The first residents of the Buttervale Worm Ranch arrived today , about a half-pound of red wigglers, and they are officially moved into their new VermiHut.
For those unfamiliar with it, vermicomposting is basically composting with a workforce. Instead of waiting for a traditional compost pile to break down, red wiggler worms and the microorganisms living with them process kitchen scraps, cardboard and other organic material and turn it into incredibly rich worm castings.
Worm poop.
We’re harvesting worm poop.
And I’m surprisingly excited about it.
Move-In Day
Instead of sending all of that material out with the trash to the landfill, we’re going to try closing the loop a little bit:
The new VermiHut has several stacking trays. I’ve loaded the lower trays with damp shredded cardboard to start breaking down and becoming biologically active, while our first half-pound of red wigglers gets established in the working tray at the top.
Eventually, as one tray fills with castings, we’ll start feeding in the next one and let the worms migrate through the system.
At least that’s the theory. I saw it on YouTube so it has to work, right?
For now my primary responsibility as a newly minted worm rancher appears to be keeping 500-ish worms comfortable and resisting the urge to feed them everything in the compost bin.
Their first meal, an apple core, some cucumber ends, coffee grounds and crushed egg shells.
Like most ranching, it takes care and patience.
If this works the way I hope, we’ll reduce some household waste, create a steady supply of excellent soil amendment for the gardens, and learn another little piece of building a more productive and sustainable Buttervale.
Worst case?
I now own several hundred worms. If they don’t pull their weight, I can always take them fishing.
I try to use my very small corner of the Internet to be part of the solution. I don’t like ranting for no good reason. However, today, I am disgusted by the way Accurite, maker of my current weather station, is treating me and all of their user base.
So, are there any other AcuRite weather station users out there? I’m curious what you think of the new app and especially whether you were using the My AcuRite web dashboard before this “upgrade.”
Because I have to say, I’m pretty upset by this decision.
My weather station is only about two years old, and a big part of the reason I bought it was the ability to sit down at a computer, pull up the My AcuRite website dashboard, and actually look at my weather data on a real screen. Historical data, trends, graph, the whole thing. That was part of the product I bought. Part of why I bought it.
Now that access is gone.
Yes, I know I can see my data in the new app. It works. That isn’t the point. I do NOT want app-only access. I require a website. And I find the new app experience inferior to what I had with My AcuRite anyway.
And I did reach out to Support, but they replied:
“Thank you for contacting AcuRite!
We are working on a website for the future. However, as of right now AcuRite NOW is through the app. I do appreciate your feedback regarding the app.”
It is completely unacceptable to remove functionality people already had without providing a replacement. If you want to build a shiny new app, great. But why does “upgrading” have to mean taking useful features away?
This feels like yet another example of taking something that worked well and “evolving” it into a lesser product.
I guess, looking at it another way, I spent about $100 per year for two years of use from a weather station that is now essentially useless to me. The hardware still works. The sensors still work. The data is still there. But AcuRite has decided I can no longer access it the way I did when I purchased the product.
That is an incredibly poor corporate choice.
So, other AcuRite users:
Do you like the new app?
Were you using the web dashboard?
Are you as frustrated about losing it as I am?
I’m extremely disappointed, and I have been to Amazon to leave a review saying exactly that. At this point, it looks like a perfectly functional two-year-old weather station is going to be replaced, not because it broke, but because the company decided to make it less useful.
What a waste.
And for those of you NOT using AcuRite, I’d really like some suggestions.
If I’m going to replace a weather station that is only two years old, I want to make sure I don’t end up in exactly the same situation again.
What weather station are you using, and do you like it?
My biggest requirement at this point is a good web-based dashboard. I want to be able to sit down at my computer, open a website, and see current conditions, history, graphs and trends. A good phone app is certainly a plus, but app-only is a deal breaker for me.
I’d also like something where the manufacturer seems committed to keeping the data accessible rather than deciding a couple years from now that everyone should just use their phone.
So, Davis? Ambient Weather? Tempest? Something else?
If you have a home weather station you really like, especially if you regularly use its web dashboard, tell me what you have and what you like or dislike about it.
Apparently, I’m weather-station shopping again.
UPDATE:
I did get the following reply from Support:
I do appreciate your feedback regarding the app. As of right now, we only have the App available. We are working on the website for the future. The move to AcuRite NOW is about transitioning to a newer connected platform that gives us a stronger foundation for future product development, improved app experiences, and expanded smart home capabilities.
We understand that some features from the legacy My AcuRite platform may work differently or may not carry over in the exact same way. That is not something we take lightly, especially for long-time AcuRite users who have relied on those features.
