We had a very productive morning today...after exercises we had our usual start to the day, we headed out shortly after 9:30. Our first stop was at Gold Key Truck Service where Steve spoke to Dave, the fellow who sold us the truck. We’d finally like to get the cold weather issue with the steering pump taken care of when we return in May. No problem, Dave knew all about the service bulletin so once we know exactly when we are returning, he’ll get us fixed up under warranty.
Our next stop was as ITB...after meeting with Bernice (she was our contact in the design of the toy hauler box on the truck), she suggested we go see Steve in the Service Department. He will go over all the issues with Steve and ensure they are taken care of. A couple of rivets have popped out of the rear wheel fender trim—so they are going to replace them all with larger rivets; as well as take care of the leaking problems that we have been plagued with. The boat loader rear vertical mounts are going to be modified ...there is just too much “wiggle” in the current design. Again, Steve will schedule an appointment to take the truck in once we know the dates we are going to be returning from the island.
Our next stop was Vancouver Axle and Frame. They were the company that had installed our rear air suspension so Steve wanted to talk to them about lightening up the front-end of the truck. Unlike Oregon Spring that wanted to replace the entire spring system with a different set for around $1400.00 he recommended removing enough leafs to get to the 12,000 lb load limit and adding blocks to maintain the same height for around $500.00. The other issue Steve had was 9 times out of 10 the rear air suspension would deflate overnight. You can’t hear any air escaping but he suspects there must be a slow leak and it may be difficult to locate. Also there is a toggle switch under the dash to operate the dump valve to deflate the system that isn’t working properly. Currently to deflate the air Steve has to leave the toggle on and turn the ignition to the accessories position until he can no longer hear the air exhausting...then turn the ignition to off. The bags re inflate then he has to repeat this procedure about 10 times until the air tank is empty. Apparently it has been wired incorrectly thru the ignition. When we return in 3 or 4 weeks, it’s going to be a busy week as we get all of these things taken care of. But it was good to get everything lined up...Steve will just have to confirm the dates to have the work done.
Once that is all taken care of it will be time to have the 5th wheel checked out. To date we have travelled 23,639 km (14,774 miles for our American friends) so it’s time to have the bearings, brakes and an overall inspection done.
By this time is was almost noon, so Steve wondered if there was an Olive Garden near by...low and behold, there is one right on the Langley Bypass...so that’s where we headed...Yay! All Olive Garden Restaurants that we have been at have all been very busy with long line-ups...this one was no exception. There was about a 25 minute wait but it was well worth it. We both enjoyed the Soup, Salad and Bread Sticks...along with Diet Cokes. My coke tasted kind of funny and I was trying to decide whether it was just me but I found it had a bit of a soapy taste. Steve’s was fine. I drank almost half of it but then decided nope, something isn’t right. When the waitress was taking away our dishes, I mentioned that my coke tasted off. She didn’t say much of anything and we thought...okay fine. Next thing we knew, she was back saying she spoke to her manager and they would not charge us for my coke and as an apology, offered us a complimentary dessert to split. Wow...we hadn’t expected that! I was just hoping that they wouldn’t charge for the coke. So we enjoyed a warm apple cinnamon cobbler-type dish with ice cream...very good.
After lunch, we headed back out in the rain to the Sony Style Store that was across the street. Just thought we would talk to them about the low-profile stereo receiver...maybe they would sell us just the receiver without the speakers. No such luck...but not surprising.
Western Power Sports had called a little earlier to say that the ATV’s were ready for pick up. We were hoping that the rain would stop before we picked them up but that just wasn’t happening. So, with all of our other errands all done, it was time. After paying for the service...my goodness, these are expensive toys...Steve loaded them into the truck.
The drive back to the campground took a little while as the traffic was backed up...there had been an accident on Highway 10. So it was around 3:00 by the time we got home. It was still raining and very dreary out...and very chilly inside the trailer. So we got the heaters going and settled in for the rest of the day.
Chris and Sheannie are coming out tomorrow afternoon for a visit...I sure hope the weather clears up so that we can do a little sightseeing in the little community of Fort Langley. It is quite an historic district with lots of little shops, cafes and restaurants. It would be fun to wander around in the sunshine!
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