No Home

Tomorrow we will be without a home. The motorhome goes into the shop to get the refrigerator repaired, Finally! I am hoping we will have it back by the same evening but I am not counting on it. We have made arrangements to stay in the park model we rented for Susan’s parents. Her parents showed up today to visit for the week. Her father said he would sell his house in Southern California and buy a place here in a hart beat except for the value of property these days. It’s just not a good time to sell a house right now if you don’t have to. They are looking forward to spending the week with us.

Our grandson called the other day to tell us he was in the emergency room. He says he was helping his father do some yard work and stepped on a rake. It went right through his foot. He called today to tell us he got 3 stitches and spent 5 hours in the emergency room. The poor little guy is only 7 years old. He sure was brave through the whole thing though.

Visitors

Tomorrow Susan’s parents will be here for the week. We rented them one of the Park Models here in the park.

Susan is looking forward to spending some time with them. On Tuesday I will be taking the motorhome into the shop so they can start on the refrigerator. We could have rescheduled it until Susan’s parents leave but the way things are here in Havasu, you got to take advantage of the situation when it’s there. We will just hang out at the Park Model until the motorhome is done. They say it’s a 3 hour job but they haven’t seen it yet. I’m not planning on getting the motorhome back until the next day, that’s if they do it at all after seeing it.

Oh, and Rexhall called me and canceled the appointment I made with them to replace the refrigerator. Why am I not surprised? “Par for the course” as they say. I wasn’t going to cancel the Rexhall appointment until it was repaired and working.

The appointment is made

Yesterday I got a call from the RV Service Center that our refrigerator cooling unit is in. She said she will let the shop know and they will call me to make an appointment. Well, today around 3:00p I got tired of waiting and gave them a call. We made an appointment for next Tuesday. We decided tomorrow (Friday) would not be good incase they didn’t get the job done because I would be without the motorhome for the weekend. They say Monday is too hectic so we made it for Tuesday. Susan and I are both worried that they will mess up something trying to get it out to work on it. I took plenty of pictures of the cabinets, wood floors and ceiling. I made note of all the existing dings, yeah we do have a few dings. Hopefully they will surprise us and do the job right the first time and with no damage. This doesn’t come at a very good time because Susan’s parents are coming to visit us next week. We thought about putting it off but we really don’t want to wait any longer.
The wind has slowed down a bit here. It was still too gusty to put the awnings out today. Maybe tomorrow it will be nice.

A blustery day

Didn’t do much today. We were having gusts of wind in the high 40s today. It all started last night or I should say early this morning. I heard a commotion outside and peaked out to see my neighbor wrestling with his torn awning. I was going to head out and help but it looked like he and his wife had it under control. The wind didn’t let up until around 6:00p or so today. My big excitement was watching the neighbor a few sites down have his awning replaced. His was damaged in the last big wind we had. I made a comment about watching and the installer told me about the time he replaced 3 awnings in Quartsite. He said there were about 60 guys that brought their chairs over to watch. After he was done with that one they all followed him over to the next one to watch and to the next one. Reminds me of the sewer scene in the movie RV. Life is good when that’s all you got to do.

Phoenix NASCAR photos added

I just added the Phoenix NASCAR photos. Click on the thumbnail in the left hand column.

Susan’s a happy NASCAR fan

We are back from the race in Phoenix. Susan’s Favorite driver Jimmie Johnson won so she is happy. He has been struggling all season so far but this weekend he was back. It was close though because he almost ran out of gas on the last lap. Fortunately he was a half lap in front of the 2nd place car so he could back off the throttle and save fuel. After the win he came around the backstretch where we were to do a burnout and ran out of gas half way through his burnout. He had to be pushed back to Victory Lane. The weather was fantastic and we all had a great time.

As usual there was plenty of good food and drink. It was good to see our daughter and friends again. I will post pictures to out photo site tomorrow.

