Bruised my RV and my pride...

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Great week in Key West at a beautiful campground. On the way home we decided to fill 'er up and ended up turning into a Mom and Pop gas station right off of Hwy 1. Unnoticeable until after you start to turn, there was a quick jog right, then left into a very narrow aisle for the row of gas pumps. It's a 36' motorhome.

A 24" concrete pillar just before the pumps failed to attract my attention in time, and I cut the corner too sharply at like 1 mph, scraping the access door to one of the "basement" compartments, along with an adjacent panel over the AC intake grill. That sound of metal scraping concrete is not my favorite. Left a nice scrape mark and a 1" dent.

Well, cosmetic only, but I am sure it will cost a couple of thousand to repair (over months) so we filed a claim on our $500 deductible policy.

Bad ending to a great trip, and in perspective no big thing -- just embarrassed and pissed at myself for my mistake.

We did have a great week and got to some off-the-beaten-path hangouts, walked for miles, and had plenty of time to contemplate my upcoming ESR now just about 3 weeks away.

Today I'm going out to look at trading in my car (unable to be towed) for a towable replacement to pull behind the RV.

 

[Meadbh]

Bummer. Expensive fill up! I wonder whether the design standards for major oil company gas stations differ from the Mom & Pop ones?

Best but it down to experience, and look forward to 100% ESR!

 

[winger]

I feel your pain.

The first trip in our new RV, tore a hole 20 foot long in the rubber roof. It was a space we had used several times before with a smaller RV.

 

[Alan]

Bad luck Rich - but it sounds like you had a good overall experience.

Is it your Prius that can't be towed?

 

[kat]

Rich, why not leave it that way, so the next one doesn't matter so much?

There's nothing to prove in this ESR life.

 

[REWahoo]

Rich - ouch!

I'm semi-paranoid about access to fuel stops, constantly on the lookout for locations with pay-at-the-pump diesel and access for our 40' rig. That's the only way I can take advantage of the 5% discount offered on our PenFed Visa card. Those places do exist but I have to search.

The things the [-]cheap @ss[/-] LBYM voice in my head makes me do...

 

[NW-Bound]

Ouch, Rich! Man, I would be mad with myself too.

Rich, why not leave it that way, so the next one doesn't matter so much?

There's nothing to prove in this ESR life.

I do not believe I am vain and care that much about physical appearances, not even myself leave alone my "stuff". But I can be annal about something like this. I normally do not wash my cars, and in the last few years, only rinse them off with a hose. However, I absolutely hate dents!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Is it your Prius that can't be towed?

Right - it's the continuously variable transmission, among other reasons.

 

[yakers]

Nope, never did nothin like that, except for the time I carefully assembled the bike rack and mounted two bicycles on my Honda Civic wagon and backed out of my very own car port which the bikes did not clear

And never drove with the parking brake on either, honest

 

[kat]

I do not believe I am vain and care that much about physical appearances, not even myself leave alone my "stuff". But I can be annal about something like this. I normally do not wash my cars, and in the last few years, only rinse them off with a hose. However, I absolutely hate dents!

You're talking to a girl with a $5,000 deductible and a $5,000 I Bond. A lot of things won't matter, and I tend to laugh anyway.

 

[NW-Bound]

A lot of things won't matter...

You are absolutely right! That's why I admit that I was being annal. But I am human, and humans do not always listen to reasons, and not even their own.

 

[audreyh1]

Oh that really stinks! I've only driven the MH into a "regular" gas station twice, when I had no other option, and it was really scary each time and I had to be oh, so careful! I usually go for the truck pumps.

Audrey

 

[Alan]

Right - it's the continuously variable transmission, among other reasons.

Gotcha - you could use a dolly that many use that have the front wheels lifted, but then maybe the rear bumper would be too low to the ground etc.

Rich, why not leave it that way, so the next one doesn't matter so much?

There's nothing to prove in this ESR life.

If I was in the same position I would have it repaired for macho reasons. Nothing says "I am a cr*p driver!!" more than a big scrape down the side

Of course, last year when DW's bumper was scraped on the back of HER car, I was quite happy to take the insurance payout from the other guy's insurance and leave the scratches visible. "What's the point hinny, it won't rust and it'll only happen again sometime"

 

[RonBoyd]

Great week in Key West at a beautiful campground.

So which campground did you stay at? (I believe I misunderstood your other thread -- I was thinking something completely different when you said "Resort.")

