Plans Sculpted in Jello -> More Slide Woes in Eugene, OR
So, we were all ready to go. The route south had been planned in superb detail with a sure promise of fabulous vistas, great campgrounds and (even) a secret boondocking spot. In short, the camping route of a genius. Plates were tucked away, the last cup of coffee drained and we were off…..
Or such was the plan anyway….
That very last bit was interrupted by what I can only describe as a giant splosh. Now whereas our big slide had warned us of a leak by a dignified “plop“, this was really more like the sound of a Japanese water garden, coming from the right, and overall it would have been very relaxing had not the outlet of said tranquility been inside the RV. This was not just a leak, it was a veritable gush and it was coming through both the door AND the slide.
We were faced with a conundrum. I had planned a reunion down in Mammoth Lakes with my Nepal hiking buddies in just over a week, but if we left as planned that meant living with an indoor water garden until we managed to find a reputable shop, always an iffy question. On the other hand we were in Eugene, RV repair town galore and probably the best place on earth to get this thing fixed. And where else, other than rain-swept Oregon, would you have such a prime opportunity for discovering leaks?
With 8 days of rain forecast ahead and the prospect of more wetness for our trip south we decided to change the plans that had been happily sculpted in jello and stay to get this fixed. Thankfully we ALSO knew JUST the guy to get it done. Our last slide fix had been handled by the fine folks at Elite Repair and Remodel (Marty: (541)-517-1716 Erik: (541)-255-6231)), a mobile outfit of highly experienced guys who all worked at the Monaco factory for years. They’d come highly recommended on all the forums, had a pristine 5-star rating on rvservicereviews.com and our last experience with them certainly bore that out (can’t recommend them enough!). A call to get them out and they were on the job. They re-sealed the entire slide and discovered some other spots that needed work, as well as a rotten seal on one of our other slides. We decided to tackle everything as well as a couple of extra jobs from our list while we had them.
The entire project will take several days (going on into next week), meaning we can’t drive the rig to my reunion. So I’ve booked a ticket from Portland and we’ll scoot on up and onwards from there. As luck has it our prolonged stay in Eugene has meant the discovery of a new “freebie” site (review coming), viewing of fall colors, another run at the fabulous farmers market, plus more social activities as well as a re-reunion with our friends Alex and Ellen up in Portland. Cool!
The new plan may also be sculpted in jello, but clearly it was meant to be…
P.S. I must thank my RV friend Jil for the jello idea. You made the comment and it just wobbled and stuck 🙂
We did not want a slide when we bought this Motorhome in January. Because of Repair issues are going to happen.
We have seen the amount of elbow room inside when these slides are out.
We have decided the Elbow Room is more important than the inevitable repairs. Until I read your post. More Slide Repair AND Water gushing in. OH MY>
Mark FROM
http://markandlauree.blogspot.com Land Yacht Ahoy Travel Blog
I still wouldn’t travel without slides. Our coach is ~3 years old and the slides are all happening “at once”. The seals get old and this coach sat in the sun for a year or so in S.Cal before it sold. It’s not too bad really ‘coz that way we get to take care of all of them at the same time and hopefully get another good 5 years before another slide seal problem.
Nina
As the old saying goes:
“When life gives you lemons make lemonade.” Enjoy!
Indeed! The way I try to live my life!
Nina
Some days the repairs seem never ending. But I’m glad you went ahead and got ‘er done before heading out. Have a great time with your hiking buddies.
Yup, I think we made the right choice. Eugene is THE spot to get this fixed and we just had to take advantage of being here.
Nina
Well I am glad it is working out….wish I could say I invented the phrase, but I didn’t, however I will be darned if I remember where or when I first heard it…
I’ve heard it before too, but your recent comment sparked it back into life. You definitely provided the inspiration!
Nina
I didn’t invent that phrase either, but it is well known among RVers, especially when plans have to be changed. I believe we first heard it when we attended the now defunct Life on Wheels school. Another quote we use often: It’s all part of the adventure!
Definitely a part of the adventure. I think every RVer would understand!
Nina
when life throws you a curve you just need to go with the flow and make it the best possible outcome…
We’re are indeed…a-flowing…:)
Nina
Nothing wrong with spending more time in Eugene, especially this time of year! Eugene has beautiful fall color, and I can only imagine what wonderful autumn produce you’ll discover at the farmer’s market. If you get in the mood for Thai food, check out Chao Pra Ya downtown. I hope your repairs go smoothly.
Cheers for the tip! Thai food sounds like just the ticket!
Nina
Sorry to hear about your slide woes…….but glad you have just the guys to fix it there. Good Luck!!!
Do you have one of those full wall sides? I have read and hear they tend to give more problems that the smaller ones…
Hi TJ,
No we have 4 slides in our coach, but we do have one “heavy” slide with a fridge inside the slide-out. I think if I were to buy a new RV I wouldn’t get a rig with a fridge in the slide-out.
Nina
So sorry to hear about your slide! Glad you were able to find someone reliable and GOOD! You two are so flexible. Glad you can fly out to your reunion. It sounds like you will have a wonderful time. Safe travels and have tons of fun!
Yeah, having GOOD people here made our choice for us. Once you find a great repair-guy it’s hard to pass them by. These guys are top notch!
Nina
Sorry to hear about more slide troubles but happy about the freebie site review. That’s one we’ll definitely make use of if we get over to Eugene. Might even have to call your guys up and get some things taken care of while we are there as well!
Brent,
The guys we worked with are definitely top notch. And it’s great that they’re mobile too.
Enjoy your trip south!
Nina
We were supposed to be on the road as of April 1 the start of our full timing adventure. Guess what we had, slide out issues, can’t be extracted nor retracted and the jacks were inoperable. It took the repair guys three weeks to figure and resolve what the issue is. Reading your own issues with your slideout made me calm down and take this in stride and consider this part of the adventure.