There is another advantage to having repairs done here; they have electric and water hookups.  This way you are able to stay overnight while they plow through your list of repairs.  When you travel with two large dogs, this is a real advantage.

We have had a really good experience with 1st choice RV Repair. Last year they got through a huge punch list of items in one day. This included items that our dealership had said were not possible to fix. We were so impressed with them that we knew we would only go to them for future warranty work or other repairs.

Our List in order of importance:

1. GFI electric fault repaired
2. Air Conditioner Bolts checked
3. Front cap lights replaced
4. Main AC modified; to remove the filter and tighten bolts.
5. Replace outside speaker
6. Cabinet Door replaced

Now, when we rolled into 1st choice we found out that Bert, the previous service manager had quit about a week before we arrived. Connie, the previous office manager had quit back in May to pursue a real estate career, so this was really quite a different staff now. Initially this really bothered me.  My concern was that our issues wouldn’t be handled as well as they had the previous year.   However, 1st Choice had hired a former RV Manufacturing Plant Manager as their new Service Manager.  Again,  they exceeded our expectations on all of the work that they performed.

When we got up each day in Goshen we would head to the Lux Café with the girls in the back of the truck.  This is a great family restaurant serving an outstanding, reasonably priced breakfast along with great service.  Last year when we stayed in Goshen we ate here every morning as well.  Then it was off to a small park nearby where we could take the girls for a walk.  After about an hour we went back to see how things were going on the trailer repairs.

Once we arrived back at 1st choice, the work was underway.   They were pulling the outlets apart on the slide-out looking for the GFI issue.  Tim, the new service manager, knew exactly how to tackle the GFI issue.  The GFI issue was repaired quickly; much to our relief.  In fact, everything on our list was completed.   The only exceptions were two items;  replacing the cabinet door, and modifying the main air conditioner.  The AC unit would be fixed the following day and the cabinet door would be shipped to my home address.

That night Tammy and I decided to go out to eat about five miles from the campground.   Hoppers Pike Street Restaurant in Goshen has an all you can eat fish fry and had great reviews on-line so we thought we would try it.

When we walked in I thought for sure we would end up with a long wait because it was crowded.  Fortunately, since there were only the two of us, we were seated immediately.   Shortly after we were seated I could see the sky in front of the restaurant beginning to darken.  I looked at the radar on my iPhone and there was a huge line of thunderstorms approaching the area.  It wasn’t long after that when I received a weather alert on my phone notifying us of very strong winds and severe storms approaching Goshen.

My concern was not about the storms and the travel trailer.   My concern was for Hannah and how she handles storms.  She has almost always been afraid of thunder and fireworks.  I think anyone that has a dog with this type of fear knows it is not fun for the dog or the owner.

Given how popular Hoppers is, it took quite a while to get our dinner.  To be frank, they gave us so much fish that there was no way, even as an all you can eat meal, that we would have ordered more.  The food was great.  If it had been a weekend I certainly would have tried the prime rib.  Given the impending storm we quickly ate our dinner and then it was back to the Travel Trailer.

The storm approaches 1st choice RV in Goshen

We were back to the trailer about 30 minutes before the storm hit.  It appeared that we were on the very edge of it.  The winds were strong as the storm rolled in; but the rain wasn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined.  As I have mentioned before, Hannah is afraid of thunderstorms.   To make things easier for her I turned the AC on in the bedroom.  This way the noise from the fan would cancel out the noise from the storm.  Of course this time there was no leaking.  We were making progress!

The next day we had breakfast at the Lux Restaurant again.  Then it was time for the folks at 1st choice to trim out the main AC unit so that covers could be removed.  If you can’t remove the covers you will not be able to:

1) clean your filter, and

2) you will not be able to do your inspection of the four bolts that hold the unit tight against the seal on the roof.

After trimming out the main AC unit Tim inspected the four bolts.  All four were loose;  just like the bedroom AC had been.  Needless to say, this stop was worthwhile.  There is nothing worse than potential water leaks.  My advice is to check these bolts annually; it is easy to do.

Grand design informed me that they have since changed this AC design.  I posted the fix on-line for other owners with the same issue.  Several owners have thanked me and completed the repair.

