Bob Schmeckpeper

Is this the setup that you have?

I have a 2001 diplomat. The main awning is power , the one over the door is a manual pull. Wonder if you might be missing the pull strap. Post a picture.

I have what some call a lunchbox break. it acts like a surge break. Found it used. Its a little bit of a pain to use but it takes care of the legal issues. It takes about 3min to set up. To me its just a 3rd redundancy safety precaution. I don't know about your truck but with my jeep I need to look at the camera or for a shadow in the mirror to be sure its still with me. Were to hook up safety cables. Here is what worked good for me. $12 for the pair.

Here's a little more that I have learned. Going in its through Algodones. Tight yes, but not any worse than old Town Durango during construction. One person went alongside incase they had to lift some wires over the ac units. When you leave you go south to San Luis and come across there. Leaving from Algodones just ain't going to happen. A good part of the road to San Luis is also no picnick. Very narrow & ruff. Just plan on doing no more than about 25 mph. Till you get to the highway. Talked to 2 people both have have said they would do it again. Keep in mind 90% of the work in that town comes from America's & Canadian's. (Dental, glasses & prescriptions) The people in that part of Mexico protects the people who bring their money down there. The last thing they want is a bad unsafe reputation. February here we come. Dang, forgot. Don't forget to get Mexico auto insurance., (you only need it from the border to Navarro's and then again to get back across the border) & don't have a large trailer painted the same time as the M/H. You will get your self in a jam on the way back. But you will have a great story to tell. NO GUNS OR AMMO! A friend went across and on the way back they looked really close and found 1, 22 bullet. Good thing she was female. It took about 2 hrs longer to get back talking her way out of that one.

You put 1/2 in your wife's pocket & the other 1/2 in yours. Or you have Navarro pick you up on the American side pay him 1/2 . And you carry the other 1/2. Or you can go across the border twice. Not hard to figure out, just fellow the rules & use your head.

Just talked to a gentleman who had his done 2 yrs ago. Payment cash, they picked him up on the American side. He paid 1/2 at that point then Navarro drove him to his shop looked over the coach then paid the rest. That information helped my comfort level a lot.

Well learn a little more in the next week. He deals in cash. No credit card or checks. He had 1 slot open in November. And one in February. After that I believe he was open. Will keep you informed as I learn.

Yes, I will be seeing a gentleman soon who had it done there. We are scheduled for February to get ours done. $14,000.

$5000 TO $8000, Were? All the quotes that I have gotten for my 38ft is $28,000 to $30,000 Three to 4 colors. Right now I'm looking at Mexico.

Whats BWI airport?

All the signs I see says "speed limit " meaning maximum speed, not "speed minimum". That's why they also say slower traffic stay to the right.

They now have a Chinook program out in Mesa because we have 360 days of flying weather. Thank you saved me the time hunting for it. This is the better stuff. Here's were I got the cleco's. Good people to work with.

Here is the thinner molding. I went ahead and used it because it was about 75% of the cost to return it. Some day I may regret it. The better stuff is quite a bit thicker but it runs around $4 to $5 a foot. For a 38ft rig you will need about 50ft. Its from automotive authority.

20 years on the Apache. Never did much sheet metal. Mostly electrical & mechanical. Putting the thing back together. I replaced every rivet on the beltline. Used mineral sprites to clean the residue from the old caulking. Very important to get all the old stuff off. Used Lexel to reseal. Being a sheet metal guy you won't have the learning curve I had. When I find the trim number I'll pass it along.

Yaper. That's my mug. lol Here's another opinion. I not an expert, fumbling through like everyone else. Do your research & do what you think is best. Toss out what you learn so others can learn. I appreciate the information. so I'm passing it along. Paul A. 58 Started conversation: Tuesday at 10:36 AM From another site i am a member of. You can google; RV Belt Line Cover, and you will see and read a lot of good info. How to Repair a Popped Belt Line. Belt line pops are very common in Monaco brand coaches. They typically occur near the front and rear radiuses of the belt line but can happen anywhere along the belt line. To repair the popped belt line: 1.) Remove the outer rubber cover far enough to where you see clean rust free screws or rivets. 2.) Find the bad rivets or screws that are broke or rusted and drill a new hole 1/4 inch from the existing hole. 3.) You have 2 choices here. You can use stainless screws or stainless rivets. I myself use 304 aviation grade stainless rivets that are 3/16 in size with a 7/8 " grip. If you use a screw use a # 10 no longer then 1 inch. Do not use aluminum rivets as they will stretch and open the caulking line in the future. 4.) Begin reattaching the belt line with the screws or rivets. 5.) Once the belt line is attached re-install the rubber over the metal belt line. 6.) Seal the belt line off on the top and bottom using ProFlex RV caulking. Do NOT use silicone based caulkings. * All belt line caulking should be replaced every 8 - 10 years. * Inspect the caulking on top of the belt lines once a year and touch up or replace.

Beltline videos, I hope. LOL Rivet measurement: https://youtu.be/2j2VCm6X7e0 Installing Rivets: https://youtu.be/ZWp1_zV9xiI

You want the one with the lip. The lip on mine went to the top. That way you get a better seal when you caulk it. Some people don't seal the bottom side. They say that way if any water gets in it has a place to drain out.

Wow, now I know why your working so hard to improve it. I'm learning a lot.

After reading everything that you have gone through I feel fortunate that my rig doesn't do all that bad. What I find the faster I go the more my rig reacts to the wind turbulence. So I have found 55 to 60 its perty stable. 65 on a smooth road with out a lot of traffic. 70 + just isn't worth it. Passing or being passed is always a little stressful. I can do 75 to 80, but why have the added stress?

Tried Tadi Brothers. What a joke & waist of time. Started look at the reviews, all of them were old. When I did a review it never showed up. What a surprise! Won't take the time to put down what we went through over 2 months. Ordered 1 through RV CAMS. Twice the price but was worth it. Got a bad monitor from them was replaced. Everything up and running in less than 2 weeks.

Great information to have, need to make my list. Thank you

We have AAA good for 150 miles. You better have the RV plan or won't do you much good. Heard good things about coach net. I watch a lot of you tube. All of them are great till you are in a place that they don't have a good presence. As with anything you cross your fingers and hope for the best. Seen good & bad with all of them.

Yep. Thats the same thing that we have. We should be home Wednesday sometime. Will get you the information Thursday or Friday.

Scrap a very small spot on the roof were its painted. If it shows silver, it's aluminum. Larry is correct.

I use a battery maintainer that I get from Costco. $45 . Seems to help a lot especially when the coach is sitting for a time. As long as you have power near by.