Class B Travels:

Sheila, congratulations on an interesting and helpful magazine - keep it up. After reading the article in RVT 116, called Calamity in a Class B, I felt I had to write and tell you how much we have enjoyed our eight years of travel in our own Great West Class B van. We bought it originally for its handiness in being able to park it anywhere, travel on many different kinds of roads, our ability to use it as a second vehicle when needed, and especially for the fact that it was one of the only RV’s that my 6’1” husband could stand up in comfortably.
However, we didn’t realize how much enjoyment it would give us! We have wandered south to Palm Springs and San Diego, north to the Yukon, east to Ontario and as many delightful places in BC as we could possibly find. It has all we need:  microwave, toaster oven, TV, refrigerator, shower/toilet, air-conditioning, queen-size bed set-up, and lots of storage underneath and in upper cupboards. We look forward to many more years of happy exploring in our cosy Class B. – Robin & Maureen Applewhaite, Victoria, BC

How We Enjoy Quartzsite:

First, I must say how much we enjoy your magazine Sheila. Happiness is finding it at Save-On, or at our Cooper’s Store in Winfield. I always go through the Letters section first, and was sorry to read of the problems Doreen and Jerry Lefler experienced their first time in Quartzsite. (Quartzsite Disasters, RVT 116 pg. 16.) Regarding the cashing of Traveler’s cheques at the bank – when it opened two winters ago we were told they would cash a cheque only once per week! We shall try more often next winter. What we have been doing is going two or three times per month to Blythe or to Parker. At Albertson’s grocery store at Blythe, we do our main shopping, cash a Traveler’s cheque, then go and have lunch at the Sizzler. We really enjoy their salad bar. Then we drive north on Lovekin to 8th, turn right, cross the canal and the railway, and at a very pleasant market garden and petting farm on the north side of the road we buy fruit and veggies at very reasonable prices. Then we go back to Albertson’s, pick up our perishables, and cash another Traveler’s cheque. Safeway at Parker will also cash them, but we prefer Blythe because of the Sizzler and the market garden.
The General Store in Quartzsite is usually good for meat. We have heard that even people from Yuma come to buy their meat there. And Quartzsite’s fruit and veggie market across from the post office is fairly good too. We have spent the last six winters at Quartzsite, mainly because we like being able to walk for miles in the desert; right from our doorstep we can buy all the materials we need for our hobbies; and the library is fabulous. There have been some excellent performers/shows at the QIA building, all kinds of classes, events, and activities take place throughout the winter, and the Rock and Gem “Shows” have great appeal to we ‘rock collectors’. I guess we have learned how to make Quartzsite ‘habitable’ for ourselves, and enjoy it accordingly. We look forward to going back to Quartzsite next winter, and we hope for many more years to come. After being to many places, including three winters in Mexico, we find all that we need at Quartzsite and Blythe. – Anthea & Roy McLean, Winfield, BC

Black Holding Tank Problems:

We have been full-timing in our fifth-wheel for almost six years now and never have had a blockage problem in the black holding tank. Our solution? We NEVER flush the toilet paper.
*“If you never put paper into the holding tank, you never have to worry about getting it all out!”* Instead, we maintain a Diaper Genie (such as used for baby diapers). The Genie is heavy-duty plastic and the refills, at an average cost of  $5.50 each, last from six to eight weeks for two adults, daily use. This is cost-efficient as we use regular household toilet paper. The initial cost of the Genie unit is under $50 Cdn and is worth every dollar. Perhaps RVT readers can benefit financially and in a practical sense, by adopting the Genie as we have. (Note: the refills are scented mildly, a pleasant baby-powder fragrance, which is neither overwhelming nor problematic to allergy-sufferers!) Let us know if it helps solve those black tank blues!! We have recommended this to many RV friends over the years and none of those who now use this ‘system’ has had a problem draining/flushing their black tanks since. In our opinions, the Diaper Genie should become a standard feature in ALL RV bathrooms. – Anita & Gordy Ewart, Keremeos, BC, anidon@pocketmail.com

