Attending Camp Freightliner

A while back, in a blog entry called Camp Freightliner, I told you how we found out about it and also provided a lot of background information about what it was.  We said that we were going to go this year, and it finally happened.

Even though both of us planned to go, my DW had to return home early, so I went alone.  Finding the facility at 103 Campus Road in Gaffney, SC was easy.  Just put yourself on I-85, get off at exit 92 (highway 11) and go north about a mile.

The Facility

When I first drove up, the size of the service facility (which also houses the classroom for Camp Freightliner) surprised me:  it's much smaller than you'd expect.  In the photo above, which is on a table in their service lobby, you can see that the larger building is the service facility.  It houses the office/parts area, a lounge/lobby, a break room, 6 large service bays and the classroom for Camp Freightliner.  Along the top of the photo are places you can park your rig if you have a service appointment.  There are also a few spaces in the middle of the photo on the right side.  All of the spaces are large enough to put out your slides and they provide 50amp electrical service.

When you look at the overhead shot above, you'll see something in the middle of the driveway near the turn going in.  That's the dump station.  The station also has potable water.

The door usually opens about 7:30 each morning.  If you have service, there's a window immediately to the right as you walk in.  Pat is usually there to work out all of the details for your service.

Camp Freightliner

Just past the lobby is the classroom.  This is where you spend two days learning all about your Freightliner chassis.  It's a great course with lots of material, good tips, and helpful stuff you'll use every year.  Some of the highlights:

• A good instructor!  Mike Cody knows his stuff, and he knows it well.  You're guaranteed to get an answer to any question you ask; if he doesn't know, he'll find out.
• You get a nice full-color notebook of all the course slides.  The slides have tons of useful information and many, many photos to help you find your way.
• Box lunches are provided both days of the course, with water, soda, coffee, lemonade and sweet and unsweet tea.
• After class on the first night, you come back about 5:30 for dinner!  The night I was there, they had food from a local BBQ joint:  very good!  As we ate and socialized, we were also able to ask questions of their Service Director and their head of Sales and Marketing.  Good food, good information.  
• During class, you'll be notified if anything comes up about your service (if you're also having your coach serviced).  As a matter of fact, your service technician pokes his head in the door and asks to see you.  If you request it, they'll even take you for a walk under your rig while it's jacked up in the shop!
• At the end of the course, you get some great parting gifts!  An "I Survived Camp Freightliner" t-shirt or a ball cap, AND a CD that Mike puts together that has more than 650MB of useful files, manuals, tutorials, videos, and more.  All of it is specifically geared for your type of chassis.  Very, very nice.  It even includes a simulator where you can play with all of the settings for your dash display without ever getting in the coach.

Topics in Camp Freightliner

There was a lot discussed in this two-day course and at every turn information was provided about your specific coach.  For example, if I asked a question about my engine, Mike would look down at his paper and immediately say something like "Well, Mike, you have a 450HP with the Allison 3000 transmission, so you only have to ..."   And he provided this sort of customized answers to all 19 of the people taking the course. 

Topics were wide ranging, and included the following:

• Engine specifics (types, features, etc.)
• Inspecting and changing things like the fuel filter and fuel/water separator
• How to go online to their portal that will show you ALL of the parts in your chassis, how they interact and how they are installed.
• Tires, inflation, and how to use your coach weights to get it right
• All about DEF and the system that uses it
• Types of fuel; what to avoid and what additives you may want to use.
• Steering systems
• Tag axles
• Using the transmission; climbing hills
• Using exhaust/compression brakes; going down the hills
• What service you need at what intervals (at the end of the course, he spent the time to provide everyone with customized service-required sheets so you'd know, without a doubt, what you need to have done and when you need to do it.
• Much, much more

Is it worth it?

This course costs $175 for one person, $225 for two people in the same coach.  Given that you can take it while getting service, use a 50A site while there, are provided three meals, and walk away with a lot of additional knowledge, a thick notebook of data and a packed CD, this course is a steal.  Everyone who rides on a Freightliner chassis should take it.

The instructor also has a tray there where you can take not only his business card, but the service manager's, sales manager's, and the service director's.  Each card has the person's phone number and e-mail address.  They encourage you to call or e-mail if you have issues or questions.

