Back in California's 100+ Degree Weather

At Sister's House, Citrus Heights, CA

There is only ONE thing that would bring us back to the HOT Sacramento Valley...and that is someone who is sick.  Yep, dad ended up in the hospital again last Tuesday.  On Wednesday we made the decision to return, but it was raining in Southwest Oregon, so Thursday would be the day we would take off...but there was one slight problem...

 

Two weeks earlier as we returned from our weekly tank emptying, I surprisingly see this GASH in my front passenger tire.  WHAT!!!!  It was not there when we left my sister's place four weeks earlier.  The gash also included a balding spot about 3 inches each way...other than that the tread looked good.  

Down in Gold Beach there is a Chevron Gas Station which still does car service...for $20 they put the spare on the front right and that tire on the spare.  Although I was worried about driving those short 8 miles, we made it without problem...doing it as part of the next Tuesday tank dumping routine.  Besides dumping our tanks we also filled up with propane at the Union 76 gas station further south in Gold Beach, put in $40 of gas to get us to Fred Meyer in Brookings when we did leave...but the first priority was getting that tire changed.

 

For two weeks since discovering the bad tire, I had researched what tires I wanted to put onto the motorhome.  I knew I wanted to continue with Discount Tire...they have treated us well, and they are nationwide (not all states, but a bunch of them).   When the guy at the gas station took the tire off, he said that it appeared that the belt had busted, causing a weak area and eventually the hole.  We got these tires in the El Paso area back in 2015, and we have put over 55,000 miles on them, which included a trip to Alaska in 2016.  These tires were free, part of a recall of Michelin Tires which had history of the belts breaking...and one broke on us causing a blowout back in 2015.  I did buy a 7th tire back then as a spare...which was rotated onto the motorhome a few years later.  Bottom line, I was not comfortable with Michelin anymore. 

 

Found a website published a few months ago by the US Auto Authority titled "Best RV Tires for Motorhome,Travel Trailer or Camper 2019".  This is their top 10:

 

I then did more research on the Michelin XPS RIB and the Bridgestone Duravis M700.  There was NO WAY I was going to put on Goodyear, something that dates back to 1976 when I bought a set of Goodyears for my Malibu...long story which is not worth talking about now.  I decided upon the Bridgestone and planned to order them 10 days before we would originally have gone through Medford...buying tires in Oregon would be $250 cheaper than in California, and even a little less than in Florida...but there was no way we were going to Florida on these tires.  With our two week earlier departure date, I called Discount Tire in Medford on Wednesday and placed the order,  I was assured they would be in on Thursday around noon.  So at 6:30 Thursday morning we pulled out, bought coffee at one of those little coffee stands, pulled into a turnout to feed the dogs, filled up with gas in Brookings at Fred Meyer ($3.25 per gallon) and by 8:30 we were on the Redwood Highway in California headed for Medford.  Around 9:30 we got a call that the tires were in...but two hours later we got another call to say that only 4 tires were in, the other 2 were coming out of Washington State and would not be in until Friday...

 

I knew that the Valley of the Rogue State Park, 15 miles north of where Discount Tire was located in Medford, had nightly openings...so we drove there.  One thing about Medford is that we HAVE to drop by Harry and David to get sister Sandy Moose Munch, along with other goodies for Arny, Patti and Mom and Dad...so we took care of that on Thursday after setting up camp.  Thank goodness there is a Cracker Barrel near Harry and David now, so we took care of that too.

