41 - New Stuff

In Post #39 I described getting two new front tires, and Post #40 I pictured some cracks that developed in the windshield. Both issues are now resolved.

Tires - The two Michelin front tires I had to buy in Tucson were recalled for mis-labeling soon after returning home in May. There was no physical or manufacturing defect with the tires; they were labeled as snow tires but not certified as such. I was not satisfied with them as front tires at any rate. They were more aggressive and suited for trucks and 4-wheel drives. They didn't track well and tended to wander, requiring more steering effort. The replacement offer was welcome, so I elected to get six new tires. It seems wasteful to discard tires only half worn out, but the OEM Hankook tires were seven years old and had cracking along the sidewalls. And regard the fact that one failed. Of the choices available, I decided on Firestone Transport tires. They are rated equivalent to Hankook and other brands, and I had good experience with Firestones on our previous RV. I wanted Nokian tires, but they were not available. My seat-of-the-pants assessment is that the Firestones seem to be smoother riding than the Hankooks.

Windshield - I went by a former service shop and found it had been converted to a Novus auto glass shop. So I figured I would ask about replacing the Transit windshield. I expected to pay the cost because the cracks were not from driving or hazards except for a stone chip that did spread at least four years after the fact. The manager offered to contact my insurance company anyway. As he did, I provided my policy info and answered a few questions giving an approximate incident date. The result was 100% coverage, no deductible, and expert installation of a new windshield. I even got my upper tinting done like I did before (Post #11) and paid by insurance.

Paint and finish - I continue to experience fading, cracks in the front cap, and general dullness of the side panels. I am resigned to the fact that a fiberglass/plastic body RV will degrade over time from weather and sun exposure. Two previous FRP RVs developed similar problems. I try to keep up with washing and waxing, but extended time in storage and harsh elements takes a toll.

The arrow points to a fade spot that like a layer of gel or color that has come off. I covered the cracks with Gorilla tape (circle).

To the left of the red lines is what the coach panels looked like one year after three days of laborious polishing and waxing, plus an additional professional cleaning and waxing five months later. On the right side of the lines is the result of my latest effort. My process involved spraying a light film of WD-40 on the side and then rubbing with a cloth. The result from ten minutes of work was equivalent to an hour of tiring polishing with an orbital polisher. I have been criticized for using WD-40 on the coach, and perhaps the long term will prove them right. I definitely AM NOT recommending this. I treated all the side panels and decals this way and then washed them with mild detergent and a rinse. I used no wax or other treatment. After a month exposed to the usual in storage, everything still looks reasonably shiny. We shall see what it looks like next summer from the WD-40 treatment.

40 - Rear Camera Monitor Relocation

 I have previously noted (Post #37) that the rear camera monitor fell down during a trip and I had to glue the windshield mount back on. The mount, which is for a much lighter rear view mirror, detached from the windshield and pulled a chunk of the glass with it. That caused a crack to spread from the damaged area downward. Since then, another crack has emerged spreading from the top of the windshield downward as seen in the picture below.

The monitor is fairly heavy and really puts a lot of stress on the mount. Looking at the reality of replacing the windshield, I was not going to repeat a faulty installation method. So I made a bracket to attach to the Transit's overhead shelf/headliner, on which to hold the monitor. I used materials I had on hand. The color for the bracket was not the best choice for the gray interior, but it doesn't show much.

I attached the bracket to the overhead unit using screws and epoxy glue, and then bolted the monitor mount to the bracket. While the attachment is solid, the whole plastic overhead unit does flex a bit, so the monitor jiggles a little while driving on rough roads. I couldn't position the monitor much further away from the windshield due to the length of the attached electrical cord.

Here is the driver's view. The monitor is now further up and more out of the view to the front. The original mount point is visible in the bottom center of the center solar grid. The arrows point to the cracks that have developed.

39 - Forced Re-tire-ment?

April-2023. This it the time of year for our return trip from Yuma AZ to our Parker CO home. Because of our activity schedule and unseasonably cool weather, we did not use the Orion at all during the whole five month winter season. I only checked on it periodically in storage to run the generator for a few minutes, and drive the coach a couple of miles for "exercise". To prepare for travel, we spent a couple of days cleaning, washing, waxing, checking fluids and tires, and flushing the water system. Then we loaded all our stuff, which seems to increase each year.

Our usual route is I-8 to I-10 at Casa Grande, to Las Cruces NM, then north on I-25 to the Denver area. Fully loaded and towing Baby Mac (Smart car), the trip started normally. Just past Casa Grande, I started to feel some vibration. I stopped and checked all the tires and looked for any problems but didn't see anything. As I drove on, the vibration got worse and the steering wheel was shaking a bit. I slowed down and we managed to get to a tire store in Tucson. The service guy pointed out a slight bulge in the middle of the right front tire. This store did not have the odd Transit size (195/75-16C), but he called and located tires at a store in southeast Tucson (luckily, on our route). 

They only had Michelin tires in the right size. Michelins are great tires overall, but I would not pick them given a choice because they are the most expensive, and I thought the tread pattern was overly aggressive for highway driving. The OEM Hankook tires have performed well despite the one failing. Phrynie's tires are about seven years old which is considered end of life, and there is some sidewall cracking. So, I need to accept that it's time to replace them all despite the fact that they have plenty of tread left.

Given no option, two new Michelin tires were installed on the front. The tire problem cost us about four hours delay, but we still managed to get to our planned campground. The rest of the trip home was uneventful and I have to admit that the Michelin tires seem perfectly fine; smooth riding and quiet. Now I have to plan to have the four rear tires replaced before our next trip.

When we are enroute and not staying in an area, it's always nice to be able to get a nice pull-through campsite and just hook up to shore power. I didn't have to unhook the car the whole trip home. This is our spot at Black Mesa Casino north of Albuquerque.

When I say we are loaded during our migration trips, that means all our food and clothing and tools and hobbies and computers and tech gear and stuff that we transfer between our two houses. We usually have four modular boxes of goods placed in the shower stall. A large tote box of food and kitchen stuff is in the back of the car along with hobby stuff and bags of shoes. The coach compartments get miscellaneous odd-sized stuff along with my tools and coach service stuff. Since I don't want to own duplicate equipment, I pack a circular saw, hand grinder, saber saw, nail gun, drill kit, and complete tool set. Of course, the fridge is full along with the pantry and closets. Yes, it all fits and we can still live comfortably, and still under the gross combined weight limits for Phrynie.

Here is how I make use of the large side rear compartment by adding a couple of wire shelves and using a cargo net to keep stuff in place. I've got a full set of dual leveling blocks on the bottom there. I keep four more single blocks spread out under the passenger floor mat. I mostly use those because they are easier to access and I usually don't need more than one or two.