I am always interested in the names people give their vehicles, so I have started collecting RV names. Our is PGRV, or PG for short. We have a kitchen and family room combination at home and we call it the PGR, for pretty good room. It’s not a great room, but it’s a pretty good room. You can tell there are Minnesota roots in there someplace. So our RV is a pretty good RV, or PGRV.
One couple called theirs ‘Baby’ because they took more pictures of it than they did of their own child. Another called theirs ‘Charlie’ as a nod to Steinbeck and his travels. A Canadian couple who own a View and travel a lot between the US and Canada call theirs “Inter-View”. A former NASA employee calls the RV ‘The Command Module’ and the SmartCar Toad the ‘LEM’ or Leisure Excursion Module, capable of carrying two explorers to unknown destinations and returning them safely to the Command Module (for those old enough to remember ABC science reporter Jules Bergman). And then there’s ‘Sadie’, short for Mercedes. One couple’s grandson couldn’t pronounce Winnebago, so he called it Whinney Diego. As a result the RV is now called Diego. And then there are those 2007 RVs called either ‘Bond’ or ‘James’ to honor double oh seven.
We have participated in a number of rallies of our little RV. These are organized by other people who have a similar rig, not by any corporate entity. One of the best parts of these rallies have been the tech sessions. That’s where we share tips and tricks to keep these things purring, we learn from other people who have had the same problems that we have had and solved them, and we learn what people do to keep problems from occurring.
After a while we found that we can contribute as well. We collect plastic bottles to serve as knee pads when you need to get under the RV. After sharing this tip, we give away the bottles to our fellow RVers. We also participate in an on-line discussion group that now has over 5,000 members. This group has saved us thousands of dollars. When we have a problem, we post the description of what is going on and within a few hours we have 4 or 5 suggestions on how to solve it.
We pulled into Winnemucca, NV one night, very late. After arranging for our campsite in the office, we went out to move the RV and we couldn’t get it into gear. Husband had read on the discussion group how to overcome this problem. Voila! It worked. I sent an e-mail message to the group, asking for the nearest Sprinter dealer. Salt Lake City, came the response. The next AM we use the ‘trick’ again to get into gear and head for SLC.
We get there, only to find that the tech person who works on Sprinters is at a seminar and won’t be back for 2 days. In the meantime, someone on the discussion group has suggested that it is a taillight that is out and the fuse is blown. Mercedes, in its wisdom, has decided that it isn’t safe to drive with such a condtion! We go to Napa, buy a new taillight, a fuse puller and a fuse. Voila! Fixed. Probably saved $500 for a tow and who knows how much for the service! And this is just one of many instances.
There are certain people who are so expert and so willing to share their knowledge. And these people are usually equally willing to admit their ignorance. Our Sprinter key has a battery in it to open the door by pushbutton; we asked one of the most technical men at the last rally if he knew how to open it to replace the battery. “Nope,” he said, “I’ve never had to do that. I only know how to do things I’ve had to do!”
