How to Find a Mobile RV Tech

This week on the RV Podcast:

• How to find a Mobile RV Tech to handle your repairs and maintenance needs.
• The National Park Service’s insistence on using a credit card has resulted in lawsuits and lots of pushback from people being turned away from entry because they wanted to use cash for the fee.
• What it means if someone leaves a toy frog on your RV… or a rubber alligator…or a flamingo.
• The best way to hang photos, towel racks, and other items on the walls of your RV without pounding a nail.
• All this, plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #489 of the RV Podcast

You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.

If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:17 — 27.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

If you’ve ever been frustrated getting repair or maintenance service for your RV, our interview of the week in this episode is one you’ll find very helpful. We’ll talk to an expert on how a mobile RV Tech can come to your rescue and why that’s a service RVers are turning to more and more these days.

Spring is officially here! Winter is history. As we’ve been traveling around Florida and the Gulf Coast this past month, we've been seeing more and more spring break RVers coming into the area. Spring weather is very much here. The trees are budding out, flowers are blooming, and the warm weather is a hint at what is slowly making its way up north.

We are in the midst of a long term project that has us test camping in a number of different Class B RVs. Working with Nick Schmidt and his crew at Sunshine State RVs, we are right now testing out the fourth of what will be five different Class B campervans.

So far, we have tested a 20 foot model, 22 footers 24 footers gas and diesel models, two-wheel drive RVs, all-wheel drive units and a 4×4. We’ve been in models build on the Promaster, Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter chassis.

And when we are all done, we will have very detailed, in-depth reviews of each model, showing what we liked and didn't like and eventually picking a winner. We’ll release a video a day on this in a single week next month so stay tuned.

We’re doing this because so much has changed in Class B RVs, which continue to be the most popular motorhomes being sold today. Technology and design changes since we last had a Class B – about five years ago – have been very impressive.

Thanks to Sunshine State RVs in Gainsville, FL, for providing us with the models to test. We can’t wait to share our findings with you.

Meantime, have you visited our new  RVLifestyle Community? The group is growing daily, and we couldn't be more excited! The RV Lifestyle Community is a friendly place where you can connect with fellow RVers to share tips, ask questions, and share enthusiasm for camping. We have organized topics by groups (which are called Spaces), making it easy to follow topics that interest you.

We also do special Livestreams each week where members can interact and ask questions. You can chat with others (should you choose to do so), and there is a private space for our financial supporters to receive exclusive messages and other perks.

SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ – Wendy Bowyer

Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.

In our RVLifestyle Community in the General Discussion space, Anne said she was about to make a reservation at a campground in Illinois, but when she was looking at the reviews, she saw someone wrote: “Watch out for the chiggers!”  Anne is from California, where there are no chiggers, so she wrote she is now thinking about changing her route further north but first wondered if anyone had ever had a problem with chiggers or knew how to avoid them.

Suzanne suggested Anne wear long sleeves and long pants, and tuck the pants into her socks or wear boots and tuck the pants in her boots when she goes hiking, being sure to spray her clothes with an insect repellent like OFF. She also recommended Anne pack some calamine and Benadryl to help with the itch if she should get bit.

Jeff, who grew up in Illinois, said chiggers tend to be found in areas with tall grasses, so he suggested she stay in well-manicured areas to avoid them. And many also echoed Jeff, saying to stay away from tall grasses and she should be fine.

Also, in the Community's General Discussions space, Bernie and Erikka asked: Does anyone use the GasBuddy app?

Les, Brad, Penny, and many others said they use it all the time while on the road and like how it helps them find the best gas prices.

Terry and Jo said they are Good Sam members so they stop at Flying Js or Pilots where they can get an extra 5 or 10 cents a gallon off.

And Randall said he needs diesel, since his tank can hold 100 gallons, he tends to go to truck stops. For the best diesel prices he prefers to use TSD Open Roads and Mudflap.

Meanwhile over in our RV Lifegroup Facebook Group, Vina said she loves the ducks people leave on Jeeps, and was wondering if there is anything people leave on motor homes or RVs?

For those who don't know, for the last couple of years, Jeep owners have left ducks on other Jeep owners' Jeeps as a friendly way of saying “hi.” Many RVers in our Facebook group who tow Jeeps do this, some saying they have a whole bag of ducks with them to hand out as they travel along. And JUST today we published a post about Jeep Ducking!

So Vina wondered about RVers…. and it turns out, there are codes among RVers too!

Joan was one of many Alliance RV owners who said they leave little alligators, as a recognition of being in the Fam-Ally of Alliance (Alli- get it??).

Monque said Travato owners are wanabees – as in Want-a-Class B, so they leave bees.

Airstream owners have a flamingo thing going.

And many said the Forest River Owners Group – acronym FROG – started leaving frogs.

Not everyone loved this idea. One guy joked the only thing he wanted left on his RV was a $100 bill – I thought that was pretty funny.

But over all a very interesting conversation on all the little things RV owners of certain makes do.

RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK

As many of our long-time listeners know, we are big fans of hiring mobile RV techs. When something goes wrong, mobile techs typically come out right away, do excellent work at a reasonable price, and there are none of those long wait times you hear about at a dealer.

But one question we hear often is when you are traveling, and something breaks, how do you find a reputable RV tech? And how do you ensure that tech will work with your extended warranty, should you have one?

To help us with these questions and more is Jessica Rider, the owner of Pull Through Sites, a mobile tech company that serves a 100-mile radius of St. Louis, Missouri. Jessica and her team are RVTI-certified technicians. We first met Jessica last fall at the Dealer Open House in Elkhart, and she is here now to give us some helpful tips on how to find a mobile RV tech near you. 

