TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
It's easy for a dealer to rush you through a PDI, especially if they find out you have already owned an RV. We didn't *think* we were rushed, but hind sight, yes, we were. We didn't try every system. We didn't even try the slides, more than pulling them in before we hitched it up. There was a torrential rainstorm, and even though we were under a cover, we didn't spend much time on the outside. We also never went through the unhook procedure... Only a quick visual "Here's how you hook up". Mind you, this was a brand new to us pickup, that we were purchasing at the same time! It was quit'n time, and I think they just wanted to go home.
We drove home with the tail-end of rush hour traffic around Dallas in the dark, first time pulling our MAMMOTH of a fifth-wheel, and lo-and-behold, we were low on fuel... I think we pulled within inches of the pump barriers, into what was probably a car lane... that awning was probably 13'6"... Then, we got to our storage facility, and had no idea how to back the thing properly, so we couldn't put it in our regular spot (we previously had a 24ft bumper pull.) So we parked it where we could, and then couldn't get it unhitched, for about 20-30 minutes. Quite an adventure.
I think to own an RV you have to have some amount of "do it yourself" and "prepare for the inevitable" mentality. Solving issues, tracking down information, asking questions and making sure. If one can't do those things, RVing may be disappointing. Perfection just isn't going to happen.
Good luck with your rig, I hope once the sourness of the deal is past, you will be able find great joy with this hobby/lifestyle!
Erika
We drove home with the tail-end of rush hour traffic around Dallas in the dark, first time pulling our MAMMOTH of a fifth-wheel, and lo-and-behold, we were low on fuel... I think we pulled within inches of the pump barriers, into what was probably a car lane... that awning was probably 13'6"... Then, we got to our storage facility, and had no idea how to back the thing properly, so we couldn't put it in our regular spot (we previously had a 24ft bumper pull.) So we parked it where we could, and then couldn't get it unhitched, for about 20-30 minutes. Quite an adventure.
I think to own an RV you have to have some amount of "do it yourself" and "prepare for the inevitable" mentality. Solving issues, tracking down information, asking questions and making sure. If one can't do those things, RVing may be disappointing. Perfection just isn't going to happen.
Good luck with your rig, I hope once the sourness of the deal is past, you will be able find great joy with this hobby/lifestyle!
Erika
