Grants Pass RV and Auto Repair

“Pay me now or pay me later” -- Mr. Goodwrench   I asked people, “If you were going to buy a house on the side of a mountain, would you want to know what the foundation was?”   Purchasing an R.V. can be likely the most expensive purchase you make outside of your house. Quite often I ask folks if they paid more money for their R.V. than their first house? Hands shoot up everywhere. So, I ask about the second house, the third house; again, hands go up. The point is made that purchasing an R.V. is a substantial investment.     I ask people “How many of you test drove your motorhome, pulled your 5th wheel or hauled your camper?” Maybe a quarter of the hands go up and that is a generous estimate! If they did drive or pull it, it was on a nice preselected route by the salesman. It was most likely not with truck passing, road construction, windy conditions, truck ruts and various bumps, bridge transitions, etc. these are rea ... read more

  It’s a question that faces many RVers at one time or another: Truck and fifth wheel or motorhome and dinghy vehicle? Each has its advantages and liabilities, which we’ll explore in detail here. The first and most important question is, how do you travel? If you like to keep moving, spending only a night or two at each location, a motorhome/dinghy is probably the best solution.  Generally speaking, motorhomes have a larger, more comfortable cockpit than pick-up trucks, and usually ride more comfortably, too (Class A motorhomes in particular). This is an important consideration if you plan to do more touring than camping/park living. Motorhomes are also better for traveling families, as the kids are not confined to the back seat of the truck and can watch TV, snack and use the bathroom conveniently while on the road.  Once at your chosen destination, you can pull into your site, deploy the leveling jacks/slides (if equipped), hookup and you’re pretty ... read more

In our last blog, we discussed how to improve gas mileage by improving airflow as it mixes with your fuel. This effect is accomplished through the “Ultra Power Performance Tuning” we offer that can increase mileage by 1 – 3 mpg, and some customers claim even more. Today, I want to share a few things that are easily overlooked but can also improve mileage and they won’t cost you any money. Air pressure in your tires: Under inflated tires increase friction and slow you down but according to the Energy Department, properly inflated tires can increase fuel efficiency by 3%. That may not seem like much but if you figure on $4 / gallon for gas, that’s like saving 12 cents per gallon every time you fill up. That’s better than a kick in the rear with a frozen boot in February! Change your oil regularly: Oil is for lubrication. The reason we change it is because it gets dirty. The dirt causes friction and thus wears on your engine and causes fatigue. Keep you ... read more

How would you like to add 50 – 60 Horsepower or more to your rear wheels while INCREASING your MILEAGE by 1 – 3 MPG? Sound unlikely? Well listen closely… The air you breathe is a gas and when injected properly into your engine acts as a fuel. It needs to be mixed with standard fuel but when done with some of the new technology now available, it can make a big difference on fuel economy. Your engine needs good airflow and when that is increased, it delivers a measurable boost of horsepower to your rear wheels. Who hasn’t wanted that while trying to cross the continental divide? One of the ways you can get significant increase in performance and mileage is through something called, “UltraPower Performance Tuning”. On your 5.4L through 6.8L V10 Ford engines (including PowerStroke) this innovative engine tuning can increase mileage by 0.5 to 1.5 MPG, while adding up to 45 Horsepower and 50 ft. lbs. torque increase by itself! That’s huge! On 4.3L thr ... read more

Maintaining your balance while cruising down the road is not something to take for granted. This duck makes it look easy, but when it comes to your RV, you’re going to want to take some precautionary action. Let me explain… A set of tires for your RV can be a sizeable investment so making sure they don’t wear down prematurely can be a balancing act involving the weight and shape of the wheel paired with the weight and shape of the tire. Given that the tires and wheels were manufactured at two different times in two different places and possibly in two different countries, it is not reasonable to assume they will be in perfect balance from the get go. The odds of this combination having perfect and precise weight distribution about its radial and lateral centers is virtually impossible. The amount of uneven weight distribution it takes to cause a vibration you can feel is less than ½ an ounce. Wheel balance is typically checked on a wheel-balancing machine ... read more

