Vehicle Maintenance #9of9

1990 Peugeot, with a Hobby RV, driven in 1991
This is the only time we rented, all the other RVs, we owned..

We had several small things repaired before we left the rental place, then by the time a few weeks had passed, we stopped again, for a few more minor repairs.

The refrigerator installation on this RV was terrible. The installation did not permit proper ventilation, so a noisy fan was installed, and it was pointed the wrong way. We finally moved the fan and eliminated the extra noise, but most of the time the refrigerator was not as cold as it should have been.

The first time Emmy used the water faucet in the kitchen sink, it broke off in her hand. The bathroom sink was near the stove, so no big problem, but we did fix the faucet.

Near Rostock, Germany, we found the ignition key would not turn in the ignition. We bumped this and banged that, and finally one key worked. For the rest of the trip we left the ignition key in place all the time, and covered it with a sweater when we left the vehicle. When we returned the camper to the rental office, they tried the key several times, and it worked.

1994 Fiat Traveller RV, driven in 1995

This vehicle was nearly new, so other than buying a battery for the RV in St. Alban, France, we had no other maintenance problems of any kind, that we remember.

BUT, as we neared a shopping center just south of Strasbourg, France, we had been distracted looking for the parking lot entrance, so missed the sign that said, “Two Meters Maximum.” At the last moment we saw the contraption hanging down, meant to let us know if our vehicle was too tall. It was too late to stop, so we heard a loud whack as the top window and the top-front of the RV hit the hanging barrier.

We were sure the top window must be broken, and that the top was torn off the RV, maybe. We just knew our vacation was over, and the damage would be extensive, expensive, and indescribable. We finally found a place to stop at the side of the road so I could climb the ladder to the roof, look all over the top, the front, and the high front window. I found not one scratch, not one speck of damage. The hanging barrier was made to be kind to the vehicle, but very damaging to our ears, nerves, and minds. And boy, did it ever do it’s job!