any places you like to avoid

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Howard Kelly

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Going home last march had a tire delimate on the TV, myself, a policeman and 2 tow truck drivers could not get the spare of from under the truck, TV and RV towed to Needles CA to a Shell station.... $1000.00 and 4 new tires and we left, the spare still stuck under the TV. When I arrived home it took 2 hrs for 2 guys to get the tire off.
That was the good news.
Driving on Hwy 40 in CA ( the roughest road we have been on, even the semi's were driving in the left lane) we stopped for gas at a shell station just off the hwy. DW says we have been here before, this is where we got our new tires.. she was right, as I was maneuvering to get on the right side of the pumps for diesel, this guy starts walking back alone the RV. while filling up he says their was something clanking in the under carrage...Sure enoughsome bolts were loose and a spring misaligned...needless to say with new springs and shocks we left $ 4000.00 poorer But much safer
Moral of the story I will be avoiding Needles CA in the future..That place is good but expensive
Howard
 
We had quite an experience (from one extreme to the other) in Niagara Falls, NY in 2007 when & where we bought our motorhome.  The trip was full of excitement and high points because of the somewhat last-minute road trip to buy the RV, the actual purchase after over a year of researching/shopping, and the day trip to Niagara Falls landmarks that my wife and I took. 

Then coupled with lows, as I sideswiped another car in traffic with our car coming back from the Falls, we broke down in rush hour Niagara Falls traffic in our new-to-us RV, spent a miserable night on the roadside in an RV with no power, and tried in vain for hours to arrange tow/repair without any idea what had gone wrong. 

The the next day we recovered from the lows, as I figured out what was wrong with the RV's electrical system myself (by combing through owner's manuals and calling tech help lines as early as possible) and it ended up being fairly minor.  Back on the road after a few hours and a few hundred dollars, driving through the most torrential rainstorm that I have experienced EVER (and my 2nd day behind the wheel of a 35' Class A) but drove out of the storm to one of the most beautiful campgrounds I've seen. 

Our first few days of RV ownership were quite a roller coaster ride!  All that said, it was overall a great experience to look back on... and there's nothing about the experience that will keep me away from Niagara Falls in particular.  It's just life!
 
Needles is pretty much known as the ripoff capital of southern California. I've read many accounts of folks who felt ripped off there, whether gas or tires or repairs. We never stop there. Gas up in Arizona if you're heading west, going east make sure you have enough fuel to get into Arizona.

Wendy
 
Foxysdad said:
Going home last march had a tire delimate on the TV, myself, a policeman and 2 tow truck drivers could not get the spare of from under the truck.
I hate the spare tire system on GM trucks.  The winch to lower the tire usually work, it's the secondary latch that does not.

This video helps:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhZ2LP7nfLU  Reminds me that I need to free mine up, I want to replace my spare to match the size of my other 4 tires because of the locking rear diff.
 
Marc, wonder if my 5th wheel spare would fit the truck , same # of bolt holes and tires are the same size, Should of thought of that last spring  ::) When I get extra energy will try and see if it fits  :)
Howard
 
Wendy
felt a bit riped off last spring as I had no choice in tires, but happy with what I did get. The episode with the springs was a nasty blow but even I could tell they were shot and I thought it was a good time to renew the shocks as well.
Was in Masa at Camping World and their labour rate was $122.00 PH, felt that was a ripoff. Labour rate at Needles was $85.00
Howard
 
Lake placid, NY.


Too many busy-body yuppies zipping around like they own the place who are more than willing to prove their Beemers can outbrake your RV by offering a first hand example right in front of you.
_____________________________________________________
Lakewood, NJ.


Pavement like ice when it's wet even though it's 75 degrees out.
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Whatever the road was that we inadvertently took that went from Smedley VA to Skyline drive. Thank you very much Maggie (our GPS's adopted name) for the directions that took us on a wild goose chase down ever narrower roads with NO PLACE TO TURN AROUND. Logging trails are no place for an RV. Trust me on that.

 
1joester2 said:
Thank you very much Maggie (our GPS's adopted name) for the directions that took us on a wild goose chase down

Not my GPS but "On Star"  Ask for directions for a RV Camp site took me to a closes gate mobile home park. Had to turn around  in some ones back yard. I don't use on star any more,  and only trust  my GPS if I have a current map. Can't remember what state.
 
After several run arounds with our GPS I find Google earth the best.  One way streets are still a hassle but you can just loop your way around them when you get to them.  Getting the "lay of the land" before hand works best for me.
 
San Francisco is no place to drive a large RV. We've lived in the greater Bay area for over 30 years, and long ago I decided my future visits to the city would be via one of the many public transport options.

For sure, there would be no way to drive anything larger than a van down this San Francisco street.
 
Tom I lived in San Jose for 8 yrs...I agree...
I would like to add Norwalk Ohio just because every time, and I mean every time I drove thru that city something broke on what ever I was driving. My granddaughter love it because it always meant a stay in hotels, she loved to swim in their hot tubs. she nicknamed the town BDC...break down city.
 
Any large city, if we wanted that we would stay home. I made a wrong turn off I-10 and ended up in beautiful downtown LA. Definitely won't do that again. We also went to San Diego for the day, spent so much time dealing with traffic we saw very little of the city besides the sound barriers. Then there is I-5 through Seattle at rush hour :eek:
 
I95 through New York City. The one time i tried it, i got my passenger side mirror folded (because he didn't really have enough room to miss me).
Ernie
 
Tom said:
San Francisco is no place to drive a large RV. We've lived in the greater Bay area for over 30 years, and long ago I decided my future visits to the city would be via one of the many public transport options.

For sure, there would be no way to drive anything larger than a van down this San Francisco street.

Heck, downtown SF is no place for even small vehicles!
 
Icy and snowy roads anywhere south of I-40, coast to coast.  ::)

Until I retired, I usually didn't have the option to shut down without losing $$$, so as a good ice & snow driver in MN, IA, NE, CO, N.IN, IL, I worked my way to the head of the line and always sought a virgin snow-covered inside lane with 7" of snow or less.  ;)  I had my brakes examined on our Sonoma at 160k miles in July and the mechanic couldn't believe how good a shape they are in. My driving is mostly highway at speed limit and now less -60mph in the mh- and I slow down using the gears. Since I got the diesel/Allison, I find myself doing even better at timing the lights so that I don't have to stop at all.  ;D 
 
1joester2 said:
....Whatever the road was that we inadvertently took that went from Smedley VA to Skyline drive. Thank you very much Maggie (our GPS's adopted name) for the directions that took us on a wild goose chase down ever narrower roads with NO PLACE TO TURN AROUND. Logging trails are no place for an RV. Trust me on that.

Old rule of thumb:  If it ain't got a yellow line down the middle, you don't belong on it with an RV.    At least not without scouting its entire length.
 

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