Trip that was such a nightmare, it's hilarious.

[JmsNMar]

Hello all. The wife and I just experienced a horrible road trip. Looking back on it I can't help but laugh. This trip is a true story, and I didn't think I'd make it back. Started with the sudden and emotional mission of having to take the wife's parents from their home in Kingman, Az., to assisted living in Rapid City, SD. The wife's sister was helping in this mission utilizing a 5th wheel, and her brother was put in charge of moving furniture in a U-Haul. When we left our home enroute to Kingman, I had an oil light activate. Was able to chalk it up to being an improperly set oil service reminder. When we landed in Kingman, brake light and alarm activated and would not stop. After finally finding a shop to diagnose it, found our Seneca needed a new brake control module. When we picked it up from the shop and prepared to start the trek to SD, needed to burn some time figuring out why my toad's trailer lights would not work...darn fuse. Left Kingman and landed the first night in St. George, UT. When we prepared to sleep in coach in the parking lot of the hotel the in-laws were staying at, found that stabilizing jacks did not want to work. Still working on that repair. Left UT, and on a whim, rerouted to Carbondale, CO., so the in-laws could visit the wife's, brother's, family. We slept in our coach in the street in front of the brother's house, then the next morning as I prepared to hook the toad I noticed brake fluid in the street under our Jeep. Somehow, broke the brake line to the left front tire, and every time the brake was applied brake fluid sprayed like a severed artery. Decided not to use our Brake Buddy the rest of the way...a move that scared me a little given the mountainous roads of CO. An hour after leaving the brother's home...fuel light activated with half a tank. Said a prayer and ignored it for about...oh, I don't know, 200 miles...then in the Denver area finally broke down and had wife Google possible problem. Narrowed it down to "most likely" needing to replace the fuel filter, so now had to find an auto parts store open on a Sunday, near where I was. I didn't even know where I was! Found a Napa and immediately told the clerk I'd take 2 new fuel filters. Walked back to the coach and now had to youtube "How to replace Duramax fuel filter". After about an hour in the Napa parking lot, and with the help of a "Roadside Assistance" tech who coincidentally stopped at a next-door Circle K, we were back on the road again. As we drove north bound towards the great state of Wyoming, I realized the fuel light had not reset. 30+ tries later- and right after I told myself "This is the last time I'm gonna try to do this"- the light reset. We landed in Rapid City, and had the Jeep's brake line repaired there. Also helped our precious cargo get set up in their new assisted living home. During our trip home, we hit severe winds in the Great Plains area. When we reached Cheyenne, WY., we were forced to stop in a truck stop due to the freeway being closed to high profile vehicles. As the wife and I exited our coach to enjoy breakfast in the restaurant, I saw that the winds had pulled; fraid; and tore our bedroom slide-out topper. When I climbed on top of the coach to see what I could do, I found that our tv antenna had been bent upward and damaged in the winds (eeegad!). Had to cut the topper off, and angrily bent the tv antenna back down towards the roof. Eventually made it to Williams, AZ., and stayed 2 nights in a campground to decompress. Williams, AZ...what a wonderful Route 66 town with delicious food and friendly people. Made it home safe; self medicated with a few beers; and, spent a little time trying to figure out what the heck had just happened. I'm just gonna pray to the good Lord that this one trip is a guarantee that I won't have any problems on future road trips for a least a couple of years. And on a final note...I still love our Seneca and can't wait to get back out in it!! Enjoy all and Happy Trails

[need-a-vacation]

Holy cripe!!!!

Glad to hear it all worked out in the end and everyone arrived home safely!!!!

Safe travels!!!

[robkelly]

WOW! I think if that was us DW would insist that we sell the unit and never camp again. Glad you finally made it, and hopefully all of he "bugs" are gone for the season

[Mark S]

Holy cow, what a trip! I am going to meet my new Seneca this morning and almost cancelled after reading about your adventure. Maybe they can get Chevy Chase to play your part in the movie

Glad you made it home safely.

[Allen_C]

Egads! That is one neck of a crazy trip. Glad your cargo made it safely to their destination and you arrived gingerly safely.

[luckydad71]

That was definitely an adventure, but now that I have bought the exact coach, I know I can count on your experience in case I have some issues

[starhopper]

Tldr.

[jimp]

Sounds like the keystone cops were following you, or you were following them. Glad it was a "safe" trip overall.

[Tunce the traveler]

Originally Posted by robkelly

WOW! I think if that was us DW would insist that we sell the unit and never camp again.

X2

[Rice1951]

You were made for this lifestyle. The fact that you were able to identify what the source of your problems were and to be able to resolve your issues without throwing up your hands and calling it quits says a lot about your character. Your DW and your family should be very thankful you were able to pull this off. Not everyone would go out of their way to help out the in-laws. As they say, “what goes around comes around.” So you have something good coming your way down the road. Thanks for sharing your story and good luck to you and your family.

[RAurand]

WOW..... Talk about "when it rains....It pours"
Glad you made it home safe!

[norty1]

Great story to tell and retell! We all have had or will have one to tell. Maybe a new thread with Worst Trip in our Camper as a title.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by norty1

Great story to tell and retell! We all have had or will have one to tell. Maybe a new thread with Worst Trip in our Camper as a title.

Absolutely! I would start it, but thankfully I don't have any RV trips that are bad enough to justify.

My DW would have had a fit over that trip. I've had TERRIBLE backpacking trips that weren't even that bad such that DW will never go backpacking with me ever again!

But here's the important part: you seem to have taken it relatively in stride, and that makes all the difference in the world. A lot of people would have gotten all bent out of shape. But if you can look back and have a chuckle at your own misfortune, then I think you're doing just fine!

I've said for years that on any trip, the two most valuable things you can pack are a good attitude and a credit card!

[kpk]

I have the same light on in my 08 Seneca. How did you get it to turn off?

[JmsNMar]

I googled the oil and fuel light reset to figure those out. Regarding the brake light and alarm, had to take that to a repair shop to get them to figure that problem out. "Brake control module" replacement was the fix for that one. Although I'm finding that these beasts regularly are in need of something being fixed, the enjoyment I get from ours totally outweighs this issue. Why anyone would want to travel out of the country is beyond me. Road trips from one small town to the next in this country is wonderful to me.

[madmaxmutt]

Your trips can only get better!

[Goflight2]

Originally Posted by JmsNMar

I googled the oil and fuel light reset to figure those out. Regarding the brake light and alarm, had to take that to a repair shop to get them to figure that problem out. "Brake control module" replacement was the fix for that one. Although I'm finding that these beasts regularly are in need of something being fixed, the enjoyment I get from ours totally outweighs this issue. Why anyone would want to travel out of the country is beyond me. Road trips from one small town to the next in this country is wonderful to me.

Mine does this (brake alarm going off) from time to time. Super annoying, but it usually stops after driving a minute or two.
Where is the brake controller located and is it an easy fix?

[JmsNMar]

Brake control module location and its replacement process is completely unknown to me. And I agree with you regarding the alarm. Completely annoying. And if you're in the middle of nowhere when it goes off, a little scary!