With 4 tires at the store, and 2 more coming in around noon, we arrived at Discount Tire at 10 am. after filling with gas again at Fred Meyer, $2.75 per gallon. When FedEx arrived with the delivery, he did not have the tires because there was no room in the van when he left.  Telling him our predicament, he graciously returned to the terminal and got the dozen or so tires he had for delivery to Discount Tire, including our two.  I was so thankful, I gave him $10 for lunch, which he was very thankful for.  By 2:30 we were on our way.  Now, THIS is why I like Discount Tire.  Due to the bad tire experience with the Michelins, and with the one day delay in getting the tires, we were charged $1,075, which included a Certificates for Refund or Replacement for all 6 tires, mounting, balancing, tire disposal, and tax...oh ya, there is NO TAX in Oregon!  This is a savings of $275 over the normal Oregon price, and $500 less than the price we would have paid in California for all of this.  If there is a problem...if they screw up...if tires you bought previous did not meet your expectations, they take care of you.  As we pulled away, sister Patti texted me...dad was being released from the hospital.  Thought about turning around...but that thought did not last long.  I knew we would not make it to Citrus Heights on Friday, but we did get the motorhome washed at Blue Beacon Truck Wash in Corning, and stayed at the Willows Rest Area, 100 miles from Citrus Heights.  A bit hot, a bit noisy, by 6:30 Saturday morning we were on our way again, dumping our tanks again, stopping for coffee and feeding the dogs, we pulled into Arny and Sandy's at 9:30.  Nice to be back, but not nice weather.  Oh ya, I almost forgot...mom and dad moved to a different Assisted Living place on Friday, same day dad got out of the hospital.  Oh, what a weekend this has been!

  

HHR Gets New Tires

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

We put tires on our motorhome back in 2015…lucky a Michelin Tires recall paid for six out of the seven tires at Discount Tire Store near El Paso.  Since then, we have had to stop at Discount Tire a few times due to stem problems because of our Tire Sensors…I have since gone to metal stems, and although I paid for the metal stems through Napa Auto, Discount Tire put them on for free.  So with our HHR needing new tires, I sure wanted to find a Discount Tire (called America’s Tire Store out on the West Coast).  Our nearest one is in Lakeland Florida, a LONG 60-65 mile distance from where we live.  LONG because it is not all Interstate, and can take two hours to get there depending on traffic.

I made an appointment for 11:30, and left the condo just about 9:30.  I have gone to Lakeland taking highway 54 to I-275 south to I-4 east and over to Lakeland…but Discount Tire was on the extreme north side of Lakeland, so I opted to stay on highway 54 through to highway 98…and that was a mistake.  Once you get onto the other side of I-275, highway 54 becomes county road 54, and things slow down a bunch until you get to highway 98.  I pulled in right at 11:29…I hate to be late, and that was too close.

 

The Discount Tire Store website says that the HHR takes a 215/50-R17 tire, and I picked out one for about $60…which after installation and 3 year replacement, came to $400.  Once I got there, and they pulled me in as soon as I was done at the register, we found out that what I really needed was a 16” tire due to the wheel size I have on the HHR.  So the new tire size, with what they had on hand, cost about $6 more per tire…so I went with that.  I should have looked at the tires I had on it and not relying on their website...lesson learned.

For the past year we have been having problems with the HHR’s internal tire sensor system.  While I was getting the tires replaced, I decided to replace all four sensors since three of the four were bad or acting up.  This problem was detected because the yellow tire deflated icon would light up every time the car is started, and the notification window would say “low tire” and/or “tire sensor”.  Well, I provided the four sensors (from Amazon), and Discount Tire put them in for free as part of the installation process.  By 12:31 I was back on the road and called Marcia to let her know I had lost a good friend.  “WHO????” she asks.  “My yellow tire sensor light…it is gone…all gone!”  It is nice being able to see what each tire is inflated to again, that's for sure!  By the way, I took I-4 to I-275 to highway 54 to get home…it only took a bit over 90 minutes including getting gas and a diet Pepsi.  I told them that I can't wait until they open a Discount Tire Store in our area.

Back in August 2015, I had to replace this little Solenoid, a 12 Volt Continuous Duty Solenoid which allows the motorhome engine to charge up the house batteries.  In real cold weather, like in the 40’s or below, it has not been working very well…so I replaced this $20 solenoid again.  Since I wrote a detail about it back in August 2015, it was easy to know what I needed to order, and how to replace it.  Click this link if you want to know more about replacing this solenoid.

