28 minutes ago, Second Chance said:

We prefer to set money aside regularly (earning interest) and pay for repairs as they come up.

While this is by far the best approach, it requires both the funds to do that and also the selfdissipline to keep all of it there and to contribute to it as planned. If the cost of replacing an engine or transmission would mean the end of your travels, then you should consider an extended warranty, but if you have ability to pay for even the most expensive of repairs, then you would be foolish to get one. An average traditional gasoline engine will cost between $4,500 and $6,000 to replace with a new engine. Even a used engine may cost you around $3,000 to $4,000. Four-speed transmissions are going to run between $3,000 and $4,000. If it's a six-speed, you're probably looking at between $4,000 and $5,000. 

If you were to set aside $10,000 as a reserve and then add $100/month into it for the years that you travel, paying out of it only for major repairs, you could have the needed funds to help replace the RV when the time comes, if you never have a major repair to pay for. 

11 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

A point of general knowledge; do not start the engine unless you can drive the vehicle for 20 minutes to get everything, including motor oil up to normal operating  temperature.

That is true for any vehicle engine if it has been sitting long enough to be considered to be a dry start, according to the Ford tech support folks. They define a dry start as all oil having drained from the lubrication points and it is typically about 2 weeks. The reason that they gave me for driving was to warm not only the engine but also the transmission enough to evaporate any moisture that may have condensed inside and to fully lubricate all critical points in the entire drive train. 

Extended warranties are not really a warranty but an insurance policy covering repairs. It is very important to make sure that any you consider be of the type that covers everything except the listed items, rather than the type that only cover listed items. You should also shop the extended warranties, if you plan to buy one and Wholesale Warranties does seem to have a pretty good reputation, but don't discount the one offered by the dealer without checking it out first as some of the are good and others not so good. Realize that only rarely does an extended warranty, or any other insurance policy save you money as they are written by "for profit" companies and must take in enough to pay their salaries and profits in addition to what is paid out in claims. We buy insurance for our homes because it would be a financial disaster if it was destroyed and because the mortgages companies require us to do so. Insurance of any kind should only be purchased if it will pay for a loss that would be financially destructive if not covered. While it was some time ago, RV Extended Warranties was published in Escapees Magazine and most of what it says still applies.

3 hours ago, Funster101 said:

Good news.

Great news! And thanks for coming back to let us know the latest. 

1 hour ago, Arnie Strauss said:

You can see this (on line) in the 2024 Corsair PHEV owner's manual.

2024 Corsair PHEV owner's manual

Towing Your Vehicle  (page 496)

Switching Neutral Tow On 1. Switch your vehicle on in accessory mode. 2. Press the menu button on the steering wheel to enter the information display main menu. 3. Select Settings. 4. Select Neutral Tow. 5. Follow the instructions on the information display. 6. Fully press the brake pedal. 7. Shift into neutral (N). 8. Switch the ignition off. Note: Switching neutral tow on requires battery power. Note: If the parking brake is applied, a message appears in the information display.

Note: If your vehicle has an ignition key, you cannot remove the key from the ignition when the transmission is in neutral (N) and your vehicle is off. Note: Start the engine and allow it to run for a few minutes at the beginning of each day, and every six hours or fewer. With the engine running and your foot on the brake, shift into drive (D) and then into reverse (R) before shifting back into neutral (N). Before continuing to tow, switch neutral tow on.

Let us know when you get us and give us a review. As to the baseplate and towbar, even though I have used Blue Ox for years, I would not hesitate to use one from Roadmaster as they also have an excellent rating and a long history of quality and support. 

Are you referring to the US District Court, Eastern District of Texas, located in Beaumont, TX? Since there is no special arrangement between the court and the Escapees, I strongly recommend that you contact the court as quickly as possible to discuss your situation. The only arrangement for jury service is with the Polk County Courts.

Clerk's Office and CM/ECF Help Desk: (409) 654-7000

Jury Clerk:

• Re: Qualification Questionnaire postcard or form:
  (866) 291-6747
• Re: Summons to Report for Jury Duty:
  (409) 654-6200

Office Hours:
 

Monday - Friday (except Federal Holidays)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Mailing Address:

United States District Clerk
Jack Brooks Federal Building and United States Courthouse
300 Willow Street Suite 104
Beaumont, Texas 77701

20 hours ago, bthomforde said:

What do other full timers do in a case like this?

Unfortunately, difficulty in choosing a doctor has become the norm for pretty much everyone today and particularly so for seniors. Because most doctors with established practices are so busy that they can be selective about who they accept. Another consideration is the type of healthcare plan that you have. Many doctors who do accept new patients will not accept new Medicare patients and some who do so don't accept Advantage plans. As a diabetic patient, if you know others I suggest that you get recommendations from them.  If you share the location of your domicile there may be someone on the forums who can suggest some possible choices. 

13 hours ago, ms60ocb said:

Something like $65 but a new pump (same M/N) was less $100 or pump over $200

A lot depends on which Sureflo pump you have. Amazon Sureflo pumps

The same is true of Sureflo Rebuild Kits from Amazon or other places.

