# Damaged my Outback



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

We were heading home after the Outback Rally and stopped off at Spooky's Pizza in The Dalles to meet with friend. Had a great time but as I was leaving the trees I parked near reached out and grabbed the top driver side corner of my Outback. Those darn trees pulled part of the molding off. Luckily the roof wasn't ripped at all and looks to be a pretty simple repair job. I need to call my dealer to schedule a trip in before the rains come. Can you believe those darn trees? They had the guts to blame the driver too! I tell you I don't know what the world is coming to. I just looked at the trees and yelled "FIREWOOD" and that seemed to scare the back away.

Luckily camping season is winding down so the repairs shouldn't leave us without a camper. But I still feel like an idiot for not being more cautious. In all my years of towing trailers, and vans with 15 bikes on top I've never hit anything. Guess my luck was bound to change though


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Been there done that...on our last trip with the Outback, I was backing out of a pull thru site that I wasn't going to make from that end. I was going to back out, go turn around and approach from other direction. While I was watching the rear of the TT in the mirrors, a tree jumped into the front bumper of the Av, and pulled the bumper cover off. I haven't gotten an official estimate yet, but a co-workers son is an auto-body man, and he looked at it, and said it could be fixed with replacing the cover.

By the way, I think I hear some robotic spot welders, and pnematic wrenches putting an F350 together. How long of a delay do you anticipate before delivery?

Tim


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Very first day! Coming home from the dealer after picking up the rig. Backed up into the driveway -- first time backing it up. Being real careful, wife on radio spotting. We both missed the fact that part of the eave of the house that jutted out could hit the RV. It did, of course, but just barely grazed the awning support and only took off one layer of paint. Could have been a really bad day. Luckily, it sounds as if yours wasn't very bad either. I'm still not used to looking up to see what I'm going to hit.

BTW, Spooky's has fond memories for the wife and I. First day out on our honeymoon to the Oregon coast (30 years ago), we ate lunch at Spooky's. I'm surprised it is still there.


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

I've seen those concrete filled steel barrier posts jump out and damage the bottom rear corners as well. The world's just not safe anymore.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Also look out for the wooden edges along campground roads, I swear the roads are getting narrower.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

I say cut the trees down! Make Firewood of them all! LOL well I'm glad I'm not the only one they have attacked, I think the trees, guardrails and posts are all part of the same Union... Trailer Damage Union 101.

Tim I should know more this Friday, once its finished and I have a rail # I can track the truck... trust me I am counting days.

Vdub the story about Spooky's is the owner and property owner worked with the former Shakey's manager to help BJ's Pizza leave, and then the new guy opened the Spooky's back with the same name and some new menu items. It was good pizza too.


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

Dam those trees anyway maybe you should contact the tree police to see if the tree has insurance









Jim


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## jnk36jnk (Mar 9, 2004)

Major bummer







Glad to hear it wasn't worse. Mine involved a curb at my mother in laws a couple of weeks ago. Don't think it wise to sic an attorney on the mother in law as I have to live with her daughter for the next 50 yrs or so.







DW is still talking about your shower door mod, so some rainy week end this winter ........


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Make your own firewood along the way. Not bad idea Y







. I usually bring my own do to the cost ($5 a small bag).

But if you can bag a tree alone the way ....think of the weight you can save








Do you put it on the roof so it dries along the way?

Thor


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Yup, tore my rubber roof a tad on its maiden voyage home. At least the tree that got me was my own so i could take out my revenge (which I did).

If your molding is along the roofline where the rubber roof joins the side, go to Camping World and get a tube of Dicor. It is a regular sized tube that fits in a standard chaulk gun and is specifically made to seal around joints in the rubber roofs. Costs about $9.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Bringing our camper home for the very first time I forgot to watch out for the neighbors birch tree. Last winter's ice storm increased the sag so it was out over the road. Ran into it when pulling the camper in but fortunately, the tree gave before there was any damage to the camper.









Now I just have to mend the relationship with the neighbor.









Brian


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I can't believe you people abuse trees like this! You didn't kill any 'tree-huggers' did you???


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

NDJollyMon said:


> I can't believe you people abuse trees like this! You didn't kill any 'tree-huggers' did you???
> [snapback]14261[/snapback]​


nah not on this trip, I grew up in Eugene Oregon they were a dime a dozen, we took care of them when we went Spotted Owl hunting


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

Yea better watch those tree huggers they can be pest's









Jim


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Well I'm taking the Outback in. I swung by the dealers body shop and the guy gave me a ballpark of $275 w/out seeing the camper though I had photos. Cheaper than I thought but still makes me cringe.


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

NDJollyMon said:


> I can't believe you people abuse trees like this! You didn't kill any 'tree-huggers' did you???
> [snapback]14261[/snapback]​


Mmmm....Spotted Owl. Tastes a lot like Bald Eagle.

I exact my revenge on trees by introducing them to my best friends, Mr. termite and Mr. Woodpecker.

I love trees as long as them come nowhere near my trailer. I just got done paying a roofer to repair a hole where a branch was blown off a tree and somehow or the other managed to achieve terminal velocity in 40 feet. It penetrated my shingles, decking and the sill over the outside wall studs on my daughters bedroom. This allowed water to seep inside the wall, damage the new carpeting in her room and force me to replace the sheetrock. This caused me to have repaint her room.

Come to think of it I actually HATE trees.

Reverie


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Hey Vdub,
I noticed in the picture of your 5ver parked on your driveway that the front is pretty close to the sidewalk. Do you park it there all the time? I know there's some pretty tough bylaws in my city about leaving so many feet between the front of a TT/5ver and the public sidewalk.

Just curious...


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

I didn't ask about the laws.







It was parked there for about 2 weeks, then I started construction of a building for permanent housing.

It stuck out into the sidewalk about 6". I hung a red flag on it and managed to dodge any mishaps. My next door neighbor is a city cop. I figure he would have given me a heads up if there was a problem.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Nice place to store - looks like it's out in the Paloose


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Thats not a garage.....that's an airplane hanger.























Nice setup. Where did you set up the building. It's not your back yard is it?

Tim


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

It's down at the camas prairie near Grangeville, ID. About a 100 miles south of Pullman. Little bit out of the way, but that's where the land was. I've had 36 acres down there for about 15 years. I put one endwall on the building 2 weekends ago and it will probably remain that way thru the winter. I'll do the front next spring.

The plan is to pull the rv out in a couple years, put all our furniture in, then hit the road full-timing.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Update: Well I picked up the trailer, took the Russ Dean Body Shop guy less than one day to fix it. Cost, $240, cheaper than the quote and it looks good. Still enough to remind me to watch where I am driving when I get near trees though.


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Oh yeah! Cheap lesson. That's cool! Glad it all worked out. I'm always looking up with my rig. It sits at 12' 3"!


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