Speaking of weather…the next seven days are going to have cold nights, and daytime temps under 70 each day…for Florida that is cold…to me it is WONDERFUL!  Looks like another good reason to make more soup!

NOTE:  My last post was about problems with Open Live Writer, and those problems still exist.  This post was written using the method talked about in that last post, and I have heard from a few people who used my method and it worked for them too.

Wonder if we can just camp at Discount Tires?

Yes, here we are, back at a Discount Tire store.  As we fired up the motorhome to leave this morning, the driver inner tire read low.  Yep, we should have had the new valve put in at the Discount Tire back in Michigan…but I was in a hurry.  Could have spent 15 more minutes there instead of nearly 2 hours today, but it is what it is.  We have been to too many of these nice places lately…but I think we have her fixed now.

Here you can see our tire sensor.  Driver inner side reading 56 psi…should be 80.  The 116F above the 56 is how hot the tire is.  And yes, sitting in the parking lot of Discount Tire, with the engine running for A/C purposes with outside temps in the low 100’s will do that to a tire.  I told “Cash”, the guy who first started our repair, that I did not see how he handled the temps working outside in Phoenix.  He said, “I have been asking myself that for the past three years…”  Well, he was lucky…it was his lunch time, and another young man took over just as he was about to take the lug nuts off.  I did not get this young man’s name, but he is working his FOURTH summer, and attends Penn State University.  “Wanted to get away from the heat,” he said.   Well, I did not want to call him an idiot, but in the WINTER it is not cold in Phoenix, yet is FREEZING in State College during the winter.  Well, I think he has one more year left…and after a 90 minute wait to get working on it, he had us on the road within the 2 hour mark.  So instead of heading up I-17 in the cooler mid-morning…we headed up right at the heat of the day…103 degrees according to our onboard thermometer.  But we made it without any issues up to the 6,000+ elevation mark.   Still feel sorry for them tire guys having to sit on the hot asphalt to get the tires off…but the RV won’t fit in their bays, so all the work to get tires off and on has to be done outside.  Luckily, we were able to keep the engine going so Marcia did not have to get out and could sit in the comfort of the cool front seat.  That is, until Skruffy took it over and she decided to sit in the recliner and take a short hot nap.

    

By 5 pm we were sitting in our spot at Kaibab Lake National Forest Campground outside of Williams.  It is $12 per night with the NP Senior Pass, no hookups, but so very, very quiet.  Temps have been in mid to low 70’s from our arrival, and are probably close to mid-60’s  as we near 8 pm, and time to feed the dogs.

Not a neighbor within sight nor hearing distance.  Had a few people walk by, a few cars drive by…oh, it is going to be a nice, cool (cold maybe) night.  Tomorrow…the Grand Canyon.

Major Screw Up – or Should it be ‘Down’?

Floor Jack, RV Jack, Pneumatic Lug Nut Gun on grass…Yep, a sign that putting on the Tire Pressure Valves did not go as easy as it should have.

SOMEBODY…OK, it was me…broke the valve stem while putting on an extender in order to attach the passenger side front tire monitor device to the tire.  First mistake, I did not think the front tires needed any extenders, so I did not get any through Amazon.  Second, the first set I got from Autozone were not long enough…but came in a pack of four.  So I put two together just to see if that length (2 1/2 inches) would work, and it did, but I was not going to have two of these together because it was too flimsy, and too much room for fault / failure.  So I went to Napa Auto Parts, and they sent me 13 miles into Sacramento (15 from where the Napa Store was located, 13 from the RV) where I got two solid 2 1/4 inch extenders.  Got back to the RV, and took off the smaller connected extenders, put these on…no pressure.   So I took the Tire Sensor off and pushed the extender…no air pressure.  So I took the extender off and saw a small o-ring from the smaller extenders I previously bought, which was fouling up the system.  Removed it, put on the extender, and there was pressure.  Put on the monitoring sensor, and it worked.  But the small locking screw was up against the wheel’s rim, so I tried screwing the extender on a bit more and BAM, it twisted right out, air rushes out of the tire, I feel STUPID.  We have another FLAT! 

