topgun2

Tons of questions can be answered simply by reading through the various posts on the Forum. I've never been on the Escape Forum but I know that there is a ton of information here. Have fun exploring and if we can be of help - simply ask. In addition to what JD says above, be aware that Oliver Sales reps will not "bug" you or put pressure on you in any way. They are a very helpful bunch! Welcome. Bill

I'd like to help you if I could. However, I have no clue as to who, what or where this "R&D Team" is located within the Oliver structure. If you wish your viewpoint to be heard within Oliver then I'd suggest that you send a letter and/or email in this regard to Scott Oliver. Bill

King - As one of the first and few that have set up the twin bed plan as a bed and a couch - its really nice to see another out there in the real world - looks great too especially with the warmth of the wood. Hopefully you will be at the 2022 Owner's Rally and we will have a chance to talk. Congrates! Bill

Here is one with a similar lever. At this point (Sunday evening), I'd call Oliver Service first thing in the morning (Monday) and see if they could tell you: 1. how that lever attaches to the valve stem 2. how soon they can get a replacement lever and/or valve to you. Good luck! Bill

Do the rest of your water valve "levers" look like the one pictured in the upper right hand corner?

There's a price to pay for that 14 years of wonderful times in an early Ollie! 😁 Seriously, I got a list of these numbers with my 2016.

Did you use the water heater by-pass valves as per the video to isolate the water heater from the rest of the system? If you did do this at the beginning of the winterization procedure - the - you are OK. If not then you most likely used a bunch more antifreeze versus what you would have used otherwise. Bill

I would NOT make that assumption. In the past, Oliver did record these numbers and give them to new owners along with their Owner's Manual. I'd bet that about the time that Oliver stopped doing this was about the time they started tracking the numbers in their system. 😊 Bill

I just got an email from TechnoRV.com about their black Friday sale that is going on now. TPMS, GPS, Viair compressors, cameras, GasStop, etc. are on sale. But you have to give them your email address in order to get the sale prices. Bill p.s. I have no affiliation with these guys other than having purchased a couple of items from them in the past.

It's always great to be back home. But, I do know what you mean about missing the road. Bill

As has been pointed out before, Oliver management does not routinely monitor this Forum. There are a couple of individuals who do look at it but I think that the word "monitor" is too strong. I do not believe that this lack of monitoring is by design or purposeful, but, it is due to the fact that virtually all of these people wear a bunch of hats and are simply too busy with all these hats to spend copious amounts of time here. For instance - the person that is responsible for keeping things running smoothly here is also responsible for doing that exact same thing for every department throughout all of the Oliver companies. In addition there is the job of investigating and implementing new soft (and hard) ware. He has also been involved in video production, photo shoots and marketing material design (brochures to t-shirts), etc. SeaDawg's advice is absolutely correct. Bill

If you decide to go this route then simply take a picture of how your batteries are wired prior to taking them out of the Ollie. Then, rewire them in exactly the same manner when you store them and attach the NOCO alligator clips to the terminals where the main wires (negative - black and positive - red) from the Oliver were attached. Plug in the NOCO and it will do the rest keeping all four batteries charged as long as there is 110 volt power supplied to the NOCO - walk away.

Since my Elite II didn't come with one of those fancy solar plugin ports, I simply took one of THESE and wired it as seen in the photo above. Then all I have to do is connect my regular wiring pigtail that is normally connected to my tow vehicle to the solar panel. Having said this and since I believe that you are getting an Oliver that has the solar port, I'd simply do what BackofBeyond recommends above. My specific brand of panel is not sold under its same name anymore. However, again as BackofBeyond mentions, there are plenty to chose from. I would not buy one bigger than 100 watts or smaller than 25 watts - the smaller = cheaper (make sure that the panel has a solar charge controller included) and also = less money lost in the event of damage or it growing feet where it walks away. Bill

You could always use a small portable solar panel to charge your batteries like several owners on the Forum do (me included). Of course this depends on a number of factors - access to sun (i.e. lack of shade), secure enough place such that someone doesn't walk away with your panel, etc. I use a 25 watt panel which I think is the bare minimum that you could get away given the 4 batteries and I make sure that these batteries are fully charged before putting the Ollie into storage.

