# Just scored my 25RS-S



## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

I just got back from Los Angeles from Humboldt county. 26 hours of driving plus about 4 hours of traffic jams in L.A., San Francisco, random ones on I-5 and on the Richardson bridgee on 580... But it was worth it. I shall sleep now good night.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Holy Cow that's a long drive from Eureka too. I made the Stockton to LA run a lot, but that was without a trailer.

Congrats on the new camper!


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Congrats! Let us know if you have any issues.


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

Congrats on the new TT


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Congrats, and give us the gory details of your multi-message board search after you get some sleep.


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

Congrats on the new tt sleep now and then let the fun begin















sunny


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

jallen...I love those palm trees!


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

Well, I decided that Mike Thompson's RV was going to be the way to go, so I hopped down to Colton, Ca and got it. In all the experience went well simply because I did not expect much from them. The sales rep gave me so much bad info it was amusing, but the only thing I really wanted from him was a good price tag and that's more or less what I got. The thing ran me $17,575 before everything, and as we all know, 'everything' adds up.

I really didn't trust the staff to get much done over the phone, and I had my doubts about their competency, so I decided to bring cash down because I did not want to drive down for nothing. No finance, nothing- and yes that was a stretch to come up with. Just a bunch of money for a box on wheels- and I figure out what to do with mine, and they, theirs.

The sales rep just told me that I need batteries and money (and a tow rig and hitch) and that they would take care of the rest. It was even tough to make them spell out what they were selling me on the purchase order (the options and interior color and such). I brought a company truck down ('01 F150) instead of my vehicle as I am working on it right now. I wanted to know what the hitch height should be and he just said "if it's stock height it's fine." So I called back and asked someone else and they said 19". I got an adjustable hitch that landed 18.5".

I had been calling back and forth to Santa Fe Springs to contact the sales rep, and when I got there nobody had ever heard of him (1) and "everyone" was in a meeting that day (2). So I walked around the lot and looked for anyone who wasn't "everyone" and finally one guy knew the sales rep and said he works at the Colton, Ca location. Only 50 more miles, which was nothing after what 700. Oh and of course it was 5:30 through the heart of L.A... so I found my way after I almost ended up in Barstow... finally found Colton and a little motel that, well, lets just say it has "weekly rates." Yeah, that kind of place. But what the heck, only $40 per night and TV. What a motel, too- all 3 channels were porn and I was so tired I just went to sleep... over the covers if you know what I mean...

The next morning (yesterday) I got there at 11:00AM and it was damn hot. I'm not built for this kind of L.A. heat - my shirt was getting soaked. So we did the walk around and I installed the batteries. My interconnect was too short so they made one up for me- cheap job that I will replace but it's sound. The walk through was annoying- no real complaints but I can figure this stuff out on my own- neither of us were too excited to be there.

I went in and the finance guy tried to sell me a 5 year insurance plan and i said NO.. no friggin way. If there's one thing I hate more than salesmen it's insurance salesmen and I don't like people changing the rules in the middle of the game. Nobody mentioned or offered me this over the phone. Besides, I figured whatever it is, I would have to take it at least 300 miles from Eureka to get anything done. Well I am naturally in a defensive position - the only way he got me to even acknowledge him is by pointing to the fact that I can cancel within 60 days for full refund, and I can get pro-rated return if i were to cancel afterwords. And that it's transferrable upon sale and helps to keep the value of the thing. He let me know that it is valid at any repair facility in the country (or north america or whatever) and that they pay up front - no worries about reimbursement. Here's what I got suckered into, for now anyways, and here's what I got (in short):

$1567 for 5 year coverage on all mechanical parts including water heater, fresh water, waste water, a/c, range/oven, lp gas, heating, fridge, suspension, brakes, slide out. Also covers for travel expenses and service calls. The deductible is $50, and the service contract is with "Western General."

What they don't know is that i'll be full-timing in this for most of the year so the odds of something going out is drastically increased. It might be worth my while afterall.

Ok so moving on- the guys hooked the rig up for me. The sales rep didn't like the way the trailer sat on the 18.5" high ball, so he moved it up a notch (probably 1.5"?). I drove an hour before I decided to try a lower position. It wasn't a poor ride but it wasn't spectacular. The lower height (18.5") made the windy roads of NorCal more maneuverable than they would have been at the higher position. Not only that but I noticed that they forgot to put a retainer clip in the locking latch. I'm pretty sure that's important! So I rigged something up with a nut and bolt I had in the truck.

another few hours up I-5 and I notice some truckers flashing their headlights. I look carefully behind me and notice the weatherstripping on the front of my new rig peel loose and start to flop around in the wind. Soon the other side does the same thing, and I look like quite a retard with a nice new trailer that is falling apart. Needless to say I'm a bit peaved... especially when there is at least an hour delay on I-5. Turns out one of the lanes was blocked off and nobody was doing any construction- the road was fine- and nobody was even there. So I took the first exit which was to nothing/nowhere. Luckily the only things that were flopping around were these covers that go over the corner screws. Some retard at the factory probably didn't push them in all the way. So I found an old monster truck tire sitting on the other side of the road and wheeled it over so that I could stand on it and tuck the covers back in. They stayed put the rest of the trip.. but when I was sitting there in that traffic jam for an hour it was tough not picking up my cell phone and yelling at my dumb ass sales rep.

