Big ouch!

timtheflyguy · 10-17-2009, 08:05 PM

I cant belive I'm typing this , used one time , 294 picked up at the dealer,because it was getting all the waranty repairs ,and I made it all the way home,and was backing it in , and hit the roof of the neighbors garage! OUCH (TEARS COMMING DOWN) ,A big 12 inch hole all the way through to the inside! Now I need to get the brand new,one payment ,camper repaired ,and repair the neighbors garage! I don't know how they are going to repair this,I relly don't want a patch , so I guess they will have to put a whole new back on it!
Has any one else done something stupid like this? I would like to know how they will fix it ,and what it will be like . By the way,the outer shell ,is only 1/16 -1/8 thick! Good to know , but would have like to find out some other way! I guess they will have to replace both the inside panel .and the outer back shell! Makes me sick to my stomache!

milzat · 10-17-2009, 08:39 PM

Sorry to hear of your miscalculation in maneuvering.

I can only imagine how you must feel.

I've read where dealers(experienced dealers) replace the entire rear wall. Shouldn't be too much of a problem for someone who knows what they're doing. I'd have to think it would take a while to receive the parts needed, but you never can tell.

Good luck,

NDJollyMon · 10-17-2009, 09:38 PM

WOW! Rotten luck! Sorry to hear, but good luck in your future!

I know this is salt in the wound...but...others may learn from your mistake:
Try to always have a spotter when backing. Just think of the money and mental stress it could save. These rigs are very hard to see around...and blind spots are all over. You never know if someone will wonder into your path either.
Be safe out there folks!

NWJeeper · 10-17-2009, 11:11 PM

Tim, don't feel so bad. My dad pulled out of the driveway with our motorhome when I was a kid and forgot it was still plugged in, pulled the wiring socket right off the post in the garage and pulled over his roll away with all the tools in it, thank god no damage to the RV. A friend of ours driving my dads rig pulled to tight to the island at the gas station and pinched the fuel hose against the curb with the rear wheel and cut it right in two, that was an expensive fuel up. And when we were renting RVs for a time the guys who did the most damage to them was always the professional truck drivers who backed them into trees, bending bumpers and ruining several ladders. Of course there is always those long overhangs on the back of the Class A rigs, I have seen a lot of those with bent up compartment doors and damage from turning to early away from the pumps and hitting the concrete posts.

A good shop will be able to fix it like new and someday you will (I hope) be able to look back and laugh at this.

Hang in there

rockwood06 · 10-18-2009, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timtheflyguy

I cant belive I'm typing this , used one time , 294 picked up at the dealer,because it was getting all the waranty repairs ,and I made it all the way home,and was backing it in , and hit the roof of the neighbors garage! OUCH (TEARS COMMING DOWN) ,A big 12 inch hole all the way through to the inside! Now I need to get the brand new,one payment ,camper repaired ,and repair the neighbors garage! I don't know how they are going to repair this,I relly don't want a patch , so I guess they will have to put a whole new back on it!
Has any one else done something stupid like this? I would like to know how they will fix it ,and what it will be like . By the way,the outer shell ,is only 1/16 -1/8 thick! Good to know , but would have like to find out some other way! I guess they will have to replace both the inside panel .and the outer back shell! Makes me sick to my stomache!

I fell your pain, I hit my own garage on the left side of my camper, but I was lucky I didn't put a hole in It. I have brown gutters on my house and the mark is still there to remined me. It's about two feet long and I can not and can not remove It. When I bought the new truck I have now I had just came back from the dealer from having hitch work done, as I was backing into the driveway I took out my sons basketball net and hit my retainer wall. The basketball net is movable but the wall was not. Again I was lucky the only damage to the camper was the right rear jack. The new truck has a longer wheel base and the reaction of backing up was different then the old truck. With my first camper I pulled out of a camp site in Ocean City and turned to the right too soon and crushed the corner of that camper because of a tree. Posting this bad luck has given everyone a wake up call, this will help others pay more attention to the hazards of backing up....Good Luck with your repairs....and the best part is that there was no injuries.

Round Mound of Sound · 10-19-2009, 11:52 AM

I have not backed out or ran into any hard objects, but I have pull the trailer off the toung jack and bent so badly that I had to remove it before I could move. Is that part of having fun.

cfsoistman · 10-19-2009, 12:26 PM

A spotter is always very important to have but when it's really tight it's best to get out and check it out yourself as well. We were camping in Gettysburg and the campground provided an escort to your site. Their employee guided me into a narrow site which I should have said no way. He guided me right into the water post sticking out of the ground. I never saw it until he yells you're hitting the faucet. He's spotting me and well Killing Him would have just made matters worse. 6 month old motorhome with barely 1600 miles on it and now $5000 damage from hitting a water post. I creased 5 compartment doors with full body paint. The campground split the difference of my deductible with me. GEICO took care of the rest and I have to say very promptly. Chesaco RV in Joppa MD did all the work and it turned out great. I have learned by that mistake to check it out myself and then proceed with my spotter.