In Friday’s blog, we talked about 5 of the top 10 reasons your RV could be vibrating. Today, we will talk about five more possible reasons. Remember, that vibrations are a signal to tell you something is wrong. Ignore them at your peril. In this video entitled, “Vibration: See the Unseen”, you will see what a vibration really looks like when a drumstick hits a cymbal. The message here is that while vibrations can be heard and felt, what is happening in the unseen realm is more dramatic. Take a look… 6. Alignment: Excess camber can also cause it. You should take your coach to a qualified alignment shop as soon as possible, because something may be coming loose. Interestingly, people often think that their coach is out of alignment because it’s shaking, but that’s usually a tire/wheel problem. 7. A bad U-joint: The U-joints all have to be lined up so they are in phase. Part of the “phasing” procedure includes making sure that the center lines of the transm ... read more

That vibration you feel when driving down the road can be more than a little annoying. It can be downright dangerous. That’s because it means something is out of whack, out of proper alignment, not in sync with the original intended design. Just for fun, this short video called “Vibration: See the Unseen” films a puppy at 1000 frames per second shaking “vibrating” the water off its body. When vibration occurs, something in your vehicle is experiencing excessive wear, that was not intended by the manufacturer. Left unattended, it can mean failure of a vital part at a crucial time with unspeakable consequences. Think about it… you may be driving an RV weighing 7 – 15 tons, at a speed of 55 – 75 miles per hour and something is out of synch badly enough that you can feel it in your comfortable captains chair, while sipping your coffee and talking with your companion. The most common causes for vibrations in your coach are: Out of balance tires: Gen ... read more

Robert had been suggesting a quad-shock installation for quite a long time, and I was admittedly reluctant. My coach has always been a “rough rider”, and adding shock absorbers seemed to be a sure way to transmit more road bumps up through the suspension to my long-suffering box of rattles. However, the lure of better handling overcame my reservations, and I decided to go for the mod. My risk was small… Except for the expense of the installation, any “damage” could easily be un-done by simply removing the extra shock absorbers. Although straightforward, the installation requires some sophisticated mechanical skills. Among other things, special brackets need to be fitted, formed, and welded; tapered washers must be installed and rotated to correct positions; all bolts need to be fitted, spaced, seated, and properly torqued. In short, although I’m really good mechanically, I’m very glad I let the experts do this one. Clearances checked, welds insp ... read more

If you want to head south for the winter to enjoy the freedom and flexibility of the RV lifestyle, now might be a great time to invest in a used motorhome. There are a lot of folks who took their turn using theirs in the summer and now they want to avoid storage and maintenance costs over the long winter season. Taking advantage of this opportunity can be a good deal for you. Typically an RV has been depreciated about 50% in the first 36 months. After that, depreciation slows down considerably. Want some good advice on RV ownership? Here are a few suggestions you might find useful. 1. Determine your needs Make a list of the features you will need to comfortably spend weeks on end in a relatively confined space. Is the bed big enough? How about the shower? What do you need in a kitchen? How about additional beds? Storage? TV? Satellite dish? Once you’ve gone through the list of creature comforts, you need to think about drivability. How big ... read more

28 November Thanksgiving Yesterday ended successfully, with all vehicles finished and running like champs. Although late-ish in the evening, everybody went home happy for the holiday weekend. Today, Robert and Barbara Henderson (of Lineup fame) have graciously invited us for a Thanksgiving get- together, and we’re looking forward to a pleasant afternoon. The weather forecast for this coming week is stormy across the entire western seaboard, from Seattle to San Diego. We’re not excited about getting caught out in snow country and sub-freezing nights, so our plans are to head back to the coast, tomorrow (Friday). It will still be stormy, but warmer. And watching heavy weather along a coastline is a marvelous experience in itself (with proper precautions of course). After we’ve taken enough pounding, we’ll head east-bound toward the Sacramento area and touch base with friends/family there. The quad shocks we ha ... read more