Orientation

[Linda]

Amazing how different the process can be from one place to another. We have had slightly different experiences depending on who the agent was at the same office.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by santacruzer

I've now registered two Escape trailers in California. When I did the 17 it was at a small DMV in Northern California, and the whole process took 20 minutes maximum, with me leaving with the plates. When I registered the 19 here in Santa Cruz County it was an absolute dose of hell. They had to photocopy every single document and send them off to Sacramento for verification. I got a temporary permit, and the plates came in the mail about a month later. And, I had to explain, and explain again, the conversion from Canadian dollars to US dollars. My advice Californians is to make copies of everything in advance, and have a perfectly clear receipt showing US equivalent of purchase price. And, go to a small town DMV.

Glad we took your advice posted previously; we stopped in Alturas coming back on Hwy 395. A supervisor from Redding was subbing that day last September and while she noted that an import document was a photocopy she knew that it probably didn't matter to Sacramento and completed the transaction. AAA used to do this ahead of time but abandoned processing any imported trailers a few years ago.

[Red Dog]

Rossue,

Thanks for this post, and thanks to everyone else for their input. It provided some very interesting reading. We went through the orientation process when we picked up our Casita in Rice, Tx in 2014. I have learned a lot since that day and hope that we will have a shorter learning curve when we pick up our Escape, but...

Checking the torque on the lug nuts is something I will have to include on my list of things to do.

Definitely check for power on my 12V drops and other electrical connections.

It is probably time to find how the license plate process works in Texas.

Oh hell, I am printing the checklist today!

[NW Cat Owner]

I just went over the orientation list that was posted here as a pdf file. I'm wondering how many of those things ETI actually lets you check.

Do they hook the trailer up to power so you can test all the outlets?

Are you able to turn on all appliances to test them?

How about the water? I seriously doubt I'll be able to fill the tanks to check for everything that list suggests. But will there be enough water to check that the pump (and faucets) works?

Will I be able to turn on the stove to verify propane is getting to it?

One thing I did add was to check for swirls in the waxed finish. I've had reports from more than one new owner of swirls in the finish, which implies someone didn't go a very good job of waxing.

What about getting under the trailer to check what was suggested? I also want to verify the heat tape has been properly installed and there aren't any gaps on the pipes. Do we need to bring one of those scooter boards (or whatever they're called for getting underneath) or will they have one we can use?

The list suggests checking the propane and carbon monoxide alarms - is this really done? Or are they just assumed to work since they're new?

Thanks! Yeah, this is all new to me. Yes, I'll watch the orientation video on the site, but I will be bringing a check list with me and I was wondering what was reasonable to expect to get done within the 2 hours they'll allow me.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Rossue,

Thanks for this post, and thanks to everyone else for their input. It provided some very interesting reading. We went through the orientation process when we picked up our Casita in Rice, Tx in 2014. I have learned a lot since that day and hope that we will have a shorter learning curve when we pick up our Escape, but...

Checking the torque on the lug nuts is something I will have to include on my list of things to do.

Definitely check for power on my 12V drops and other electrical connections.

It is probably time to find how the license plate process works in Texas.

Oh hell, I am printing the checklist today!

i have to go back and read this thread, to make my own long checklist

i would not have thought to check for power at the 12v drops....... for one...

[float5]

I am not aware that they wax the trailer. Hope not!

Someone else can comment as we did not get 12v drops but I thought that they purposely do not have power to them?

No, two hours is not enough to check everything. We checked a number of items at a nearby campground.

We did run water and stove and insisted that they get the furnace working. Have to know how to work that and it can get messed up if the wrong thing is pushed or too quickly. A tech had to come and fix ours. Worked after that. Also need to see how the refrigerator works.

I can only suggest that you work such items yourself after they show you how or you won't have a clue later.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by NW Cat Owner

I just went over the orientation list that was posted here as a pdf file. I'm wondering how many of those things ETI actually lets you check.

Do they hook the trailer up to power so you can test all the outlets?

Are you able to turn on all appliances to test them?

How about the water? I seriously doubt I'll be able to fill the tanks to check for everything that list suggests. But will there be enough water to check that the pump (and faucets) works?

Will I be able to turn on the stove to verify propane is getting to it?

One thing I did add was to check for swirls in the waxed finish. I've had reports from more than one new owner of swirls in the finish, which implies someone didn't go a very good job of waxing.

What about getting under the trailer to check what was suggested? I also want to verify the heat tape has been properly installed and there aren't any gaps on the pipes. Do we need to bring one of those scooter boards (or whatever they're called for getting underneath) or will they have one we can use?

The list suggests checking the propane and carbon monoxide alarms - is this really done? Or are they just assumed to work since they're new?

Thanks! Yeah, this is all new to me. Yes, I'll watch the orientation video on the site, but I will be bringing a check list with me and I was wondering what was reasonable to expect to get done within the 2 hours they'll allow me.

Good luck !Pat

[Kountrykamper]

They do not wax the trailer. I asked if they would so I would not have to do it and was told they do not offer that service.

Any swirls will go away when you wax it or have it waxed.

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by Kountrykamper

They do not wax the trailer. I asked if they would so I would not have to do it and was told they do not offer that service.