Do they answer if you call or write?  You bet they do.   I had a question soon after I left and I e-mailed the service manager (Shaun).  Within an hour or two, he replied.  A day later, I had some concerns about some tire pressures, so I wrote another e-mail to the service manager and the instructor.  A few hours later, Shaun called me and we talked for about 10 minutes.  

Putting it all together, it's an impressive organization.  I'm glad I've got a Freightliner chassis.  I can go online and get a tremendous amount of information unique to my rig.  I can call them and get answers, and I can rest assured that their 24/7 toll-free phone line is always there to take my call.

If you haven't been to Camp Freightliner, do yourself a favor.  Go.

KOA in Cherokee, NC

After leaving Pigeon Forge, TN, we headed to Cherokee, NC to spend a few days at the KOA.  KOA's are more expensive than I'd prefer, but they offer a lot of amenities.  Unfortunately, we like amenities that we don't use - we just like to see everyone else use them.  Case in point:  it's fun to have playgrounds and mini-golf, mainly because they attract a lot of kids and families and we like to people-watch.   I suppose that we're going to have to abandon that line of thinking in the long run because we aren't going to be able to afford to pay so much money for things we don't take advantage of.

Getting to the Campground

Before you can enjoy this KOA, you have to get there.  And following your big rig's GPS may not be the best way to do it.  Here's the best route (from the Pigeon Forge area):  40E to 74W.  74W to 441N.  441N through downtown Cherokee. Once you get to the light (right turn only) at Acquoni Road, keep going until the next right that goes through the woods to your right (this is called BIA Highway 441).  You'll cross a bridge and then turn left on Big Cove Road.  The KOA is about 5 minutes down Big Cove Road on the right.  When leaving Cherokee, follow the same route in reverse.  The only thing to be careful of are the small trees downtown that have some "light" branches extending over the curb on your way out; heights are fine.

The important thing to note, based on our research, is that you SHOULD NOT take Highway 19 into Cherokee.  Follow the above directions and you'll do just fine.

Overview of the Cherokee KOA

Like a lot of KOA's, this one is loaded with features that RVers like.  We took the time while we were in town to drive through Jellystone and some other nearby campgrounds and the KOA beats them all.  More room, better sites, easier access, and lots to do.

KOA Cherokee has two pools; one of them is indoors.  The outdoor pool has a poolside grill that serves cheeseburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, fries, and more.  There is a large campground store, with a gift shop up front where you can find souvenirs.  As you drive in, check-in and the store are to your right, with little huts on your left where you can purchase firewood and ice.  There are small play areas, a place to run your pets, a large bounce pad for the kids, and a very small 9-hole mini-golf area.

Pulling in can be tight.  They ask you to pull over into some RV spaces to your right.  If you pull up all the way, you'll have virtually no room in front of the spaces to turn left towards the campground when you've completed check-in.  It'll be easier if there's no one to your left.

The staff was nice, with the friendliest people being the folks who go to your site and handle any problems. When we were there, our breaker needed to be replaced and they were very prompt to fix it.  The office staff is too busy, and they really didn't seem to want to spend much time making small talk.  They just handled the transactions.  The poolside grill was very understaffed, with only two teenagers manning the cash register and the grill.  An order for a simple hamburger, no cheese, took more than twenty minutes - and there were only two people with small orders ahead of me and no one behind me.  And when I got it, it had cheese on it.  Oh well.

Above the pool on the second floor of a storage structure is an arcade, and lots of people took the KOA van to go tubing.  Another option is to take some paths behind the indoor pool and you can put in to some pretty nice tubing that's close by.

Sites

KOA Cherokee's sites range from ones for tents all the way up to the largest rigs.  Most of the sites in the center of the park are pull-thru's, while ones on the edges are back-ins.  There are quite a few small "tiny house" cabins that are available for rent.  Many of these also have creekside patios, as do some of the larger RV sites.

50A, full-hookup is available at most sites, as is cable TV with almost 50 channels.

This is a busy campground with lots of children.  Many of their parents coughed up the $7 per hour it cost to rent those recumbent bike-type 3-wheelers that sit low to the ground.  You really have to be careful moving your RV and toad around on the roads.

Our site was one of the back-ins along the creek.  It was also one of the really shaded ones.  All of them have sizeable "yards" with lots of grass.

