Grants Pass RV and Auto Repair

Greg Illes is a terrific writer, adventurer and happy customer of Henderson’s Line-Up. In this series of posts, Greg gives a humorous but serious account of his journey to Grants Pass and why he came to Henderson’s. We serve thousands of coaches each year from all over North America and would love to hear your story and hopefully select it for our travel blog. If you have a story to share and some good pictures as well, we’d love to pass them along to our readers. Please send them to Robert@Henderson’sLineup.com and you just might see your story featured here. Now, here’s Greg… 25 November Unlike most RV-service shops, Henderson’s is so courteously RV-oriented that they provide free overnight facilities for visiting customers. These facilities consist of a parking spot, and (next to the shop) 30A service. You (we) can literally live in your/our RV while it is being serviced. There is also a nice warm waiting area, a wifi-café, and a lovely showr ... read more

Henderson’s Line-up has joined with good folks like Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty to help Samaritans Purse send God’s love in tangible form to children in need from all over the world. For years it has been a tradition at Henderson’s Line-Up and SuperSteer products here in Grants Pass, Oregon to work with Operation Christmas Child and the local community to pack up thousands of shoeboxes full of toys, gifts, personal items, etc that children are excited to receive. November 23rd and 24th is the last weekend to get these boxes in. We will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 1:00 to receive the last minute gift boxes that will make a difference in the lives of so many children. If you haven’t already, be sure to drop off your shoebox gift at 458 Redwood Highway here in Grants Pass no later than the last weekend before Thanksgiving. Thank you

When I first heard about the Road Performance Assessment, I dismissed it as just another fancy marketing gimmick, like the old gag of calling janitors “sanitation engineers”. All hat, no boots, so to speak. It’s a test drive, right? I was in for a surprise…. At that time, I barely knew Robert Henderson. A lean, unassuming middle-aged guy smiled at me and confidently took the helm of my precious RV, “Howie”. We pulled out of the shop and onto SR199 in gloomy Oregon Fall weather and headed out of town. Robert’s self-assigned task was deceptively simple: drive my RV and analyze its handling characteristics. Determine if it had any worn or misadjusted chassis components, and identify opportunities for after-market improvements. My job was even simpler: shut up and try not to scream. You see, Robert has been doing “RV stuff” for decades, and his driving and road-savvy abilities far exceed anything that you or I a ... read more

When I bought my new-to-me motorhome, it was truly a “foreign object”. We immediately named it “House On Wheels In Excess”, or Howie for short. The 27-foot class-A was the biggest thing I had ever driven, and I was deeply focused on how to manage the size and handling from the moment I drove Howie off the lot. One of the most challenging aspects was the steering response, or rather lack of it. The power steering on the Workhorse chassis was — powerful. So powerful, in fact, that there was almost no force required to turn the wheel. Howie was nearly effortless to maneuver, clearly a benefit. Maybe. The problem was that there was no feedback, that subtle sense of what the coach was doing. It was almost like operating a video game, where you turn the wheel and the picture moves. Another more insidious fault with the steering was its lack of self-centering. The very nature of the fingertip steering forces meant that there was not enough “urge” from the steering gear to make the tires ... read more

The biggest flux of Americans into retirement status is well upon us as baby boomers born 1945 – 1955 lay aside their careers and businesses and settle into their golden years. For many, that not only means a change in their daily routine, but also a change in the way they live and where they live. Many are exchanging their now oversized, pricey homes for a comfortable home on wheels. Overall there are about 35 million RV enthusiasts in America and a growing number are the baby boomers as they near or enter retirement. One of the reasons for its growing popularity is that it combines the potential for life simplification with elegance. A retired couple can live very comfortably in a quality RV with the significant advantage of being able to change scenery on a whim. You can wake up to a glorious sunrise in the Arizona desert and bed down with the sound of the gently crashing waves of the Pacific in a Southern California RV park. Not only is a change of scenery a simple decision ... read more

All RV technicians, service writers and company owners are invited to attend this two-day training. Attendees will drive a Class-A motorhome and will learn how to conduct the Road Performance Assessment. They will also learn product knowledge and installation techniques from manufacturers. “The most valuable part of the training, I feel, is the drive test,” said Eric Beck, a Henderson’s Line-Up shop foreman and technician. “It’s good for any tech to learn the drive portion of the Road Performance Assessment, as he will know what to look for and what to feel for while driving an RV. You have to drive a coach to figure out what’s going on with a coach’s steering and suspension, to then know what problems need to be addressed.” Manufacturers will be present to discuss solutions to the various needs that coach owner’s experience with the steering, handling and suspension of their motorhome. Installation tips and product insight is another highlight of this two-day training, the compan ... read more

With a quieter than normal hurricane season we have not experienced any disruption in fuel supplies. Additionally, refineries are switching to their less expensive blend of winter fuel. When you combine that good news from refineries with the fact that summer has officially ended and fuel demand has dropped off, you can expect a price drop at the pump of between 10 and 25 cents. With President Obama easing off the military threat to Syria, you can look to prices falling to around the $3 per gallon price or lower by Thanksgiving. In fact, in Florida, prices have already dropped an average of 12 cents per gallon according to Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA. They should know as they survey more than 120,000 gas stations nationwide and have their finger on the pulse of American fuel prices. Jenkins added, “All the elements are in place to continue falling,” but doubted they would fall below $3 a gallon. All bets are off if we have a late hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico or a militar ... read more

This week near Danridge Tennessee, it was reported that a tire blew out on a church bus causing the driver to lose control and careen into a tractor-trailer and SUV. The resulting crash claimed the lives of eight people and injured 14 others. No words can adequately speak to this tragedy nor can they find a way to make sense out of it. We simply grieve with those who grieve. For those of you who drive or own a bus, RV or motorhome, PLEASE watch this video. It could save your life. For more information on how you can protect your vehicle from disaster in the event of a tire blowout, please contact us

Congratulations Eric on 20 years at Henderson’s Line-Up, Brake & RV! Eric brings a wealth of experience to Henderson’s Line-Up Service Department. He spent 2 years at Rogue Community College learning diesel and heavy equipment repair. He then worked for Detroit Diesel/Allison Transmission before coming the Henderson’s Line-Up. Eric has pursued additional training through the years, including his ASE Certification as an Automobile Technician, with expertise in brakes, suspension, steering and medium/heavy duty trucks. He is certified by Hunter Engineering in Wheel Alignment and Advanced Troubleshooting, and is one of the most experienced Technicians performing the Road Performance Assessment. Thank you Eric for the many happy and satisfied customers you have served through the years — for “safer & happier driving

Congratulations to all Spring 2013 Motorhome Steering and Suspension Institute graduates from Evergreen Collision, Gross & Stevens, Inc, RnR RV Center, and Uhlmann RV. Thank you Roadmaster representative Richard Jackson for adding to the training! We look forward to how you implement this training on the (1) Road Performance Assessment and (2) the parts training to better serve your customers