Been getting the rig ready for a big trip. I've taken care of all maintenance and fixed everything that wasn't right. Lubed the chassis, wire brushed rust and painted it, fixed a cracked water fitting, replaced a drawer catch, serviced the air dryer, etc. However, since buying our Journey last fall, one thing has bugged me: The PO had been hit with some hail and the rear radiator looked like somebody had been throwing marbles at it. Lots of bent fins! I know it is purely aesthetics, but it bugs me whenever I look at it! So yesterday I took the rear grill off, got a chair and started the painstaking process of straightening them out. About three hours work later, it looks great. DW looks at it and says, "whatever you want to spend your time doing....but I just don't see it." My neighbor even came over to see what I was doing and rolled his eyes and said basically the same thing.Just wondering if anybody else has done this? In the end, it is a great feeling to know everything is in top shape....at least for the time being!Hoping everybody has a great summer, and safe travels!Jeff

they make a comb to help make it very easy to do that. get it at a auto parts store. would have taken you 5 minutes.

old guy wrote:they make a comb to help make it very easy to do that. get it at a auto parts store. would have taken you 5 minutes.Hey old guy,A comb wouldn't have worked on this. They were mashed over into hemispheres so bad you couldn't tell what was what. I had to pick at them with a sharp knife tip to start to separate the separate fins. A comb will be good to do the fine tuning on them now, though! Thanks for the advice.Jeff

Jeff, There's absolutely noting wrong with your approach to achieve satisfaction with your rig. Everyone's got ideas on what's right for them. I have seen things worn out, broken, cracked, rusted, in sad shape, totally un-organized, and a whole lot more, on peoples cars, trucks, motorhomes, boats, motor cycles and more, for eons of time. I've sometimes commented on some of it to my friends, "why don't you take care of that rust or, fix that broken piece of metal, or repair that part"? And many times, their answer is, "It don't bother me" "It still works don't it"? I simply forget it or, walk away. I take the same approach as you. It's not hard, most of the time, to do what you have done, which is, do a lot of simple maintenance. When you're done, you can stand back and admire, what a nice, clean, well taken care of, WELL WORKING, rig you have. It's a matter of PRIDE! I don't call it ANAL, I simply call it, PRIDE. I applaud you for your actions. These rolling Kleenex boxes are too darned expensive to let them get into a state of disrepair and bad condition. Keep up the good work.Scott

LOL!....I've done the same with my A/C units and no EVER sees them 'cept ME! Takes one to know one.....but...I'd do it again...I call it therapy.....:W....Dennis

I see from your profile "retired Air Force".I'm glad there are guys like you, whatever your military job was, who took pride in doing it well, and doing it right, and paying attention to the details.I thank you now for your service. I don't expect those attitudes to go away any time soon!

My DW says I'm anal/OCD.....am I? | Good Sam Community

badboy368
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
good for you... i am the same way and hear the same thing... keep doin what you are doin.. it works
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jun 15, 2014
First, you can buy a special "Comb" at most auto parts stores made for that job, greatly speeds it up, different spacings let it work on radiators and air conditioners of differing makes and models.

Second, not OCD, Good practice, you see the bent fins obstruct air flow and reduce the efficiency of the radiator, So your straightening them thus improves air flow through the thing and thus improves engine cooling lessening the chance of an overheat... Thus it is REQUIRED you straighten them for best engine life.
Dog_Folks
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
Are you OCD?

No, you are a person that wants things to be "right." His possessions in good,well maintained condition.

A perfectionist? Maybe, but it is a good thing.

Carry on.
wolfe10
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
Dog Folks wrote:
Are you OCD?

No, you are a person that wants things to be "right." His possessions in good,well maintained condition.

A perfectionist? Maybe, but it is a good thing.

Carry on.

Add me to the list.
YnotTurbo
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
You are not alone. I check and make sure everything is ready for even the shortest family trip/s. From airing up the tires to putting the correct torque on the wheels. I even have our fiver washed before every trip so we look nice when arriving at the campground. Attention to detail is the key to keeping a unit nice. Preventative maintenance can save you a headache later too.
gbopp
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
YnotTurbo wrote:
You are not alone. I check and make sure everything is ready for even the shortest family trip/s. From airing up the tires to putting the correct torque on the wheels. I even have our fiver washed before every trip so we look nice when arriving at the campground. Attention to detail is the key to keeping a unit nice. Preventative maintenance can save you a headache later too.

x2. I wish I could spend more time working on our RV to correct the 'little things' that need corrected.
Revconguy
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
My wife has accused me of breaking things on our MH just so I can repair/rebuild them. Especially if a I can make them BETTER than new. It's like a therapy to me....
FreeIndeedJ836
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
Jeff,
You are right on brother! Whatever we do, do it as right as we can or go home... Your coach will serve you well with your eyes of perfection on it.
We_Cant_Wait
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
X2 on if there were a lot of fins bent over it was a good thing to straighten them out, it will improve air flow and cooling, so tell the DW it wasn't OCD but required maintenance to help keep the motor cool.
Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Jun 15, 2014
Jeff, I'm the same in a lot of ways. If there is something I can do myself I will certainly give it a try and I would be straightening out those fins too.

On my cars, I can't stand dirty wheels. I've been known to clean all the wheels before going to bed. Brake dust eats the finish on wheels and my cars will never have fogged headlights.

I wash my generator on the MoHo and I'm the only one that will see it. I also take the max vent covers off to clean the top of of the Fantastic vent fan covers (they do get dirty).

Safe travels,
Mark

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