Tag Archives: Reno

Another Day in Reno

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Friday Day 24

Our day started at 6 a.m. We took the motor home back to the service centre, pulling the bike behind it so we could go get some breakfast while the tank was being dropped and the situation analyzed. When we got back, they had the old pump out and we took it to the Ford parts department to see if we could a new one.  We could.  They’d have it in for us in an hour. We wandered around a local mall to fill in the time. I looked around the Burlington Coat Factory for a bit, but seeing Jim standing at the door looking impatient stifles my desire to shop rather quickly. Now a stop at another Harbor Freight store was a different story! Ha, ha.

When we picked up the new pump, the store manager took pity on us and gave us a cut rate. We dropped it off back at the GM Service Department and came back to the hotel to enjoy a swim and lunch by the pool.  The day had gotten hot again and the water was like that of a tepid bath, but still it was refreshing and it was the only chance we’ve had to make use of our passes.

Back to the service centre again. They were still working on it.  We spent another hour or so in the waiting room.  We began to feel like part of the family. At last it was done and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the labour charges weren’t as high as expected either. So the day ended not quite as badly as we’d thought. We’d saved about $300. Also, the first time that the engine had shuttered, a couple of weeks ago, we thought it was a transmission problem. That could have cost us a whole lot more.

And we’re grateful to Mike at the GM Service Centre and Mike at the Ford Parts department for their sympathy and generosity that got us back on the road as painlessly as possible.

Tomorrow we leave for Yosemite National Park in California.

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The Bubble Sprung a Leak

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Thurs. Day 23

Today was a day to take care of some domestics. While we waited at the Laundromat for the laundry to be done, Jim made some phone calls to see if we could get the motor home checked out before we were ready to leave Reno tomorrow. He contacted the service manager at the local GM dealership, one that specializes in big trucks. They were very busy, but when Jim explained our situation he agreed to look at it. We took it in right after lunch and spent the next two hours sitting in the waiting room for the diagnosis.  The news wasn’t good. We needed a new fuel pump. With installation it would cost about $1100. Our bubble had finally burst. The service manager did suggest that we might be able to find a better deal on the pump if we could pick it up ourselves. We brought the rv back to the park for the night and we’ll be up very early in the morning to take it back to the service centre. The gas tank will need to be dropped and the old pump removed in order to get a part number.  Then we can look for a replacement.

Rather than sit and fret about all of this, we hopped on the bike and went to the State Fair. Being “old” we got in for free! Bonus! We watched the Wild West Show and a couple of “gun fights” and strolled through the midway.  Again we were surprised by the poor attendance. Everyone blames it on the economy, yet if you take a look around this RV Park it’s plain to see that not everyone is suffering.