

While he was doing that Carl replaced the carpet up front in the stairwell and under the brake pedal.

Another big job was replacing the two awning arms.  One had worn out and the awning would not extend.

Inside, rope lights under the ceiling trim on the DS were not working.  Daniel found the problem, made a better connection and secured it.

Next, they worked on getting the DS slide to retract and go out.  After a lot of looking things over, Carl found a roll pin that was broken.  Instead of the normal 'shear' pin that we have replaced a couple of times, this one was located under neath and farther back behind the propane tank.  But the found a way to get to it and replace it and the slide now is working correctly.

The the rubber trim gasket around the same front slide also had to be secured.  And the rear one was leaking a bit and they caulked and glued things so water would shed away.  Good to get the rubber trim fixed up.

After we finished with the carpet, we had Brett come over from Tiffin after hours.  Our hydraulic sync cylinder was and he replaced a pressure hose fitting.  Not a very convenient location.

That was a couple of days work at Carl and Daniels MSRV Solutions.  They do great work at a fair price and we are glad to have found another good shop near Red Bay to get some work done.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Getting Painted in Red Bay etc

One of the maintenance items on our list was to get some painting done on our coach.  Over the years, some flaking and paint air bubbles showed up near the top of some bay doors.  The grill on our DS grill for the rear side radiator was also chipping and flaking.

When we think of how to maintain and take care of these issues on our 2007 Tiffin motor motor, we always think first of Bruce and Melody Deaton in Red Bay.  Their Custom Body Shop is an excellent choice for paint and body repairs.

We have been going to them for years and prefer them over the Service Center for a number of reasons.  We like to support small businesses and have been there so many times we consider them our friends.  They have a great crew in Austin, Turbo and Heath.  They do great work, do it quickly, efficiently and at a very fair price.

It was a no brainer to have Bruce and his team work on the chipped and flaking paint.  The issues were on a number of bay doors.  The Roadrunner is 10 years old now and we want to 'continuously maintain' and improve it so that it lasts another ten years and beyond.

After finishing with MSRV Solutions on Tuesday morning, we rolled it into a paint bay and Bruce, Austin, Turbo and Heath got started.  Instead of a lot of work done on most bay doors here and there, we decided to repaint them all as well as the two rear engine access doors.

I had previously ordered a new set of headlights from Brannon Hutcheson at Custom RV.  He was packed solid with appointments and could not install them, so Austin installed the new headlights after everything was primed and painted.

 Heath also repainted the top of the door awning that was starting to peel.

The before and after photos of the headlights.  The old ones were working fine but they were just that 'old'.  I want everything about our home to reflect updated and well-taken-care-of features.

This update makes it look like a newer coach.

They got all the painting done at the end of the day on Thursday but it was raining and we thought it would be better to leave the Roadrunner in the painting bay overnight.

The historic Hotel Red Bay opened a few weeks ago.  We had lunch there and I think the Railroad Rueben might be the best reuben sandwich I have ever had.  Later the next day, we ended up staying in one of the rooms with a king size bed.  The whole hotel has been refurbished and is decorated very nicely.  The restaurant is great and it was a fun evening.

We were glad to get in an unscheduled stay at the Hotel Red Bay.  Now we know what it is like and can recommend it.  The restaurant is also worth checking out.  And we were very happy with the excellent work we got done at Deaton's Custom Auto Body and Paint shop.  We highly recommend them and their work.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  

Great Museum in Red Bay

We were determined to final go to the Red Bay Museum.  9 years coming to Red Bay and this was our first visit.
It was great!

The first thing we noticed was the check-in counter/desk and the Red Bay Hotel sign.  We happened to be staying at the hotel for one night while the Roadrunner was getting painted at Bruce Deaton's Custom Body and Paint shop.

I asked if the hotel had made attempts to get the sign and desk to use when it opened a few months ago.  Matter of fact, apparently they tried and were not successful in getting the originals so they are using replicas.  The hotel is across the street from the museum.

This drug store was in operation for a long time and was where the Mason Jar on the Main restaurant is now located.

The first floor has displays of stores showing general merchandise and dry goods.

A number of important town leaders and artifacts of their businesses are on display.

I love the old photographs.  It shows a different look from today.  The trees back then had been harvested by the logging industry.

Logging and cotton used to be large industries in Red Bay. Now both are gone.  The Tiffin motorhome factory operates on property that was once a cotton gin.

The old Methodist Church on 4th St has some items on display.

They had a military section which had a number of military uniforms.

A typical kitchen from days gone by.

There is probably no better display of Red Bay letterman's sweaters  anywhere.  Anyone still have there's?  I think I had a lettterman's sweater from Junior High School in the 1960's.

Upstairs, most of the floor has a quite extensive display of Tammy Wynette.  She is from nearby Tremont, MS and is said to have said her home town was in Red Bay.  She shopped and spent time here.

Like many famous entertainers, Tammy met with Presidents.  Here she is with President and Mrs. Ford.

High school pictures are always interesting too.  Who would have thought she would become the international superstar from this photo.

Like a thousand other places in our adventures, 'we'll have to come back and see this again'.  It is a real skill to be able to see museums and historical sights (and sites) and to be able to digest it all.  But it sure is fun and interesting to learn about some of what happened years ago.  And we will have to come back again to the Red Bay Museum.  It was a nice start but we have a lot more to learn there.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!