Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.


We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!

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Post Info TOPIC: What do you do when.......


RV-Dreams Family Member

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What do you do when.......


Hi all..  We have a Class A diesel pusher and are going full time this spring.  I'm wondering what fulltimers do when they have to take the RV in for service.... It can sometimes take days or even weeks to get looked at for repairs or just general maintenance like oil changes or 60,000 mile check ups.

Where do you stay?  What happens to all the food in the fridge? 

 

Thanks

Marilyn & Gene



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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You find a shop that will work with fulltimers, who have a place for you to park, power available, etc. and they understand you will be there everyday sitting in their waiting. Guess what, they get it done in a reasonable time frame. Key is a firm that understands fulltimers. Also most of these places take the rig in during the day, push it back out for you at night. Some even have an RV park on the grounds or next door.

Barb

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Barb & Dave O'Keeffe

2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Barb has it right. We have been in for repair or maintenance many times in our 11 years of fulltiming and only once, and it was known in advance, did we have to move out and we moved into a residential motel room with a fridge. That was for work on the body, where the sidewalls were replaced and the DP was repainted. As parttimers we did leave the motorhome for work.

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Bill Joyce,
40' 2004 Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
Journal at http://www.sacnoth.com
Full-timing since July 2003



RV-Dreams Family Member

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We specifically seek out shops that are ok with us staying in the coach. Only once have we had to get a hotel for the night, and that was when swapping out the tires/wheels and they ran into an unexpected problem that required overnighting a part. They just weren't setup for full timers, and it was supposed to be a 1-hr quick job.

We've stayed up to 7-weeks 'in the shop' during our engine rebuild. Here's an article we wrote during that time period: www.technomadia.com/2013/07/our-house-is-in-the-shop-living-in-a-parking-lot/

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Cherie (and Chris) / Our blog: Technomadia.com

Full time since 2006 as Gen-X 'technomads' (technology enabled nomads)

RV Mobile Internet Resource Center (unbiased information by RVers for RVers)

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Toad: 2009 MINI Cooper



RV-Dreams Family Member

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In Orlando we stayed overnight in the Cummins Onan parking lot so we were ready for them in the AM to do a service(oil change & filters) before our treck back home. It was an electric gated lot. The service manager gave me the access code ahead of time over the phone because we would be flying down, picking up our motorhome and it would be later at night. We arrived at the shop. I punched in the access code and we were in. Drove to the rear of the large paved lot and there were about 4 or 5 full serviced sites just like a camp ground. Water, sewer, power.
That was a neat service to have for your customers.

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My Dreams...............Her Nightmares.

 



RV-Dreams Family Member

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Because we work out of our rig, staying in it during repairs isn't always as easy. The last repair, all the slides had to be in, the desk was inaccessible. It was a 2 day repair, so the first day we took all the laundry with us, I hung out in the truck and worked while Dale did laundry and then we went back to our campground. We had paid for our spot in a local campground, so with a folding table, a couple of camp chairs, an extension cord to plug my laptop in and our cooler with lunch, etc, we were able to just work outside. Of course, this is weather dependent and for us it was perfect. I spent 1/2 day in the cab of the truck while laundry was being done and the other 1.5 days working outside. Probably wasn't as productive but made it work.

Our solar upgrade was going to require a lot of rewiring and the noise of trying to work in my office area would have been too much, so for that upgrade we got a hotel that allowed pets. Just made life simpler.

We've also had 2 occasions where work was done by a mobile RV tech, in which case I relocated myself and the cat to the bedroom, closed the door and they did the work on the fridge, etc.

Just have to be flexible, it's going to depend on your needs. Having the ability to work while the rig is in the shop complicates things for us a bit but each time we figure it out.

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FT - July 2013

 

2010 38TKSB3 DRV Mobile Suites

2012 Ford F450

 

Dale and Ruth Travelling with Tazzy Kat!

 

IMAG0142_zps070d30d8.jpg

 

 

 

 



RV-Dreams Family Member

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We have slept in the RV in the service bay, locked in the building!! No Problems. We usually do movies, laundry, and libraries when the work is being done. Only once did we have to get a motel room for the night, that was when the entire slide was off the RV.