Sites are medium difficulty as far as pulling in/out.  Just watch out for people and kids, which are plentiful.

Tips / Comments / Pros & Cons

• Reserve in advance.  This is a busy park.
• Follow the above directions for getting there
• Drive slow in the park
• Cons: It seems longer than it actually is to get into town; non-maintenance workers are slow and weren't too friendly overall; wifi is unusable because there are so many people on it
• Pros:  There's lots to do, especially for kids.  Nice store.  Nice cable.  Basically everything you need. Maintenance staff is great.

Up the Creek: A nice campground in Pigeon Forge, TN

Three times in the past, when our children were younger, we travelled to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area and rented cabins.  The area is undeniably "touristy" and often crowded, but people are attracted by all of the things to do there.  Lots of shows, rides, amusements, and shops dot the multi-lane Parkway all the way from Interstate 40 on the north, through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  If you can name the restaurant, you will probably see it on the Parkway.  And there are more pancake houses than Carter has liver pills.

The areas surrounding that major thoroughfare have huge mountains with charming valleys where you can see farms, rural shops, roadside stands, and beautiful homes as you deftly negotiate curvy roads and hills.  

There are a lot of RV parks in the area; so many that it's quite a chore to pour through all of their web sites as you try to decide where to stay.  I wanted to be reasonably close to the Parkway, but have a place that was quiet so we could sit outside and read a book.  After a lot of consideration, I decided that we would stay at a place called Up the Creek.  We called and asked for one of their Deluxe Creekside sites, which were going for $44 per night and included "Full Hookup with patio dining table and chairs, concrete patio and stone fire pit" on one of the two creeks bordering the campground.  Our reservation was confirmed, but not with a specific site number.

We arrived at Up the Creek early on a Saturday afternoon in mid-July.  The drive lane in front of the office is double-wide, so it's the best place to un-hitch.  Check-in was quick and there were no problems.

Sites

We drove back to the site and easily pulled in because it was front-in parking.  Our windshield looked right out to the creek.  Nice!  There was also room to park our pickup truck right beside the coach, although many sites looked like they had to park behind or in front of their rig.

The site was gravel, with a stone/concrete (like pebbles in concrete - I'm sure there's a name for it) patio deck that was in front of the coach; it wrapped around the door side of the motorhome for another 15 feet.  I noticed that we were one of the few, and maybe the only site, that had this sort of l-shaped concrete patio.  Many others just had the patio on the door side.

Connections were easy, just like other parks.  Their cable TV offers about 16 channels.  Channels other than the major networks included Discovery, FoxNews, USA, History, Weather, ESPN, ESPN2, Travel, and Nick.   After we got comfortable in our site, the cable TV went out.  It turns out that there's a breaker switch in the pedestal for the cable TV booster.  It had tripped and just needed to be reset.

My rig is about 13'6" high, and a tree to our left was slightly scraping the roof.  I saw two men riding in a golf cart and asked if they worked for the campground.  They said they did, and the younger gentleman climbed up on a ladder and cut the branches.  As he was doing so, I thanked him for doing it and said that it was nice that he could cut the trees a little bit without consulting the manager.  He told me that he was the owner, and it was no problem.  Didn't expect that.

The creek wasn't flowing very much while we were there, but it was still nice sitting outside to talk and read.  You would think that mosquitoes would be a problem near a creek, but we didn't see any at all.  As a matter of fact, there were very few bugs as long as we kept our chairs on the concrete patio.  When walking through the grass, gnats come up and quickly become bothersome.  The solution is just to walk a few feet to the concrete.

Campground Overview

Up the Creek was recently expanded to 59 sites, and the owner told me that he was in the process of adding two more. From the campground, it's about a 15-minute drive to the Parkway via Highway 321.  If you take some winding back roads, it'll take you about 22 minutes, but you'll come out towards the northern end of the Parkway near the shows and the Apple Barn - and have no traffic at all.

The campground has trolley service to the Parkway that runs from 8am to 10pm and with pick-ups/drop-offs once every hour.

Pets are allowed, and they have a small fenced-in area that looks like a place to let 'em go and play.