The benefit of moving to AcuRite NOW is that it gives users access to our current and future connected weather station experience, including a modern app platform, expanded connected-home possibilities, continued cloud access to weather data, and optional NOW+ features such as Weather Underground sharing and up to one year of weather data history.
Do you see it? “Optional NOW+ Features” So, this is all just setting up for a future money grab, I’ll get my website back eventually, but probably have to pay for it.
My Reply:
Thank you for the response. I appreciate that you are working on a website for the future, but I think this misses the central issue with my complaint.
AcuRite REMOVED a feature from a product I already purchased BEFORE its replacement was available.
The web dashboard wasn’t some obscure feature I occasionally used. It was a significant part of how I used my weather station. I purchased a connected weather station with both web and app access. The hardware is only about two years old, it still works perfectly well, and yet a major part of its functionality has now been removed until some future time.
I understand the reasons you have given for moving to a new platform. I worked in IT for over 30 years. A stronger foundation, future development, smart-home capabilities, and an improved app may all be worthwhile goals. But none of those things required shutting down the existing web access before the new web experience was ready.
And respectfully, describing this as a familiar feature that “changes” understates what happened. It didn’t change. It was removed.
I can see my weather station in the new app. I understand that. But I do not want an app-only weather station. I regularly used My AcuRite from a computer, and the new app is, for my purposes, an inferior experience.
I’m also concerned by the reference to optional NOW+ features. I already purchased the hardware and had access to my historical weather data. If features I previously had are eventually restored but placed behind an additional subscription, that would make this even more disappointing.
Had AcuRite launched the new app, kept My AcuRite available, and then retired the old platform once a comparable web dashboard was ready, I would have understood the transition completely. Instead, you’ve taken away functionality first and are asking customers to wait for some unspecified point in the future to get it back.
That’s the corporate decision I find unacceptable.
Can you provide any actual timeline for the new web dashboard? Are we talking about weeks, months, or sometime next year? And will the new website restore the web-based functionality that My AcuRite users previously had without requiring an additional subscription?
Those answers will determine whether I wait for AcuRite to fix this or replace a perfectly functional two-year-old weather station with another brand.
UPDATE 2:
I have no additional word from Support, but as of about 30 minutes ago, the Website Dashboard IS back up. Hopefully other people complained and it will stay up until the new site is ready.
UPDATE 3:
Nothing useful to add from what is likely their last reply. Clearly, they are moving to a much deeper subscription service. I get it, That IS the way of the World, but I am still going to refresh my hardware and look for an option that I can keep my data local and if I doo decided to subscribe for premium services, I will go into it with eyes wide open and not work with a Company that has demonstrated their lack of concern for current customers.
Their reply:
I do appreciate your feedback and have noted this for our developers.
I can not give you a time frame on this as it has not been released when the actual shut down is. Also, I do not have a timeframe on the website itself. I also do not know any type of function it would have. I do know that most of the upgrades will be part of the subscription based AcuRite NOW+.
Yes, the My AcuRite is working again it was just an outage.
Please let us know if you have any further questions!
An outage? The New App was working, but the Old App and the Web Dashboard were suffering an “outage”? Why not tell me that in the very first email? Seems a little fishy to me. I will be researching other options.
There were days I wondered if anyone at Ford was really listening. Calls made. Cases opened. Social media posts posted. Beach Ford kept advocating for us.
Nearly a month passed with very little to report.
Today, it appears a decision has finally been made from our end.
Spoiler Alert: Ford did NOT swoop in and offer to fully replace the engine under warranty. Though, honestly, that was never my expectation. (more on that later)
Catie at Beach Ford, did find a few more thousand dollars in goodwill assistance with a Regional Ford Rep, bringing our out-of-pocket cost down within about $200 of the best independent estimate I’ve received for a remanufactured engine installation.
So, that is what we are going to do.
I will spare you the full pro/con list I made in getting to this point, but, when all is said and done, letting Beach Ford do the work is the win.
Would I have preferred Ford Motor Company to cover the entire repair?
Absolutely. Duh.
Do I appreciate that they continued looking for ways to help?
I do. I really do.
This isn’t exactly the ending I hoped for, but it does feel like we’ve finally reached the point where I can stop wondering and start moving forward once a check is written.
One thing about which this whole experience has reminded me is just how fortunate we are to have these kinds of issues. Right?
First World problems, I think. I remind myself that an RV is a luxury, not a necessity. Nobody must own one.
We chose this because of the memories it creates, and the places it takes us, and the people we meet along the way.
Every hobby has its costs.
A boat is just a hole in the water you throw money into.
