We are now at the "campground" at National Indoor RV Center (NIRVC). It is really just a parking lot, but it is nice that they let us stay here while we're in for service. We've been going over our list and figuring out if there is anything we need to add or remove from the list of things we'd like for them to look at.
Dwayne had noticed that the driver's side low beam headlight wasn't working as we were leaving the campground on Friday, so when we got here, we decided to see if we could fix it, or if we'd need to put it onto our "list" for NIRVC. Although we had successfully gotten the passenger side one replaced ourselves (http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-productive-day-but-not-in-way-we-had.html) when we were on Prince Edward Island (PEI), we had also determined that getting *to* the bulbs in the two lights on the driver's side was going to be more complicated. We had also gotten extra bulbs while we were on PEI (http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2016/09/an-anne-kind-of-day.html) so we had the bulb to make the replacement if we could get to it.
Since the jacks are now working, we were able to get the front end of the bus a little more into the air than we had been able to do at PEI, but access to the back of the driver's side bulbs was still challenging. The wonderful thing about being married and working on these things together is: while either one of us could only get one hand at a time onto the back of the light area.... but *each* of us could get one hand on it, and working together, we could get the old bulb removed, and eventually (with amazing contortions being performed, unfortunately, no pictures!) we were able to get the new bulb installed and the daytime running lights and low beam headlights are both working now! Hurrah!!!
While we were preparing to work on the headlamp, our "neighbors" in the "campground" came back - they are a nice couple, fulltimers, from the Austin area. Unfortunately, they have been here 6(!!!) weeks getting warranty repairs done on their brand new (!!!!) motorhome. This seems to be more common than I would hope; almost everyone who purchases a new motorhome finds that they spend quite a bit of time at the manufacturer or dealer for repairs of things that probably should have never made it off the assembly line. I don't know what the solution of this is for anyone else, but for us, it is to purchase used and let someone else deal with all of that!
To some extent, it helped validate our choice of purchasing Miss Doozie. We've had a few days over the past few months of being annoyed at finding "this" or "that" thing that needs fixing. But... most of them don't need immediate correction, and many of them are "it sure would be nice if...". And, even though warranty repairs on a new rig are "free", with the items on our "list" for NIRVC, we will get a price on the repair/maintenance, decide if *we* want the repair/maintenance done for that price, and then give them the go-ahead, or not. With the warranty repairs, the request has to go back to the manufacturer on whether they will pay the shop to make the fix for the price that the shop wants to do it - I guess there may be some negotiation that goes on with that - and then there may be 6 weeks (or more) of waiting to get all the approvals and all the work done.
And.... they don't get the joy of figuring out that if each of you uses one arm/hand, you and your spouse can replace the driver's side lowbeam bulb on a 2000 Bluebird Wanderlodge!
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