Vegas Teacher

Thanks for the advice. I am going to have to go look after all of this COVID stuff settles down. Things are very locked down in Vegas, it is getting back to normal but pretty locked down overall.

Hello all,

I was going to put this on my insurance question but I thought I would just start a new thread.....

My wife and I are thinking about a motorcycle / Trike. 

Can anybody give me any opinions on the Harley Davidson Trike, Honda Goldwing Trike or the CanAM Spider. Will they fit or meet the weight requirements to get into a toy hauler or not, or are they short enough to fit on the back of the cab? Or how much bed do I need to have space. I am assuming they make them in a two seat configuration.

Any opinions or advice is welcome.

Later,

Vegas Teacher - Cory Ossana

Hello all,

I was going to put this on my insurance question but I thought I would just start a new thread.....

My wife and I are thinking about a motorcycle / Trike. 

Can anybody give me any opinions on the Harley Davidson Trike, Honda Goldwing Trike or the CanAM Spider. Will they fit or meet the weight requirements to get into a toy hauler or not, or are they short enough to fit on the back of the cab? Or how much bed do I need to have space. I am assuming they make them in a two seat configuration.

Any opinions or advice is welcome.

Later,

Vegas Teacher - Cory Ossana

Thanks to everybody for the advice. It seems silly to me that the trailer has to be attached to the truck for the insurance to work. l want to be able to go "Bobtail" when I want to do a short overnight trip into California and not worry about not being insured. Many times I go to train my German Shepherds for a sport called Schutzhund / IPO and I make a run up to the central Valley near Delhi California. Currently I drive my Toyota Tundra over, but would love to drive my 780 over and park at Love's, sleep and come home. Especially now, I really don't want to stay at a motel with all kinds of unknown stuff lingering in the room...

Anyway Thanks again for the advice. I am getting my tags and insurance worked out, so I can move my vehicle and get it checked over by True Blue Mechanics. If you remember from an earlier post I had a lot of B.S. happen a Volvo / TEC here in Vegas. I also saw a video from the dealership dash cam of another volvo owner, they pulled his truck into the shop and never touched it then tried to charge him for work they said they did. 

I will keep you guys posted and up to date on what happens.

Later,

Vegas Teacher - Cory Ossana

18 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

Phil reported he insured his with State Farm with a commercial policy for non commercial use. Stated very reasonable price. No restrictions except commercial use

Thanks, Good to know.

2 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Repeat after me; "No, but my shopping for a replacement has been delayed due to the current Covid-19 restrictions at the dealerships"".

I think that is good advice too. I think the person I had on the phone was stupid. She kept asking if it was a 5 passenger car? I didn't want to lie but I finally said sure if that works for you.

Hello Everybody

Well I finished the school year! Social distancing and distance learning were interesting. I stayed away from the HDT site because as the school year went on I just kind of got a little tired of the whole thing and did not want to come off as a negative person.

Anyway back in November I sold my trailer. It was going to cost more to fix than to what the entire trailer was worth. Today I called National General (Now Called AIS) to redo my insurance and they asked if I still had my old 2003 Fleetwood Pioneer Trailer. I said no and that is when issues came up. I am still waiting to hear about getting insurance on my 780 but They are not sure if they can insure me when or if I don't have my trailer. In Nevada my truck is tagged as a private truck, not commercial but I don't have the option to tag as an RV here. 

Any advice  would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Cory Ossana - Vegas Teacher

Alright I am trying to figure out what to do. So I wrote a while back about my experience at TEC / Volvo. I don't trust them at all. For those of you who didn't read it I will give you the reader digest version. They were supposed to look my truck over stem to stern and help me figure out all project I needed to be done. I got a call 2 days later saying I needed anywhere from 15000 to 40000 in repairs due to Gear Damage. When I got there I was told the Mechanic heard this in the engine and had not even moved the truck a centimeter from the exact way I had it parked. 

So a couple of days ago I went over to my storage place, got into my truck and looked at any fault codes it was throwing. I posted those this week.

So now what do I do? I can't go back to Volvo!

If I go to another Mechanic what should I tell him or ask him to look for? I have a lot of air leaks on this rig. I know they need to be fixed. I know I need new brakes up front. I also have an oil leak.

Wouldn't the "Gear Failure" have some kind of code come up? I am not getting any transmission codes showing. I get a low air to transmission when I start the truck, but after the tanks fill up that fault goes away.

I appreciate the help and advice!

Got to get back to the kids!

Later,

Cory Ossana - Vegas Teacher

Nigel, thanks 

Hello all......

I have a couple of fault codes and I tried to do a little searching on line, but not a mechanic so even if I read it, I don't understand it. Can you guys help me with that. So here they are:

MID 130 PSID 204 DIM 6 FOR THE ENGINE TRANSMISSION. 

MID 128 PID 111 FMI 1 FOR THE ENGINE ECU. 

