NL 33 

Nov 2000

Got the Rig!

Folks,

We received the new Challenger 33 MLB last Saturday the 11th of November.

It was transported by Morgan transport and the poor driver got caught at the top of Donner Pass when they closed Hwy 80 for seven hours.  It was the first snow of the season, and the rig arrived covered with mud, salt, and sand.  Of course, we WOULD be in a park that doesn't allow washing of rigs or trucks!  <sigh>  But it made it.  The driver said it pulled perfectly, commenting that "I didn't know it was back there, except on hills."  We set it up and opened the two slides immediately so Lynn could get her first walk-through in person.  Seeing it dirty for her first view was definitely a bummer, but when she walked inside, well, she was a happy camper!  LOL!

Lynn is thrilled and Bogart is wallowing in his new, larger "bed."  This fiver has twice the basement space that the old rig had!  We did find out that it is harder to move from one rig to another than we thought!  It took three days to swap out all of our stuff, and get everything into the new rig!  But we did, and now are waiting for the Fed Ex of our title (tomorrow) and then we have to Fed Ex to Livingston TX, and wait for the new plates!  So I have plenty of time to do my modifications that I am known for.  You know, the shelves and closet savers, and the caulking the factory missed.  Hey!  It made it's first trip great!  Having only 20 miles on it before we bought it, that was a real anxiety! 

The "Shake-Down" first trip is when ya find all the problems.  So we were relieved when it came in in great shape!  It is soooooo big!  Ceiling fan and the works!

It isn't the space but the different sizes of the spaces.  So for the past week we have been stepping over boxes and sorting the stuff we would keep and the stuff we would sell.  We found that our fellow RVrs were happy to buy our stuff at yard sale prices and the rest will go to the thrift shop.  We have finally gotten to the point where it is all put away some place, but not in the final places. 

Some great surprises:  It has a fantastic fan with wall thermostat, the entertainment system is full surround sound wired to the ceiling speakers (25" Stereo surround TV, 4 head surround VCR, and full surround stereo with 5 CD changer), the fridge is three-way, there's a propane detector, and four holding tanks!  The four holding tanks include a freshwater, two gray tanks and one black tank. 

Some not so great surprises:  The shower stall leaks, the sink in the bathroom needs to be re-caulked (shifted on the trip), and the microwave had a broken wheel on the rotating ring for the carousel.  (actually not bad for it's first trip beyond the 20 miles it had on it before we bought it.)  We already got the microwave ring, and today I will be re-caulking the shower and the bathroom sink.  For a first cross country, shake-down trip, it held up surprisingly well.  However that was with no weight from our stuff in it, so we'll see when we finally get on the way to Louisiana. 

Remember it is a used unit (even though it was only used for 10 or fifteen days in two years, and was only moved to and from the lake front and the dealer's lot-20 miles) so there is no warranty from the dealer.  Fortunately I can fix just about anything on a fiver, and we are getting the extended warranty from Good Sam for the first year just in case.  (Motherboards and fridges are expensive!  LOL!  Been there, done that!)

About the Good Sam Continued Service Plan - It will cost $102.00 a quarter, with a $100.00 deductible, so is a bargain.  Believe me, after this catastrophe, and how our insurance company came to the rescue, we have modified our feelings about insurance.  We still believe in the minimum, but our minimum is now tempered by the realization that it could and did happen to us!  Accck!

I will be building in some custom shelves and a computer desk when we make it back to Louisiana.  Right now the printer and computers are spread out and hard to use.  I already have the design in mind, and will make that my first priority.  So between getting ready to leave, and finding the right place for stuff, I will be focused on the new rig and less on other pursuits till we can get moving again.

We are still waiting for the title and then have to mail it in to Texas, and wait a week to ten days to get the plates so we are stuck here for a little while longer.  We might make it home for Christmas!  By the time we get on the road again, we will have been here six months!  SIX MONTHS!  In the meantime, I will be getting the rig washed and waxed, and adjusted to the hitch on the truck.

Oh I almost forgot!  The truck developed it's first real problem at 190k miles!  The injector pump started leaking diesel when it was turned off!  It only did it once every few weeks, but was also intermittently (once a month or so) hard to start and running rough.  Of course it would not do anything when I brought it to a diesel mechanic.  Since we were only 40 miles from Stockton, I called Collins Diesel Injection there and they immediately set me up with an appointment.  For you folks who have gotten our newsletters from the beginning, you'll remember them from our first trip out.  There was a problem with the fitting for the transmission temp guage they installed (the fitting failed-not them!), and they (unlike the shop here that broke my trailer) not only took responsibility immediately, but offered to pay for a new transmission if it was damaged from their installation of a $100.00  guage! 