Golfers spend thousands on clubs, greens fees, and trips.
Bowlers buy equipment, pay league dues, and travel to tournaments.
Gardeners, cyclists, SCUBA divers, woodworkers, pilots, photographers, fishermen, ham radio operators all know that the hobbies they love come with a price tag.
I certainly wish this lesson hadn’t arrived in the form of a failed engine, but it’s part of the deal, I guess.
The journeys, the sunsets, the campfires, the mornings with a cup of coffee beside a lake. Those are the dividends that make the costs worthwhile.
Someday this repair bill will be forgotten, but I hope the memories we’ve made and the ones still waiting for us down the road will be worth the investment.
Easy come, easy go. Right?
A Thought About Warranties
Throughout this process I’ve spent more time thinking about warranties than I ever imagined I would.
Ford’s powertrain warranty is straightforward:
Whichever comes fisrt – 5 years or 60,000 miles.
Our Transit has made it past the five years.
It never made it to 60,000 miles.
When the engine failed, it had traveled only about 48,000 miles.
Intellectually, I understand the warranty had expired.
Still, something about that never sat quite right with me.
The Warranty Cliff
Imagine buying a vehicle on June 4th.
Five years later, on June 3rd, your engine is covered 100%.
Two days after that…
Zero. Zip. Nada.
Nothing changed about the engine.
Nothing changed about the mileage.
Nothing changed about how it was used or maintained.
The calendar simply turned to another page.
What If It Worked Differently?
I started wondering what it would look like if warranties faded away instead of falling off a cliff.
Think about almost anything else we own.
Things don’t become worthless on their birthday.
Everything depreciates gradually.
What if warranty responsibility did the same?
If Ford’s warranty represents 100% responsibility at 60 months, can’t that responsibility gradually decline over the next five years?
Math seems simple.
Five years is 60 months.
Spread that value over another 60 months and the warranty “value” decreases by about 1.67% each month.
Instead of:
Month 60 = 100%
Month 61 = 0%
Could it look more like this:
Month 60 = 100%
Month 72 = 80%
Month 84 = 60%
Month 96 = 40%
Month 108 = 20%
Month 120 = 0%
Nobody at Ford uses this formula, of course.
I made it up while trying to answer a simple question:
When does a warranty really stop being worth anything?
Our Situation
The first title for our RV was issued on June 4, 2018.
When the engine failed this summer, it was a little more than three years beyond the time limit.
Using my little thought experiment, Ford’s responsibility wouldn’t still be 100%.
But it shouldn’t be zero either.
I think it should land somewhere around 38%.
Is that the right number?
I have no idea.
But it seems more reasonable than pretending the engine was fully Ford’s responsibility one day and entirely mine the next.
Then There’s the Mileage
Here’s the part I keep coming back to.
The engine didn’t fail at 120,000 miles.
It didn’t fail at 160,000 miles.
It failed at about 48,000 miles.
To me, that’s the bigger story.
A modern engine should have had a WHOLE lot more life left in it. A commercial engine, no less, one which is put in police cars and ambulances.
How do we agree with a manufacturer on the reasonable expected lifespan for any major purchase like a new vehicle?
There has to be a better way.
Where I Land Today
I think everyone involved did what they could within the system in which they work.
Beach Ford never stopped advocating.
Ford eventually increased its goodwill assistance and moved enough that the difference between their repair and my best independent option is now only about $200.
By my math they got us to about 30% off the original repair quotation.
Could they have done more?
I think so. At least about 8%.
Would it have been a tremendous public relations story if Ford had stepped up completely on an engine that failed at 48,000 miles?
Absolutely. In my little world. Both of my followers would have rejoiced.
Instead, I guess we found some middle ground.
Maybe that’s the best outcome that was realistically available.
Blue Skies Ahead
The waiting has been the hardest part.
Now the waiting for this phase is over.
That’s where we are.
I’ll take the checkbook to Beach Ford and we’ll get it done.
For the first time in weeks, I can finally feel a little sunshine breaking through.
Every single day….”Hey, what’s up with your camper, have you heard anything from Ford yet?”
Unfortunately, the answer is still NO.
After opening a case with Ford Motor Company and working through the normal customer service channels, their Social Media Team also reached out on Facebook and X. They indicated they would be looking into it. I appreciated that contact and hoped it meant we were making progress.
Since then… nothing.
No updates. No follow-up. No decision.
I’m still trying to be patient, and I’m still holding out hope that someone inside Ford will decide this situation deserves another look. However, we’re reaching the point where waiting any longer starts making less sense.