Another NASCAR race

We arrived today in Goodyear Arizona. This is about 20 minutes from Phoenix International Raceway where we will be spending most of our waking hours for the Phoenix NASCAR race this weekend. We will be meeting our daughter and friends in the infield for the race activities. Susan is excited as usual. We also came with some friends on their madden voyage in their new fifth wheel trailer and first time at a NASCAR event. We got settled in and puttered around the trailer checking out the systems and making sure everything works. They didn’t have a chance to do much because the trailer arrived just before the trip.
We are still without a refrigerator but luckily I bought the little one to use until ours gets fixed. It traveled in its little corner of the motorhome real well and even stayed cold with no power for the 3 hour ride here. I called the repair place just before we left and they called Dometic. Dometic says they got the part Monday and shipped it out. They say it should arrive by this Friday or Monday. Maybe next week we will have refrigeration again.

Refer Madness

No it’s not what you think. It’s the refrigerator. Yes we still are without our refrigerator. We thought we were making progress. I found a place that will do the repair job and Dometic agreed to sell us the part for ½ price. That’s all well and good however apparently Dometic doesn’t even have the part to sell at any price. They are expecting to get the part from their vendor by April 7th and said it probably wouldn’t get to us until the 18th.

So today I went out and bought a small refrigerator that will fit in a corner of the motorhome until ours is fixed. We will just sell the little one once we are satisfied ours is fixed and working.

The resort is clearing out. The Snowbirds are heading back home. This is the time of year we get people coming and going as they use the resort as a stopover on their way home.
I heard on the radio yesterday the Britney Spears is going to work here in Lake Havasu as a cocktail waitress. They say her Dad said she needs to live a normal live for a while and told her to get a job. She will be starting this Friday for minimum wage. Since yesterday was April Fools day, this could just be a joke.
There is a new feature on our web site. As you may know we run a small banner of ads by Google. They run down the left column and consist of 4 or 5 ads. Actually they are websites that contain more information on things I post about. Now they have added scroll buttons at the top of the ads that allow you to scroll through many ads. Try it out. Maybe you’ll find something of interest.

Blooming desert

I like to call this my Friar Tuck Cactus. The cacti are blooming all around here. This one is in our little cactus garden at the front of our lot here in Lake Havasu. My oleander and bottlebrush are in full bloom also. Looks pretty cool. The weather has been just perfect the last couple of days. It is in the mid 80’s with plenty of sunshine and little wind. The wind is supposed to come up tomorrow though. This evening Susan and I went out for Taco Tuesday at Mad Dogs Sports Bar. They make some good tacos and they are only a buck. After dinner we took a drive out on the Island to watch an awesome sunset, then came back and had ice cream on our patio while staring at the stars.

Still no fridge. I called the shop today and they say they will order the part tomorrow. It is coming out of California so hopefully it will not take long to arrive and we can get this thing started. I am starting to call this place Jamaica-su. Their slogan is (with a Jamaican accent), “No worries man…We’ll get to it.” Things don’t happen too quickly in Havasu.

Fantastic Day

After not hearing from the guy that I thought was going to fix the fridge, I headed into town to seek out a shop that will do the job. I believe I found one, but I thought that before. Wee will see.

But the fantastic part of the day was our day on the lake with our good friends. The lake was smooth and cool on this 85º day. We headed down the lake to a marina for lunch.

After lunch we toured the lake and watch the fast boats enjoying the day on the lake.

When we got back to the island we took a cruise through the channel.

You really have to get there early to get a place to park.

A well deserved relaxing day.

A little success…Maybe

I finally found someone to repair our refrigerator today…Well maybe. Mobil Medic came out to take a look this morning and said he would be willing to take on the job if I brought the motorhome to his shop. He said he needs it at the shop so he can get a couple of his guys to help him pull it out and over the kitchen counter. I told him I would get back to him. In the mean time I called Dometic again and asked for the Manager of the Warranty department. Of course I got voice mail and did not expect a call back. A bit later I got a call from another person at Dometic that stated the Manager was busy and he could help me out. I figured, what the heck, and gave it a try. After stating my case he agreed that 4 years was about ½ the 8 year life expectancy and agreed to offer me the part at ½ price. I though this was fare, so he setup a warranty account for me. I then called Mobil Medic to set up a date to get-er-done. The Mobil Medic guy started to back peddle and after talking to him he said his part markup on ½ price wasn’t enough to do the job. I then offered him his markup of the full priced part and he said he will call me tomorrow. We’ll see.