Any swirls will go away when you wax it or have it waxed.

Ah, so that's part of the molding process then? Good to know as I was rather concerned about that. Thanks for this info.

[Greg A]

We just checked the major items and shell integrity then went to KOA in Lynden for 3 days where we really did thorough look. Things like the thermostat being set for Celsius and how to set it correctly to what is normal.

[Red Dog]

We are going to be in a bit of a pickle, because we will be picking our rig the first or second week of January and won't be hanging around for a shakedown until we are well south in California. So, I will try to check as much as I can within the two hours allocated.

[Sandra L]

Originally Posted by Greg A

We just checked the major items and shell integrity then went to KOA in Lynden for 3 days where we really did thorough look. Things like the thermostat being set for Celsius and how to set it correctly to what is normal.

Greg has mentioned a very important item: going to a nearby campground for a couple of days..that way you can go over everything, see that all things work etc. in a quiet (hopefully) environment..and if something crops up it is a hop, skip and jump back for "fixits".

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

We are going to be in a bit of a pickle, because we will be picking our rig the first or second week of January and won't be hanging around for a shakedown until we are well south in California. So, I will try to check as much as I can within the two hours allocated.

You might be able to stay in the region for a day or two. The thing about Chilliwack/Vancouver/Seattle/PNW area is that the lower altitude areas can sometimes be quite temperate -- even in January. Start climbing a bit into the mountains though and things change very rapidly. All about the elevation.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

We are going to be in a bit of a pickle, because we will be picking our rig the first or second week of January and won't be hanging around for a shakedown until we are well south in California. So, I will try to check as much as I can within the two hours allocated.

No different than having the trailer delivered. ETI does turn everything on and check it. They deliver a lot of trailers with very little problems. If there are any problems you have to trust that ETI will take care of them.

[Donna D.]

IMHO... spend the Orientation paying attention! Make certain everything on your build sheet that you asked for has been done. Ask questions if you need answers. You may feel overwhelmed (if you've never owned a trailer) and trying to see if everything works right then and there during that relatively short amount of time may interfere with all you need to know first about your new trailer.

[Washingtonia]

In other words, try not to get lost in the weeds.

[huskersteffy]

I would second what Donna said. Our 21' we picked up in June was our first trailer and orientation day was overwhelming. With best intentions I also had a list for what to check out / ask questions about during orientation and maybe had time for half of it. We did stay one night at Lynden KOA before heading south (highly recommend this KOA). I don't know if its ETI's QC or we got lucky, but we did not have issues with anything trailer related on the way back to Nebraska.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by NW Cat Owner

......
Do they hook the trailer up to power so you can test all the outlets?
Are you able to turn on all appliances to test them?
How about the water? I seriously doubt I'll be able to fill the tanks to check for everything that list suggests. But will there be enough water to check that the pump (and faucets) works?
Will I be able to turn on the stove to verify propane is getting to it?
One thing I did add was to check for swirls in the waxed finish. I've had reports from more than one new owner of swirls in the finish, which implies someone didn't go a very good job of waxing.
What about getting under the trailer to check what was suggested? I also want to verify the heat tape has been properly installed and there aren't any gaps on the pipes. Do we need to bring one of those scooter boards (or whatever they're called for getting underneath) or will they have one we can use?
The list suggests checking the propane and carbon monoxide alarms - is this really done? Or are they just assumed to work since they're new?
Thanks! Yeah, this is all new to me. Yes, I'll watch the orientation video on the site, but I will be bringing a check list with me and I was wondering what was reasonable to expect to get done within the 2 hours they'll allow me.

Laura, at our orientation last year, the trailer was plugged in, they had all the lights on, we tried the microwave, A/C, and, the frig was running on 120VAC-(they cycled through the frig. run options-all worked).
We lit the stove (we had them purge and fill the propane tanks-per the build sheet option), crawled under the trailer, and did a walk all the way around. Ran water in the sink, w/ the pump, so there was something in the tank.
They kind of stepped back then, so we could look again. (It's tough to think of things to check at that moment because of the excitement. I had a list in my hand, and never looked at it.)
No wax; just the freshly washed gel-coat finish.
I seem to remember that they had a creeper, in case you want to roll around under the trailer. You could use a big piece of cardboard; that works fine.
Upon delivery at Bob's in Sumas, we went to Bay View State Park for a couple of days. Everything worked as advertised!!

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

You might be able to stay in the region for a day or two. The thing about Chilliwack/Vancouver/Seattle/PNW area is that the lower altitude areas can sometimes be quite temperate -- even in January. Start climbing a bit into the mountains though and things change very rapidly. All about the elevation.

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Hey Robert!

My wife and I were just discussing that. If the weather is decent, we will do the shakedown in Sumas or Lynden. Damn the torpedoes...full speed ahead!

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Laura, at our orientation last year, the trailer was plugged in, they had all the lights on, we tried the microwave, A/C, and, the frig was running on 120VAC-(they cycled through the frig. run options-all worked). (snip)

Hey, this is *exactly* what I needed to read/hear! thanks much for posting this. Makes me feel less overwhelmed at what all will be happening.