Credit Card Limiting:

I second the caution from Peggi & John McDonald regarding credit card portability. (RVT 117, pg. 8) Credit card companies are trying to combat fraud, so look for patterns of card activity, which match their experience. Travel-related charges seem to be a risk indication. However, they may or may not have thought through what they are doing well enough, and they may or may not be consistent. Even BBandT who have excellent values are becoming bureaucratic. Keep in mind that cards are normally handled by individual financial institutions not the branding company such as Master Card, and may actually be handled by a different financial institution than the sub-brand on the card would infer. Each institution may follow guidance and should follow minimum policy from the brand holder but may have its own additional rules, thus one person’s experience with the brand may not match another’s. The point is to expect variability. Keep their contact numbers for Customer Service and fraud with you ready to use. An additional caution if you do suspect fraud is that Customer Service may not be concerned enough about fraud - you might need to insist on talking to the fraud department. I urge you to help combat fraud, including by ensuring politicians are willing to support courts being tough on perpetrators. – Keith Sketchley, 250-216-3966, keith.sketchley@ieee.org

Paper & Rates:

I am new to your magazine Sheila, and probably way behind the times, but a couple of letters from other readers caught my attention. One family was having trouble unclogging their black water hose and wondered why they were having trouble. Neighbours of ours, in the RV Park in Mexico, were having the same trouble. He tried everything. It wasn’t until someone told them about the problem of the use of large wads of toilet paper, and using Charmin in particular, did their problems disappear. Although we all know to use proper products in the holding tanks, large amounts of paper are hard to dissolve. We have a toilet paper rule in our rig, and it is posted on the wall beside the toilet for visitors to see:  If it’s brown, flush it down - if it’s not, use the Pot. Most people don’t know that any paper that won’t fall apart when two squares are shaken in a jar of water will not dissolve properly in your tank. Another problem is the one between RV Park owners and travelers just staying overnight in a particular area.  The owners get angry, and one can understand why, when we travelers stay on a Wal-Mart parking lot. There is a simple solution: Give us the choice of a full service site with water/sewer/electricity for the going rate, or let us stay overnight with only the use of electricity at a lower rate. Why should I pay the going summer rate during the cooler months when I will get no use of the tennis courts, swimming pool, trail rides, etc.? All I want is a safe place to stay overnight and will probably not even get out of my rig once we are set up. We are now finding a few parks where the owners are offering these reduced rates, and, believe me, they are on the top of our lists. We are full-time RVers and are always happy to learn new things from others. – John & Donna McShane, vagabondz@shaw.ca

RVers Move On:

You’ve probably already heard this, but Las Vegas doesn’t want us, at all. Not only did they pass legislation in Clarke County disallowing RV parking anywhere except RV Parks, they are tearing up many of the RV parks to build condos and apartment buildings. At the Fiesta, in Henderson, they welcome truckers, and have a big lot for them to park in, where the diesel is eating up the asphalt big time. BUT, you’d better not park there in an RV! Laughlin got an exception, probably because there is only one RV Park there and it sure looked like favoritism to force everyone to stay in it. RV parking is allowed at the Ramada, which has a sani-dump, and at the parking lot across from the Harrah’s entrance, and they also have a sani-dump. Also, to the best of my knowledge, in most parking lots that have room. Their website is very informative about this. Anyone who had a “bad” experience this past winter in Las Vegas, should write the Chamber of Commerce there, and express their displeasure. I don’t think they have an inkling of how much money RV’ers contribute at the casinos. For what it’s worth, Ray and I will definitely go out of our way to avoid Las Vegas on future trips to the sunny south. – Judy Green, easy@uniserve.com

Golfing Doll:

Just sitting down to enjoy my May/June RV Times, and on page six lo and behold there is a picture of you at the Chilliwack RV Show with our new travelling companion that we purchased from you at that Show! We named the doll “Golfing Gerti” and she has joined my wife and I on our travels in the RV. So far just the Oregon coast but lots more miles to come. Everyone comments and asks where we got her! The doll is a great conversation starter and we are now meeting lots of fellow RVers and golfers! Great fun. – Mike & Kathy Clapp, Chilliwack, BC

Solar Help in Quartzsite:

If you are in Quartzsite Arizona, and need any help with your solar, I recommend Discount Solar over all the rest and can explain why to anyone who asks! – Barry Henderson, Ladner, BC, bhenders@telus.net

Service kudos!

