I was told recently by a good friend that RV stood for “Ruined Vacation.”
That’s all well and good, but this journey is a non-returnable lifestyle choice.
It’s also why I carry about 200 pounds of tools in 10 tool boxes, to repair most everything on top of the Ford 550 platform.
At one point, I started an Amazon order on https://www.amazon.com.mx/, as usual, RV parts and accessories both needed and anticipated.
Once in checkout, there appeared an innocuous box asking for my Registro Federal de Contribuyentes (RFC), which is issued to you upon residency.
No RFC, no Amazon delivery.
I thought no problem, these items could wait, then I posted the question to Facebook seeking any workarounds.
Pulling into the stop we were stopping for a while https://www.chimulco.com.mx/trailer-park I went to use the bathroom only to realize the toilet flushing water was coming from the bottom, not the top of the old Thetford.
We’re pretty flexible, so keeping a refillable jug of “toilet flushing water in the sink would temporarily solve the problem.
The larger issue was that Mexico, unlike the US, does not have RV dealerships scattered across the country, so sourcing parts is difficult, especially when you can’t get an Amazon order without a frigging tax ID.
I muddled it over for a few days, running ot through my head.
I could remove the toilet and try to repair it, BUT it was over 20 years old and even if I could find parts I’d have to remount it until I got the parts, and I’d still have a 20-year-old toilet with a new part and may need another part in the next 200 miles.
The epiphany
I desperately needed an Amazon order, so I turned to ChatGPT for a possible answer.
“Just don’t order anything imported.” Duh
Sure enough, looking at the foreign site, the word was under many listings but not all.
Out of the several pages of RV toilets, 3 were available domestically.
One of them was a “THETFORD Aqua-Magic® VI Low Profile, White” for $5687 Pesos.
I would not have been my first choice, but I was stuck.
After confirming with the office that they would accept Amazon deliveries, I placed the order and crossed my fingers.
Two days prior to delivery, I received an email from Amazon reminding me of the delivery date, but I would be required to give the driver a six-digit code – gulp.
I wrote the code on a piece of scrap paper, then prefilled an explanation in Google Translate on my phone.
After displaying the Spanish version in Translate, the woman behind the desk looked puzzled until I handed her the paper with the jotted code.
I think she thought she needed to make up a code or something.
The banos was delayed an additional day but did show up.
The next day I flushed the blackwater tank and made the new installation.
One problem that had me stressed was that this unit was about 2 inches taller than the original, and i wasn’t sure if the supply line was long enough.
After tugging on it and chopping a larger hole in the linoleum, I made a tight connection.
The new throne is beautiful with a foot flush and a slow close seat and lid.
One teeny tiny problem is neither of our feet touches the floor now, so we’re on the hunt for a small stool to solve this.
The good news is we can stop refilling toilet water jugs and enjoy a toilet we can truly call our own.