So I landed at a rest stop and slept, got up and finished the journey home this morning. I played around with my new rig- nothing major but if i were a complainer I would say (1) one of the aluminum door flashings is not straight, causing the door to stick (2) the "walk around" guy wasn't really too gentle with the slide out support bars on my floor and it's a little scratched i think (3) this one bugs me: the rear blinds were flopping around during the drive and about 10 are bent and 2 are broke completely. I fixed the bent ones more or less, but 2 got broken off and it doesn't exactly look sexy. Upon reviewing my new manual "secure curtains and blinds" is on the checklisst- I didn't think to read my manual before leaving but it looks like I got nailed there.

Anyways I have an EQ hitch to throw together, a tranny pan to put on my tow rig, and a rafting trip / hot date this weekend... so I need to try to get my beauty rest in
















here's the damage:
25RS-S fully loaded: $17,575
Insurance: $1567
Tax: $1298
Jerkmeoff fees: $300 (ok so the tool kit, hoses, etc MIGHT be worth $75)
License fee: $162
Title fee: $5
(2) 2200 UT deep cycle 6v batteries and straps: $127 + $16
grand slam breakfast and coffee: $6 (brought some stuff with me, too)
gas: circa $300 (not tallied yet)
hotel: $40
total: $21,396

tow vehicle mods:
(already had break controller)
equil-i-zer hitch: $399
addco rear sway bar: $162
EBC cross drilled and slotted rotors/truck pads: $170 (i think)
auxillary tranny cooler: $120
aux. power steering fluid cooler: $70
deep (high capacity) aluminum heavy duty trans pan: $95
synthetic tranny fluid, gasket, filter, flush: about $150
synthetic differential fluid, etc-- to be determined
redline water wetter $12 (plus tranny flush $20)
K&N FIPK cold air intake/ conical air filter: $70 (used) 
future mod considerations: stiffer "up country" factory suspension option and better shocks - want to see how it tows right now. 
total: $1268
total total: $22664


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Sounds like your experience with MT has been similar to others here. Glad I live on the east coast.



> tow vehicle mods:
> (already had break controller)
> equil-i-zer hitch: $399
> addco rear sway bar: $162


If you are putting on an "Equal-i-zer" brand hitch, you shouldn't need an additional sway-control, as it is integrel with the hitch. If it is an every day WD hitch, then you will need some form of sway control.

Tim


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

Yeah it is an equil-i-zer but this sway bar has non-tow purposes as well (e.g. norcal roads and a heavy footed driver).


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Sorry, misunderstood your specific sway bar. After reading your last, I figured out that you are referring to an anti-sway bar for the trucks rear suspension. My boo-boo. Sounds like a great setup.

Tim


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> Sorry, misunderstood your specific sway bar. After reading your last, I figured out that you are referring to an anti-sway bar for the trucks rear suspension. My boo-boo. Sounds like a great setup.
> 
> Tim


heh. yeah i figured out what you were referring to after posting- yeah it's a beefed up rear anti-sway for the suspension. I also added aluminum high capacity differential covers with cooling fins to my list. Heat kills- I'm a freak about the cooling mods









oh btw anyone have comments on that coverage agreement "insurance" thing? nobody else mentioned buying one, so maybe it's stupid... or maybe not? any opinions welcomed.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

I opted out of mine, and generally don't buy any kind of policy like that on anything. After doing this on all purchases combined I'm money WAY ahead. That's not to say you won't need it.

If you're full-timing it then your chances of a larger failure increase substantially, and perhaps for you it's OK. However, don't tell them you're full timing as it will likely void your warranty.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I don't buy warranties/insurance either....USUALLY. I didn't get it on the OUTBACK, but I just bought a new tow vehicle, and bought an extended bumper to bumper warranty. My Tahoe was having some issues after warranty, and I just hate NOT having a warranty on major dollar items.

I still don't like extended warranties...but just fixing a couple items can be very costly. Also, buying a FIRST YEAR product makes me edgy.

I don't think it's a crazy thing, but I think it usually works out in the dealers favor. Peace of mind for you though...sometimes necessary.

Good luck, and enjoy!


