INSIDE THE COACH

 

·        Large windows move easier if you first clean the tracks with an old toothbrush, and then use a light application of pure silicon spray on the track. (Bruce & Rosemary Monte) (#1, 06/03)

·        Owners with a J-lounge - the section next to the sink can be accessed from the left side, behind the flap - Sterilite makes a 24 x 17 x 6 plastic container and two of these will slide underneath the left side of the lounge for storing shoes, sneakers, sandals and other items.  (Bruce & Rosemary Monte) (#1, 06/03)

·        Put some screening on the inside of the floor air duct registers so stuff doesn’t fall down into the duct. (Sue & Bob Conant) (#1, 06/03)

·        Bathroom odors - check the spring valve in the trap under the sink and make sure it is working. (From the Alfa Servicemen at the Rally) (#1, 06/03)

·        Install a handle on the storage drawer behind the couch on the 2003 coach. Makes it easier to lift. Also, a little Velcro can be installed on the door where it hits the wall to hold the door in the open position. (Bob & Sue Conant) (#1, 06/03)

·        Keep mosquitoes and chiggers away!  Take an odorless garlic tablet or capsule everyday to keep the mosquitoes and chiggers from biting you. It really works! Also has the benefit of lowering your cholesterol. (Norm & Kathi Duarte #1250) (#5, 06/04)

(Need help with your Kenwood radio - touch base with Bruce & Rosemary Monte - email travelin_man@iname.com) (#1, 06/03)

 

For Alfa owners who have the Kenwood radio in the dash, the following recap might help you to access key functions. The radio is complicated, and the manual doesn't make it any easier to see what to do. I hope this recap will help you. Sit down in front of the radio, try the steps and if you have a problem, e-mail me. If everything works, fold up the paper and save it underneath the radio!

Radio Kenwood

When the name of a button is mentioned, press it to activate action:

·        SCR (in center) turns on unit and advances through TUNER, TAPE, CD, Ext CD, AUX, OFF

·        Holding down SCR for a couple of seconds will shut radio completely off.

·        VOLUME up/down arrows on left.

·        ATT (bottom left) lowers volume quickly. ATT toggles volume level.

·        EQ (left of SCR) display EQ EASY, each repeat moves you through Equalizer types. For each type you can select Low, Medium or High by using FM or AM button. The Type you leave will be used in the future. The graphics represent the Equalization.

·        AUD (same as EQ) hold for more than 1 sec, use FM or AM to select item, use << or >> to adjust item. BALANCE, FADER, NON-FADER OUTPUT. Press AUD to exit.

·        DSP (left of EQ/AUD) each press displays another effect. DSP exits. These give various audio surround effects.

·        DISP button (bottom left of DSP) cycles through choice of displays. Wait five seconds at choice.

TUNER frequency, Stat name (if created), character, clock. CD Track # & time, track # and disc play time, disc name, disc title, Track title, character, clock. TAPE Play side & tape counter, character, and clock. ALL OFF Character & Graphic, clock & Graphic, clock.

Now, the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT ITEM...

·        COLOR / SPECTRUM ANALYZER button (COLOR/ S.A.) (right) for at least one second. "SPEANA" appears. Now, press S.A. button repeatedly until one after seashore. This shuts off annoying graphic. Hold SA button again for at least 1 sec.

·        tap same button, "Illumi" is displayed, additional presses cycle through colors. Last color selected remains.

And the MOST IMPORTANT ITEM...

·        ADJUST CLOCK with radio OFF. DISP, DISP more than 1 sec, FM or AM changes hours, << or >> changes minutes, DISP

(submitted by Bruce Monte) (#1, 06/03)

 

Broken drawer slides on 2002 - drawers coming open while on the road? unable to open some of the drawers? The culprit was the plastic "T" extension at the end of the drawer slides. Several of them broke so we obtained new ones from Alfa, then cut 1 X 2 pine boards of  correct (and varied) lengths. Inserted the boards on the backside of the drawer slides with the end of the board resting on the floor. Fastened each drawer slide to the 1 X 2 with one-inch flat head screws. This eliminated the problem on our 2002. The "T" extensions were strong horizontally but not strong enough vertically. (Jim Huber) (#2, 09/03)

