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Bruised my RV and my pride...
03-07-2010, 11:30 AM
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#1
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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Bruised my RV and my pride...
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.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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03-07-2010, 11:35 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,401
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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!
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03-07-2010, 12:07 PM
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#3
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 280
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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.
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03-07-2010, 12:14 PM
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#4
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,124
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Bad luck Rich - but it sounds like you had a good overall experience.
Is it your Prius that can't be towed?
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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03-07-2010, 12:19 PM
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#5
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 577
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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.
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03-07-2010, 12:24 PM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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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...
__________________
Numbers is hard
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03-07-2010, 12:38 PM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
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Ouch, Rich! Man, I would be mad with myself too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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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!
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)
"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
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03-07-2010, 12:46 PM
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#8
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
Is it your Prius that can't be towed?
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Right - it's the continuously variable transmission, among other reasons.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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03-07-2010, 12:47 PM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Pasadena CA
Posts: 3,346
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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
__________________
T.S. Eliot:
Old men ought to be explorers
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03-07-2010, 12:48 PM
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#10
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 577
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NW-Bound
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!
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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.
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03-07-2010, 12:52 PM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kat
A lot of things won't matter...
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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.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)
"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
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03-07-2010, 01:00 PM
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#12
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,140
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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
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03-07-2010, 01:39 PM
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#13
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa
Right - it's the continuously variable transmission, among other reasons.
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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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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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"
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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03-07-2010, 01:46 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 6,258
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa
Great week in Key West at a beautiful campground.
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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.
__________________
"It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
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03-07-2010, 01:47 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
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.
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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.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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03-07-2010, 01:50 PM
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#16
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
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.
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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
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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03-07-2010, 01:56 PM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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Stick around - we'll convert you just like we did NW-Bound...
__________________
Numbers is hard
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03-07-2010, 02:11 PM
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#18
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Stick around - we'll convert you just like we did NW-Bound...
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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
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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03-07-2010, 02:20 PM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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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.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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03-07-2010, 02:24 PM
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#20
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
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.
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I'll take your word for it
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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