If you look closely, you can see the broken threads of the valve inside the extender.  Arny was able to get that out with a back-out device on his drill, so the extender was saved...the valve to the tire is history.

So after we got the tire lug nuts off, I take the tire down to America’s Tire (same as Discount Tire)…and they are being slammed with Business.  However, since they did not have to pull a vehicle into a bay to take the tire off the car (RV in my case), they were able to get right on it.  But they ran into a snag….they did not have the valve.  So back to Napa, this time in Rockland…and they need to send me, you guessed it, all the way back to the Napa 13 miles from Arny’s house, 20+ miles from America’s Tire, and 19 miles from the Napa in Rockland.  Now I am hitting up against a deadline…we are all going out to dinner at 4:00, and it is just past 3:00 pm.   Also, there is no “for sure thing” that the part I am going after is the correct part, but it looks like it is.

So back to Napa, this one shown above from a Google Street View.  I call Arny and let him know what is going on, talk to Marcia and tell her that she will need to ride to the restaurant with someone else, and to bring me a clean shirt to change into.  At 3:45 I call and let her know I am 10 minute from America’s Tire, part in hand. I call at 4:00 to let them know I am in the car headed to the restaurant, tire fixed and in back of the HHR.  America’s Tire fix me right up…did not charge me a dime.  How nice we bought that $22 per tire guarantee! 

Here is a cell phone picture of us at dinner…Arny’s mom, at the end of the table in a wheel chair, insisted on taking us all out to dinner before we left for Alaska.  Dad is there too, but out of the picture to the right, Marcia can barely be seen to the left.  I took the picture, so I made it too!  In fact, I pulled up next to them as they pulled into the parking lot, and mom and dad pulled in right behind me.  We have a GREAT dinner at Claim Jumpers, which we always seem to have, and David, our server, was real good.

   

Tire on left is the front, you can see the sensor to the bottom right, and that shinny thing it is attached to is the new valve and the extender.   Tire right is the rear tire, with a sensor in the four o’clock and the ten o’clock positions for these dully tires.  Got them all filled up with air to the right pressure, got the non-flow through sensors put on the car, and everything is working and talking to the monitor.  Arny is always, make that ALWAYS, a big big help in these situations.  It is so nice to be able to park in their backyard, just ask Bubba and Skruffy.

So I left the RV at 10 am to get a few errands done, including picking up the first set of extenders…and ten hours later, all is well.  But it was a bit of Hell getting there, that’s all I have to say.  Tomorrow is departure day…Alaska is the destination.  I hope I don't have to fix anything for the next three months...but of course, we all KNOW that is just a dream.

$$$$$$$$ minus RECALL = $$$

After I posted yesterday’s blog, I got online to be sure that the Michelin Tires we were going to purchase would work on the motorhome…and what others thought of them.  During this search I see the word “Recall”, so on a hunch I do a search on the tires we had on the motorhome, Michelin LT 225/75R16, and recall.  BINGO, found out that our tires were on a recall because, “a small number of the tires being recalled experienced tread loss and/or rapid air loss.”

We arrived at Discount Tire in Canutillo, Texas.  This store was opened in 2011, and looks brand new.  At 8 am, we were the first and only customers….but others showed up soon after opening.  I explained about our blowout, about the recall, and the staff there (sorry, forgot names) were so great.  I think Andree was the name of the sales guy who took care of us.  He got the stuff together, talked to the manager, and went out to see if the inside duel tires, which were just being taken off, were also of the same batch as the other four.  The manager tells me that “if” they are, we would get six new tires compliments of Michelin, but we would need to pay for balancing….and had the option to buy a three year guarantee for all the tires for $22 per tire.  I asked him what would happen if we had a blow out in Canada or Alaska?  He said, “Provide us a receipt and we will reimburse you.”  So for right around $500, we have seven new tires.  Six provided by Michelin, the spare bought by us, lifetime rotation and balancing, and three year full guarantee on all seven tires.  Essentially we saved around $1,200 had we bought six new tires.  We were in at 8:00, out by 9:30.  ALL of the staff were just great.

