Back in Indiana for RV Maintenance

Back in Boerne, TX in April, we noticed that we had a small crack in the narrow strip of fiberglass under the bedroom slide.

We had a mobile RV Tech take a look at it, and he didn’t think it was necessary to fix it as long as it didn’t get any worse.  As we continued to travel, we kept track of it and although it closed up every time we unhitched from the truck and opened up every time we were hitched up, it never got any bigger.

We eventually called Newmar to get their opinion, and they recommended filling it with some silicone to keep water out, and then made an appointment for us to get it fixed when we were back in Indiana.

Then, while we were boondocking in the Bighorn Canyon, we noticed that our shower grey tank was once again leaking, creating a puddle under the RV.  We quickly called Newmar to add this to our repair list!

Our appointment was last Monday, and we got set up at “Camp Newmar“ on Saturday so we had time to move some things out of the way and pack our bags, since we were going to have to spend a few nights out of the RV.

On the way back to Nappanee, though, we had to stop at the gummy bear factory for Nicolas to get his gummy bear fix!

 

 

Our technician showed up at 6am on Monday morning, and we quickly moved our overnight bags and the dog to the car, and got the RV closed up while Tom reviewed our repair list with them.

They towed the RV to its “regular” repair spot in Building 11, and quickly got to work!

The front cap needed to be opened up, which was the reason we needed to stay elsewhere,

an the side wall peeled back so that additional bracing could be added to the wall and under the slide.

By later that afternoon, they knew we were going to need to stay out of the RV for at least 2 nights, so we went over and checked in at the Inn at Amish Acres, right next door to Newmar.

It was an OK hotel, and we had complimentary continental breakfast (although Nick was bummed that they didn’t have a waffle maker!), and even a pool for cooling off in the afternoon.

I had a quiet place to work, and Nicolas got some ACT prep done while Tom and Bryce went on the Newmar Plant Tour.  Production is running again at Newmar, and they are producing 6 motorhomes per day . . . all to fulfill existing orders! 

There was a big line of new motorhomes waiting to be transported to their new owners!

By Wednesday, the front of the camper had been put back together and the crack covered up with a new piece of molding,

and they had moved the RV outside to start working on the grey tank. 

They took the old tank out and located the crack,

but didn’t have quite enough time to get the new tank installed.  They wanted us to stay in the hotel one more night, but we just weren’t getting good sleep there, so we asked if we could stay in the RV in front of the shop.  Attached to Building 11 is the “pet-friendly” Customer Lounge, so we had access to a bathroom, and a TV with cable . . . along with our own beds, that was all we needed!

I think they were surprised that we didn’t want to stay another night in the “comfort” of the hotel, but were fine with us staying in our little “Camp Newmar” annex!

Since we were in the area, Tom had made arrangements with Mor-Ryde to get our suspension inspected on Friday, so we were hoping that we’d be wrapped up at Newmar by Thursday afternoon so we could move up to Elkhart for an overnight stay at “Camp Mor-Ryde”.  We knew Howard and Linda were there, and we were looking forward to catching up with them.

Sure enough, by 2:30 pm our RV was all back together and we were free to go . . . we didn’t even have any paperwork to take care of, since everything we had done was being covered by warranty! 

We closed up the RV, hitched up, and made the 20 mile drive to Mor-Ryde.  Once we were settled into an RV site, we walked over and said “Hi” to Linda, and also Linda & Bill N, who we had met at the Sevierville Rally in 2011.  We caught up with them for a bit, and then broke up for dinner, knowing that we would see everyone bright and early in the morning!

Our appointment was just for an inspection, and possibly getting the wheel bearings checked and repacked, if they had time.  Tom was talking with one of the other RVers who was getting ready to leave, and he told us that everybody that came in just for an inspection ended up getting a bunch of work done – they found cracks on his chassis that had to be rewelded!  Tom was sure the wouldn’t find anything wrong on ours . . . it was running just fine!

Once Howard had their RV moved into a bay, Nicolas pulled ours out into the street for the inspection, and Linda and I headed over to the Customer Lounge for breakfast.  I commented that I was glad our inspection was being done in the street, since it had been over a year since Tom had to back into a garage door like that!  The next thing I knew, Nicolas was backing the RV into a bay!

It turned out that two of our shocks were not even attached, and several of the rubber shock components were cracked, and the bushings were completely worn.  So, we had some work to be done, in addition to our bearing maintenance!  We were going to be here a little while!

I settled into the lounge with Linda and Howard, and my computer and got some work done while we caught up on each others’ travels.  Mor-Ryde provides breakfast and lunch while you are in for service, so we spent an enjoyable day in their lounge . . . even if it was an unexpected stay! 

We’re glad we stopped, though, and got this very important maintenance work taken care of.  We’re in the Elkhart area so often, there really is no excuse for not stopping by to get the suspension inspected more frequently.

Both of our rigs were finished around 2pm, and Howard pulled theirs back into an RV site where they were going to spend one more night before heading back to Louisville, and we got ready for our move to Shipshewana . . . another 20 mile drive . . . we like those!

We said good-bye to Howard and Linda . . . confident that we would see them on the road sometime again . . . and we were back on the road . . . with all systems checked and in perfect working order!