We have been very busy getting the rig ready for her big trip. Here is what’s on our “to do” list:
- New stereo and door speakers
- New wipers
- New tires
- New cap on the fresh water inlet
- Oil change on the generator
- Engine tune-up and oil changed
- New coach battery
Upgrade! We purchased a new in-dash stereo and door speakers for the cab. Since this is a 1994, we only had a tape deck and wanted the ability to play CD’s and other media. We selected a Pioneer receiver and speakers from Best Buy and we’re having them install it. The model we picked includes a CD player, Bluetooth, AUX in jack, and a USB port. Instead of using the FM tuner to listen to satellite radio we can now use the auxiliary port and have a clearer signal. The Bluetooth allows us to use the phone hands-free through the stereo speakers which is cool and we can stream music from Pandora our phones.
As I was installing new wipers, I noticed that one of them was held on by electrical tape. Not sure what happened to it but it has held up pretty well and we never noticed it until now.
New tires were a little cheaper than we were expecting for the six of them. We went with a lower mid-grade LT tire as that fit our budget. They are good solid tires with a 50,000-mile warranty. We didn’t bother with the road hazard option since we most likely will not be capable driving to the nearest Firestone for repairs once we’re on the road (that’s what Coachnet is for!).
Completing the oil change on the generator was simple and took about 10 minutes. There is no filter to replace so it was just drain and fill. It took just about 1.5 quarts to refill. The air filter and everything else looked fine so it should be good to go for the season.
While looking for quotes on a tune up, pricing was all over the place and nobody could give me a definite estimate. Since it has a Ford E350 chassis, I called Ford and they said it would be $600 … WHOA! The other places were $400 + so when I was getting a quote for the tires at Firestone they said they would be able to do the tune up for $330. I dropped off the motorhome at Firestone one morning and picked it up with new tires, tuned up and oil changed. Not a bad deal and a time saver!
Last year when we bought the rig, the dealer put in a new coach battery because the one in there was pretty old. As we used it last year I kept thinking that it was not lasting as long as it should. Over the winter, while I was trying to keep it charged via the shore power, it wouldn’t charge past a certain point. When it warmed up a little I tested the battery and found that a few of the cells were bad, so it wasn’t charging past 9.5 volts. We purchased a new one at Sears and it’s top notch now. Everything is charging properly.
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8 More days…see you on the road!
J&J
