| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Where is the Chalet???
The Chalet line is a lower cost variation of the View line. It is made for use into the rental market, then sold after mileage gets up.
Some of the Chalets have no slide outs, though some do. Also, I think the Chalet has rectangular, simpler cabinetry inside where the View has the curved laminated doors all over.
But I would imagine that most of the key components of the Chalet are the same as the View. Engines, chassis, water, propane, generators, etc. should all be good quality.
Do a little searching on the sight here and you will fined lots of discussion about buying off rental units. Very common topic.
|
mm047
|
05/24/12 08:56pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Battery Drain
Your power step is a battery drain. In some cases your powered radio antenna, like Sirius is a drain. I imagine the slide out is too.
If your rig doesn't have a battery disconnect, get one installed and use it religiously.
|
mm047
|
05/12/12 07:56pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: First class C should I increase our budget?
Don't be surprised to see a nice rig with an asking price of $65 or $70k that you can make a $45k offer on and get it.
Good luck in your hunt!
|
mm047
|
05/07/12 03:59pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
 |
RE: Recommendations for c 23 - 24 foot mpg 12?
In 07 and 08 Winnebago made the View 24j that has the setup you are looking for. I have one.
3.5 MB gas engine that I get 11 towing my Mariner behind, 13 without.
Rear bed, cab over bed, one slide. Mine has the dinette, but some have a couch.
They didn't make many, as they never sold well. The 3.0 diesel came out and gave as good performance and better mileage.
Lot's of upside to this rig if you can find a nice used one. But the 2 downsides are that it uses premium fuel and it is an orphan engine. It was marketed by Dodge, but finding Dodge or MB or Freightliner places that can work on it may be an issue. I have a Dodge place in Tucson that has handled my two issues nicely.
|
mm047
|
04/15/12 06:24pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Does anybody make a gas powered Sprinter?
I own a 2008 Winnie View with a 3.5 V6 gasser. The down side of it is that it runs premium, which is almost as high as diesel.
It seems like a really good engine for the rig. I tow my '10 Merc Mariner (3500 lbs) behind, and get 11 1/2 mpg. That's towing up and down mountains in Arizona, so I'm pleased with it.
I think they only offered it in the'07 and '08 chassis, when they were transitioning from the I5 diesel to the V6. The I5 was under powered for the weight with a toad (start the flames), but gets really good fuel mileage. The V6 diesel is a good match to the rig with a toad, such that Winnie now approves a toad up to 5,000.
|
mm047
|
03/14/12 09:32pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Ford Transit van will be offered with EcoBoost V6
I'd love to see the cutaway version of it brought to this country and become the platform for a Winnie View size RV. I know it is used in European and Australian RV's
|
mm047
|
03/07/12 04:24pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Just purchased 2012 Ford Escape to Tow 4 down
I've towed my '10 Merc Mariner now for just over a year and a half. I've taken it out about 10 times and hauled it about 10,000 miles. So far, so good.
I not only had the dealer check the level per the TSB, but have checked it myself several times. I follow the warmup procedures far beyond what they recommend. I spend about 5 minutes running thru the gears after the 5+ minute warmup. I run the procedure again after about 3 hours.
I white knuckle tow all the time, and hope I did not just jinx myself by reporting good luck.
|
mm047
|
03/02/12 02:14pm |
Dinghy Towing
|
|
RE: Ready Brake Supplemental Braking
I've been really happy with my Ready Brake towbar and braking system used to toad my '10 Mercury Mariner. I installed it all myself 2 years back, and remember that threading the brake cable under and thru is awkward but then works out great.
I can't respond to your HHR difficulty, but would suggest you call Tow Bars Unlimited and talk to them about it. When I got mine from them they were most helpful. I've got to believe they can advise you on the HHR. Good Luck.
www.towbarsunlimited.com
|
mm047
|
02/19/12 04:05pm |
Dinghy Towing
|
|
RE: Winnebago view 5 cylinder versus 6 cylinder diesel opinions
I have one non-engine point for you. When the v6 came along, Winnebago upped the length of the View from 23 1/2 ft to 24 1/2 feet. One more foot of length in these small rigs is helpful for storage.
|
mm047
|
12/27/11 09:10am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Class C Engine Repair - Tucson, AZ
I've had some coach work done by All RV on Grant, near Oracle. They did a good job at a good price. I don't know if they do engine work, though.
|
mm047
|
11/18/11 01:44pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Sprinter Transmission
Small leaks out of Sprinter tranny electrical connectors are so common that some owners keep spare connectors in their coach. Mine started leaking at 11k miles and was covered under warranty. The older model gizmo has a bad 0-ring. It has been corrector on new ones, so I'm told.