Without a doubt, the best thing about Up the Creek is its relative isolation and quietness.  Many of the other campgrounds we saw as we drove to Up the Creek were crowded and the rigs were really crammed together.  Up the Creek offers a place to step out of your coach and enjoy nature without the sounds of cars and lots of people.

On the downside, there are no typical amenities at Up the Creek.  No playgrounds, pools, bath houses, public restrooms or laundries.  For this reason, I thought it was a little overpriced...but not by much.

In summary, if you are traveling without children, I'd recommend staying at Up the Creek.  But if you have the kids or grandkids, they better have water shoes and be happy walking in the creek and throwing rocks.  Otherwise, you'll be at Up the Creek without a paddle.  (Yea, couldn't resist it)

Fueling and staying overnight at a Pilot/Flying J

On our trip to Pigeon Forge from Orlando, I was sure that I didn't want to drive the entire distance in one day.  We also had to make a stop in Brevard, NC to drop off a UHaul full of furniture.

Since we only needed one night in Brevard, we decided to stop at a Pilot station and try to stay overnight, then find another spot to park the rig in Brevard the following night.  Before we left, I scrutinized the satellite photos of Brevard and found a church parking lot that looked perfect.  When I called them, they sounded reluctant, but agreed that we could park it there for one night.

This past Thursday morning, she hopped in the 26' UHaul and I took the RV with our toad and we headed up I95.  We talked along the way and chose the Pilot on I26 just west of I95.  We've stopped there before in our truck and were fully aware that it's a very busy place.

As it turned out, I was running a bit ahead of her and pulled into the Pilot to get gas and scope it out.  We had decided that we would move on down the road and check out a rest stop if there was no room at the Pilot for both of us.

Getting fuel at Pilot's is a little bit frustrating, because unless you have a commercial card or a Pilot/Flying J credit card, you have to go into the office to get pre-approval for your credit card before you can even pump.  If you want DEF, you need to tell them that when you get the pre-approval.  I figure out how much I'll roughly need (total cost) and round it to the next hundred.  When you get back out to the pump, it's all ready and all you have to do is fill it up.  When you hit your limit, it stops.  If you don't hit it, you're only charged for what you actually used and can go back in if you want and get a receipt.

For me, DEF putting DEF in at the pump is difficult because my fill point is at the right rear and the diesel fills are at the front.  If I put DEF in, I have to get back into the coach, move it up and then pump.  If there are truckers waiting, then I feel like that would really frustrate them.  To make it all work out, I carry two DEF jugs (ordered online), fill them and then use them to fill the DEF tank later at a campground.

After filling up, I asked the guy in the lane about parking.  The trucker's can back into some of the long parking spaces, but I can't back the RV with the toad.  Unless I found two long, back-to-back, available spaces, I wasn't going to be able to stay there.  The trucker was a nice older gentlemen and he explained that a lot of folks parked along the grass at the back of the complex.  I drove around and was lucky enough to find one of those spots.  Lucky because all of the sites were filling up fast - and it wasn't even 4pm yet.

When my DW arrived about an hour later, one of the back-in spots had come open and she backed the UHaul in for the night.  Parking is interesting at the larger P/FJ's.  There are the fuel pumps for smaller vehicles that are right in front of the store and, usually, a restaurant.  These pumps have gas and diesel (on some) available.   Next to the gas pumps are a row of parking spaces that are only big enough for cars. To the side, there is a large parking lot for trucks. The truck spaces are in two rows that are back to back against each other. This is just like the parking lot at your grocery store, except the parking spaces are very long to accommodate the trucks. Sometimes, as it was in the case of the Pilot that we visited, there is room around the side of the large roadways to park some other trucks or RVs.

After parking our RV and toad along the back of the parking lot, I thought I was going to be in good shape to pull out the next morning. However, when I woke up around 7 a.m. and looked out the window, I saw that two long semi trucks had pulled up during the night and had parked parallel to me - blocking my way out. If I had gotten up early and wanted to leave, it wouldn't have been possible. As it was, everything was clear and I was able to easily get out at 9 in the morning.

It seems like most of the Pilot truck stops have either a Subway, McDonald's, or a Denny's. All are open 24 hours a day. The stores are very well-stocked, and the drinks are nicer and less expensive than the drinks in the restaurant. The larger stops even have some mechanics and people that do tire work. From a convenience perspective, these sorts of stops are very nice places to stay.