Safercar.gov provides a search of tire recalls, investigations, and complaints.   Had we not known about the recall, chances are that the staff working at the tire dealership would not have known either.

Above is an example of a tire that blew similar to ours.  Andree looked at ours and said, “It is exactly like how the recall bulletin said how the tires were failing!”  Had we been going 70 mph, the tire probably would have come apart, perhaps doing damage to the inside tire too.  We were very fortunate.

  

So now we have a GREAT spare, seven new tires to drive on….

We did lose one lug-nut cover in the process……and

…..we won a slightly used car!  (ok, I threw that one in for my brother-in-law Arnie…..this is the type of car that he use to work on….but he would NEVER give it a paint job like this!)

Hit some winds today, blew up a bunch of dust to the east of us as we headed up to Silver City, New Mexico.

They are building some sort of reservoir at the foot of the mountains…and that also blew up a bunch of dust.  The picture does not catch it, but with the naked eye it looks like a steady flow of dirt blowing from west to east along the work area.

  

We are at the Rose Valley RV Ranch in Silver City.  It is a Passport America park, you get the 50% discount if you stay two nights, which means you buy one, get one free, which we call a BOGO in the grocery stores back home.  The park has around 70 sites, and they are somewhat spread out.  We got a pull-through for $38.00 total for the two nights.  Does not have cable TV, but there are over-the-air stations, and you don’t have to worry about large trees block your satellite signal if you are so inclined to use satellite.  The WiFi is not the best, but they are in the middle of doing upgrades….a week or so from now and it should be pretty good according to the lady in the office…..who was super nice.

We know one thing for sure, we are not going to have any noise coming from behind us because all those neighbors will still be fast asleep when we leave.  (if you can’t see it, it is a graveyard)

This Time….Motorhome Tire!

Between Van Horn and Fort Hancock Texas, we heard a noise that sounded like something fell out of place on our counter top area, or refrigerator, than a slight rattle.  Marcia got up, I slowed down to 45 (we were only going our normal 60), within 30 seconds or so, a BAM!  At that point, I knew it was a tire, just wasn’t sure which one.

It was the outer passenger side tire.  Even after the BAM there was not a whole lot of vibration until I really slowed down.  After looking over things, I decided that I needed to be less than a tenth of a mile further down the highway so that I could pull further off the highway, but still be in good spot for the tow truck driver that I knew we would have to call.

We have Blue Sky RV Insurance which includes Roadside Assistance.  I give them a call, and although that process took 15 minutes, within 25 minutes we knew we had a tow truck on the way, and 20 minutes later he was there, and 30 minutes later we were on the road.

Blue Sky had called R & S Tire & Mechanic Service, and a nice Hispanic man came out and took care of us.  Although I asked his name, I did not write it down….he was super nice.

We carry a spare on the back, and after getting the cover off I look for a tire date.  This tire has never been used, but is ten years old.  We cannot use it safely for very many miles.

So tomorrow we are going to this Discount Tire Store in Canutillo, Texas.  We are at a Good Sam’s RV park near by which is costing us $23 for full hookups, including around 100 TV stations on cable.  Our current tires are only 4 years old, but since we have had the motorhome for less than a year, and have no idea how it was stored, we are thinking that we might put new tires on tomorrow instead of waiting another couple of years…especially since Alaska is on our radar…as is a tire pressure monitoring system.

For the most part, Easter Sunday highway at 9 am was pretty bare.  There were a few trucks who blew by that, because they were being passed at the time, were unable to move over into the inner lane...but other than rocking the motorhome a little bit, all was well.

So we are staying at the Gaslight Square Mobile Homes Estates and RV Community.  It is a mobile home park,  but they dedicate a small area near the entrance for this RV park which holds about 25 RVs.  Not the ideal place to park, but ok for the night.....sure hope to be back on the road tomorrow.