Summer Travel Map

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Back on the road

September 27, 2009
Paso Robles, CA

Well, we're back on the road, and so is the Range Rover.  I picked it up in Sacramento yesterday morning, early.  Too early, it turns out.  I could have sworn that I was told that, on Saturdays, the car rental shop opens at 7:00 AM and the body shop at 7:30.  So, I was on the road at 0-dark-thirty for the one-hour drive from Napa and arrived right at 7:30 AM  - only to find out that both places opened at 9:00.  Bummer!  Oh, well; nap time.  I hung out at the Enterprise office until they opened (not a minute early, even though the desk clerk was hanging out in the back for 30 minutes), got a ride to the body shop, and was back on the road with the Range Rover by 9:30.


The body shop did a reasonably good job with the repairs.  They replaced the bumper cover, the hood, and front fenders, plus lots of trim pieces and underbody parts.  They ended up clear-coating the whole driver's side and most of the passenger's side to tackle the scratches left by the hedge.  This worked in our favor because it also fixed quite a few dings put on in our 60,000+ miles of towing it.  There are still some areas that are dinged up that weren't repaired because the hedge didn't impact them, but overall it looks pretty good.

That said, there are dangling repairs that we'll need to tackle, probably when we land in Arizona for a while in November.  The big ticket item is getting the tow bar base plate reinstalled, along with all the associated wiring for lights and the air line for the brakes.  The body shop wanted no part of this project, so I'll find a place to have it done.  Assuming the base plate isn't bent (the body shop manager did check that and it looks OK), it's all labor and incidentals so it shouldn't cost too much.  We also have to replace or repair the cover we used on the front when towing.  The company we bought it from offers free repairs, but I'm not sure if that includes accident damage.

Two new issues surfaced when I picked it up, though.  Potentially, the body shop broke the pumps for the window washers during the dismantle process, and realized it too late to get replacements on our schedule.  I think we used the washer during our drive from Oregon to Sacramento, but can't swear to it.  No matter, they're broken (there are three pumps, one each for the washers on the windshield, rear window, and headlights) and need to be replaced.  Also, the outside temperature sensor isn't working; it shows -40°F all the time.  I know that this was working when we dropped it off, since Geri radioed me from the road when the temperature hit 100°F during the drive south.  I'll try to get these items fixed at our local Land Rover Centre in Scottsdale.

So, in addition to the Range Rover being on the road, so were we.  Since the caravan ended with our final dinner last night, today was departure day for most folks.  We heard two coaches head out while we were still in bed, and a few more left while we were getting ready.  Since we had a 5-6 hour drive, we didn't have to leave too early.  I targeted 10:00 AM and we actually hit the road about a half-hour early.  It was all highway driving (not our favorite thing any more) and let's just say that the stimulus money hasn't trickled down to highway maintenance along I-680 between Vallejo and San Jose.  We stopped for lunch in Salinas and were all parked at the "Wine Country RV Resort" just after 3:00 PM.  We have a nice site near the dog run, which is good because the pet rules are definitely not dog-friendly.  The park is right next to a Firestone Winery tasting room, so we'll probably stop there for nostalgia's sake.  Firestone in Santa Ynez was the very first winery we visited circa 1979 on our first vacation out here.

No comments: