What have you done to your coach?

[rondrei]

We purchased our Georgetown used in October 2019. Low miles and in good condition. One of the first things I tackled was the previous owner had at least one cat. Significant clawing damage to the driver's seat footrest but the biggest concern was the black water tank. The first time I went to empty the fill black water tank it was clogged. Open the drain valve and nothing came out. I used a large storage tub, a drain auger, rubber gloves, goggles and fast reflexes. There was what I will describe as a large sandy rock in the tank. I pushed the auger up and after several minutes of grinding away it finally broke loose. Quickly pulled the auger out and closed the valve. Attached the drain hose with a clear end and drained the tank. Several large chunks came out, it looked like the previous owner dumped cat litter down the toilet, left the black water tank valve open while parked or both.


Next up was utilizing the space behind the TV in the bedroom. Access to remove the TV is through a panel in the rearmost closet. Two people make this safer and easier. TV removed and replaced the solid mount with a swing arm mounted to the center wall behind the TV. I made a strap mount for travel and the added space comes on handy.


I made a shelf under the kitchen storage to the front of the coach. The flimsy panel protecting the heating duct hose wasn't tall enough to reach the shelf above. I added a few boards along the sides and installed a shelf. Not very much height but enough for oven pans and small storage bins with the added bonus of nothing is able to fall behind the flimsy wall. We did find an envelope with money in it that almost offsets the aggravation of the black water tank.


The area behind the living room TV is a good place to put my computer tower, printer, Blu Ray player and battery backup. The shelf is very flimsy but a board cut to size and played on top of that stiffened it up nicely.


Both the front and rear AC units were not working properly. The compressor relay would stick on both. The compressor would run continuously or the AC unit would ignore the thermostat and blow cold air continuously. Climbing on the roof, removing the cover, pulling out the metal control box, removing that cover and tapping the relay with the handle of a screwdriver eventually became a 2-3 times a day procedure. The part number from Dometic yeilded no results for availability and cost $249, plus Dometic $40 shipping charge. The part was not available and no timetable for availability. Our AC units have a heat strip and made it difficult to locate a new control box. Dometic refered me to a company and after speaking with a gentleman there a few times I told him I think I will just replace both AC units. He asked me to hold off and after an hour or so of back and forth discussion he provided me another part number. This part number included the thermostat and was available for Prime Shipping on Amazon. The cost was $139 each! I received the control boxes two days later and 30 minutes later both AC units were working properly. If you are having this issue contact me and I will give you the part number.


I posted on another thread about our grey water tank airlock issue but that hasn't been resolved yet.


I apologize for the lengthy post. I have a few more things to share but this is more than enough for now.

[rondrei]

The dash AC didn't blow cold air. After a dealership tracked down the problem it turned out to be a broken wire at the compressor so it was a Ford issue but not covered under warranty as we were not the original owner.


The driver's side seat electric control doesn't work properly, I have to play with it to move the seat forward. If I touch the wiring harness it moves the seat back. A faulty switch but I need to track down the replacement part.


We don't have guests especially young children so I removed the overhead pull down bed. Better access to the overhead cab storage and side storage areas. If you want the bunk and are in the south Miami/Cutler Bay area you can have it. It's in our climate controlled storage unit.

[rondrei]

I added led light strips under our coach. The ad wasn't clear on how many sets could be connected to one controller. The set comes with 2 -16' strips. I was able to connect 3 sets on one controller.


I have seen issues in the past with small lizards and even baby iguanas here in South Florida clawing up into the exhaust on vehicles that are not run very often. A former neighbor had this happen and after having his coach towed to a repair shop the mechanic eventually discovered the issue. He dropped the exhaust system and found several nests and carcasses in the exhaust system up to the catalytic converter. I have put PVC vent caps on my exhaust, I wouldn't run my coach or generator with them in place. I used the "scratchy" side of a Velcro strip to make them fit a little tighter. I tested to see that if I start my coach or generator they get blown off by the exhaust.