Frying food in the coach - On those rare occasions when we fry items in our coach, we set L.R. Fantastic Fan on high, blowing IN, & open window behind the cook top. Since this "pressurizes" the interior, all fumes go immediately out the window. I hate to clean overhead exhaust fan filters; much easier to just wipe off window screen, if necessary. (Joe & Betty Choate)  (#3, 12/03)

Loading groceries - exterior person removes trashcan from compartment & sets grocery bags in. Interior person easily removes the bags & puts stuff away. This saves having to walk back & forth from coach door to kitchen. (Really impresses your neighbors!) (Joe & Betty Choate) (#3, 12/03)

Need more spice storage. We modified a spice rack we purchased at Camping World to fit inside the left door at the sink - and above the top left hand storage drawer.  (Jim and Kris Huber)  (#4, 03/04)

 

Ceiling fixtures. I had one of the ThinLite fixtures in my living area fail. Since the replacement ballast cost $33 and I could purchase a new fixture including two florescent bulbs for $42, I opted for the replacement. When I was getting ready to throw out the old fixture I happened to read on the box that the fixture is warranted for two years. If you have one of your ceiling fixtures fail within the first two years, call Thin-Line to see what to do. (Bruce Monte) (#4, 03/04)

Storage inside:  Fishing rod storage area. In our last issue Terri Blazell of Alfa asked members to tell her how they use the fishing rod storage area above the large slide. Replies included: lining the space with foam to cushion their fishing rods; adding S hooks to allow for hanging things from it; using it for paper back books, DVD's and flag storage. Also, fly swatter, yardsticks, wiener roast sticks, storing ham radio antennas and storing umbrellas. Keep items clear of the paddle fan AND, make sure nothing can open and fall behind the compartments and onto the roof of the slide out when the slide out is ‘in”. (#5, 06/04)

Storage inside:  We have found out that if your SeeYa has the couch installed, you can purchase 3 of the same plastic bins that came in the overhead compartments (available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) and they fit perfectly under the couch. You have to partially lift up the couch as though you were going to “make the bed” then you can slide the containers under it. Try it with your existing containers. (Tony Monson) (#5, 06/04)

Day/Night Shade Rattle?  Those of you with the day / night shades (and possibly the Venetian blinds) may have an annoying rattle as you go down the road while the shades/blinds are in the up position. I have found a better fix rather than replacing the cheap foam rubber that came installed on them. Obtain some self sticking rubber sealing that is installed on the outside compartment doors, cut it into 2 or 3 inch lengths and after cleaning off the old foam rubber and sticky glue from the metal edges, apply the rubber seal material to the outside edges where the shade/blind touches the window frame. You can get this stuff at Camping World and most RV parts stores. (Tony Monson) (#5, 06/04)

Norcold refrigerator problem! I opened the door of our Norcold refrigerator double door one day and the door fell off. Upon closer inspection we found the bottom plastic holder broken. Owners should check the screws to make sure they are tight. (Joe and Kathy Hernandez) (#7, 12/04)

Kingdome - Fine-tuning (DirecTV)! Recently I had difficulty getting to the proper satellite (DirecTV) and finally called King Controls. The service tech called me within the hour and was very helpful explaining how to fine-tune the dish. If you get a 'wrong satellite' message and the green light is solid -- touch the ON switch for a brief 1001 count and the dish will seek the next satellite - DO NOT TURN THE UNIT OFF! Keep doing this until it locates the proper satellite (there are nine up there!). (Jim Huber).