2 hours ago, lappir said:

A couple of days ago I decided to try and investigate further, but really could not see where the pump was,

What I have done to find the location of a leak is to wrap a paper towel around each possible location and then test the system for a short time. The towel will show effects from being wet even if it should dry before you get back to it. Locating the source is usually the most difficult part. 

2 hours ago, lappir said:

I'm looking for info about rebuilding the pump.

Many pumps do have rebuild kits available but if the leak is from the pump housing that will probably mean replacing the pump. Before you to that make sure that it isn't just a fitting that is leaking. 

2 hours ago, lappir said:

I found my water heater drains back into the fresh tank when all water is shut off.

Does the water tank get full when the RV is connected to city water? If so that does mean that the pump is not acting as a check valve as they should. I don't remember having heard of a water heater emptying back to the tank before but if it did with the electric element turned on, it would likely destroy it in time. 

3 hours ago, Expat2B said:

My concern was the DMV needing to use my vehicle tag # on my license as they do for RV owners.

Are you sure that license number is on the driver's license?

Two questions to consider, RV fire or accident when you must exit quickly.

8 hours ago, DanZemke said:

I clearly failed to convey what I meant to. 

No problem whatsoever. I actually understand the reason for paywalls as the magazines are not nonprofit and can not operate for free. Magazines and newspapers have been struggling due to the decrease in subscribers and the availability of information on the internet is the primary reason. I actually pay for several emagazines, but fewer than I once subscribed to and I've not subscribed to a newspaper in about 10 years. 

Dan, in nearly all cases, using cut/paste to drop the heatline in question into the Google search will bring multiple sources and frequently many will have the exact same article with the same author. I guess that I just never considered it to be that difficult but I suppose for some it could be. 

1 hour ago, Chalkie said:

If, for example, Texas is your legal domicile and you spend winters in Texas, then vehicles that you keep in Texas and use in Texas need to be licensed in Texas.

That still violates the TX regulation that say that you must show "Evidence of Texas Vehicle Registration* for each vehicle you own."

3 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Try opening the story with a browser that isn't subscribed to the service.

Which is exactly what I did, but most of those sites will allow nonsubscribers to see for a limited time. When I go back and look for it I did see a place to subscribe that had a counter to tell me how many times I could read it before I had to subscribe. Most of us do not examine the entire page when looking at a news story. Since that happens from time to time, I just do a search on the subject, as it seems Dan does as well. 

So what about the retiree who has a summer home and a winter home and keeps a car at each location and proper registration of a car is where it is garaged, while driver's license properly is only in the state of domicile? I found on the DMV site where it states that you have only 30 days to register a car after you bring it to TX and also that you have 90 days to get your driver's license moved. I also found this on dps.tx.gov. 

• Evidence of Texas Vehicle Registration* for each vehicle you own. Registration must be current. Visit Texas DMV vehicle registration for more information. (New Residents who are surrendering an out-of-state driver license only)
• Proof of Insurance* for each vehicle you own

That still leaves the question of the winter/summer home folks? I suspect that most people simply pretend the other care doesn't exist. Most likely the reason for the registration issue is that so many people move in but do not transfer vehicle registrations until they are due to be renewed in the state that they moved from. If I remember correctly, we did that when we moved to TX from WY. I did look at several states and didn't find the same rule on any of those that I checked. 

2 hours ago, Chalkie said:

Texas seems a little backwards to me in that you have to register a vehicle before you can get a license,

I hear that from time to time, but I question it because our son moved to TX from WA several years ago and got his TX license right away, but didn't even bring his vehicle to TX for several months. I also have two grandchildren with TX licenses that do not own any vehicles. It has been so long since we moved to TX that I don't remember what we had to do.

1 hour ago, lappir said:

No personal reason for inquiring, but it came to mind when reading the posts. 

In a bankruptcy, the court determines what the assets are and how they will be distributed.

2 hours ago, Chalkie said:

This is not just you, Kirk, but I wish when people post links to articles that said articles were not behind the paywall.

I'm not sure how one is supposed to know that it is, but if you were to search on the headline, as Dan probably did, you can almost always find another source for that story.

Report: Regulators Issue Formal Orders to Wells Fargo to Enhance Monitoring

Regulators Say Wells Fargo Isn’t Doing Enough to Police Customer Crimes

§ 1020.220 Customer identification program requirements for banks.

(i) Customer information required —

That is a great reason to open an old thread. I hope that someone knows the answer. I gather that you didn't get anything back?

Thursday has seminars only until noon and there will be a few things in the afternoon like Dip a Chip for CARE. Thursday night is the big street fair with music and food as well as other activities. Friday is departure day so what you will miss on friday is the traffic jam that is always involved in leaving but is usually pretty much resolved by 10 or 11 am. There are no events on Friday. 

1 hour ago, palmeris said:

Easier to keep a cash transaction off the "books"

Also true for income taxes. 

9 hours ago, aztex said:

but I could leave that on the batteries for night time and go about business as usual. Any problem with approach?

None that I can think of but I would lift the leads at the dead converter.