I used the "soft" side of the Velcro strip on the sunshade on the cab area to make those quieter while driving. A few short pieces on the nightshade are adequate.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by rondrei

I have seen issues in the past with small lizards and even baby iguanas here in South Florida clawing up into the exhaust on vehicles that are not run very often. A former neighbor had this happen and after having his coach towed to a repair shop the mechanic eventually discovered the issue. He dropped the exhaust system and found several nests and carcasses in the exhaust system up to the catalytic converter. I have put PVC vent caps on my exhaust, I wouldn't run my coach or generator with them in place. I used the "scratchy" side of a Velcro strip to make them fit a little tighter. I tested to see that if I start my coach or generator they get blown off by the exhaust.

Wow, never heard of that. There was a rental Bounder next to us in Feb-March in FL and we often saw those little critters scurry up the coach and disappear through the slide sides.

I'v heard of people putting the litter box in the shower and wondered how much of the clumping kitty litter ended up in the gray tank.

Ray

[rondrei]

It appears that they kept the litter box on the floor between the driver's seat and the brake/throttle pedals.

[Mr. October]

Originally Posted by rondrei

We purchased our Georgetown used in October 2019. Low miles and in good condition. One of the first things I tackled was the previous owner had at least one cat. Significant clawing damage to the driver's seat footrest but the biggest concern was the black water tank. The first time I went to empty the fill black water tank it was clogged. Open the drain valve and nothing came out. I used a large storage tub, a drain auger, rubber gloves, goggles and fast reflexes. There was what I will describe as a large sandy rock in the tank. I pushed the auger up and after several minutes of grinding away it finally broke loose. Quickly pulled the auger out and closed the valve. Attached the drain hose with a clear end and drained the tank. Several large chunks came out, it looked like the previous owner dumped cat litter down the toilet, left the black water tank valve open while parked or both.

Wow. Just wow.

[Dodge Guy]

I just dewinterized ours. Today I'll finish up my LED light install under the coach. Then I'll wash the roof. Then I'll Ben ready for the road next Friday.

[Mooney 78865]

Man o man! That's a lot to sort through out of the gate! Good job!

[NXR]

I got RejeX applied to most of the 38' motorhome and wow, that stuff makes it slipperier than snot on a doorknob. The difference is like running your finger across leather and across oiled glass.

I still have the top half of the passenger side, the rear cap, the sides of the slides, and maybe the roof to do so there's about another day of work but that will be next week sometime. I'm particularly interested in how well or if RejeX will improve the slide seal flipping so I'll do one slide first. It could be so slippery that the seals no longer flip.

I am also going to try RejeX on the windshield as well. I put it on the side windows and mirrors and they are very slick now. It's supposed to keep bug stickiness down.

I'll have used about one 12-ounce $15 bottle when done, maybe a bit more if I do the roof. I applied some to the roof curved edge as I was doing the walls and it did not make that section too slippery. So I'm hopeful...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And I just got the notice that my 35" long custom sliding shelves for under the dinette seats should be delivered next week on Wednesday. The shelves have sides that are about 5" tall. The narrower one is for under the rear dinette seat, the one with the seat belt bracket bolted to the floor. I'm really hoping I got all of the measurements correct...

https://www.shelvesthatslide.com/mm5...ct_Code=AM47SS - about $375 with FedEx shipping.

Ray

[Tax_Man]

Not much work this year.

Changed manual awning for a power awning using a kit with motor and arms.


Added full extension drawer to the pantry.


Added LED lights under the awning. Got these that sells returned Amazon, E-Bay, and other sources for $5.00 and up to 5 items for $5.00. (no photo yet)

[RedBugNana]

2019 GT5 34H5 one year ownership was up in September. We haven’t done much to our GT since it’s been in for service the last 6 weeks [emoji15]. I did finally put up the tension rod in the shower to provide hanging spot for damp towels or clothes. Going camping week after next so we’ll see if it holds up. Still waiting on a couple of warranty items...2020 has been quite the year!

[Mooney 78865]

Hell! I've been so bored about not going anywhere I was down to fixing the little seep from the black tank drain valve. We hope to get out next week for a trip to Cortez CO and a visit to Mesa Verde NP and the surrounding area for 10 days.

[Swag]

I have two six volt batteries, I want to add two more.

[Swag]

Suspension, Installed Sumo springs, koni shocks. We worked all outside panels . Changed kit counters to butcher block, changed dinette table. Want to change converter to inverter, add solar panels. Add two more batteries.