This week I’m going to begin organizing an alternate repair plan in earnest so we can finally get Buttervale back on the road. My hope is that there will be real progress over the next several days, one way or another. I have been advised that at least one vendor could make the repairs in about two weeks. It would be sweet to get back on the road before the end of Summer.
I have to admit that this whole experience has been incredibly disappointing.
For most of my life I’ve been a Ford supporter. During my years with the rescue squad, I defended Ford ambulances as other nearby Squads bought Dodge and Chevy. I’ve always been a Ford motorsports fan as far back as Davey Allison in the Havoline 28 Ford Thunderbird. Our family has owned Ford vehicles over the years, and I’ve generally believed they are an honest, American company who built products they stood behind.
Maybe I’m being naïve in thinking anyone at Ford would care. This certainly isn’t my first encounter with Corporate America.
Still, it genuinely makes me sad that this appears to be where we are.
We’re talking about an engine that catastrophically failed at just 48,000 miles. I understand warranties have limits, and I understand companies can’t repair every vehicle always and forever. Still, aren’t there situations where doing the right thing matters just as much as following the policy?
Making this right would be a rounding error for a company the size of Ford Motor Company.
Instead, it has become a story.
Honestly, I thought Ford would do better. I really did.
What disappoints me the most is that this could have been a completely different story. I could have been writing about a company that looked at an unusual situation and decided to help one retired couple trying to live out their dreams on a fixed income. I could have been praising Ford to thousands of people, telling the story of how they stood behind one of their products even after the warranty clock had run out. I would have been a Ford Man for life.
That kind of goodwill is difficult to buy.
Instead, we’re still waiting.
I also want to make something clear: my disappointment remains primarily directed at Ford Motor Company, not the people at Beach Ford. Throughout this process they’ve been professional, courteous, and extremely helpful. They diagnosed the problem, communicated honestly, and have treated me with respect every step of the way.
I’m grateful for that.
Unfortunately, it looks like our paths may be parting soon as I move toward repair solution. That decision isn’t about Beach Ford. It’s simply about getting Buttervale back on the road as quickly and reasonably as possible.
I’ll continue to share every step of the process, whether Ford eventually responds or not.
Hopefully the next update will include some real forward progress.
I want to provide a quick update on the RV engine situation and ask the Internet for some advice from those of you who may have been down this, or a similar road before. Consider this my Phone a Friend.
Our 2018 Coachmen Orion, built on a Ford Transit 350HD chassis, suffered what appears to be a catastrophic engine failure while we were traveling across country this summer. The engine has only about 48,000 miles on it, has been fully maintained and not modified or abused in any way, but because the vehicle is 8 years old, it is outside the time portion of Ford’s 60-month/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
The RV has now been thoroughly inspected by Beach Ford here in Virginia Beach. I want to publicly thank them for the way they’ve handled this. Beach Ford and especially my service advisor Catie, have been professional, communicative, and have even found several thousand dollars in discounts to help reduce the repair cost. Unfortunately, while very much appreciated, those savings only make a small dent in what remains a very significant repair bill.
I’ve also opened a case with Ford Customer Care and am waiting for their decision on whether they are willing to offer any goodwill assistance and participate financially in the repair. I absolutely appreciate Beach Ford making a huge effort, but shouldn’t Ford Motor Company be stepping up here?
I’ve reached out to a well-respected,trusted, independent, and certified repair shop for a third opinion and have their quotation. It is still significant money, but more managelable.
Still, before making a financial decision of this size, I want to gather as much information as possible.
What would you do?
How Outraged should I be for an engine to die at 48,000 miles?
Should I just suck it up as the cost of having fancy toys and be grateful?
I know it doesn’t work this way in real life, but shouldn’t Ford be embarrassed to have a commerical engine that they put in ambulances and police cars blow up at 48,000 miles? Or does this happen all the time?
If you’ve experienced a catastrophic engine failure outside of warranty, but at relatively low mileage, I’d love to hear your story.
Did the manufacturer offer any goodwill assistance?
Did you simply wait for a decision, or did you keep pushing?
Did you decide it was time to involve an attorney or a consumer advocate? At what point?
Did you repair it, replace the engine, or move on from the vehicle altogether?
Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
I’m not looking to start a pile-on against Ford, I legitimately love this truck. I’m not interested in speculation or rumors. If Ford steps up and helps, I’ll be the first to say so. If they don’t, I’ll share that honestly as well.
For now, I’m simply trying to make the best decision I can with the information I have.
If you’ve been through something similar, we’d truly appreciate your advice. Sometimes the most valuable thing the internet can offer isn’t outrage…it’s experience.