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Jim & Peggy Hormann

website landyachty.com

2009 Dodge 3500

2006 Sunnybrook TITAN toy Hauler

2002 Polaris 500

10 Ft. Porta-Bote

J & P sitting on the side awaiting the next great adventure!



RV-Dreams Family Member

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If it's insurance-covered work, our policy covers the hotel - but if we couldn't find a dog-friendly location we'd work with the shop to stay in the rig

Jodee

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Bill and Jodee Gravel Full-timers (June, 2015)

Tessa the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

2014 Thor Tuscany XTE 34ST

2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Spent a week in the shop's parking area, we were towed 90+ miles to in Pocatello Idaho whilst awaiting a new engine install in April 2013. Initially they mentioned motel, we said no, they provided hook ups to electric when not being worked on, even lent us their work vehicle to go explore out and about, just had to replace gas. Heavily tattooed biking crew that were fabulous beyond belief, and the price was awesome. First and only experience of being in the shop overnight(s).

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Breathtaking Alberta. Her Mountains Draw You But Her People Bring You Back


RV-Dreams Community Member

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That's why we got a 5th wheel :)...just saying.

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Barbara Smith


RV-Dreams Family Member

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BLRSmith wrote:

That's why we got a 5th wheel :)...just saying.


 I guess I don't understand your post.  



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Bill Joyce,
40' 2004 Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
Journal at http://www.sacnoth.com
Full-timing since July 2003



RV-Dreams Family Member

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Unfortunately, there have been 2 times where the rig had to be in the repair shop for more than overnight (once for almost a month). We have had to stay in hotels, although one time it was in a place near where our daughter lives so she allowed us to stay with her for about a week!

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Cheryl B. in her new RV

(well, not new any more! Full timing since 6/25/14)

2008 DRV MS 36TKBS3 (the CoW: Castle on Wheels), 2005 Ford F550 hauler (the Bull)

My blog is http://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/

My business: www.AZAdminSolutions.com



RV-Dreams Family Member

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Bill and Jodee wrote:

If it's insurance-covered work, our policy covers the hotel - but if we couldn't find a dog-friendly location we'd work with the shop to stay in the rig

Jodee


 You may already be aware of this but Motel Six allows pets. I was told by by a desk clerk that is corporate  policy. They aren't fancy but served our purpose. 



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Clay (WA5NMR), Lee (wife), Katie, Kelli (cats) Full timed for eleven years in a 2004 Sightseer 35N. Snowbirds for one winter and now settled down in CO.



RV-Dreams Family Member

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We're just going through this again and made a rookie mistake.hmm  Since we were heading back into our old home base, we had a shop there that we knew, liked their service and trusted their service manager so it seemed like a "no brainer" to make an appointment, have them go through the diagnostic of the issue, contact our extended warranty company (they have been excellent at this in the past) and order the parts.  We then scheduled the actual repair, but the last time they worked on our rig was just prior to going FT, so where to stay wasn't an issue, we just stayed in our house.  For this repair, We already knew we couldn't work from the rig as this was a hydraulic issue and they would be bringing the slides in and out, raising and lowering the landing gear, etc. multiple times.  We had planned to work at the local library/park near the shop.

After scheduling the appointment we learned they weren't able to let us stay on site the night before the repair due to the insurance restrictions, then we learned that they would turn off our propane and did not want the inverter running while they were working on the rig in their shop.  So, we're staying at an Extended Stay Hotel that is pet friendly with a fridge so we can offload our food and have a place to work while the repair is occurring. 

Lesson learned, make sure the shop is set up for overnight stays, we've always asked this before, but for some reason, since we were going back to a shop we've used before when we had a house, it never occurred to us to ask.



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FT - July 2013

 

2010 38TKSB3 DRV Mobile Suites

2012 Ford F450

 

Dale and Ruth Travelling with Tazzy Kat!

 

IMAG0142_zps070d30d8.jpg

 

 

 

 

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