[VAC] Re: General Maintenance frequency

[wescott50@xxxxxxxxx (Bill Scott)]

Dear Jill,

Your Dad is exactly right.  If you want an "Old" Vintage coach, and a
vintage or classic tow vehicle, be prepared for "Constant" maintenance.
I have had several Airstreams, since 1996.  Just a rookie, a newcomber,
compared  to Terry Tyler, or some of the other veterans.  As soon as you
take possession of a vintage coach, you start thinking about and looking
for "soft floors", "electrical shorts", a very ofd refrigerator, that
only works well in the winter time, or when you are way up in the
mountains, windows that leak, or don't close tightly,  packing wheel
bearings, that you can't find seals for, leaky old LP regulators, and
connections, a battery that never seems to be "fully charged".  A water
heater that won't stay lit, dripping valves around the grey and black
tanks.  A sewer hose that always has a "pin hole "  in it,  A
thermocouple in your frig, that has shaken loose , because the roads
were a little rough.   A battery , that must be removed in the winter,
tanks and pipes that must be drained and blown clean in the winter.
Reverse the process in May, when things warm up.  An exterior skin, that
needs re-buffing every second year, or re- coated every 5 years if you
live in the Southwest where the UV rays are strong.    Always something
is loose, and needs to be re-tightened.  If you have to park the coach
outdoors, you have to be careful about rust, and mildew.   How much more
time do you have, and how many more pages can I type?    Believe me, it
goes on, and on, and on, and ON.

Your dad was exactly right,.....it requires lots of maintenance.  But
you see, us crazies on this list, must enjoy maintenance, as part of the
game.  What we secretly believe, is that we can fix the problem, so it
is strong enough, that ,  it will never break again.
Bahahahahahahaha!!!!!   Maybe if I pounded my head against a brick wall,
my headache would go away.  %^)
Some of the finest, award winning coaches I have seen, in the VAC, are
owned by engineers, and mechanical wizards.  They CONSTANTLY work on
their coaches to get them,  "Just Right", but , you see, right around
the next corner is something waiting to break, so these madmen, will
have something to do, with their free time.   Resign yourself to your
dad's wisdom, and be prepared for "lots" of maintenance...........Buy
several tool boxes.

Bill Scott
Charter Member and Membership Chairman
Washington DC Unit,  WBCCI   #3221
Our Homepage;  http://www.servintfree.net/wbcci-dc/