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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

INSPECTION

Tim, the independent RV inspector, spent over three hours going thru the Alfa.  There were a couple of things he couldn't check because the propane was not connected, but we decided these were something we could judge in the final walk thru after La Mesa did their work.  His verbal opinion was that there were no big red flags and in general it was in much better shape than he expected.


There is one problem that must be corrected .  He put water into the fresh water system and what came back out had a horrible smell.  The entire coach smelled bad from it.  Worse than garbage! He said if it was drained, flushed and sanitized the smell should clear up.


He did earn his very small fee in that he identified an area of calking that need to be repaired.  There is a small water stain on the ceiling behind the drivers side, and he said the calking above it was quite cracked.  I had asked our salesman about it and he had just blew me off, saying maybe the previous owners had stopped for lunch in a rain storm and hadn't opened the slide all of the way.


After Tim was done I sat down with the manager and we discussed the small things, I saying of course I knew La Mesa would have caught all of these in their inspection, (caught yes, but fixed? Who knows) Then we put the need for caulking repair and  flushing of the tanks to remove the smell in writing.


On my way home I decided I would have two checks cut. (They have to be certified cashiers checks.)  One for the balance minus $5000 and one for $5000.  The later to be handed over only if the smell is 100% gone.


We will not be able to bring it home for a couple of weeks.  They have ordered a new windshield  and the manager said it might take a couple of weeks to get it.
There is also that fiberglass repair needed that I will be paying for.  He said they would do it at cost.  Whatever that means!  The delay will give us time to trim trees!


Stopped at the Dollar Store on my way home and bought some plastic baskets for one of the cupboards.  I measured some of the spaces  while I was saying hello to the Alfa today.



So thats all for tonight.  It looks like we have a new second home!  I'm going to do a walk thru blog in the next few days telling you what I like about it and what I'm only OK with.


heyduke50 has given me a great suggestion!


"after they sanitize your holding tank ask them to put ten gallons of fresh water in it and have everyone from the dealership take a drink from the kitchen faucet... If they do so it must be OKay :):):)"









19 comments:

  1. I'm so excited for you! Bet you can't wait to bring her home.

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  2. You are one wise consumer, Merikay! Seriously - you guys are doing all the right things. Aren't you excited???

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  3. You are doing such a great job with this rig. I am so impressed. I'm excited for your future RV adventures!!

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  4. after they sanitize your holding tank ask them to put 10 gallons of fresh water in it and have everyone at the dealership take a drink from the kitchen faucet... if they do so it must be okay :) :) :)

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  5. So glad the inspection went well and the inspector discovered the few things he did. Now you can get those corrected and be in really GREAT shape! We are so excited for you both! Looking forward to the walk thru pictures!! :-)

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  6. Sounds like things are moving along positively for you. I can identify with the excitement you must be feeling. :)

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  7. Howdy Merikay & Craig,

    I started to write this last week, but it slipped my mind.. Yahoo has an Alfa See YA forum YOU SHOULD SEE
    AND READ BACK ABOUT 3 MONTHS WORTH..
    There is a lot of GOOD INFO on it..
    GOOD LUCK on your PURCHASE !!!!!!!!

    SMOOTH ROADS, CLEAR SKIES & BALMY BREEZES!!!

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  8. glad to hear the inspection went okay!!..onward and upward now!!

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  9. Can't wait to read about your first trip!

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  10. This is getting VERY exciting! Sounds like you've found your RV. :) Now the fun begins, I can't wait.

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  11. Very cool! So excited for you buys, can't wait to see the pictures. We just did a bit of tree trimming when we moved the rig. No big deal, but it sure makes everything a lot easier.

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  12. Now comes the fun part of making her your own :-) Will there be a head of something mounted somewhere? Perhaps of a used RV salesman? :-)

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  13. You are doing a great job of standing your ground and making sure you have a good rig to take out on the road. Loved heyduke's suggestion!

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  14. Just now getting caught up in blogs...SOOOOO excited for you!

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  15. You sound so calm! But i know how excited you must be. I'm so happy for you. But where are the pictures?

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  16. Merikay, it seems you are doing everything right. I like heyduke's suggestion! Good for you for insisting on that independent inspection. We had a fella named Tim do an inspection on a rig we were looking at in So Cal last year. He used to work for Lazy Daze and I heard he moved to central CA. Wonder if it was the same Tim. He did a good job for us but we ended up not buying that rig.

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  17. So far, so good, I bet you can't wait. Any plans for your shake down trip?

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  18. Merikay,

    They should do nothing for cost, whatever the coach needs they should fix period. The bad smell should be easy, the cracking sealent worries me more than anything as does the stain.

    The dealer should SealTech the rig for leaks and provide you with something certifying the rig is leak free.

    They should also not only sanitize the tanks they should insure the water pump functions and there are no hot water leaks and all P traps are working properly as well as the roof vents.

    The studor (sp) vents in the cabinets for both tanks should be verified as well.

    I have a loist of things to check that is longer than your arm. :)

    Call me!

    The Alpha is a heck of a rig and you deserve the best!

    Erik

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