Freightliner, and Allison, and Cummins, and Onan … Check

22 March

When we purchased our “gently-used” Phaeton, we had everything checked out before plunking down the purchase price. That was in May . Granted we didn’t get to use the coach much last year, but we hope to change that this camping season. So, with that in mind, we decided to get the annual inspections done on our Freightliner chassis, Cummins engine, Allison transmission, and Onan generator.

At first, we were going to take the rig to two different service centers. Then we found out that the Johnson Truck Center in Gainesville, Virginia was qualified to handle all of our inspection needs. Well, the decision became a no brainer at that point.

If you peek into the first bay, you’ll see what we saw.

We dropped the Phaeton off on the 15th. A few days later, we received the news that all was well — with the exception of a few warranty/recall items that were quickly taken care of. One part had to be ordered, so we left the rig at Johnson over the weekend. We were notified this morning that the coach was ready for pick up. All I can say is … WOW! That’s the fastest we’ve ever been in and out of a service center. And it certainly wasn’t for lack of business at Johnson; the service bays were busy with ongoing work and the yard had rows of vehicles (including a couple of RVs) waiting for their turn to be serviced.

A busy place to be sure.

“We’re RV friendly,” Jeff, the branch manager told me when I met him this afternoon. I would agree. The quality workmanship, and excellent customer service, including prompt communication, earns the Johnson Truck Center two thumbs up from us.

With the toad hooked up, we were soon on our way. Next stop — the Fannon station where we filled up on diesel at $3.87/gallon. Not bad for this area! Then, onto the storage lot, where we put the coach to bed. Now that she’s greased, lubed, and oiled, and all her fluids are topped off, the Phaeton is ready for her first outing of the season. But first, Mui has a few maintenance things he wants to take care of this weekend. And, I want to take some of the stuff we took out of the coach at the end of the last camping season back and start getting organized again. But the weekend after that we’ll definitely be going camping.

This is how you replace the water filter.

By the time we were on our way home, it was past 6:30p. With stomachs grumbling, we decided to have our weekly date-night a few days early. We could have gone someplace new, but decided to go to the Copper Canyon Grill again. This time, we shared a Caesar side salad, and split Mary Ellen’s Crabcakes. I have no idea who Mary Ellen is, but her crabcakes were delish; as were the sweet glazed carrots and orzo rice with a southwestern twist. We topped off our meal with an excellent Key Lime Pie. The dessert was rich and creamy, and very tasty, and there was enough to not only split, but also bring some of it home for tomorrow night’s dinner.

Yummmm!