Also today I got a call from the insurance company and they said they have good and bad news. Bad was they are standing behind their denial. Good was that it might be covered under the recall. I said, “That’s bad and bad news because it is NOT covered under the recall.” I told them again that I wanted to appeal the decision. They said I would have to talk to someone else and transferred me…to another voice mail of course.

Go figure

The insurance company denied my claim. That was expected. The appraiser says the ruptured cooling unit in my refrigerator has nothing to do with the violent trip over the railroad tracks that broke a bunch of Susan’s nick knacks inside the coach. Even Dometic says it could happen. He said it was normal ware and tare. I called him and told him why I think he is wrong and that I am appealing his decision. He agreed to give the adjuster a call but wasn’t specific on what he was going to say. Meanwhile I told the adjuster I wish to appeal the decision and he transferred me to his supervisor…voice mail of course. So I am still stuck on square 1, waiting for phone calls.

Don’t buy Dometic!

My Dometic refrigerator has only lasted me 4.5 years. It is one of the few NOT covered under the recall even though it has the same problem stated in the recall. How convenient!

I have contacted several people at Dometic and they all agree that it should have lasted 8 to 10 years but will not help me out with the cost of repair. When they asked if I purchased the extended warranty I asked, “Why? Is it something that is necessary on Dometic Refrigerators?” The Supervisor of Customer Service told me no, it is to cover special circumstances. I said I have one of those special circumstances and I think Dometic should help me out. They say, “Not without a warranty.” I asked about the 5 year warranty on the cooling unit and was told they stopped doing that prior to my year model. I would assume because they had too many failures within that 5 years and it was not cost effective. I told them if it comes to replacing the refrigerator I will choose to install a Norcold because I need a refrigerator that will last longer than 4 to 5 years. They told me that is my option, in other words, They Don’t Care! I have worked my way up the ladder to the Supervisor of Customer Service with the same results. When speaking to the Warranty Department I asked to speak with someone else and was transferred me to an automated service center locator. Not too bright there.

All I am asking for is a replacement cooling unit. I am willing to pay the labor cost for the installation.

I have one more person I will be contacting at Dometic. Gary Atwater is the Manager of the Warranty Department. Gary, if you are reading this, Expect my call! If you can help me out I will make sure this post gets deleted and post a letter of commendation for your efforts.

What a joke

Today we waited for the Insurance Adjuster to show up. When he showed up, after a 3 hour one way drive from Las Vegas, he spent about 10 minutes taking pictures of the motorhome. Took pictures of the Speedometer, four corners, the VIN plate and finally the refrigerator. I could have done that and sent him the pictures, saving him a 6 hour round trip. We spent more time discussing what they would pay for. He seems to think, if they pay anything, they will only pay for a repair the refrigerator. I tried to explain to him that no one will attempt to repair it due to its location and the factory will only replace it. Well I suppose if I can get the $2000 repair cost out of them the replacement will only cost me a little over half the $4500 replacement cost.

I must be a freak. When I was working, If I returned to my desk and found a message on my voice mail, I would call them right back. I have made several phone calls with this fridge thing and am lucky if anyone will call me back.

Another day lost

I waited around all day for the insurance company to reassign my claim to someone local. Finally I made a few phone calls and after a few hours finally got a call back. They say they reassigned it to someone local and gave me the number. I called that number and they gave the number of the guy that will be contacting me. Whew! That’s 5 levels I have gone through so far. No wonder insurance cost so much. So I called the guy that is supposed to take a look and, of course, got his voice mail. Another day lost. I think I need to find out where these people live and go unplug their fridge and see how long they can go without. In the mean time it seems all the ammonia has leaked out because I have taken the fans off the back of the fridge and there is no more ammonia smell.

