Red Bay, AL: A Romp In The Park

Yesterday we took the RV to the Tiffin service bay at 7 am sharp to begin the repairs/warranty work on our ‘punch list’. Turns out the repair process to fix the kitchen slide is more extensive than everyone thought, which means it is taking much longer than planned. Oh well.

The techs at Tiffin worked on the kitchen slide all day yesterday and again all day today, finishing the repairs just as the service center closed at 3:30 pm. That said, our repair tech Terry did a terrific job of fixing the slide.

So we ‘danced with the elephants’ (all the other RV’s move from the service center to the campground at the same time) and plan to be back at the service center at 7 am tomorrow. Let’s hope they can knock off the rest of the items pretty quickly.

Actually I think the repair of the combo washer/dryer will require them to tear apart another cabinet, replace the unit and then re-build the cabinet. RV’s are built on an assembly line and everything big and bulky is loaded onto the chassis/floor and then the RV’s walls are built around them. Great for manufacturing efficiency – bad for serviceability.

 

I’ve always thought engineers/designers of most products, especially complex products with lots of technology imbedded, should be required to work in the service department for a month or so when they first start a new job. They would quickly see that a few small changes/design improvements would allow better serviceability without compromising style, etc. If I ran the zoo…  In any case we’ll be spending another day in Red Bay, Alabama.

 

For those of you wondering, Red Bay, Alabama is not exactly a hot spot of civilization. It’s a very small town in the rural south smack up against the Mississippi/Alabama state border. There are only two stop lights and they only really need one; I think the other light was installed so they have ‘bragging rights’ over other small towns. And just so you know, there is no Bay in Red Bay. Or any body of water for that matter. The town was named after a large Red Bay tree that is still alive and well.  Oh the things you learn when you travel…

 

So what do you do while waiting for your RV to be repaired? Tiffin has a nice customer lounge where everyone hangs out with their pets, reads, watches a little CNN., etc. But mostly people sit around and talk to each other. The pets perform the ‘breaking the ice’ role. Everyone makes over the various animals (mostly dogs) and then introduces themselves and serious conversation begins.

Number one topic (after discussing which animals/breeds you have/had) is what repairs are being performed on your RV, what funny/frustrating experience(s) you had because of the needed repair and whether or not Tiffin will make the repairs under warranty.

Then the serious discussions begin. “Where have you been?” & “Where are you going?” are two questions everyone asks and gets asked. RV’ers love to share information about where to stay, what to see, where to eat, crossing borders/clearing customs, etc.

 

Having spent all day yesterday exhausting these topics, Mary Lynn and I decided to take off and explore the Alabama/Mississippi countryside. In doing so we found a nice Corps of Engineers park. After all the cold weather, temperatures around 50 degrees felt pretty darn good. And Dobbie enjoyed romping through the park, and exploring every interesting smell in the air. Or I should say “in the air within 12 inches of the ground” since she is a little, shall we say, “height challenged”.

Really nice day out and the lake was perfectly still creating some great reflections. Tomorrow is Friday and we hope to have everything completed by the close of business however you never know. At least the weather is much improved although it still gets into the low 30’s at night.

See Ya!

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