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Old 07-17-2018, 10:08 PM   #1
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Newbie from Colorado Springs

I am new to the RV world, just purchased a 2017 Thor Chateau 31W. It was in excellent condition and it had 4700 miles!

Right of the bat, the family and I did a big maiden voyage to South Dakota in order to see Mount Rushmore for the second time... over 1000 miles round trip! We stayed at a Passport America campsite for four days.

The coach drove and handled GREAT! And I learned to appreciate how everything worked.

I also learned a lot of dos and don'ts. However, thanks to friends who are experienced RVers, online forums like this one, and YouTube; I avoided any serious errors.

Unfortunately, within 200 miles of beginning our trip the cameras cameras connected to our Axxera radio stopped working.

We were driving through 100 degree heat in Wyoming when the cameras died. The heat that was coming of the engine cover (doghouse) was nearly unbearable at the time.

Took the Chateau to a major camping outlet so they could evaluate it so I could file a claim using the 30 day 1000 mile warranty that came with the coach.

The warranty company would not let me file a claim because the coach had to be at the facility actually doing the repairs BEFORE the 1,000 MILES were over.

I wish they had made this clear before I went and paid the major camping outlet mechanics.

Also, the major camping outlet mechanics told me that I would have to replace the whole radio! They said they checked the video connections and they were all fine.

The major extended warranty I had paid for before the trip would not cover the damage because I was covered by another warranty when the fault occurred!

Fortunately, I was able to fix the damage myself. It was only a bad video cable! A "wire" that was sticking out from the dash when we purchased the Coach was actually a flimsy video cable that had likely developed a short.

I replaced the flimsy male to male RCA "wire" Thor used with a much thicker RCA cord. I also made sure I tied it up properly so it would not work it's way out from under the dash or interfere with the engine cover's removal or installation. .

For some reason, the major camping outlet mechanics, who said they had "checked" all the video connections, were not able to identify this quick and easy solution. I think they just wanted me to keep paying for more hours while they "tried" to fix it. They also pretended like they had never worked on this type of radio before.

In less than one month of living the RV life I have learned to be wary of major camping outlet mechanics and extended service plans!

However, despite these hiccups I am blessed to be living the RV life, and I am looking forward to more adventures with my family.

We are headed to Estes Park Colorado near Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow... Wahoo!

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Old 07-17-2018, 10:17 PM   #2
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Glad to hear that you're enjoying your new adventure!

...And that you managed to lean an important lesson, at a relatively small cost!
Welcome aboard!
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Old 07-17-2018, 11:45 PM   #3
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Congratulations and welcome.
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:19 AM   #4
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Congratulations on your new coach and welcome to the forum!!!
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:44 AM   #5
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I apologize for the rant. This was supposed to be a short intro.
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:54 AM   #6
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Sduff- welcome to the forum.

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Colorado Springs twice & cannot wait to go back. The whole area...Manitou Springs / Pikes Peak/Garden of the Gods/Olympic Training Center......ahh, can't wait to take the RV there!

Is there any word when and if they will get the cog train running again for Pikes Peak? That was a pretty cool experience, I hate to see it stop for long.
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Old 07-18-2018, 11:08 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by sduff View Post
I apologize for the rant. This was supposed to be a short intro.
No problem all of us need a good rant now and then...we all own Thor's
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:01 PM   #8
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The few issues you had were caused by The Thor Love Bugs. They come out right after purchase and chew a few things up so you'll go in deep out front, get to know your Thor a little closer and come to love her. It's a normal occurrence.
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:26 PM   #9
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Good to have another El Paso County RV'er here.
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:41 PM   #10
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Congrats and welcome to the forum! Yes, there will always seemingly be SOMETHING going on with your rig... but at least you seem handy and willing to tackle those issues yourself!
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Old 07-19-2018, 12:17 AM   #11
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High Plains,

Awesome, didn't realize you were from El Paso County as well!

Currently responding from downtown Estes Park! The RV resort we are staying at is along the free shuttle route.
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Old 07-19-2018, 12:28 AM   #12
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jpmihalk,

Yes, I am trying to learn as much as I can.

I actually fixed the cameras after they started working again while I was adding additional insulation to the doghouse. I realized that it must be either a bad connection or a short that I fortunately was able to find.

My Class C's cabin is cooler (and much quieter) now.
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Old 07-19-2018, 11:53 AM   #13
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High Plains,

Awesome, didn't realize you were from El Paso County as well!

Currently responding from downtown Estes Park! The RV resort we are staying at is along the free shuttle route.
Sounds like you are in for some fun. We're heading out tomorrow for North Platte, NE. Still deciding on our August destination. Thinking since the Spring Fire is about finished going to La Veta or Alamosa and help put some into their economies. And a weekend up in Monument where we have a membership.
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Old 07-19-2018, 03:26 PM   #14
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Welcome to the forum!


BandG,
DW and I are planning a trip to the Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak area and being a train buff (kid that never grew up) I checked into the cog train. It is going to be down for the foreseeable future needing major replacement of track which they say is not accessible (they build the thing somehow!!). Their website has updates.
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Old 07-19-2018, 03:46 PM   #15
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Welcome to the forum!


BandG,
DW and I are planning a trip to the Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak area and being a train buff (kid that never grew up) I checked into the cog train. It is going to be down for the foreseeable future needing major replacement of track which they say is not accessible (they build the thing somehow!!). Their website has updates.
If your a big train buff and heading out this way look into Cheyenne, WY. The old Train Depot is open for tours and also has a museum and a nice train layout as well. While we're in North Platte this weekend I'm planning on going to the golden Spike Tower at the train yard there.

As for Pikes Peak, hopefully they get the Cog repaired, now during the busy hours you can drive part way up the highway then you have to take a shuttle the rest of the way up. there's limited parking on top now that they are building a new Summit House.
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Old 07-19-2018, 09:31 PM   #16
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Thanks for the tip High Plains! I'll make sure we get through Cheyenne on our trip.
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Old 07-19-2018, 09:57 PM   #17
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High Plains,

I just met some people from Illinois who stopped at NE Platte on the way to Estes Park!

They said it is a neat place to stop with a lot of restaurants.
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Old 07-19-2018, 10:00 PM   #18
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If your a big train buff and heading out this way look into Cheyenne, WY. The old Train Depot is open for tours and also has a museum and a nice train layout as well. While we're in North Platte this weekend I'm planning on going to the golden Spike Tower at the train yard there.

As for Pikes Peak, hopefully they get the Cog repaired, now during the busy hours you can drive part way up the highway then you have to take a shuttle the rest of the way up. there's limited parking on top now that they are building a new Summit House.

Two wonderful days for a rail fan. Rail Days in North Platte <https://www.northplatteraildays.com/schedule> and the UP steam shop in Cheyenne (it a special tour but the Big Boy is being repaired there). The best rail fan trip ever is the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic RR. Leave from Chama behind double head, coal burning, steam, Mountain Locos with three firemen in each loco shoveling a scoop of coal every 15 seconds into the fire box, up the mountain. The scenery isn't bad either. If you are lucky, the engine will jump the track and you get to see the conductor and brakeman re-rail the Mountain. <https://cumbrestoltec.com/> The folks at Sky Mountain RVP will take you to the depot and pickup on the return as part of their service. We have reservations for the last week in August for my 7th trip.
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