I’ll continue to share updates as this story unfolds. Hopefully, the next one brings a little more clarity.
Jump back in time about an hour ago. I am planning and plotting and gathering data for a Root Cause Analysis.
I have the template in my head for that sort of process.
I have written a clear timeline of events leading up to our demise.
I have collected maintenance records for the RV from a variety of vendors.
I have compiled a list of questions for which I need answers.
I have set a budget for those diagnostics.
I have set an appointment with a commercial Transit-capable Ford shop later this week.
As I am doing my research, I have the ChatGBT open and for fun, I ask what it would take to convert it to a an EV RV? Right? That would be cool. Fancy. But No, was the conclusion. Very bad idea. It would be a ” one off science experiment”.
OK, I really wanted to buy a diesel truck when we got this RV, so can I take this opportunity to put in a diesel engine. Long story short, horrible idea. “would almost certainly be a terrible financial decision”.
I knew both of those answers, but it was a fun thought experiment. So, and this is what I really want to record, it is now that I genuinely found an appreciation for the AI sense of humor. I actually laughed out loud in a room by myself at this exchange:
Could we get a flux capacitor and convert it into a time machine
Absolutely.
Given your current situation, I calculate that the optimal repair strategy is:
Install a flux capacitor.
Accelerate the Orion to 88 mph.
Return to approximately June 10, 2026.
Buy a lottery ticket.
Skip Texas entirely.
Replace the engine before it fails.
Invest in NVIDIA.
Return to the present.
The only technical challenges are:
Acquiring 1.21 gigawatts of power.
Finding a suitable plutonium supplier.
Modifying a 2017 Transit to reach 88 mph while towing 10 national parks worth of souvenirs.
Explaining to Susan why you’re suddenly obsessed with sports almanacs.
I am not sure what I was expecting as an answer, but getting to the end and discovering that my ChatGBT is on a first name basis with my wife just made me laugh until I cried – twice (now three times as I was proof reading.). Too funny.
“Open the pod bay doors, HAL”
Not much else to report. We have been unpacking the camper before the meeting at the Ford Dealer on Wednesday. I have gathered as much documentation as I think might be useful. I know these things often start with, “Did you ever change the oil?” so I have that documented as well as other service done along the way.
We’ll see how it goes, I guess. Generally speaking, we have been given the worst case scenario already. Anything other than replacing the engine is a win. Not much we will know until Wednesday.
After almost a week of moving, exploring, hiking, driving, sightseeing, and generally trying to squeeze every drop out of every destination, Day 7 arrived and we did:
Absolutely nothing.
Well, almost nothing. Susan caught up all of our laundry, and we hit the grocery store for provisions and Big Red Soda after dinner, but mostly nothing.
The camper never moved. No GPS. No fuel stops. No campground hookups to manage. No weather radar. No National Park maps. No “what time do we need to leave?”
Just a day off.
And honestly, it may have been one of the best days of the trip so far.
The Texas weather was a giant hair dryer. Very Hot. Very Windy. Bright blue skies. The kind of day where the trees sway constantly, and every surface feels warm to the touch before noon.
Susan claimed her spot in the pool and spent much of the morning floating, relaxing, and soaking up a little Texas sunshine. The pool area at Shady Creek is one of those unexpected campground treasures. Nothing fancy. Nothing over-the-top. Just cool water on a hot day with nowhere important to be. Too cool for me. I got up to my thighs and was missing the 105-degree water of my soaking tub from yesterday. I chose a different path.
Another vacation luxury: a guilt-free nap.
Not a quick doze.
Not a power nap.
A full-fledged, middle-of-the-day, “wake up and wonder what year it is” nap.
Highly recommend it.
One of the real reasons for stopping here for two nights was the opportunity to spend some time with our son. Which was a too short, but fantastic time to hug, catch up, eat, and hug again.
That meal was the culinary highlight of the day and came courtesy of Tender Smokehouse. Texas takes barbecue seriously.
There are entire regions of the country that argue endlessly about barbecue. Carolina. Memphis. Kansas City. And Texas.
I’m not getting involved in that debate.
But if Texas barbecue is wrong, I don’t particularly need to be right.
Tomorrow the wheels start turning again. New roads. New scenery. New adventures are waiting in the Texas Panhandle. A place I have never experienced.
But today?
Today was about rest.
And after more than 1,400 miles on the road, it was exactly what we needed.
By the Numbers
Miles Driven: 0
Fuel Consumed: 0 gallons
National Parks Visited: 0
Pool Time: Several hours
Naps: One
Family Time: Priceless
Texas Brisket Consumed: Not enough and still, too much.
The Buttervale Life 