Still no fridge

Well no one in town will attempt the job since it looks impossible to get the fridge out to work on it. I called Rexhall and they assured me it is possible to get it out and over the kitchen counter. I was at a loss since I called every service place in Havasu and no one will do it. My friend suggested I call my insurance company to see if they will pay for the repair. They say they might do that. If I can get them to pay I will just run it over to the factory and have them do it since they say they know how. That way if they do mess something up they have the stuff to fix it. The factory is only 270 miles away so it’s only a days drive.
Today I got a call from my insurance company and they wanted to come look at it. The problem is they thought I was in San Diego. The guy said if there is no one in Havasu that can look at it I will have to take it to a shop for an estimate. I called Rexhall and they want about $4500 to do the job. At this point I am still waiting to see if they have someone in Havasu to come look at it.

Ongoing fridge problems

The yellow stuff is NOT supposed to be there.

The coach smells like ammonia and there is not much we can do about it since the refrigerator is still venting. I have fans on the back of the fridge to suck out the ammonia and windows and vents open inside. Our food is scattered around the resort in friend’s refrigerators. Two placed gave me a $2000 estimate for a new cooling unit and one really doesn’t want to do it after I told him that once we got the fridge out of the cabinet we will have to lift it over the kitchen counter to get room to work on it, all 230 lbs of it. It will take a week to order the cooling unit at a cost of $1500. I called Dometic and asked about the recall and they told me I was on my own since it is one of the few that is NOT covered. The recall states, a stress crack could cause the ammonia/hydrogen solution to drip down on the gas burner and cause a fire. Huh? Take a look at the photo above and tell me what you think. I have a few other places to call to see if I can get someone to tackle this job. I might have to do the job myself. I will need about 3 other guys to help me get the thing out and back in but once I get it out I can take my time and do it right.

Were running out of cold

Yes the weather is shaping up nicely here in Havasu. Today was around 77º with little breeze. But the real reason I say we are running out of cold is because our refrigerator has sprung a leak. RV refrigerators work on a mixture of water and ammonia using an evaporative method. Well, we got home from dinner last night and as soon as we stepped inside the coach we could smell the distinct odor of ammonia. I knew right away what it was. I went outside and stuck my sniffer in the access panel behind the refrigerator and sure enough that’s where is was coming from. Right away the figure $2000 came to mind. This morning I called a few repair places and I was pretty close on the price. Our refrigerator manufacturer has a recall going on for this exact problem however ours is not on the recall list. I will be giving them a call though. So far though the refrigerator is staying cold. I don’t know how much longer it will stay cold and it will take about a week to get the parts and get it done.

Vegas NASCAR Photos

I just posted our Las Vegas NASCAR photos. Click on the link in the left hand column.
I gave Susan the camera when she went to the garages and pits and she took a ton of photos. I also got a good picture of Jeff Gordon’s wrecked car on the back of the flatbed as they brought it down the road we were on.

Back in Havasu again

We arrived in Lake Havasu City Arizona today just after noon. The Las Vegas NASCAR was a blast. All races and activities went off without any weather delays such as California. We did have a heck of a wind Saturday night. I got up about midnight and closed the slides because the awnings were flapping and keeping us awake. The motorhome was shaking and rocking quite a bit even with the jacks down. Susan finally got to meet her favorite driver Jimmie Johnson and get her race jacket signed. She spent most of the time in the garages and pits watching all the race action. She really likes the Las Vegas race. I will post some pictures as soon as I can.

We got on the road this morning and had a good drive. The traffic was rather heavy getting out of the track but once we got a couple of miles away it thinned out pretty good. We hit a bad bump in the road on the way to Havasu that felt like the back end of the motorhome came off the ground. A lot of Susan’s knick-knacks suffered some damage. I will have to dig out the glue tomorrow and do some repairs. I am also going to dig out my creeper and take a look under the motorhome for anything loose or damaged.