Hello Mister Dummy!!

[ccxnola]

OK – Let’s start with the facts and set the scene:
1-He ‘thinks’ he is an ‘experienced’ MoHo owner with 3 gassers and a ‘new to me’ diesel pusher – about 15 years of getting the various rigs around the continent – including Alaska and Mexico.
2-On every rig the maintenance has been accomplished within a reasonable window of the specifications (Is not 42,000 about the same as 40,000?)
3-As the many ‘little things’ have happened, they soon get fixed – house water pump, bedroom lights, fridge door, etc, etc.
4-As major things have happened, they get fixed immediately (only two majors – a transmission fluid line failure and a jacks fluid line failure)
5-This winter, the Rig sits for several months with only a startup and short drive once a month and run the generator for 15 minutes.
6-Most recent startup and drive indicates the alternator is not producing electricity to the batteries. Connect a checker and it shows faulty alternator.
7-Contact good nearby (40 miles) repair shop and order replacement alternator ($500+ install) plus ask that they replace the belts as needed and look for any other maintenance needed before the extended summer trip.
8-Depart for the repair shop and 15 miles into the trip, the engine is overheated!! Coolant everywhere – including all over the TOAD.
9-Call Good Sam for a tow – fortunately they contact the shop to which I was headed!! THANKS GOOD SAM!! First tow in 4 years, but nice to have it when it is needed.
10-Rig into the shop and TOAD cleaned after getting home.
11-Later that day a nice call from the owner of BIG RIG SERVICE in Hammond, LA “Why is it you wanted to replace the alternator?? My answer – because it is not ‘putting out’ and my checker says it’s ‘bad’. His reply: You should have gotten here a bit sooner – the main belt is disintegrated – that’s why the alternator is not working and why the water pump is not moving the coolant!! (He just saved me $500!!!)
12- I took a look in the book – belts should have been replaced at 50,000 – but I let it go and failed to realize how long as we are at 62,000!! Hello, Mister DUMMY!!!

[colliehauler]

brirene wrote:
Since wa8yxm has always seemed like a pretty good guy, this spin seems uncharacteristic, so I'll take a stab at a possible explanation. Since he's mentioned that the car was brand new and still had the sticker in the window, might we assume that repairs would be covered under warranty, and his intention was to stick it to the dealership, which would have been responsible for the more expensive repair cost? Admittedly a lot of assumptions, but something's missing here. Wa8yxm?

That's the way I took it as well.

[brirene]

Since wa8yxm has always seemed like a pretty good guy, this spin seems uncharacteristic, so I'll take a stab at a possible explanation. Since he's mentioned that the car was brand new and still had the sticker in the window, might we assume that repairs would be covered under warranty, and his intention was to stick it to the dealership, which would have been responsible for the more expensive repair cost? Admittedly a lot of assumptions, but something's missing here. Wa8yxm?

[0rion]

wa8yxm wrote:
Do not feel too bad.. I recall years ago,,, I worked the 10mile Split Time point on the Widsor/Detroit international marathon (I am a communactions officer at selected events like that.. We line the route with radio operators who can call for help if you need it or report selected other things to mission control (The start or finish line, also known as NET CONTROL in our lingo).

Then it's off to St. Mary's Greektown for church... I got there early so am sitting in the car reading the newspaper (Remember those?) One of the assoicate pastors is helping a parishioner start his dead battery car (They have multiple Masses every Sunday) I noticed something.. odd.. but it took a bit to register... After they got it started I ask the driver to pop the hood again.... Yup, no fan belt, that's why his battery was dead, no fan belt.

Sticker still in the window of the brand new car.

I sent him to the most expensive repair place I knew of (And I might add the closest) and read a bit more paper. then went to Church.. They still say Mass in Latin there.. I kind of miss that.

I don't understand this....maybe I'm just reading it wrong. Were you taking pride in sending him to the expensive shop or was it the closest that just happened to be the most expensive? Hopefully the latter of the 2 because it's pretty crappy to kick someone when they're down. I'm no saint but I would at least not kick them. I laid in the parking lot of a wal mart once for a couple hours swapping a starter on a minivan for someone that I didn't even know just because I knew how to do it and it was a woman with a couple of small kids with her. The easiest thing would've been to just send her somewhere but the right thing was to really help them out.

[pnichols]

Or ..... you could have tried to back-flush your RV's black tank through it's discharge outlet and neglected to turn off the water hose in time so the black tank filled up under pressure with way less than clean water and then have all this overflow up through the bathroom sink drain onto the RV flooring while at the same time shorting out the DC power distribution panel that is right next to the bathroom sink. :E

[Dustytuu]

wa8yxm wrote:
Sticker still in the window of the brand new car.

I sent him to the most expensive repair place I knew of (And I might add the closest) and read a bit more paper. then went to Church.. They still say Mass in Latin there.. I kind of miss that.

Why would you do that? And then go to church like you did a good deed?
Didn't you think the man had enough problems?

[Fishinghat]

Duplicate post.

[Fishinghat]

0rion wrote:
it happens.....don't beat yourself up over it. If that's the worst thing you've done in 15 years you're leaps and bounds ahead of me. 😄

X2

[brirene]

Liked my post so much I posted it twice, evidently.

[brirene]

Hey, you didn't get stranded in the desert or have a trip ruined. Overall, I'd say you're doing pretty well!

BTW, I kinda thought the title was a shout out to me! 🙂

[Bobbo]

gbopp wrote:
It's not like you drove off while still hooked to shore power, after you did your walk around check.

I've heard that happens. 😮

Did that.

Once.

Just broke the door that covers the RV's electrical compartment. I was lucky. (Saw the cord in time to stop before real damage done.)

[wa8yxm]

Do not feel too bad.. I recall years ago,,, I worked the 10mile Split Time point on the Widsor/Detroit international marathon (I am a communactions officer at selected events like that.. We line the route with radio operators who can call for help if you need it or report selected other things to mission control (The start or finish line, also known as NET CONTROL in our lingo).

Then it's off to St. Mary's Greektown for church... I got there early so am sitting in the car reading the newspaper (Remember those?) One of the assoicate pastors is helping a parishioner start his dead battery car (They have multiple Masses every Sunday) I noticed something.. odd.. but it took a bit to register... After they got it started I ask the driver to pop the hood again.... Yup, no fan belt, that's why his battery was dead, no fan belt.

Sticker still in the window of the brand new car.

I sent him to the most expensive repair place I knew of (And I might add the closest) and read a bit more paper. then went to Church.. They still say Mass in Latin there.. I kind of miss that.

[Raymon]

"drove off while still hooked to shore power"

Been there, done that! Really, really ugly. Ended up replacing the automatic transfer switch. Found out the original ATS was recalled; I did not get recall notice. I may have just prevented a fire from occurring later due to defective ATS. All ended up well.

Ray

[gbopp]

It's not like you drove off while still hooked to shore power, after you did your walk around check.

I've heard that happens. 😮

[0rion]

it happens.....don't beat yourself up over it. If that's the worst thing you've done in 15 years you're leaps and bounds ahead of me. 😄