Grants Pass RV and Auto Repair

Henderson’s Line-up has joined with good folks like Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty to help Samaritans Purse send God’s love in tangible form to children in need from all over the world. For years it has been a tradition at Henderson’s Line-Up and SuperSteer products here in Grants Pass, Oregon to work with Operation Christmas Child and the local community to pack up thousands of shoeboxes full of toys, gifts, personal items, etc that children are excited to receive. November 23rd and 24th is the last weekend to get these boxes in. We will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 1:00 to receive the last minute gift boxes that will make a difference in the lives of so many children. If you haven’t already, be sure to drop off your shoebox gift at 458 Redwood Highway here in Grants Pass no later than the last weekend before Thanksgiving. Thank you

When I first heard about the Road Performance Assessment, I dismissed it as just another fancy marketing gimmick, like the old gag of calling janitors “sanitation engineers”. All hat, no boots, so to speak. It’s a test drive, right? I was in for a surprise…. At that time, I barely knew Robert Henderson. A lean, unassuming middle-aged guy smiled at me and confidently took the helm of my precious RV, “Howie”. We pulled out of the shop and onto SR199 in gloomy Oregon Fall weather and headed out of town. Robert’s self-assigned task was deceptively simple: drive my RV and analyze its handling characteristics. Determine if it had any worn or misadjusted chassis components, and identify opportunities for after-market improvements. My job was even simpler: shut up and try not to scream. You see, Robert has been doing “RV stuff” for decades, and his driving and road-savvy abilities far exceed anything that you or I a ... read more

When I bought my new-to-me motorhome, it was truly a “foreign object”. We immediately named it “House On Wheels In Excess”, or Howie for short. The 27-foot class-A was the biggest thing I had ever driven, and I was deeply focused on how to manage the size and handling from the moment I drove Howie off the lot. One of the most challenging aspects was the steering response, or rather lack of it. The power steering on the Workhorse chassis was — powerful. So powerful, in fact, that there was almost no force required to turn the wheel. Howie was nearly effortless to maneuver, clearly a benefit. Maybe. The problem was that there was no feedback, that subtle sense of what the coach was doing. It was almost like operating a video game, where you turn the wheel and the picture moves. Another more insidious fault with the steering was its lack of self-centering. The very nature of the fingertip steering forces meant that there was not enough “urge” from the steering gear to make the tires ... read more

The biggest flux of Americans into retirement status is well upon us as baby boomers born 1945 – 1955 lay aside their careers and businesses and settle into their golden years. For many, that not only means a change in their daily routine, but also a change in the way they live and where they live. Many are exchanging their now oversized, pricey homes for a comfortable home on wheels. Overall there are about 35 million RV enthusiasts in America and a growing number are the baby boomers as they near or enter retirement. One of the reasons for its growing popularity is that it combines the potential for life simplification with elegance. A retired couple can live very comfortably in a quality RV with the significant advantage of being able to change scenery on a whim. You can wake up to a glorious sunrise in the Arizona desert and bed down with the sound of the gently crashing waves of the Pacific in a Southern California RV park. Not only is a change of scenery a simple decision ... read more

All RV technicians, service writers and company owners are invited to attend this two-day training. Attendees will drive a Class-A motorhome and will learn how to conduct the Road Performance Assessment. They will also learn product knowledge and installation techniques from manufacturers. “The most valuable part of the training, I feel, is the drive test,” said Eric Beck, a Henderson’s Line-Up shop foreman and technician. “It’s good for any tech to learn the drive portion of the Road Performance Assessment, as he will know what to look for and what to feel for while driving an RV. You have to drive a coach to figure out what’s going on with a coach’s steering and suspension, to then know what problems need to be addressed.” Manufacturers will be present to discuss solutions to the various needs that coach owner’s experience with the steering, handling and suspension of their motorhome. Installation tips and product insight is another highlight of this two-day training, the compan ... read more