Since I last wrote about the terrible experience at TEC VOLVO I have not moved my truck or even been in it. Today I pulled up the engine diagnostics. There was nothing on what was called active codes, just the old or in active codes. I still don't understand how a mechanic goes out to my truck, doesn't even move the truck a centimeter and diagnosis it with gear failure and wants charge me 20,000.00 to 40,000.00 to fix it.

Anyway if you guys can help me with this I would be very happy. I am sorry I have not been as active as I was in the past but I am so budy with my new school I don't know what day of the week it is sometimes. 

Later Cory Ossana 

Hey I just wanted to say thanks to all of you!

I am feeling much better now. I am looking into other shops and places to go to.

If anybody knows a good shop around Vegas, would you please send me a name or phone number. TEC was out of line, way out of line.

Thanks,

Cory Ossana

P.S. It is good to be back. I missed visiting / posting with everybody. Also Happy Holidays to you all!

Later,

Cory O

I agree with Carlos. I have the same range of temperature he does, plus I drive through some really cold areas going back to Kansas in the winter.

I go on Amazon and order aftermarket Lithium batteries. Many times these are a 1/3 of the cost. I have read about them not lasting as long or catching on fire. I have several cordless tools. I put them under a lot of pressure. I have never had any problems or seen any shorter charges being held. I am happy with them. If you have 3 or 4 extras on reserve when doing a big job that pulls a lot of juice they are nice to have on hand. Storage is the same with these, I see no difference where I put them or how careful I try to be with them.

I may not know semi's but I do a lot of wood working and carpentry, even though I am a high school biology teacher.

Later,

Cory O

4 hours ago, jenandjon said:

First of all you went to a dealer. Don't do that. They are way too expensive. I found that out again at the west coast rally when I took my truck to freightliner for a leaky water pump.

I just did a quick google search and found a bunch of independent diesel shops in Vegas. Read the reviews and pick one. There are a couple that look pretty good.

I don't know the specs on your truck but if you are worried about it at all. Have them run an overhead (tune up) and pull the oil pan to check the main bearings and rods. I had that done on my truck and found that it has been overhauled recently. So, I spent a couple grand but now I know I'm good.

I had a recommendation of a place called true blue truck service 

13 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

And we're a couple of hours south in The Casa Grande/Maricopa AZ area... Its just a short drive....

 

Hey might have to come down you way some time!

13 hours ago, Moresmoke said:

So you need a new engine and a new everything else, but they never moved the truck? I hate sleaze bags that give mechanics a bad name. Did they offer to take it off your hands for nothing too?

You we’re not wrong to want someone to check it over good. I am a firm believer in preventative maintenance. So in a former life, I was a mechanic at a Deere dealership. Did many, many inspections on combine harvesters. Not unusual to have a 20k repair bill, but we are talking half mil machines. But the flip side was the reduction in down time when it mattered most. Trucks are the same way, take care of them and your life will be easier.

You need to find a different shop. But, don’t feel bad, I dropped a radiator off at a shop 2 months ago to get fixed. Never heard from them. Called last week, no good, can’t be repaired. I stopped in on Friday, my radiator was sitting right where I set it when I dropped it off. Needless to say I will not darken that shop’s door again.

 

Why are places like that? Do they think we are stupid?

14 hours ago, Mark&Bonnie said:

Cory. Good to see you back again. Go somewhere different. That doesn't sound right at all. If you are back home again some time, give me a holler. We live in Arkansas City, not for from you home. Mark

Mark,

My dad was a Firestone Store manager who went town to town opening Firestone Stores and reorganizing them. We spent a Year and a half in Arkansas City. We lived on Stanely Drive and I went to Jefferson Elementary School in the Kindergarten and 1st grade. We used to go to Winfield, Witchita & Ponca City for fun.

Later,

Cory O

15 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

I'd go get the truck and run.  They saw a walking checkbook....

Many of the truck stops that perform oil changes and such can do a DOT inspection.  

I did, I am not going back! I might buy parts from them but that is it, unless I can find a place to buy volvo parts instead of TEC.

15 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

For that much, you could invest in a different truck.  I've been through a few annuals on HDT/trailers, never heard of one that bad.  Why did you take it in?  What problems were you experiencing?

I needed to get a steering problem looked at and air leaks fixed. I also thought it might need a new fuel pump. So I asked for a DOT inspection.

18 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

Have you been having truck issues?  I never heard of someone asking to do a complete inspection stem to stern.  That's asking for trouble.  I don't know anything about TEC but get out of there - fast.

Unless you're having issues with something specific just keep up with the normal maintenance.  No repair should cost that much!!!  If you do have a specific problem get a couple estimates on just that problem.

It was pulling to the right, and it had a lot of air leaks so I took it in to get looked at. While it was in the shop I asked for the DOT inspection.