I've read that a lot of people are bothered by the trucks coming and going at all hours of the night. We weren't so bothered by that, probably because our coach is pretty well insulated and also we ran the air conditioners all night. I admit it may have been different if we parked in the regular rows with the professional truckers.

What about cost? At first, I thought we would get a pretty good deal because it is free to stay at one of these stops. However, it was a very hot day and night and we felt like we had to run the generator. On the first afternoon, we arrived around 4 o'clock and left about 9 o'clock the next morning. That is about 17 hours on the generator. Given that half a load on the generator consumes about 1/2 gallon of diesel every hour, we used something in the neighborhood of 9 gallons of diesel while we sat in that parking lot. At an average of $2.50 per gallon, we spent about $23 on electricity and had no water or sewer hookups. So if we could have found a place on the side of the road that had full hookups for $25 or so, we would have been better off. And we would have been able to put our slides out.

In the long run, I think we'll avoid staying at truck stops and rest areas if we can find some sort of campground along the way that costs $25 or less per night.

Tropical Palms RV Resort in Kissimmee FL

We wanted to go somewhere close to home for a little getaway; one where we could invite the grandchildren for a couple of nights and also have some other family come by and stay a few nights.  A few months ago, on a night we were visiting our good friends Norm and Ellen at the KOA in Kissimmee, we passed by a large sign for Tropical Palms RV Resort.  This came to mind when choosing a location because it is quite literally surrounded with things to do.

Tropical Palms is located just a few miles east of I4 in Kissimmee, the heart of "tourist country" near Walt Disney World.  It is probably no more than 30 minutes to Mickey's parking lot, and is right off of the main drag that hosts every restaurant imaginable, along with $15 helicopter rides and things like a military museum and more gift shops that you can count.  This main highway, US192, is less than a three-minute drive from the center of Tropical Palms.

Tropical Palms is a mixture of tiny cottages, FHU RV spaces, and lots of Water/Electric spaces.  There are hundreds of RV sites, a swimming pool with a full-service snack bar, a kiddie pool and an 18-hole mini-golf course.

The main office shares space with a well-stocked camp store that has lots of RV necessities and all of the basic things that you may need while camping.

Checking In and a bit about the Staff

When you arrive, there are two RV lanes.  You pull to the front and stop, then go inside the office to check in.  If you're in a pull-through site, you can just drive there.  If not, you can disconnect while in the lane.  There seemed to be about three people in the office during regular operating hours.  These people not only handle check-ins, but serve as the cashier's for the camp store and equipment check-in (like golf clubs for the mini-golf).  There are lots of people running around the complex doing chores like pool and lawn maintenance, but we only saw two guys on golf carts that were on-the-move and helping people.

Once you get to your site and need something from the office, you're probably better off walking to the office, because they haven't mastered the fine art of answering the phone.  I called twice during our 8-day stay, and hung up both times after patiently waiting on hold for more than 25 minutes.

When checking in, you will get a large campground map and some flyers that describe various upcoming activities.

Campground Overview

Site Map

As you can see by looking at the map, there are a lot of sites at Tropical Palms.  You drive in at the bottom center and you can see the pool in the middle.  The orange sections are full hookup pull-through sites - although they vary in length.  We stayed in the orange section (300's) in the center of the map.  Our location was convenient to everything offered at the resort.

The large swimming pool can be very crowded on the weekends, and (when we were there in 100 degree weather) was probably about 90 degrees.  They had a poolside DJ for much of the day.  There were also ice cream socials, s'mores, kid's crafts and games, and - on Friday and Saturday nights - "Dive In" movies by the pool.  

There were plenty of places to play outdoor games:  basketball, sand volleyball, bocce ball, shuffle board, corn hole, horse shoes, and an 18-hole mini golf course.  

There's also a clean central laundry room (there are others), a fitness room, and several bath houses. 

Golf carts may be rented, and you'll have let them know that you want to play most games so that you can pick up equipment.  Some games, like the mini-golf, require that they hold your ID. 

Tropical Palms is only about three minutes by car to Old Town, a popular location in Kissimmee that has many shops and an amusement park called Fun Spot with a lot of expensive rides.  Old Town is on Highway 192, which is a major thoroughfare

RV Sites

Some RV sites have full-hookups, others are water and electric only,  A dump station is on-site.  

