Coach Prep

Quo is in her third of four weeks of preparation at Tom Schaeffer's RV in Pottsville, Pa now.  We went up to look over the progress on Thursday this week.

Aaron, a grandson of business founder Tom Schaeffer, is one well bred service focused family business person!  He has stepped us through our sometimes unique process at every turn and has kept us fully informed via email or phone of any new ideas or changes in plans.

The techs and other service and sales persons we've met have been just as helpful.  In fact, I learned from Aaron that this third generation family business knows a bit about the fourth generation business I grew up in, Stauffer's of Kissel Hill. It seems family businesses that successfully plan generational success have one thing definitely in common; they treat their customers welfare as the main reason they are in business, and they treat their employees and each other with the utmost respect.

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A bit of news about our sold house at 100 Holly Drive:  It hasn't.  The buyer discovered they could not get the planned loan so we are back to showings and open houses.

It's good there's a Dunkin' Donuts with a comfortable couch to read on just 3 blocks from the house for all those times we are not to be home when guests arrive.

Back to the coach.

Quo won't be getting the planned solar panel array we spoke of earlier.  The cost is much higher than we'd hoped and the return, even in usefulness on the high desert, is minimal, unless we literally cover the roof with panels that are manually adjustable to the angle of the sun. And that cost?  'Fugat' about it!' as Tony Soprano might say.

Also, the bed won't be receiving the auto-lifters we were hoping for to get it to rise for easier access to the engine and storage compartments.  It seems the quality of the mattress and frame is just too great!  in other words, it's way too heavy in solid construction and insulation.  Any lifter system on the market is too lightweight to handle it. So we'll just have to rely on strong mechanics at shops we visit, and my arm will have to fully heal to get to the under-bed storage myself.

The LED bulbs are arriving as I type and we decided to replace all exterior bulbs as well.  Much brighter, loads of saved battery power, and tens of thousands of hours of use and an upgrade to coach value to boot.

Mechanically and visually Quo's former family, the Hickson's of Mobile, Alabama, get HIGH marks from the techs at Schaeffer's for the way the 8 year old coach has been maintained.  They say they always love to work on older RV's that are in great shape, and in the case of this one, especially the WRV brand.  It's rare that they get one in since so few were made in the companies 30 year existence and they noted some great features not always found on similarly priced coaches of the pre-RV-crash era (before 2008).

The quality of basement door locks which provide added security, multi-level protective computerized devices connecting all power sources through one Xantrex system, and especially the wood work craftsmanship throughout the interior are just three such examples.

The CRV tire pressure system was connected wirelessly without a flaw to the coach while we were driven up to the nearby Cabella's Superstore to browse, read and have lunch while the work was being done.  Major thanks to John and Kim McGrath for getting those sensors mounted on each CRV wheel beforehand. And now the coach charges the car battery as we tow so the Patriot auxiliary braking system doesn't such the car battery dry as it protects the car on fast stops.

Finally, the most important addition to the coach of all.  The NAME PLATE was installed on the front of the coach!  Now we are almost THERE!