I said I'd use them again, and I did.  Thank heavens for Adam, Louis, and David there!  They did a lot of work that I know they didn't charge me full price for, and found all the seals and O rings in the pump were bad.  The Beast (our name for the truck) is back to normal (or better!) and runs perfectly again so far.  It appears they nailed it, and for about half the price I would have paid anywhere else!  (believe me, I got the quotes)  Of course, I need to give it a month or so to be sure (knock on wood!  LOL!)  If you need Banks power installed, Pac Brakes, or just need your injector pump re-calibrated (about 20 HP boost and 40 ft. lbs. Of torque increase) they are the heat!  Adam Collins will pull yer chain some if you are there waiting all day for your rig like I was, they are a family owned business that is defined by competence, and FUN!  (Adam, I know you were in it from the beginning- sure blame Louis!  LOL!  Thanks bud!)

So what do we think of all this in hindsight?  We feel grateful, and leave here better than we arrived!  (Albeit tired and glad to get back on the road)

An interesting observation.  During the worst of all that has happened, we decided to help others every day, to take our minds off our own concerns, and to make good use of the time.  I volunteered my services to fix anything our fellow RVrs had problems with on their rigs.  For about a month, I was spending at least four hours a day fixing plumbing, electrical systems, hot water heaters, shower stalls, TV and satellite wiring, etc.  (I kept track of the first 35 repairs and was batting 35 for 35! - Of course I did turn down the few jobs I knew I couldn't fix)

Darned if suddenly everything didn't turn around, and seem like everything just fell in our laps!  New rig with no note, my truck's intake and my HIGHLY PERSONAL exhaust systems fixed!  And a bunch more stuff that can't be just coincidence!  A small example.  I went to the Base Thrift Shop to kill some time last week, and found a Catalytic Heater for sale there for only 34 bucks!  It looked like the big ones I'd seen for close to $400.00 at Camping World.  I asked them to put it on hold for me till the next day.  They put a tag on it and I went to the ATM, to get the cash for the next day (they were closing 5 min. after I found the heater.)  When I returned the next day, the lady I had spoken to said she just happened to walk by the register and saw a man about to buy it, who had removed the "hold" tag!  She got it back from him and put it behind the register.  Whew!  I went to Camping World and found it was the same brand they sold, Olympian.  I found their phone number on the box and was about to call them when the guy that was helping me asked if I wanted him to call them for me.  Huh?  He said it was a local call!  HUH!!!  He explained that the company headquarters was 14 miles from where I was standing. 

Whoa!  We called, and Chad, at US Catalytic, told me that they would supply an owner’s manual for my Olympian 8100 free of charge, and if I would just bring it over they'd test it for function and safety . . . also free of charge!!!!!  When I got there he couldn't believe that I got it so cheaply, and warned me that since it had been purchased in 1990, (he checked the serial number on their computer) that I would probably have to get a new catalytic mat for it that was $108.00 plus 48 bucks labor!!!   I realized that I may have to pay quite a bit more for my "bargain" than I thought!  He brought the heater back after about 30 min. and told me that it checked out perfectly!  No bad spots and heated perfectly to specs!  Then he showed me their retail price sheet for that model-more than 400 bucks!  Not only had they checked it out but had cleaned it up so it looked brand new.  And he gave me a new trim decal for the front to complete its new appearance.  NO CHARGE!  They check out any heater shipped or brought in to them, for free, as a safety and customer service!  What a company!  And it is one of their most powerful heaters! 

That is only one example of many recently!  The G.A.s are again workin overtime. Coincidence?  I don't think so.  Seems to prove that just a little effort for others, comes back exponentially!   

The only sad note was watching our HitchHiker (HH)being towed away to salvage.   Our new rig is much newer, larger, and fancier.  But we will miss the original rig.  And we will miss Double D (Daryl), RV, Terry, and all the guys on the HH (HitchHiker) repair crew that kept us, and our baby on the road.  They helped us free on their toll free number for hours at a time, got us fixed for half of the price on the road, and always got it right the first time. 

Because of our friends in town we will still make the great little town of Chanute Kansas part of our itinerary.  And maybe they will work on another brand . . . No one can ever say yes unless ya ask, no?  If not, I will miss their competence, and their great attitude.  Hey can ya tell there is another HH in our future?  OK Might be an Excel or a New Horizon, but if I ever get a great deal on another HH, we will jump at it.  Besides, we have to meet all our friends there every year anyway.  They all have NuWa.  Hope Damon has something similar for customer service.  So far, I have hit a site that said they were bought out by Keystone, then they are doing 5th wheels again a month later.  I will be writing them as there is no phone number on their website, nor in their owner’s manual.  Sheesh!  Guess HH spoiled us.

Please have fun, travel safe, and say thanks once in awhile.

RV/dg, Lynn, and Bogart The Wonder Dog!