Sites are close together:  I parked my truck in front of my rig and could have reached the door of the rig to our left with no more than 7-10 steps.  The sites don't seem as close together as they are, probably because the roads and the park itself are spacious and you don't pay as much attention to it unless you're having dinner on your picnic table and look up into the driver-side windows of your neighbor's rig parked about 8 feet away.

We were in a full hookup site, so our 50A power (30A available), water, and cable TV were on a single pedestal.  The sewer pipe was just a few feet away, although I could see that some rigs needed an extension to make the reach.

Most sites have picnic tables, but there are no grills or fire pits.  You may use your own grill as long as you keep it off the ground.

Getting into most of the pull-throughs looked easy, but some of them may be a bit tricky to exit.  Not many, though, as the vast majority of sites are nicely placed for maneuverability. 

Tips and Tidbits

• Visit their web site:  http://www.carefreecommunities.com/rv-parks/florida/tropical-palms/
• They give discounts for Florida Residents and Passport America members
• RV check out/in is 11a/1p (or 12p/2p depending on what papers you read!)
• Pay attention to the online site map and request the area you want when you reserve.
• The big pool is hot in the summer, the kids wading pool is much cooler.  I enjoyed just standing under the falling water in the kids pool.
• Bring your own ice cream.  I paid $4 for an ice cream sandwich in the store.
• When we sat out at night near the pond, mosquitoes were buzzing around us.  But at our site away from the ponds, they were few and far between.
• When you get there and they assign you a site, you may want to ask them to verify the length before you go with your big rig and a tow.  Some of the pull-throughs barely fit a large trailer.  However, there is usually ample "extra car" parking in the grass at the end of rows.

Shakedown Report and Upcoming Trips

We're still waiting.  Waiting to really, seriously, finally, and with great commitment take off in our motorhome and see the country.  Waiting is painful.  My DW has told me that I'm wishing my life away and should live in the moment.  But that's easier said than done.

I've finally decided to retire in August 2016, and my wife will do the same the following April.  That means we're within 12 months of "taking off".  But after a dozen years of researching RVs, renting them for vacations, and buying our own dream home on wheels late last year, I'm chomping at the bit to hit the road.

Since we bought it, we've visited Stone Mountain in Georgia, attended the Newmar Rally at the 2016 Tampa RV Show, stayed at Lazydays in Tampa for a few days, camped at Fort Wilderness, and made two or three small 3-5 day trips to local parks.  The Newmar techs at the rally fixed a few minor things and we took it into a dealer for a few other minor tweaks.  I'm really glad we got it when we did, because this year of "shakedown" cruises has been invaluable.

Along the way, we've already met a lot of interesting people, like our friends Norm and Ellen - who also bought a 2016 Dutch Star (see their great web site/blog at http://www.missadventure.life).  Seasoned full-timers have given us incredible insight into the lifestyle, and we have heard more great stories about RVs than we can count.

The second half of this year is going to be a busy one.  In July, we'll be staying at Up the River, a campground in Pigeon Forge, TN and then at the KOA in Cherokee, NC.  We'll follow that up with a week at Davidson River campground in Brevard, NC.  The trip will be topped off by attending Camp Freightliner in Gaffney, SC, where we'll spend a couple of days learning about our chassis and getting the one-year recommended factory service.  We'll spend three nights in their FHU parking lot.

After that trip, we'll return to Florida for a few weeks before we head out again around the third week of September.  By then, I'll be retired and will really be able to kick back and take it easy!  This time, our destination will be Nappanee, IN, where Newmar will be replacing our upholstery under warranty and we'll ask them to look at any coach issues we may have by then. (I have a blog almost finished that talks about the upholstery changeout, but want to confirm a few things first).

After an estimated 1.5 week stay at the factory, we'll head to southern Indiana to visit family for a couple of days, then on to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky for a bit of siteseeing.  Once that's done, it's back down to our second home in Brevard, NC for a few weeks before we head back to Florida.