Thanks,

Cory O

18 hours ago, Steve from SoCal said:

That sounds like a mechanic failure,

Don't know if there is a state agency that oversees mechanics, if there is I would call them and let them know what the shop told you.       Get their repair estimate in writing.      

The idea that this diagnosis was from a goober starting your truck is amazing, no metal in the oil, no disassembly, no nothing but, a guy hearing something maybe?        Did you have any weird noises or strange things going on with the truck before you took it there?

 

Steve  

No I did not have any noises. I took it in because my truck has a slight lean of 3/4 on an inch left to right. The Truck also pulls to the right as I drive it. I was told that Schrader trucking lines does that on purpose. I also have a bunch of air leaks. So while it was in the shop I told them to check it over. The fact my truck never made if from the parking spot and they don't even have an oil analysis machine in the shop, I find it very fishy.

Later,

Cory O 

Thanks! It is good to be back, been to busy. 

So Hello All been a long while..........

Hello and Happy Holidays to everybody out there. I have been radio silent and I haven't even been on the Forum since August. I am teaching at a new school and so busy I don't know where to begin some days. 

I sold my 24 foot Fleetwood Pioneer travel trailer. I put it on a consignment lot and got 1500.00 after commission was taken out of the cost. It was in pretty rough shape, I did not want to deal with Craigs List and did not want to argue or haggle with people.

So with 1500.00 in burning a hole in pocket I went to TEC equipment, truck in the parking lot and strode up to the service desk. I asked them if they would do a complete inspection and look over my truck stem to stern. Sure, no problem! I told them what I was doing and that they could keep it as long as they needed to just do a really good inspection.

Two days later I get an email - CALL US.........BAD NEWS

So on a Thursday, of las week, I call them after school lets out. They tell me my first project is 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 for gear failure and I needed another 15 to 20,000.00 worth of parts and labor done to the truck. I hang up the phone and proceed to the nearest toilet at school to puke my guts up. Before hanging up the phone I ask them If I can leave it at the lot until Saturday so I can figure out a way to break this news to my wife, they laughed and said NO PROBLEM.

When I got to TEC Vegas on Saturday morning the first thing I noticed was my truck was in the same parking spot. The next thing I noticed was it had not even moved, not an inch from where I parked it. Then when I went in they service person told me the mechanic started my engine and "Heard" gear failure so he stopped right there and wondered why my comercial 5th wheel was missing in the first place.

I am going to get a second opinion, I am not going back to TEC again.

Later,

Cory Ossana 

If I want to have a two door jeep and a 5th wheel how big of bed do I need to have put on for the trailer to be able to turn a 90 or more degree angle or more safely? What did you guys do, no I am not going to single mine.

I just came to this part of the forum I am usually over on the HDT hanging out on the dark side talking about my Volvo 780 and getting it set up to pull for me.

As far as truck stops go if you are ever in Hysperia California and looking for a place to pull off and stay for the night, the Pilot there is friendly to both truckers and people pulling trailers, as long as it is not a busy Sunday. Semi Drivers get first priority plus, be willing to park out in the back of the parking lot and not taking up prime spaces closer to the front of the Truck lot.

The Outpost Cafe is next door to the Pilot gas station in the same lot as trucks park. This is an excellent little place to eat. It has that Mom and Pop feel. I heard they even give out a free meal to truckers on Thanks Giving and Christmas that are on the road without their families, that is pretty awesome! My food is always Hot when it comes to the table, not just warm but hot.

We use the showers at the Pilot station. 12.50 clean and good service and that is for me and my wife at the same time in the same shower room. The first time I was there I asked the attendant what the procedure was how I got a shower room for each of us, he just looked at me and said you can both shower in there at the same time, he winked and gave me a thumbs up. In this day and age of political correctness you have to appreciate those that still have a since of humor. So I have nothing but good to say about this truck stop, and at the end of the day to stay and park for free, you can't beat it. I think they even have a dumping service too, but you might call and check that. Since we were only 100 yards from everything we needed we were not worried about dump services or water.

Later,

Vegas Teacher 

That is some great carpentry I am impressed!

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Being new to the road and driving the Volvo I have no illusions of where I sit on the ability range - somewhere near the bottom I am sure. I am learning ever so slowly and bugging the living @#$% out of Vegas Flyer. Anyway pictures and events like what happened in what was posted just remind me to not get into a hurry, leave a lot of room for mistakes and to watch everybody and everything going on around you. I know each time I get back behind the wheel of my truck I have to take a deep breath and remind myself:

1. This is not your Toyota Tundra.

2. You don't have an (oops!) accident, you kill somebody.

3. You don't want to go to jail for being stupid, and looking at your cell phone, radio, pond on the side of the road or the lady in the convertible next to you doing what???????? Yep my wife would not like that anyway LOL! I know it is serious but you get what I mean.

Later,

Vegas Teacher - Cory Ossana

P.S. Any snowbirds on their way out through Vegas yet?