Hello everyone, I thought that I'd drop in and try writing a little bit here and maybe it will prompt me to write some more about what I think of Charlie almost 3 years later.
Well we are still in love with the big beast and enjoy it whenever possible, which is not as often as we should. We have had some issues but can't blame the build although I can blame a part or two and a substantial piece of equipment.
I can't say that I have done much in the way of adding or modifying anything because we like our original build so much. I still would not change a thing, well kind of (more on that later).
One thing that we did change were the shocks. It's foremost on my mind because I just did some more work on that subject just yesterday. The original set of adjustable Koni's proved to be too stiff on the settings we put them on and I decided that I would try something new, even with the availability of more adjustments on the ones I had. I went with the new FSD Koni's available through Upscale Auto and I already love them. The new FSDs have really smoothed out the ride and I don't seem to have lost any handling edge.
I would recommend installing the Koni shocks to anyone who enjoys driving winding roads or has issues with porposing. I really feel that SMB should consider adding these shocks or other good quality shocks to their options list along with checking the front end alignment after a heavy build. Just my $.02 worth.
I am heading back to Sportsmobile for repairs on Monday and will leave Charlie in their hands for the week.
The reason for the visit is that we noticed a leak in the roof fan after one of the few days of rain we had last winter. I took it in and they said that they used the factory supplied installation kit which included seals which they said could be a problem. When they pulled off the fan they also found some rust in the area. They cleaned it up and put in a better seal and asked me to come back later and they would send Charlie to a painter and they would take care of the rust permanently. This trip will take care of the paint and another minor issue.
The other issue is that the upholstery on several different panels is coming loose. Peter said that this was from a bad batch of adhesive so they will take care of that too.
While Charlie is in the shop we will add another sub-woofer and a control to move more sound forward. Right now we can't turn up the stereo too loud on trips because we don't want to blast the dogs in back sitting right over the existing sub-woofer along with the bigger killer speakers.
We are also having the boys at SMB West do a thorough once over since we are about to head out to Alaska. We plan on putting on up to 7,000 miles on Charlie in a couple weeks so are getting everything ready now.
One of the few regrets I have is the diesel generator and might not do it again if given another chance. I just don't think there is another solution for that piece that offers the final measure of independence so still not sure. It has not worked for several months and we will be taking it in for another try, it was fixed once earlier this year. The sad thing is that I can't take it to a factory authorized repair shop because I went to the local shop and I wouldn't let that guy work on my lawn mower so we take it to a local shop that seems competent. This has nothing to do with SMB and they even cautioned me about the diesel generators.
I hope to have some more time soon to give you all a complete rundown on where I am as far as what I like, and possibly don't, about our build. I'll tell you now there is very little that I don't like.
Charlie is still the best place for my wife and I to go and hang out if we want to relax or take a nap after a tough week (sometimes it can be a challenge to get a full night's sleep.
Sportsmobile continues to back and support their product and they have been great to deal with.
Look forward to getting back to writing to you all again here.
Chumley