My wife and I read The RV Times regularly and really enjoy the informative articles, and particularly look forward to the insights provided by your readers in their letters. It is with pleasure, therefore, that we find we have something to contribute. On March 28, 2007, on the way home from Arizona, we began to have trouble with our 2001 Chevy Silverado. We were towing our 5th wheel at the time and the truck started to kick out of gear every 25 to 30 miles. We pulled over to the side of the road, turned the truck off and on again, put it in drive and away we would go as if nothing was wrong. This happened three or four times and we decided we had to find out what was wrong before we tackled the Siskiyou Pass into Oregon. We pulled into the first Chevrolet dealer we could find but the transmission mechanic there had just gone home sick. The Service Adviser gave us the address for Lithia Chevolet of Redding #57 on 200 East Cypress Avenue (just off I-5). We arrived to find the dealership in a tight auto mall, and us with a 32-ft 5th wheel we had no option but to pull up to the service area completely blocking the entrance. The service advisor, Ron Stephens, was extremely helpful from the beginning despite our unusual arrival. He listened carefully to our story and promptly spoke to the mechanic who advised that the Allison transmission is designed to lock out in neutral if it senses a problem that could result in major damage to the transmission. He also suggested that the diagnostic computer may have recorded a code to indicate the problem. Failing that, it might be necessary to take the rig on the road with the computer hooked up until it locked out again. The mechanic (I wish I remembered his name) did the code check but nothing definite showed up. A “communication error” code did suggest to him a possible wiring flaw. He checked under the hood for any frayed wiring and as a last resort, pulled a large terminal connection on the main wiring harness apart to check the connections. Eureka! One of the spade terminals had dropped down and had likely not been making a proper connection. The bad news appeared to be that the normal repair was a $1,000 wiring harness replacement. The mechanic, however, had run across this type of problem before (likely that way since the truck left the factory) and had come up with an inventive repair. He pulled the spade terminal back in position, put a daub of super-glue on the broken plastic retaining clip, put in a small wedge he handmade on the spot, put the wedge in place to secure everything and presto the repair was complete. We were at the facility, blocking the entrance and taking up time for at least one hour. Unbelievably, the total bill for this out of warranty repair was “zero” dollars. I can only assume this was because it was considered a “factory” defect but they could easily have charged many dollars and we would not have been surprised. Their fair play in these circumstances was more than commendable and in our experience it was unprecedented. We could not have been happier with our experience at this shop and have taken every opportunity to pass on their name. The truck has performed better than it ever has and we were very happy with it before. The transmission shift points seem crisper and an already excellent vehicle has been improved. We cannot say enough about the friendly, informed and quality service we received at the dealership. The old adage applies and in this instance, they were the silver lining in our cloud that day. – Dennis Alexander, Surrey, BC, connie.dennis@netzero.net

1979 Dodge Trans Van:

We are considering selling our 1979 Trans Van. Is there somewhere we can go to get an idea of what the selling price should be? – Carole Berger, Bergercb7@scglobal.net
Carole,
The oldest listed Trans Van is a 1989 and that would not be fair to compare the two because of the 10-year difference in age. When dealers appraise an RV of that age, the price is based 100% on the condition of the vehicle. There are no books or websites that can help you. If you are in the Lower Mainland I would only be too happy to give you my idea of what it is worth. – Marcel Desjardins, Sales Manager O’Connor RV Langley, Langley, BC

We Weren’t Prepared for RVing in Colonial Mexico:

In February and March of this year, my wife Edith and I participated in a 46-day, 2,500 mile (4,000+ kms) Adventure Caravan tour of Colonial Mexico, the West Coast and Copper Canyon. While anyone interested can find details of this tour in Adventure Caravan’s 2006-2008 RV Vacation Catalogue, I would note that the tour begins in Pharr, Texas and goes through Saltillo, Zacatecas, San Miguel de Allende, Angangeo, Patzcuaro, Guadalahara, Boca Beach, Puerto Vallarta, San Blas, Mazatlan, El Feurte and Copper Canyon, Alamos, San Carlos, and ends at Nogales, Arizona. It includes numerous tours of cities, a wide variety of old colonial buildings including many cathedrals, city halls, opera houses, colonial mansions, a silver mine, a tequila factory, ancient ruins, pottery and brick factories, copper smithing, and many, many more sites. Overall, the tour was excellent, however I would note the following cautions for anyone considering this tour, with Adventure Caravans or any of the several other Caravan organizations that conduct/lead similar tours. 1. Forty-six days is a long trip for anyone not familiar with caravanning. Thus, I would suggest that you participate in a shorter caravan tour first. 2. The roads and driving in Mexico, especially through the central portion, Saltillo, Zacatecas, San Migual, Patzcuaro to Guadalahara, are poor and the Mexican truck and bus drivers are very aggressive. Driving is not for the inexperienced or faint-hearted. Close calls are frequent: be prepared to slide the wheels occasionally. Make sure your rig is in tip-top shape. Best if it doesn’t exceed 32 feet in length (that is for the trailer or motorhome). While we were told that tourism is an important industry in Mexico, one would never know it when RVing in Colonial Mexico. The RV parks are poor with few services. 3. Before you go, get the best guide to Mexico you can find. One good source book is Traveller’s Guide to Mexican Camping by Mike and Terry Church. Another is Mexico by RV by Kathy Olivas. The CAA on Mexico is also quite good. Read these publications and take their advice. The Mexico by RV publication has an extensive list of Internet sites from which you can obtain much useful information. Do your homework BEFORE you go. A month or two of preparation will pay big dividends. 4. If you can afford it and are somewhat familiar with a GPS system, purchase a good one such as Magellan 360 or better, or Garmin Street Pilot, and download onto it the best map of Mexico you can obtain. It will be a great help not only while you are traveling from one stop to another, but also in getting around the various cities to do shopping – for groceries, etc. 5. If possible, take a brief course in oral Spanish from a local community college or school so you know the basics of the language. Most of the people with whom you will come in contact (other than your tour group), that is the people operating RV parks, stores, historic sites, and the like, know almost NO English. If you want to shop for gifts and souvenirs you will need the basics of Spanish. While most of the Mexico information publications provide a glossary or dictionary of useful Spanish words, it is difficult to use this unless you have had some oral lessons. 6. If you want to be able to communicate with anyone back home, in the USA or Canada, you will need to have a compatible cell phone, as the ordinary Canadian cell phone does NOT work in Mexico. Public pay phones can be used with the purchase of a phone card but the phones are NOT in telephone booths and are frequently located near busy streets so conversation is very difficult. As well, they are not lighted so can’t be used at night. If you are a Canadian and want to keep track of the news back home, you will need a Star Choice Satellite system. 7. Buy a good water purification system with filters AND an ultraviolet unit to make the water drinkable. If you don’t have one of these units, you can obtain bottled water at almost every RV park, so take along one empty five gallon water bottle. Since water pressure is extremely variable, it is best to be prepared to use the fresh water holding tank in your unit. To keep the water system in your RV pure, you can add a bit of chlorine bleach or iodine tablets periodically to the holding tank. 8. Cheater electrical plugs are available from Camper’s World. This plug allows you to plug into two 15-amp circuits, thus providing you with 30-amp services necessary for operating AC units and the like. Since most RV parks have only 15–amp service, with two separate outlets side by side, this device works very well. While the various caravan tour companies provide considerable useful information, we did not know most of the above information, thus our tour was considerably less enjoyable than it might have been. I hope this helps others considering taking part in a caravan tour to Colonial or Central Mexico. If anyone would like to know more about RVing in Mexico, please feel free to contact me. – Wilbur J. Collin, 780-675-3184, wecollin@telusplanet.net

RVing Experience with a Twist!