I can't wait to get things going.   Our house is about to go up for sale and we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A few minor tweaks and repairs

We've only used the RV a few times, but with a machine as complicated as a motorhome, a few things were bound to need fixin' and tweakin' in the first year.  I've been very impressed with how well all of the major systems have worked and how few issues we've had.  We expected high quality from Newmar and our expectations have certainly been met!

I recently took it in for a warranty repairs and left it there for several weeks.  When dropping it off, I told them that we weren't in a hurry.

The List

Here's our list of things that have gone wrong:

• LED accent light in the half bath went out.  Suspect a bad bulb.
• MCD electronic window shade won't go up behind one of our recliners.  I reprogrammed it myself, but it still won't raise.
• Dometic Freezer in the basement won't freeze food.  This is odd because my thermometer reads 19 degrees on the floor of freezer, but pizzas stay soft even after several days.
• Ring below the outside shower nozzle is cracked.  Just a small crack in a very small part.
• Right front rim scratched during installation of the Tyron band.  National Indoor RV Center in Atlanta, who installed our bands, is paying for this replacement.
• Recall for bay door actuators.  This is a Newmar recall.

Some other things we wanted them to check:

• Battery fluid levels.  The coach was built in January 2015.  We bought it in November and have had it about three months.  I could check it myself, but it's in the shop, so they may as well have a look.
• Tighten nuts on the breakers in the half-bath.  Several people have reported that the nuts holding the wires to the breakers (in the cabinet in the half bath) have been loose as received from the factory.  This is a potential fire hazard.
• 
  

The Dealer 

Our nearest dealer is Independence RV in Winter Garden, FL.  It's the same one where we almost bought our custom-ordered 2016 Dutch Star, but we ended up getting a new 2015 from NIRVC in Georgia.  The folks at Independence RV were very nice and told me that they would take care of everything on our list.  They have worked on the phone with NIRVC to resolve issues related to replacing the front rim, and were very nice when I took it in.

I specifically told our Service Advisor, Andy, to take his time getting the coach back to us since we had no plans to take it anywhere in February or March.  We went in at the three week point to get a few things out of the coach and they had finished everything, but were going to check out the freezer a bit more.  While we were there, we noticed that our door-side awnings weren't all the way in.  They were sticking out about 4-6 inches further than they should from the side of the coach.  As we left, we mentioned it and Andy said that they would take a look.

Picking it up

We finally went out to pick it up today, one month and 13 days after I dropped it off.  Remember, I told them that there was no hurry whatsoever - and even asked them to do something extra when we went back in the middle of the repairs.  So the duration was no problem.  In fact, they actually had everything completed in eight days.

We were surprised to find out that, although we had complained about one LED light out in our half-bath, they actually replaced all 57 LED lights in the coach because of a recall.

The MCD shade did have a bad motor.  In working to replace it, they found another one that required adjustments and fixed it, too.

They said that they found the Dometic freezer set to 42 degrees.  I should have asked about this because I could have sworn that we had it at 18 degrees and measured it at 19 degrees; at these supposedly-set temperatures, it wasn't even freezing pizza.  They set it to zero and said that it froze water bottles every time.

They replaced the shower hose and the rim (taking care to move our Tyron band to the new rim).  They also replaced the recalled bay door actuators, checked the battery fluid levels (still good), and didn't find any loose nuts in the breaker panel.

They also adjusted our awnings, which look quite a bit better even though they still don't seem quite as flush to the body as I would expect.

Our opinion of Independence RV's Service Department

We were treated with kindness and patience.  They fixed everything they said they would at no charge to us because it was all warranty work.  I had asked Andy how much they would charge to wash our coach before we picked it up.  He had it done at no cost!  He was helpful and answered all of my questions.  They handled all warranty issues and worked in tandem with our "purchase" dealer NIRVC in Atlanta, as well as the folks at MCD regarding some of the window shade issues.

My only complaints are small ones.  I would have liked them to take our invoice and walk through it with me at the coach to show me everything that had been done.  The awning work wasn't shown on the invoice, so I have no "official" record of it, and the window shade that they replaced works great when controlled individually, but doesn't respond to the "All down" or "All up" commands.  It'll require a little more programming that I should be able to do.

Overall, our experience with Independence's Service Department was excellent and I'd recommend them to anyone needing work done on their motorhome.

We drove it back to our storage lot.  Sad.  Can't wait to take it out again!!