In this conversation, Mike Wendland interviews Jessica about finding reputable mobile RV techs and the process of getting RV repairs done on the road.

Interview Summary

They discuss the importance of using Google, roadside assistance, and extended warranties to find reliable technicians. Jessica emphasizes the need for detailed information about the RV and its issues when contacting a mobile tech.

They also talk about the availability of parts, the importance of certifications, and the warranty options for repairs. The conversation concludes with a discussion on common RV repairs and the maintenance of wheel bearings.

Key Takeaways

• Use Google, roadside assistance, and extended warranties to find reputable mobile RV techs.
• Provide detailed information about the RV and its issues when contacting a mobile tech.
• Ask about certifications, payment options, and parts availability when hiring a mobile tech.
• Check for warranties and ask about warranty coverage for parts and work done.

RV NEWS OF THE WEEK

National Park Service sued over its ever-growing cashless policy

Have you noticed more and more National Park Service sites are going cashless, requiring visitors to pay entrance fees with Apple Pay, credit cards, or debit cards?

It is a growing trend, and earlier this month three people decided to sue NPS over it.

The lawsuit says prohibiting people from entering government-owned land, if all they have is government issued currency, is not only unreasonable, but an abuse of federal law. 

Plus they said credit cards have many fees associated to them, which ultimately increases costs for taxpayers.

In the past the NPS has said it is going cashless to improve efficiency. But the lawsuit shows that the hurdles those who want to pay cash – or only have cash – face when trying to enter a cashless National Park site are substantial.

For example, one woman was told to go to a big grocery store chain like Walmart, get a credit card, and THEN come to the national park site and use that for payment.

Another woman who wanted to visit the cashless-Saguaro National Park was told to stop first at a different national park in Arizona that accepts cash, buy an Interagency Pass, then come to Saguaro using that Pass to enter.

Some locations we saw that are already cashless – or will be soon – include Mount Rainier, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain, Badlands, the Cumberland Island National Seashore and many more. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Utah's Zion National Park considering major construction changes near busy South entrance

Zion National Park may get a significant overhaul of their south entrance in an attempt to improve safety and congestion that could significantly impact visitors this fall and next year.

About 70 percent of the nearly 5 million annual visitors enter through the south entrance, leaving it often overcrowded, contributing to accidents and shuttle delays.

The solution is a major re-do, which would include building a new pedestrian and vehicle bridge, expanding parking, realigning the road, building two round-a-bouts, and more.

The park is taking public comment on this plan until April 10. If it is approved construction would begin this fall and finish sometime in 2026.

If you haven't been to Zion, this summer may be the time to go to avoid potential construction delays next year. 

Zion is a park we recommended visiting in our Southern Utah RV Adventure Guide. You can learn about it here.

Images of RV park destroyed in rare tornado strikes fear in many RVers

A tornado struck down in Kentucky, near the southern Indiana border, and in Ohio, killing at least three, injuring dozens and destroying many buildings in a severe storm system that hit the area late last week.

But the image that was making the rounds in RV groups – including ours – was of the Sandy Beach Campground and a nearby RV park where many RVs were flattened, moved many feet from where they originally were parked, turned to their sides and some shredded by the twister.

One RVer showed a TV station reporter what was left of her completely dismantled RV. The awning was ripped into strips, some of it dangling in a tree, wrapped around its upper branches, others parts of the awning torn into strips and laying in an area many football fields wide.

Tornadoes are one of the most frightening thoughts for RVers. To see our story on how to be prepared, click here.

James Bond actor pleads guilty to going off trail in Yellowstone National Park thermal area

Actor Pierce Bronson, who once played James Bond, pleaded guilty last week to going off trail in one of the delicate thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park and was ordered to pay $1,500 in fines.

The famous actor was spotted in the area last November, pleaded not guilty in January, and then guilty to the violation last week.

Bronson went on Instagram and said he is an environmentalist, made an impulsive mistake, and went into the thermal area that was covered in snow to take a picture and did not see the “No Trespassing” sign.

Yellowstone is very clear that visitors are not to stray off trails – especially in thermal areas. Besides damaging the delicate ground, it can be dangerous and some have suffered severe burns and even death.

Last year we interviewed a Yellowstone park ranger on our podcast about all the foolish things visitors do, which seems to be increasing. To see that story click here.

RV QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

QUESTION: We just got our 1st travel trailer and I’m looking for any tips/ advice on how to (if possible) mount anything from towel hooks, small shelves and decor to the trailer’s vinyl wall covering. – Jami

ANSWER: First, be careful of putting towels or anything close to your RV burners or cooktop to avoid catching them on fire.  We use a couple of command hooks to hang clothes in the bathroom and bedroom, but for things like spice racks, towel holders, and other items, we use sticky-sided industrial strength hook and loop tape.  https://amzn.to/3wSTvIm It comes in a 30-foot roll, and the tape is one inch wide. You can easily cut it to the lengths you want with a pair of scissors and the heavy-duty tape can hold one pound per inch. The tape needs no residue when you remove it, but it should not be reused, or restuck. Cut off another couple of lengths if you are going to reattach your item. It sticks to pretty much all surfaces – walls, glass, tile, plastic, metal, textile, or wood.

For photos, which we have throughout our RV, we use a product called Mixtiles. We have used these for years and we love them. We go to the company’s website, upload photos we’ve taken with our smartphone and they send us back perfectly framed prints of the pictures we sent. The frames have sticky tape on the back that holds up beautifully, even when we are on very bumpy drives. You can get the frames in white or black.

If you want to get just blank frames to display photos you already have printed, you can get those from Amazon. The frames come in various sizes. We mostly use the 8 x 8 size, but also a few of the 12×12 inch frames.