The highway between Regina and Saskatoon is divided; two lanes each direction and in places, three. The posted speed limit converts to 65 mph. It was mid-summer, mid-week, and mid-afternoon; the traffic was light and we were sailing along at about 70 or maybe a bit faster. As we emerged from a small ravine just north of Regina, we rapidly overtook a big old chopped Harley motorcycle, a 100 mph machine; through pipes, front wheel tilted way out in front, long-horn handle bars, no wind screen. The two easy riders on board looked to have escaped from a bad movie. They both wore black leather, studded, fringed and sleeveless; had beefy arms, tattoos, and beer bellies; and on their heads they wore those ridiculous beanie-style hard hats without visors — the kind that just barely conform to the helmet law but in fact flagrantly mock it. We came upon them so suddenly that they seemed to be stopped but as I braked and swung out to pass, I found them to be crawling along in the low 30-mph range. There was something seriously wrong with this picture. Had I missed seeing some warning sign? Was it a radar trap? Or was there some other hazard that I’d overlooked? I drove beside them at their speed as I tried to make sense of this scene. In a heartbeat it all became crystal clear. It was grasshopper season on the Prairies, and this year they were particularly large, juicy and came in clouds! Quite simply, the threshold of pain for these road warriors was in the 30-mph range. To go any faster just hurt too much! – Patrick Lobsinger, oldboldpilot@shaw.ca

Re: My Ford’s Transmission:

This letter is in response to the Ford Transmission letter on pg. 16 in RVT 117: We own a 1999 F-350 with a 7.3 Turbo diesel and we pull a 23-ft trailer. We travel up and down the Coke highway, which seems to us to be more uphill than down. I also have a chip in mine, it happens to be called “Super Chip”. It’s programmable. We now have about 170,000 km on the truck and have never had tranny or any other problems. I do regular oil changes and filter changes on the transmission also. I also know that with all the extra power I have I could get into big trouble if it weren’t for a $250 item called a Pyrometer. – Claudius Abel, mr_abel@hotmail.com

Ford Transmissions:

Re the Ford Transmission letter last time by Bob Jones of Vernon, (pg. 16, RVT 117). I am not a “Ford man” but was a mechanic for 26 years. I have a friend who is the automatic transmission man at a Ford dealership on Vancouver Island and he rebuilds Ford transmissions all the time, five days a week. Ford has had a problem with the “pins” that the “Sun gears” run on. The pins work their way out and then it’s metal on metal and the transmission becomes full of small particles of iron filings. The new transmissions are shifted by electric solenoids within the transmission case; they pick up the iron filings . . . no more shifting, no reverse, etc., etc. The Ford dealers replace the defective transmissions with a new one, but they do not change the transmission oil cooler, which is full of the filings. Also they only reverse flush the old one, which is a waste of time! I have a friend who has gone through the same process, except after the second “new” transmission they changed the trans cooler, flushed the transmission, cleaned out the pan, new filter, etc., etc. He has had NO more problems! Bob Jones could be looking at a third transmission if he hasn’t had the cooler replaced. Flushing the cooler will not work. The oil flow is cut down to 45°-50°. I have a 1994 Dodge 2500 with Cummins. I put a pan plug in the transmission oil pan. Every second engine oil change I remove the pan plug from the transmission oil pan, drain out 5L/qts, replace plug and refill. When I get it serviced every two years, the transmission shop I use cannot believe how clean the oil is and how well the transmission works. Clean oil is the secret! – Gordon Booth, Chemainus, BC

RV Sites in Arizona:

My wife and I are planning an RV trip to California/Arizona in next January - March ‘08. I have only RV’d in Arizona once, a brief stay in the Grand Canyon area. Being a baseball addict I would like to be in Arizona during the major league spring training season to catch some of the exhibition games of the Cactus League. While I am aware that there are an abundance of RV parks in the area, could any of your readers recommend an RV Park(s) located in the general area of the ball parks? Also, would vacancies be a problem in mid February - March? – Lock Mawhinney, Courtenay, BC, lojo@shaw.ca

Black Water Tank Blues:

I read The RV Times regularly, and also some other RV magazines. There have been several letters about BLACK WATER holding tank problems including broken dump valve handles, plugged tanks, etc. There is good solution to most of these problems, and that is the local Septic Tank Truck Service. A friend of mine had a valve failure with a full black tank. Not good! So he called the local Septic Tank Truck. The operator was able to connect a hose small enough to fit through the toilet valve. He emptied the tank, flushed it with clean water, and the valve was changed with very little mess. – Dennis Engebretson, Quesnel, BC

Rare Problem:

I was on a recent trip south and travelled about 6,000 km (3,800 miles). Last year we travelled east and put on about 26,000 km (16,000 miles). This trip we travelled across the Mohave through Boron where we had a catastrophic frame failure. Two 2” x 4” hollow metal frame cross members approximately two inches on each side of the hitch tore apart. The welds did not break, the metal frame tore right through. We were very lucky to find a highway mechanic at 4 Corners who was able to do some welding work for us. On close inspection I can see another place developing this distress. What actions can be taken to reduce the chance of this recurring, for example switching to a 5th Airborne coupler, or are there other things I should do? I have a 1998 Vanguard Legend W280SL 5th wheel, dry weight 7,165 lbs, which I purchased two years ago. My tow vehicle is a 2002 Chevy Silverado short box 2500HD Duramax 6600 V8 Allison 5spd automatic 3.73 rear axle with tow package. It has a standard rail mount receiver and fixed hitch. I tend to accelerate smoothly and maintain highway speeds around 55-60. ­ John & Joan Unsworth, john@mybclinks.com

John,
The problem you are incurring is very rare. I have seen some over the last 10 years and most of the problems were caused by bad roads. Do you know the history of your 5th? Where was it used and how many miles has it travelled and over what kind of roads? I’m a firm believer that the manufacturer should warranty the major component construction of the unit for at least 10 years. I also think that seat belts on cars should be guaranteed for life, but they are not. I have seen repaired 5th wheels that were stronger than the originals, so don’t despair. I’m sure that your 5th still has many more enjoyable years left. – Marcel Desjardins, Sales Manager O’Connor RV Langley, Langley, BC

Size Limitations in Campgrounds:

We have been camping for years in our old truck/camper and now in the process of purchasing a pre-owned 5th wheel. Our plan is to go on the road for a few months at a time, throughout the States and possibly across Canada. My question is regarding the most acceptable size of rig for full hook-up parks. We are currently looking at rigs from 30 to 34 feet which we feel will suit our needs for long stays. Does anyone know if this size will present us with limited options for RV parks? – Cheryle-Lee & Stu Gaze, Cher.g@telus.net

Wi-Fi Friendly Canadian Campsites:

We would like to plan an extended RV adventure from Victoria, BC to Newfoundland and back. It is important for us to find wireless Internet accessible campsites as often as possible. So far we have found one source of such information (RV Times Sept/Oct 2006, pg. 16) the books by Mike & Terri Church. However, their books only cover Western North America and Mexico. What are other sources of info on Wi-Fi friendly campgrounds for the rest of Canada? – Mary Widmer, fwidmer@shaw.ca

PS Update: We just received the Woodall’s 2007 Canada Campground Guide that has a section for each province. Within the section for a particular province, there is a separate reference guide indicating which sites have internet access, big rigs welcome, and pets allowed. When you find the sites with internet access, you then have to locate them on the map. BCAA camp books identify internet connection within the description of each campground. You have to check every listing, under services, to find your choice. Either way, you still have to do the leg work. But if internet is what you need, then these are the only sources I have found so far.