Lessons learned

[Sparkle]

(1) Do not park on the Beach when you know a bad storm is coming in - along with a high tide.

(2) If signs say NO TRUCKS 16% Grade, consider the fact that while I may be just a Pick Up Truck I am pulling 30 feet of trailer. If it says No Trucks - that means ME.

(3) If you fail to check the fluid levels in your tandem deep-cycle batteries and they reach the point where it takes over a gallon of Distilled Water to fill them - it's too late.

[mitch5252]

(1) Do not park on the Beach when you know a bad storm is coming in - along with a high tide.

(2) If signs say NO TRUCKS 16% Grade, consider the fact that while I may be just a Pick Up Truck I am pulling 30 feet of trailer. If it says No Trucks - that means ME.

(3) If you fail to check the fluid levels in your tandem deep-cycle batteries and they reach the point where it takes over a gallon of Distilled Water to fill them - it's too late.

#1 - is pretty funny (from the recently posted picture...)

#2 - How bad was it? Probably scary as hell.

#3 - that 'DUH' had to have cost you a pretty penny.


..

[bluepinecones]

And here I thought you already knew everything!

[AlienRox]

OK - what happened here? I warned you about parking on beaches - I told you my harrowing stories of being chased around steep declines by semis on curves - and have no comment on the distilled water....

but WHAT HAPPENED? Are you OK - you can write here but even better is directly to my email which is best.

How and where is Beth as well?

Miss you guys -

I've decided I need to update my profile pix with my Halloween pix ---- may need some help here.

PLEASE SEND STATUS REPORTS!

[Liz]

What, no new lessons?

[avalen]

good idea to take a picture of how your batteries are wired together so when you
have to replace them they get wired back up the right way so as not to blow out light bulbs

[Sparkle]

Ava, you HAD to tell! I went to Auto Zone to get the new battery that I stole from my 2nd rig when I totalled it. And to buy a second battery. First off the guy "forgot" me. So after waiting about half an hour I went in and he admitted it. So anyway, the battery gets put on a charger, I purchase a new one and Beth and I take off to run some errands while we are waiting. So we get back and the first guy who had taken the leads off my fried batteries is finished for the day. So we get this kid who expects ME, a pore 'ol widder woman, to carry out one of the batteries. I refused. So he humps them out. Gets over to the Trailer and asks, "Do you want me to put these in the cases?" I tell him yes, and that he needs to rewire them. He says, "I don't know how to do it." I told him that as I had not taken the wires off I didn't know. His reply, get this, "It's your rig, you should know!" So anyway, we tell him to go and find somebody who does know. He disapears into the Store and doesn't come back. I go in again and ask another guy where he went. HE WENT TO LUNCH! Without getting someone to take over. We're not done yet. So now I'm on my third guy and he wires me up. I tell him what happened and he says the kid will be reprimanded. So I drive home. Ava comes over for dinner. I switch on a light and the bulb burns out. So I switch on a 2nd one, burns out. Well I was on my 4th bulb before the bulb went on over my head. The batteries were wired wrong! I was getting 24 volts instead of 12. So I switched off the batteries, and in the morning the camphost wired them correctly.

[Bethers]

Notice she does not say the "camphost and Beth" - which is what happened. I would have actually had it figured out, but since I don't have tandem batteries, didn't want to be wrong - and the camphost only got it right when I told him he could switch the wires. But then he explained it all.

Now, if Sparkle would have listened for the past who knows how many years regarding batteries and water? Kind of like she's been yelling at me lately about the program I use for resizing pictures - which is the same one Sharon mentioned on here long ago - and she finally got me to send her the link to use it and is amazed how much time it saves her on Photobucket. It's MY fault she hasn't been using it for years - even last spring when I suggested it and she said "I'm fine!". Yeah, Sparkle, you is fine girl.

[WickedLady]

When I took the batteries from the tt and put them in the garage I marked each positive wire with a white plastic tie and wrote "positive" on them so I would know where they went when time to hook up new batteries

[Bethers]

Oh positive and negative weren't the problem - we could tell those. But that's not a bad idea!

[Acadianmom]

I had to replace my batteries last week and I took a picture of the wires before I undid them. No way was I going to let some flunky do it. When I got them connected and they didn't work I looked at my picture and sure enough one of the negative wires had fallen behind the tray. At least I didn't blow out any bulbs. I wanted to try the sealed batteries until I saw the price. They were $150 at Sam's and were too tall for my compartment. Guess I have to keep checking them.

I have learned to check behind the people that are suppose to know what they are doing. I have had brake work done and they didn't put the valve extenders on right and I had a flat on an inside wheel. If I hadn't checked the air before I left the shop I would probably have had a blow out. The last one didn't put the wheel covers back on so I could reach the valve stems.

I took a picture of the wires on my computer too the last time I took it in so I could get it hooked back up. It's nice to have a "photographic memory". lol

Martha

[avalen]

dear heart Sparkle, I did not tell, you did besides the whole story is
the fun part, just sorry you had to slap down 3 services guys who never got the
job done right, you know you can go to jail for that I have 4 pennies on
the counter I'll put in a jar for your bail fund. Thank you to Beth and the camphost
for gettin it done right. Now, I'm gonna take my own advice and get a picture of
my own batteries just in case I need some rewiring done anytime soon. I certainly
can't afford to blow any light bulbs, I've already borrowed all my unused ones to
replace the ones that burnt out "naturally" as in old, widder bulbs
Ha, the both of you are so funny and cute.

[Sparkle]

good idea to take a picture of how your batteries are wired together so when you
have to replace them they get wired back up the right way so as not to blow out light bulbs

This sounds like telling to me!

[BirdbyBird]

Thanks for sharing your lessons with us..... and how to be ignored by poor customer service techs...sometimes you think that the world is slowly changing and then its back to the dark ages...."silly woman" whats she even doing here

[Cedar518]

I probably would have been waiting for that mouthy kid when he got back from lunch and given him a little "attitude adjustment"... of course he'd just laugh it off and tell his buddies about this crazy old lady (me) who came into the shop. grrrrr......