RV Service: A View From The Other Side

All the RV forums and discussions relating to service issues are always from the point of view of the RV owner.  Not that there is anything wrong with that as they are the customer and did pay the big bucks.  But, what would it be like from the view on the other side of the service window? Not surprisingly, there are a small percentage of totally unreasonable owners.  Those customers that come in screaming, wanting everything for nothing, insisting on replacing with new in lieu of repair, never happy with anything, and so on.   Unfortunately, as small as the percent may be, these people take a toll on dealers’ service personnel.   This never-happy group erodes service employee’s attitude, ultimately affecting their performance, thus affecting many others.  Those others are people, perhaps like you and me. This really is nothing new.  A small minority spoiling it for everyone.  We see rules in other avenues of our lives that seem unreasonably restrictive, all put in place because of a minority of people that will not act responsibly nor be accountable.  Pet restrictions in some areas because of lazy owners come to mind.  But, let’s get back to the topic.  Understanding what it is like from the other side of the service counter. Communication from the customer to the service writer is critical.  But there are many customer personalities that try to describe their issues, or at least their perception of the problems.  This, in itself, can lead to a wide variance... Read more

Making Modifications to Your RV

I get asked these questions alot: “Is it safe to modify my RV? What about my warranty? Will it be voided?” There is a lot of misinformation floating around about what constitutes a safe mod and what will void your warranty if you do certain kinds of mods. Many RV owners tend to be the “do-it-your-self” types and enjoy “doing the mod”. If you fall in to this group, you should carefully consider the implications of certain mods. You know that really expensive extended warranty that covers your RV “bumper-to-tongue” after the factory warranty runs out that you added when you purchased your new RV? It won’t help one bit if you do a mod that causes a failure on a covered part. So let’s look at what mods are safe to do and what just might cause you some grief down the road if you are not aware of your warranty conditions of coverage. Read more  Read More →

The Yearly Costs of Owning an RV (Part 2 of 2)

Last week we looked at some of the yearly costs involved in RV ownership.  (If you missed Part 1, here’s a link,  You might want to first read it   http://blog.rv.net/2009/10/the-yearly-costs-of-owning-an-rv-part-1-of-2/)  If you recall we touched on fuel, maintenance/repair, finances, insurance, licensing, taxes, and in more depth, the cost of depreciation. Today we will examine those costs and how practically and theoretically they may be able to be reduced. We will breeze through the items that we currently deal with, and are often discussed in the forums, and expand the “Wild Card,” depreciation.   Doing them in the order of last week, we will start with fuel cost. Read more  Read More →

Tribute to early RVers: my parents

by Chris Guld, Geeks On Tour One of the seminars we taught at the Gypsy Journal Rally was one of our very favorite topics: “Creating Narrated slideshow movies with Photo Story 3”  We have our routine and material down pat with this one, so my mind was free to wander a bit in getting prepared.  It dawned on me that since my Mom is with us it would be cool to show a sample Photo Story movie using pictures from my family’s RV travels in the 60s.  RVing in Alaska, Mexico and Canada are popular topics in RV circles – and we did it in the 60s.  So, I made sure my Mom was in the audience for this seminar and I quickly put together this little movie as part of our presentation:   To learn how to make your own narrated slideshow/movie, see our tutorials at: http://geeksontour.com/photostory.cfm It’s SOOO easy!  And, Photo Story is free, just like everything else we teach.  Read More →

The Yearly Costs Of Owning An RV (Part 1 of 2)

There are a number of items that must be considered when determining the yearly cost of buying a new RV. We hear so much about fuel costs, whether it is a motorized or a tow vehicle.  But, fuel really is peanuts in most cases.  Likewise, maintenance and repairs, while not necessarily cheap, are relatively small in the big picture.  The financial purchase, whether it is a cash deal or involves a finance contract, will almost certainly out weigh both fuel and repair costs.  Then of course there is insurance, licensing, and taxes, if applicable. Read more  Read More →

The October Mystery Camper Challenge

The October Mystery Camper Challenge will again test your skills in solving where and at what RV park the Mystery Camper is at.   All we have at this time is some photos taken in the park.  He also appears to have taken one while touring the area.  So, get your thinking caps on, and let’s get this one figured out.  If needed, clues will be revealed by the elusive camper. Read more  Read More →

The RV Trivia Challenge 6 – Destinations -

The Lug_Nut RV Trivia Challenge 6 is focusing on popular RV destinations. Get a pencil and paper so that you can record your answers as you go through it.  You will then be able to check your answers against those displayed at the very bottom.  Be sure to share your score and any other comments you may have in the comments section following the answers. Read more  Read More →

VIDEO: Wild Alaska from behind the scenes

VIDEO: Wild Alaska from behind the scenes with Brian Brawdy A few years back, and on assignment for a local CBS affiliate, I had the adventure of a lifetime in Denali National Park in Alaska. With a Lance Camper was my mobile base camp, I traveled throughout the park on a “photographers permit” and was able to experience some pretty, amazing terrains, wildlife and weather. This experience being my first in an RV, I was obviously hooked from that point forward. Photographer/videographer Michael Mauro shot the footage you are about to see. Although the audio/script is a bit dated, the video footage of flora and fauna is timeless. Be advised: These are wild animals, acting wild. To learn more about Brian Brawdy and Conservation thru Exploration, please visit BuriedLogic.com  Read More →

The RV Trivia Challenge #5

The Lug_Nut RV Trivia Challenge 5 is again focusing on destination attractions. Many you have probably heard of, but do you know where they are located?  Well, we are about to find out.  Get a pencil and paper so that you can record your answers as you go through it.  You will then be able to check your answers against those displayed at the very bottom.  Be sure to share your score and any other comments you may have in the comments section following the answers. So, let’s get at it! Read more  Read More →

The Pit Falls of Trying To Get RV Technical Advice

So just where do you get reliable technical information? Correct information, like what kind of oil to use, operational procedures, acceptable variances and like practical tips.  Is it level first then slides out, or is it the opposite?   Should I store my RV with the jacks down or should I not? The questions seem straight forward enough, and you would think it should be relatively easy to get good correct answers.  Well, guess again.  Welcome to the “my opinion club”.   In many cases, regardless of who you ask, you get their take on it, not necessarily the right or best answer. This applies, in many cases, to even those that you may think trustworthy.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard “And that came from Monaco themselves” (Fill in any manufacturer as it applies to all others equally).  My question, so who exactly is Monaco themselves?”  Well, it’s a service writer, a technician, a salesperson, or other employee of a factory service or sales center.  Perhaps in some cases it is an employee or owner of an authorized dealer.  None of these people are necessarily automatically qualified or equipped to answer all, or perhaps many, of these queries. So where can you get the most actuate information? Probably first, what is found  within your manufacturer’s manuals.  Additionally, and perhaps the “Trump card,” is any attached labels found within the RV.  While manuals can be relied on... Read more

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