We highly recommend this shop for any repairs you might need.  I don’t think there is any RV repair that they cannot perform, from inspecting/sealing your roof to repairing a wall or replacing a frame; it is a one stop shop.  Click here to visit their website.

The next day we would be off for Springfield Illinois, and the Double J campground.

To continue this trip click here

If you want to follow this trip from the beginning click here

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It’s an age-old story, you purchase an RV and then you create a punch list.  This is a list of things that need to be taken care of by the dealership; and typically this is where all the problems begin.  Your RV sits at the dealership while they try to figure out how to repair and/or get authorization to repair it.  Most of the time this becomes a back and forth between the dealership and the manufacturer.  You wait as the dealership gets pre-authorization, parts ordered; and then you wait for a service appointment.

Meanwhile you are without your travel trailer and the camping season slips away.  When you finally get your RV back – it’s all to often a disappointment; either it wasn’t fixed correctly or they tell you that there is no fix for the issue.  We’ve seen this time and again over the years;  most recently on our Imagine Travel Trailer.

1st Choice RV

One thing that was really a source of frustration for us was the entry door and screen door. The two doors never matched up correctly to latch together.  In addition the deadbolt in the door would not fully engage.  The dealership looked at it after it sat there for a few weeks and then they called and told us it just couldn’t be fixed, so they didn’t even try.  They explained that any fix they could think to apply would make matters worse.

This is the problem with the RV industry today…they just do not know how to repair RV’s, they just know how to sell them.

After expressing my frustration to the Manufacturer, they told me about 1st Choice RV in Goshen Indiana (Since I mentioned I would be there to take a factory tour).  So I reached out to Connie, and told her about my issues and we scheduled an appointment months in advance.   I kept in touch with Connie as other issues popped up over the summer and added them to our list.  In addition,  I added a suspension upgrade so I shipped the parts directly to 1st Choice RV.

Now, having had so many bad experiences with RV Dealerships I had no idea how long it would take to complete our punch list.  We rolled into their lot on a Tuesday afternoon (forgetting that we would lose an hour as we entered the eastern time zone).   Connie told us to back the rig up, hook up to the water and electric;  and they would get together with us first thing the next morning.  1st Choice RV is a full service shop, one look inside and you can see that these folks do everything.  I can see trailers being totally rebuilt, walls and slides are being repaired; it was quite amazing.

The Service Manager Bert met with us right away the next morning.  Together we reviewed the large punch list.  As we walk through the trailer Bert finds additional items to repair, like loose trim strips; and Bert adds these items to our list.

In order to give 1st choice RV access to the trailer we decide to leave for the day.  We load the girls in the back of the truck, stop for breakfast; and then at 2:00 PM take the factory Grand Design Factory tour.  When we returned, amazingly everything had been completed on our punch list.  In addition they had ordered a fireplace to be delivered the next day to replace the existing one since the thermostat was not working.

All of this work would have taken months at our dealership…and even then the repairs would have been substandard.  These repairs are first-rate. Now the door and screen operate as they were designed to function;  and the deadbolt engages completely.  Our trailer now looks and acts like a new trailer.  Just as it should have when it left the manufacturing plant.

Now this is where fate takes over.  The next morning at 1:00 AM we awake to loud beeping.  It shocks us and upsets the dogs. Going out into the living room I locate the source of the sound; the Propane alarm.   Since it is the propane alarm going off I assume at first that we had a propane leak.  Then I see the code indicating that we have an electrical fault.   So, to stop the beeping I cut the 12 volt power to the trailer.

After googling our issue, it seemed almost certain that we had a converter issue.  This wasn’t the end of the world, but it did mean that there would be no furnace; and it was cold.  We turned on the fireplace, and we went back to sleep.

I was waiting at the bay door as the service crew arrives at 6:30 AM.  After finding Bert I give him a run-down of the new problem.  At 7:00 AM, their electrical technician Adam is installing a brand new converter.  Had this happened on the road who knows what would have happened; or how long we might have been stranded somewhere.

In the 30 years of owning travel trailers, we have never come across a place this great.  If by chance you’re in the area and have a problem with your travel trailer, this is the only place to go.  We are so sold on 1st choice that we would drive the 900 plus miles just to make sure the job is done right.

To visit 1st Choice RV on their website click here.

To read the final chapter in this trip click here.

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