Well, I can officially say that we should be, if all goes well, knock on wood, we will be done in a few days.
Coach Getting Sealed With Silicone
Now it’s down to the little things. But some very important ones!
We finally were able to get all our coach sealed with silicone.
We can drive in rain now that our windshield wipers are installed and working nicely.
And our tow vehicle should be protected with the rock guard hat is now installed.
Then it was time for more testing.
First up, the bubble test. What is a bubble test you ask? Well, I had no idea so I had to ask to.
The bubble test is a test that is just what it says. It’s a test to look for bubbles from a solution of water and baby shampoo.
Yup, baby shampoo. It has the right consistency and does not leave streaks. It washes off cleanly.
A Tiffin team member first puts a pressurizing fan into the window and seals it off. This pressurizes the inside of the coach. He then puts the water and baby shampoo solution all over the coach. Everywhere. In all the cracks and crevasses.
Not that there are cracks, because their is not, but you know what I mean.
He’s checking the seals, windows and doors making sure that their are no air leaks. Any where their is a seal, or a potential opening. If their is an air leak, the solution that is sprayed on the coach will bubble up. He then seals the crack to make it air tight. (note, their are some areas that it is expected to see bubble…so air “tight” is not fully the right way to say it. Again, you know what I mean. I think.)
Once the bubble test is done it’s time to head to the rain booth.
First the water is pumped upward and the Tiffin team member checks all our basement compartments to make sure no water has made it inside.
Once he’s satisfied with that, the real fun begins. We just had to stick around and watch this.
Tucked away inside our coach, the Tiffin team member activates the rain booth.
Now to call it a rain booth is a little bit of an understatement. This is what the Tiffin team member calls “Katrina Time”.
This was pretty cool. He let’s it rain for about 1/2 an hour all the while he is inside checking out every potential leak area.
Unfortunately, he did find one. Our driver’s side window was not sealed all the way in the gasket seal. So alas, water did find it’s way inside. Not a lot but enough to make him stop the rain test, get a guy to fix the seal and re-test the seal.
It worked beautifully the second time. No other leaks were detected.
So what does that mean now for us?
Well, believe it or not, we are back at the main factory again at the final finishing area.
This is where they do a thorough deep cleaning inside getting all the factory dust out. Can’t wait for that!
This is also the area that any minor repairs that need to be done will get done before it goes to the dealership.
Nice thing is since we were here on site for our entire build, we found and fixed a lot of the little things. So there really is not much left to do.
Once they are done at this station, our coach is ready for transport to the dealership! We plan to do a time lapse of the final inspection and cleaning. Then when we are off to the dealer, if we can plan it right, we will do a time lapse of the drive to Davis Motorhomes from behind our new 45LP, our dealer. Stay Tuned and we hope you are subscribed. (Also follow us on Twitter to receive updates!)
David and Brenda, it was great meeting you guys at Tiffin and glad you are finally getting delivery. Our coach will be delivered on the 28th. Hope all is well.
Safe travels,
Grant and Bonnie Gravois
Slidell, Louisiana.
It was nice meeting you both also. Hope you enjoy your new coach as much as we know we will enjoy ours. Safe Travels!
Aphorism of the March:
“Nothing But Blue Skies Ahead! ”
Good Luck !!
Very excited for you guys! Hope you have many blue skies & trouble-free miles ahead!!
I’ve really enjoyed watching the progress of the building of your coach. But you really should learn the use of “there” and “their” – you’re using them entirely wrong and it’s really annoying. “Their” means belonging to them. “There” is similar to “where” referring to a place or a state of being. Most of your uses of “their” need to be replaced by “there.”
Glad you’re enjoying the blog.
There, their, they’re….it’ll be alright. We all have our pet peeves. People have “their” issues even when doing a blog in “there” motor home. :) Now I’m confused. Should I have used “their” because the motor home belongs to us or “there” because it is a place? Thus the problem with the English language where a “window” is no longer a “window”. :)
Very good com back. We all knew what you were saying.
ops I did it again, (com) intended to say come back. HA. :-)
Sharon,
Respectfully, you should never critique in public. This is a public forum in which the Bott’s have educated and entertained us. We all make mistakes but calling them out is inappropriate.
Now let’s grade your reply.
The first sentence has two prepositional phrases. Not proper usage.
The second sentence begins with “But”. That’s improper usage. The word “but” in this usage should follow a “,”.
The second sentence also uses a (-). That’s improper usage. The sentence should’ve ended with a “period” after “Their” and the third sentence should’ve begun with “You’re”.
The fifth sentence is repetitive of your point. You made your point originally…move on.
Mistakes are usually unintentional. Forgive and let go. However, calling someone out is intentional.
In my 32 years of RVing, the Bott’s have educated and entertained me far above my expectations through this forum. I appreciate “their” time and efforts and easily overlook “their” mistakes.
I would grade your reply as a “D-“. “There” you have it!
You guys did it right! I hope you give a copy of your time lapse videos to the Tiffin sales dept.
Woohoo for you two! I am looking forward to reading about your adventures on your new coach. Congrats!
A big HALLO from Italy