Anyway, I come down on the side of those advising you to ignore the damage -- unless rust is a concern. I would repair it only if it improves the resale value and, even then, only at the time you decide to dispose of it.

 

[REWahoo]

Gotcha - you could use a dolly that many use that have the front wheels lifted, but then maybe the rear bumper would be too low to the ground etc.

Alan, although a lot of RVers use a tow dolly for vehicles that cannot be towed "four down", dollies can be a PITA once you get to your destination. Many RV spots have very limited parking space and man (or woman) - handling the dolly to store it can be a real chore.

 

[Alan]

Alan, although a lot of RVers use a tow dolly for vehicles that cannot be towed "four down", dollies can be a PITA once you get to your destination. Many RV spots have very limited parking space and man (or woman) - handling the dolly to store it can be a real chore.

I figured there'd be a good reason. I just know that I'd seen some with a dolly on the roads. As you can guess, I'm not an RV'er

 

[REWahoo]

As you can guess, I'm not an RV'er

Stick around - we'll convert you just like we did NW-Bound...

 

[Alan]

Stick around - we'll convert you just like we did NW-Bound...

I don't like the thought of getting too familiar with my own sewage - don't you have to pump out waste tanks and if you don't the correct toilet paper thay can get clogged

Some friends went long boating in France for a month a few years ago, living on the boat and cruising the canals. (RVing on the water). After a few days they asked at a lock about where to pump out their waste tank and the guy said "You don't have a waste tank, have you not noticed that the toilet works better when you are moving". "But what about EU pollution regulations?", they asked. They got the Gallic Shrug and the reply, "The government doesn't provide any disposal facilities so boats aren't made with waste tanks". (sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread)

PS - Belgium is even worse for water quality

 

[REWahoo]

I don't like the thought of getting too familiar with my own sewage - don't you have to pump out waste tanks and if you don't the correct toilet paper thay can get clogged

The secret is not to use any toilet paper...

Actually, any sort of TP works fine as long as you have plenty of water (or other liquid) in your black tank. And we don't "pump" them out, we merely drain them and allow gravity to do its thing.

 

[Alan]

The secret is not to use any toilet paper...

Actually, any sort of TP works fine as long as you have plenty of water (or other liquid) in your black tank. And we don't "pump" them out, we merely drain them and allow gravity to do its thing.

I'll take your word for it

 

[brewer12345]

I'd say the worst thing about dumping the tanks on the camper is having to wait in line at checkout time on summer weekends. Other than that, it all stays in the hose and I don't see or smell much of anything.

 

[ls99]

Don' need to tow the car. Just attach a sturdy eyebolt to the rear top of the RV. Then fit a winch to the front of the Prius. Attach winch cable to eye bolt. Kinda like these here fellows.

YouTube - HCHB (qaud up in tree)

Then just clamp the wheels to the the back panel.

 

[NW-Bound]

In researching towing, I thought that the use of a dolly would be better than flat-towing, as it allows towing of any front-wheel drive car. And the dolly also has built-in brakes slaved to the motorhome brakes. That supplemental brake actuator has to be added to the flat-tow car, and is an additional expense.

However, people here, particularly Audrey, pointed out to me that the dolly has its own problems, and that led me to research further. It appears the majority of the people do flat towing. The convenience of a quick hook-up and disconnect makes it worth the expense, particularly if one is a traveller and not a camper.

About the sewer hose, I still have not checked that out on my RV. I have a sewer clean-out in my front yard that I will try to get or make hose adapter for. I still have to check out the total plumbing of this RV, but so far have done the cleaner and more pleasant things, like checking out the electrical system. Already found some mis-wirings there.

 

[RonBoyd]

The secret is not to use any toilet paper...

Actually, any sort of TP works fine as long as you have plenty of water (or other liquid) in your black tank. And we don't "pump" them out, we merely drain them and allow gravity to do its thing.

Actually, the "pump" method works pretty well -- No muss, no fuss. As I said before, you don't even need to wear gloves. I can see the advantages to the "gravity" method, however, if you are staying in one place for awhile.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Great week in Key West... ended up turning into a Mom and Pop gas station.....

Ah, one of my favorite old jokes. Sorry to hear this, Rich. Have you posted the photos of Key West yet?

That sort of thing happens to us non-RVers also (well, some of us). When parking at a motel, I didn't see a concrete post about that size and backed into it. Not much damage was done except that the motel clerk saw the whole thing.