I'm always a bit leery of reports such as this. While the 4,000 responses are statistically significant, there are way too many of these kinds of reports that can still be skewed to say and/or represent almost any viewpoint. However, most of what is said here seems to verify what is being observed in the real world. And, it gives a basis from which to draw your own conclusions that is not based on "guesses". Bill

HERE is a statistical study of camping in 2021 based on a reasonable sample of just shy of 4,000 survey responses. Unfortunately, it does not address any information concerning the supply side of the function (i.e. additional camping sites). Bill

Or ---- You could simply ditch the white window molding and get the black. Once and done versus dealing with the funk and grey. Bill

WOW! The person that backed into that spot really did a fine job! Just got to believe that Maddie and Baxter helped. 🥰

My take on it is this - if one thought that they used to be able to go cross-country with a lot of flexibility then in these times they simply will need to have even more flexibility. Yes, perhaps it is a different kind of flexibility but it is now more important than ever. This past summer I was fortunate enough to get a reserved site in a Yellowstone campground for 10 days. Every single day there would be sites open where people with reservations either didn't show up, cancelled at the last minute or left early. And, every single day there would be those people who simply just showed up at the right time and got one of those sites. Definitely not the way I prefer to travel but these people (for the most part) knew that they were taking a "flier" on getting a site and were prepared to move on if they were not successful - they were flexible. During this same trip I spent four days on the road driving to the West and another four days driving to the East all without a single reservation. Knowing that I might run into issues finding a place to park for the night, I had 4 or 5 different places already identified in the event my first choice was taken/full. Not once did I have to resort to even my second choice. Lucky - perhaps, but, I was prepared. We have purchased one of the most flexible campers on the market and if outfitted correctly it is capable of keeping us very comfortable is a very wide range of situations. In these times we just have to be as flexible in our planning to be able to enjoy ourselves no matter what situation we encounter. Bill

I used to have a picture of an Ollie that had the front sprayed with Rhino in black. I thought that it would be ugly but was surprised that it really didn't look too bad. I've been told that this Ollie is/was owned by one of the Olivers but I've never confirmed that. Perhaps Jason in Service might be able to tell you for sure? Certainly a picture would help you decide if that is really the way you want to go. Bill

"Another"?🙊🙉🙈

Yes - do the repair. Over time the gelcoat will continue to chip away at the edges and you risk cutting yourself on those edges if left as is. p.s. in and of itself, moisture will not do much to the fiberglass. However, moisture, dirt, grime, grease, etc. will make the area look worse and worse over time. Yet another reason to fix the ding.

Glad you got it fixed. I too have had "issues" with my audio system from time to time - once every two years or so. I suspect that the "computer" chip(s) that run the thing gets "confused" and finds itself in a loop. In any case, a system reset - paperclip into the small hole on the front that is marked "reset" normally does the trick. Bill

I'm not sure how this product compares to other spray on paint protection films that have been out on the market. Several years ago I used one of these sprays for two years in a row. To apply I had to mask off the areas where I didn't want the spray, apply several coats, quickly take off the masking (or else the edges would be ragged). Cheaper than having the paint protection film applied - not counting my time involved with the spray product. But, this spray stuff had to be removed at the end of the season - harder to do than I had thought it would be. The main body of the sprayed areas was fairly easy but there were areas that took a bunch of time and polish to get off. Bottom line is - I had the film applied and have not looked back. It has lasted now for three years - yes, it does have a few nicks in it but nothing major and I'm fairly certain that given the roads I drive every summer there would be far greater damage to my Ollie. However, if I were planning a trip to Alaska I'd use something much heavier - like yoga mats and the like. Bill

Ah - come on guys - there's a bunch to still like. I'm sure that the frame is good as are some of the windows and how 'bout dem axles. Heck! There's still at least one tire there that simply has to be good.😆 Bill p.s. JD - I've got a couple of friends over in Idaho that just might be a bit insulted and come a callin'.