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- Apr 14, 2014
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- 3,446
A couple weeks ago we headed to Rochester MN in the motorhome to see what the Mayo Clinic people could do about the chronic back pain I've had for years. It started a few years ago as a PITA. Since then, it's developed into somewhat of a debilitating PITA. We got about 50 miles from Rochester and the transmission would no longer shift into 4th and 5th gear. I could still drive about 50 mph, but the engine was at a steady 3,000 rpm.
When we got to Rochester, we started looking around for a Ford garage that could handle the problem. It turned out the closest place was in Apple Valley, a suburb of Minneapolis. After our nonproductive appointments we packed up and headed to Apple valley. All went well for the first 50 miles. The transmission was working well, and we could easily maintain speeds of 55 mph. As we slowed to exit highway 52 things changed drastically. The check engine light came on and the trans would no longer shift out of 3rd gear. The last 25 miles was at about 45 mph and sucking gas at about 6 mpg. We finally made it to the shop early in the afternoon. After a brief discussion with a service advisor, we left it for diagnosis and possible repair. I was a bit shocked when I was told the hourly rate for class A motorhomes was $289.00 per hour. We made the trip home from Minneapolis to Madison in out 2004 Jeep TJ. It's a great vehicle for short trips and off roading, but a little rough riding for a 250-mile trip on the interstate.
The following Tuesday we got the dreaded return call. I enquired about the cost of a remanufactured unit or possibly rebuilding the current unit. As it turned out they weren't willing to do a reman and it would cost more to rebuild the current transmission than replace it with a new factory unit. We chose the least expensive route. That being a complete new unit and cooler. Yesterday we stopped back at the dealership to it pick up. Although we already knew the cost before we got to there it was a real pain in the pocketbook when we had to shell out over $7,600.00.
We drove 75 miles back to Rochester yesterday. Thankfully without any incidences. We have a couple more appointments at Mayo today. Hopefully they will be as successful as the trip to Minneapolis was for the motorhome. If all turns out well, we'll be heading back home tomorrow. The only downside is we'll have to drive separately. Ford doesn't recommend towing anything for the first 1,000 miles.
When we got to Rochester, we started looking around for a Ford garage that could handle the problem. It turned out the closest place was in Apple Valley, a suburb of Minneapolis. After our nonproductive appointments we packed up and headed to Apple valley. All went well for the first 50 miles. The transmission was working well, and we could easily maintain speeds of 55 mph. As we slowed to exit highway 52 things changed drastically. The check engine light came on and the trans would no longer shift out of 3rd gear. The last 25 miles was at about 45 mph and sucking gas at about 6 mpg. We finally made it to the shop early in the afternoon. After a brief discussion with a service advisor, we left it for diagnosis and possible repair. I was a bit shocked when I was told the hourly rate for class A motorhomes was $289.00 per hour. We made the trip home from Minneapolis to Madison in out 2004 Jeep TJ. It's a great vehicle for short trips and off roading, but a little rough riding for a 250-mile trip on the interstate.
The following Tuesday we got the dreaded return call. I enquired about the cost of a remanufactured unit or possibly rebuilding the current unit. As it turned out they weren't willing to do a reman and it would cost more to rebuild the current transmission than replace it with a new factory unit. We chose the least expensive route. That being a complete new unit and cooler. Yesterday we stopped back at the dealership to it pick up. Although we already knew the cost before we got to there it was a real pain in the pocketbook when we had to shell out over $7,600.00.
We drove 75 miles back to Rochester yesterday. Thankfully without any incidences. We have a couple more appointments at Mayo today. Hopefully they will be as successful as the trip to Minneapolis was for the motorhome. If all turns out well, we'll be heading back home tomorrow. The only downside is we'll have to drive separately. Ford doesn't recommend towing anything for the first 1,000 miles.
