Adding Up Amps
In the July 2009 “House Calls” column (page 22), the answer regarding the usage of 12-volt or 6-volt batteries noted that two Group 24 (12-volt) batteries connected in parallel will yield approximately 170 combined amps of storage. However, it should have been noted that these batteries provide about 85 amps each, not 65 amps each as stated.
FMC regrets this error.
Adventures Of A Future Motorhomer
Dear Editor:
My story starts with the April issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine, which has the Coachmen Avante-Garde on the cover. I am a subscriber and got my copy in late March, just prior to my 60th birthday. I have been looking at Type A motorhomes for many months.
The April magazine mysteriously disappeared, and my wife explained that a friend had borrowed it. Much to my surprise, it reappeared, complete with the picture of the Avant-Garde on the cover, at my surprise birthday party “” along with a vanilla-coated-brownie version of the Avant-Garde. This proved to be my first real “taste” of RVing, and that featured RV, however sweet! The party was a huge success; everyone loved the cake; and there were a number of our friends there who are also RVers, and others who are interested in RVing when they can retire, just as I am. In the meantime, we recently were able to get an even better “taste” of what the future holds.
We just returned from New Mexico, where we rented a 25-foot unit that we drove around the state, visiting everyone we know “” friends who retired there and relatives who have moved there. It was an exciting trip, to say the least, between the mountains, rivers, rocks, and small towns with RV parks where everyone is just as friendly as has been described in the magazine. My only two regrets are that we could not have stayed longer, and that I was unable to make the trip in my own RV and had to rent one. See what Family Motor Coaching magazine has done?
At any rate, while I still do not have the time to buy my own RV, the day is getting closer, I am sure, when I will be able to sell my business and travel on a semi full-time basis. Perhaps more importantly, I now have the knowledge and confidence to travel this way, if not the time. Thanks for helping to make me better informed and more knowledgeable about this wonderful hobby!
Robert I. Weiss
South Padre Island, Texas
Super Service In Tucson
Dear Editor:
We were on our way home to Hereford, Arizona, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, when our motorhome lost engine power while in low gear. We managed to limp home.
I called W.W. Williams, an authorized Allison transmission service center in Tucson. A test of the transmission by shop manager John Kean revealed that it was low engine power that caused the problem, not the transmission. They continued to search and found a broken turbo wastegate line and leaking exhaust manifold gaskets. They ordered the parts and completed the repairs in a short time.
The facility was very clean, and the employees helped us to find our way around Tucson while the repairs were being completed. If you ever need transmission or engine work done, let me recommend W.W. Williams, 1375 W. Glenn St., Tucson; (800) 624-8331, (520) 624-8377; www.wwwilliams.com.
Joseph Menafro, F197234
Hereford, Arizona
Happy With Oven Addition
Dear Editor:
Like many new motorhomes, my 2007 Monaco Knight did not have a propane oven. The microwave-convection oven does well, but I do a lot of boondocking and hate to fire up the generator to bake a meatloaf or pie. The Monaco factory in Oregon had scheduled me in early March to have a range installed in place of the cooktop.
As I was making my way there, I met another Monaco owner in California who told me Monaco had reduced its workforce and that I should call about my appointment. Sure enough, they had cancelled all appointments, but they recommended DeMartini RV in Grass Valley, California, about 50 miles from where I was camped, to do the work.
Not only did DeMartini RV have the parts, but their service manager said they could get me in the next day. They immediately removed any reservations I had about their service and capabilities. To start with, the facility is brand-new, but DeMartini is a longtime RV dealer with an excellent reputation. The work was finished up the next morning, and good (maybe better) than I could have hoped for even at the factory. Getting me in with one day’s notice was remarkable in itself.
DeMartini is an outstanding RV dealership with a truly professional staff. The above-what-you-would-expect workmanship and pleasant environment made me a happy camper. I cooked a pie in my new oven that night.
Tom McDaniel, F317281
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Emergency Road Service Comes Through
Dear Editor:
On March 25, 2009, my husband and I were traveling on Interstate 95 northbound near Florida exit 137 when our towed car’s left front tire blew out. We immediately pulled off the highway as best we could. Traffic was very heavy, and since the road slanted down, we were in a very awkward position on the shoulder.
My husband, Bill, called FMCA’s Emergency Road Service (Coach-Net) and was told someone would be along in awhile. A Speedy Tire truck came about 15 minutes later and changed our tire immediately. They were very polite and caring. We were back on the road within 30 minutes.
This is the second time we have used FMCA’s Emergency Road Service. We can’t thank Coach-Net enough for their courteous and quality service. We thank Speedy Tire for their great help also.
William C. & Joan Zinnert Jr., F267405
Stewartstown, Pennsylvania
Thanks, Atwood
Dear Editor:
On a recent vacation in Florida in our 2006 Tiffin Phaeton, one of the coach’s leveling jacks broke. We contacted Atwood Mobile Products Co., maker of the jack, and they shipped a new jack to the repair facility where it was to be fixed. However, we were able to repair it ourselves, and paid the facility for the jack.
We contacted Atwood, and they reimbursed us the full amount for the jack.
It is very satisfying to know there are still companies that stand by their products; Atwood is definitely one of them.
Richard & Jeri Clough, F316938
South Berwick, Maine