7/25-27 More RV Problems & Parking Lot Camping

Back while I was at Pacific Beach State Park, I heard a clunk while putting in my slide after dumping my tanks.  I laid down on the floor and looked underneath and saw clearly that the roller that supports my slide had come loose again.  

Brief History: It originally came loose in December, 2017 and was able to get a temporary fix from the Camping World Service Facility in Bakersfield, CA.  It was close to Christmas, and they did not have a replacement roller, and to get one would take more than a week, so they bent it back into shape and reinstalled it. Cost was $1,100.  It worked fine for four months, but I ordered a new roller from Fleetwood and had it shipped to my son's house.  I knew there was a Fleetwood factory service center near Eugene, OR, and I had to go there anyway before I left for the UK, so I made an appointment to get the new roller installed.  That was done on April 18.  Getting access to the area under my slide is difficult and time consuming, so it was expensive--well over $1,000 because they had to tighten my upper kitchen cabinets, which had come loose.   

So, three months later, here I was with the same roller pulled loose again.  Before I opened it again, I had my son help me look under there while I slowly put it in. Then I taped some books on the floor to prevent the slide cabinet from sinking. 

Anyway, my appointment was on July 26 at the REV (the current owners of Fleetwood) service center in Coburg, OR, so I arrived the night before and set myself up in one of the available sites in the parking lot.  Each site has electric and water hookups, and there is a dump station available.  Not the most scenic place, but the price is right--free. Also, the slide fix did not cost me since it was still under the 90-day warranty period.

There are nearly always 10-20 other motorhomes parked at this facility.  Some will be worked on the next day, but others are waiting for parts to arrive. This can sometimes take weeks, unfortunately, but since most owners live in their units or have no other place to go because they are from a long way away, people stay in this free parking lot in hopes that tomorrow will be the big day when they can get whatever is broken fixed. 

The bad thing for the two nights I was here was the heat.  It was around 100 degrees both days, although cooler at night.  

I have had my motorhome repaired in the Decator, IN, facility, so I know the process by now, with one positive change having taken place recently.  It used to be that you had to have your rig unhooked with slides in and ready for work by 6:00 a.m. so you could be at the door when the offices are open.  (Getting up at 5:30 a.m. in the dark in Decator was not my ideal since I am not a morning person.)  At least at this facility, the starting hours have now been switched to 7:30 a.m., which is better.  

At at 7:25 a.m., the line forms at the door, and you check in for the day.  Then your assigned mechanic comes out to take your rig into the shop.  You join the waiting room crowd in the lobby for some chat about the problems they have had with their motorhomes.  Those with cars can go out for the day, but I have only my bike, so I stayed in the lobby for a boring 8.5 hours, getting periodic status updates.  Even in the heat, I did ride my bike the mile into this small town for lunch, however.  And the second day, I rode out to McDonald's and Camping World to redeem a $25 coupon I had.    

What I have not written about yet is that my electric steps are broken.  Driving here from Fort Worden on Wednesday, a large dump truck had a blowout and lost its tire tread on I-5 about 400 feet ahead of me.  The truck was in the far right lane, and I was in the middle lane as the large piece of tire tread came rolling down towards me.  I had no time to swerve and was afraid to swerve anyway because it might cause me to lose control of my big vehicle, so I braked as hard as I could, while still staying in my lane, but I hit it anyway, except at about 40 MPH instead of the 65 MPH I had been driving.  

It made a big thud, but I did not discover until I got to REV that my steps were bent and would not go out.  It also turned out that the motor had been hit, so I had to order new steps, which will not be delivered until later this week.  I have an appointment for them to install them on Monday, August 6, but they have promised me that it would take only 2-3 hours, and I could be on my way by noon.   

Because they found a hole under my cabinet which would let water in through the slide when it rained, they used the second morning to patch it and seal it with with polyurethane and then to wait for it to dry.  I was able to take it about 1:00 p.m. with the understanding that I would not use the slide until the next day to give the polyurethane enough time to dry. 

Whew!  It was like being let out of jail.  I had a reservation at the nearby Armitage Park so I left for there so I could get laundry done, although I could have spent that night in the free "REV campground."   

While I was there, I had them also fix my leaking kitchen sink and check my roof for potential leaks and to try to tie down the old antenna mount that has been banging around.  (Fixed it, but it is still banging, so they will have to do something else.)

Anyway, rather than spending a hot week in the parking lot, I took off for Fort Stevens State Park in the northwest corner of Oregon, which is where I am not. At least it will be a lot cooler in Coburg then!!  I am getting really, really tired of repairs and hope this is the last of them. 

P.S.  This is what you do when your steps do not work.  I could go in and out the driver's door, but it is a lot easier to use this setup.