Kingdome - Fine-tuning (DISH Network)! When I had a problem getting my Kingdome to lock onto DISH network satellite at 119, a Kingdome tech reminded me that it is important to select the "Check Switch" option (Main Menu, 6,1,1, and then "Check Switch). This will cause the receiver to go through about a 3 minute self-check, which should enable the Kingdome to lock onto the required satellite. (Bruce Monte). (#9, 06/05)

If the pull-down manual shades by the driver and passenger will not stay down, the fix takes about ten minutes. Look at the way the shade is mounted so you can replace it when finished. Remove the unit from the ceiling. Remove the small screws holding the cap at the end with the cord. The reason the shade will not stay down is that a small wire 'spring' that needs to be resting on the sprocket. Move the spring back in place and reassemble the shade. Then re-hang. (#9, 06/05)

Small Expense, Big Improvements – For under $30 we improved the efficiency of our 2005 Alfa See Ya. The first time I took a shower in our new coach I noticed the water stream did not reach my legs. The showerhead was installed in the center of the back wall of the stall that is the narrowest part. Because it is so narrow, you cannot distance yourself from the water stream. Consequently, the water only hits the upper torso. The fix was easy. I removed the showerhead-mounting bar and reinstalled it to the left side of the shower. Now the water stream is aimed at the widest part of the stall that enables me to distance myself from the showerhead allowing the water to hit more of my body. The screw holes left from moving the showerhead-mounting bar were covered with two stick-on hooks that are used for soap bags. Total cost, about $3 for the hooks.

My wife and I travel with an electric toothbrush, electric razor, regular toothbrushes, and a bunch of other bathroom stuff. We also like to have a large box of Kleenex at the bathroom sink. The problem is the bathroom counter space in our See Ya would not accommodate everything we like to have easily accessible. The solution was simple. I added a shelf below the medicine cabinet. I made it out of poplar and stained it a light oak to blend with the interior of the coach. The shelf is shaped like the medicine cabinet and is mounted to the underside of the cabinet with three decorative posts (only the front two are visible). We have more than doubled our counter space making it much more convenient to get to our things. Total cost, about $25…and a couple of hours cutting, sanding and finishing. (Tom & Ellen Blair Lewisville, NC ) (#10, 09/05)

Trash Bin Cover -want to make the job of putting trash into the garbage can easier? Use a band saw and cut a narrow width slot across the lid making two halves. Lifting up and removing the front half makes it easier to drop trash into the garbage can. (Mike & Karolyn Lippert) (#11, 12/05)

Trash Handling Our Alfas have a unique garbage handling system. During the past several years we have found the most economical bags are those from Wal Mart in a roll form (about 205 bags in a box). Although these bags seem flimsy, we have never had a problem with them. However, two problems did arise. First, the bags tended to fall down into the pail. The remedy for this was to twist the bag and clip it with a plastic spring-loaded clothespin or bag clip. The solution to the second problem, the bag being overfilled, was to put the unused roll of bags into the pail before putting in a new bag (this also solved the problem of where to put the supply of unused bags!!). (Bruce and Rosemary Monte) (#11, 12/05)

Garbage Can Access Cover: Did you cut your trash cover in half? Last issue we mentioned sawing the trash cover in half for easier access to the trash container. The editor’s wife added four small felt cushions to the bottom to keep the cover from scratching the counter top. (#12, 04/06)

Ceiling Stains: If you get water stain on your ceiling, Clorox Oxi Magic Chlorine Beach Free Multi-Purpose Stain Remover (white bottle with blue label) sprayed on and left overnight will perform wonders. As always, try in an inconspicuous area first to verify the product does not damage the ceiling. "We had a large 1 x 3 foot stain on the bedroom ceiling. I tried many different products and finally had success with this one.  (#12, 04/06)

Using The Space Behind The Picture In The Bathroom - Our 2004 has space behind the picture in the bathroom to access the plumbing for the shower. We cut some ½ thick lumber to width and length, bought some corner brackets and added shelves. It is a good place to store vitamin bottles, shampoo, etc. (Kris Huber) (#12, 04/06)

Drying Clothes from your Splendide. Although the Splendide unit will handle up to 14 lbs. in the wash cycle, we have found it necessary to limit drying to small loads, no more than 6 lbs. Heavy loads took two to three dryer cycles to complete the washday load. We simplified this by adding a "clothes line" accessible from the bedroom window. We ran decorative white link chain (Lowe's or Home Depot) from one window awning arm to the other. Clothes hung on plastic hangers allow for all the pants, walking shorts, shirts and towels to be dried easily. Since you can insert a hanger hook into a chain link, the items hang apart and dry quickly. The chain comes down easily for travel. (Bruce and Rosemary Monte)  (#12, 04/06)

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