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

California Jim said:


> I opted out of mine, and generally don't buy any kind of policy like that on anything. After doing this on all purchases combined I'm money WAY ahead. That's not to say you won't need it.
> 
> If you're full-timing it then your chances of a larger failure increase substantially, and perhaps for you it's OK. However, don't tell them you're full timing as it will likely void your warranty.


oh yeah i am definitely not going to mention that i'm full timing









that's why i figured what the heck. if i want to recover any of the money i might seriously just take the pro-rata refund. but consider the fact that the nearest keystone dealer is 5 hours away from me. 10 hours of driving is like at least $150 in gas, alone. That means that if i want to take care of some stuff when this extended warranty kicks in, it takes 1/5 of my prorated cost $300, and i fix whatever, and take the rest in a refund ($1200). That means 2 problems and it pays for itself and I don't even have to take it but a couple of miles. See i'm always thinkin' -- probably too much









i realize that its just a gamble.. but you haven't seen my posts regarding my vehicle. i'm known on the other board as being mr. mini crisis. I've been t-boned one week (someone ran a stop sign), totalling my rig and sending me to the hospital, and when I got a new rig it took 1 more week and i was rear-ended, totalling that. Then my next vehicle-- all the same make/model-- it needed 6 major repairs in 1 month (cooling fan, water pump, thermister, tranny, rear end, and charging system). Right now my vehicle as i have stated is apart... i understated.. it's in about 500 pieces. I'm waiting on parts right now it looks like hurricane Charlie hit it.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Full timing will void the Keystone warranty. The extended may be different. I would also check and make sure that the extended warranty covers everything. I didn't buy one, but did some research before making that decisision. Some policies do not cover PC boards, and everything has one of those now, even the WH!, and those can get expensive.

Good luck getting the TV back together, and hope you don't have any unplanned extra parts when you are done.









Tim


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

hehe. yeah the extended "contract agreement" doesn't cover everything. it just covers the expensive stuff, and probably doesn't cover the computer and a whole lot of things that it probably should. i think it only covers the following: water heater, fresh water, waste water, a/c, range/oven, lp gas, heating, fridge, suspension, brakes, slide out. I am still toiling over it...


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Got this latest EW from Mike T's for $595 for 5 years w/ Western General. The cost started at $1,599.00 but I kept telling the guy I have a friend who has his own mobile RV repair service (which I do) and that I do not need or want the EW.

Well, I kept asking warranty "what if" questions to show that I had an interest (but not at that price). 10 minutes of this go around with me and he finally said, "This is the best I can do, I'll give it to you for $595.00. I hate to see someone deny the EW based on price."

I gave my wife my sly smile because she knew I was playing this finance guy with my dumb act. We are prior owners of a couple of other RV's that we purchased EW's thru Western General. I learned fast after the first EW buy and now buying my 3rd one I understand the program and the pricing better than most of the sales people themselves.

FYI, *MOST* extended warranties, be it for an auto, a truck or an RV have no MSRP, thus they are pure cash cows for the dealer at the time of closing. Hold to your buying price and make the dealer meet you there or at least as close as you can before the dealer moves on without the sale (because to them its not worth working up the paperwork if they lost all their profit margin to an educated buyer).


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Interesting. My Mike Thompson's guy bottomed out at about $1000 for the 5 year EW after agressively trying to get me in. If he had gone to $595 I might have taken it.


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

CJ,

Does your 28BHS have electric slides?

My 21RS has a manual, single rear Queen bed slideout.

I think the EW's are less for manual slides as that portion of the EW is not covered.

Also, I took a higher deductible of $100 (or maybe it was $250) to keep my long term cost down.

Its the old insurance buying technique of:

*The higher the deductible, the lower your premium.

Share more risk, pay less over time.*


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Yes, the 28BHS has an electric dinette and sofa slide. However, they never discussed any options to make it more attractive / affordable. Kind of a take it or leave it deal. Although they did start at about $1500 as you mentioned and came down to $1000.

So I said "So you mean that if I were to spend $1000 for repairs out of my pocket, then the policy would begin to be worthwhile" He just kind of stared at me and gave up. I wasn't being rude or anything, just working through the numbers out loud to understand what we were talking about. I don't think his heart was in it to go further.


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

I'm not a big believer in EW's but i got one on my new 28BHS the first on had an air conditioner go bad and was covered under the standard warranty. The dealer wrote the job up at 1,300 when it was fixed if this happened 5 months later it would have been out of my pocket. I know EW's are more to the dealers advantage (or they wouldn't sell them) So I bought one this time for piece of mind

Jim


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

How do the costs figure in if you do the work yourself? You can buy a new Carrier Mach V AC unit for $465, alot less than $1300. Do the simple install yourself and you are money ahead, plus the new AC unit has a factory warranty again.

I weighed all of these options when I said no to a EW.


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## stabmaster (Aug 5, 2004)

yeah well i did factor all of that in. i didn't even really feel like reading what was on it- as long as i knew i could cancel.. .so i could get the hell out of there.

so i'm just going to cancel it. if i want an extended warranty i can get it through good sams club or something. not sure. anyways i'm cancelling it. if they pull anything on me i'm going to drive down there and beat some ars on my spare time. if they want to negotiate i'll do it for $450


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