You're not alone! Most importantly no one got hurt other than that gut wrenching feeling but it will be fine.

gregm59 · 10-20-2009, 12:05 PM

Ditto. I feel your pain. With our first trailer, on one of our first camping trips, we stopped at an A&W for lunch. When we got to our campsite, I noticed that my awning was quite bashed up. After unbashing it, I was able to get it to work. When I asked the family if they saw, felt, heard anything (I didn't), DD#2 said she saw, felt and heard me hit the A&W storage shed we parked next to. When I asked her why on earth she didn't say anything, especially after I took the hammer to the awning, she just shrugged. The awning worked and I never replaced it (somewhat as a reminder) and a few years later we went past the same A&W and the overhang/roof that I hit was completely changed! I don't know if it was from me, or if I was only one in a string of hit and they gave up repairing it.

timtheflyguy · 10-20-2009, 03:10 PM

I did have a spotter......My wife!!!.............She is still upset about it,I usualy get out and check myself , but she kept telling me it was ok! She was not watching the top , and thats what hit! I can't blame her , after all ,I was driving ,so it is really my fault!
I spoke with the dealer , and he says he has allready replaced a whole back wall , but he has to see it to make that call! I'm waiting for the insurance adjuster to come by , and we will take it from there!
My wife is very discouraged by this ,and thinks we bought a camper that is too long! We all know , it coud happen with any lenght or size! I just am thankfull no-one is hurt! I could have run my wife over , we can always repair or replace the camper , but we can never replace our loved-ones!

powerboatr · 10-20-2009, 08:35 PM

it happens to the best of us
the two pics is the back of our rv port
i have crunched the metal twice now with the ladder
even with a spotter and backup camera.
hopefully it gets fixed like you never knew it was there

timtheflyguy · 10-21-2009, 09:31 PM

"That's what i'm hoping for!"

timtheflyguy · 10-21-2009, 09:35 PM

I'm hoping we will not even be able to tell it was repaired!

Bill U · 10-22-2009, 04:42 PM

Crushed the bumper end one time when son, (brilliant 15 year old who knows everything because I am a booger eating moron) backed me into a four ton boulder that was not there.

Bama PrimeTime · 10-23-2009, 07:24 AM

Whenever I get to where we store our camper I have at least 3 spotters. I have to park between 5 trees and a workshop. I usually end up telling 2 of them to get out from BEHIND the camper because my mirrors can't see around corners. Spotters are no good if THEY can't see YOU in the mirrors.

JimChow · 10-24-2009, 07:59 AM

I know how you feel. When we brought home the very first day our brand new PUP I was pushing it into the garage and side swiped my 1964 Chevy. The Chevy was fine but its bumper scraped about 6 feet of camper. $1100 damage to the PUP. You would think I learned from that...nope. Backing our HTT into the driveway without a spotter I backed right into the garage overhang...banged up the gutter, scratched the HTT. I think we all do dumb things from time to time. Good luck with the repairs.

2003chevy · 11-01-2009, 10:34 PM

when you get home and you have time to get on the internet google
The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. my wife ordered it through walmart.com . we watched it and learned what not to do when backing up. really,get the movie it is sooooo funny. when you watch Desi character back up it will make you feel better.when you back up make sure you have measured the height and width and add 10 feet to both measurements and pull in straight. it will fit every time.enjoy the movie!!!
p.s. it is a good idea to hve the height printed backwards on the front left corner of your rv so you will always know the correct heigth. i am in the process of doing this myself.rv with robin williams is also good.

NWJeeper · 11-01-2009, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2003chevy

when you get home and you have time to get on the internet google
The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. my wife ordered it through walmart.com . we watched it and learned what not to do when backing up. really,get the movie it is sooooo funny. when you watch Desi character back up it will make you feel better.when you back up make sure you have measured the height and width and add 10 feet to both measurements and pull in straight. it will fit every time.enjoy the movie!!!
p.s. it is a good idea to hve the height printed backwards on the front left corner of your rv so you will always know the correct heigth. i am in the process of doing this myself.rv with robin williams is also good.

Awesome movie. I see it play out just about every time we head to Moab Utah and my wife starts filling up the compartments with pretty rocks. LOL!

TulsaSteve · 11-01-2009, 10:54 PM

This link is my favorite. Amazing nobody was seriously hurt. A miracle...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=38168721

Hipshot · 11-02-2009, 07:35 AM

Very sorry to here about your accident and hope the repaires go well. I just retired from a aircraft repair/modification company. I can't count the number of times workers ran trucks, tractors and fork lifts into aircraft and we had "TRAINED LICENSED SPOTTERS". Bottom line even with backup cameras and spotters it happens because we are all human.

friz · 11-03-2009, 07:29 PM

This guy has the worst luck! I was going to go camping with him next year but I'm starting to have second thoughts. You're going to have more money invested in turnpike fees than campground fees if you keep going back to the dealer.. LOL

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