I've never read about a major disaster like you had with the tranny before this.
|
mm047
|
11/12/11 01:55pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Pack rats?
Pack rats are a big problem in Southern Arizona. I had a $700 repair bill on a pickup once, have a chowed up wire on my Winnie right now, and had a barbecue grill full of mesquite beans a few years back.
Very few things discourage them from eating up wiring, insulation, and building nests in motors and nicely hidden spots. But here is what I've done that seems to help
1. Solar lights - I got one of those 3 lights to one solar panel setups, and shine the lights into my engine compartment at night.
2. Baited traps - I keep a trap from the hardware store in the corner of my engine compartment. It is baited with sticks of poison that slide onto a steel rod so they cannot be carried away. They can get in and out, so they crawl off to die.
3. Cleaning - When I see evidence of rats or mice, I wash out the area with a chlorine containing soap and high pressure hose. They mark their territory, and this discourages them.
Some things that don't work.
Mothballs. They just cover them up with more nesting material.
Mike M. - - Green Valley, AZ
|
mm047
|
11/07/11 04:24pm |
Beginning RVing
|
|
RE: Smallest C with a walk around bed
Winnebago View Profile has a rear bed that slides out. It is only 25 ft long when driving. V6 diesel that gets about 15 or 16 mpg.
|
mm047
|
10/29/11 04:02pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: "Baseplate install" affects crash worthiness of dinghy?
I guess it would depend on the toad. When I installed the Blue Ox on my '10 Merc Mariner, I only had to remove the plastic facia and drill 2 holes. So I'm sure there is on effect.
But think about how modern vehicle perform in a crash. The nose crumples, but the cage we are sitting in remains intact. So I doubt the modifications really make them more dangerous.
|
mm047
|
10/29/11 03:56pm |
Dinghy Towing
|
|
RE: realistic flat towing options for Class B Sprinter
I tow a 3500 lbs Mercury Mariner with my '08 Winnie View on a Sprinter. I am view happy with the View's performance doing this.
But I recommend avoiding any Ford product with the 6F35 tranny. They put it in the Escape gassers, Fusion, and a couple others. It is garbage for toad work. So bad that Ford is now putting Remco lube pumps in some customers who have had repeated tranny burn ups.
On the other hand, the Ford hybrids, Escape and Mariner, make good, reliably toads.
|
mm047
|
10/16/11 08:34pm |
Dinghy Towing
|
|
RE: Competition for Sprinter
I'd love to see Ford build the Transit cutaway in Kansas City and have to ship them all the way to Iowa for Winnebago to build RV's with. I wan them to put the 3.5 Ecoboost in that chassis. Even the current generation Ecoboost might be able to get 14mpg in a 24 or 25 foot RV. And the next gen of Ecoboost will have more hp and torque per liter and better mileage.
I own a Winnie on a Sprinter chassis. While I like it a lot, I don't like some things.
- - - The price of fuel.
- - - The non-availability of repair shops around the country.
- - - Trying to figure out if I call Dodge or Mercedes.
- - - The crummy layout of all the instruments and controls on the dash.
- - - The stupid place they hid the battery. Under the driver's feet???
|
mm047
|
10/06/11 06:48pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: RVing in Ireland
I've driven in Ireland a lot. That is only in a very small car - - - with a stick shift on the wrong side and on the wrong side of the road - - - on narrow roads with road signs in Gaelic. I can't imagine trying to drive even a little RV there.
I've had wonderful times stopping in great small towns and going to a local B&B for the night. No reservations needed, though they can be made.
|
mm047
|
10/02/11 08:12pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Owners of Sprinter Chassis C MH ?
I own one of the '08 v6 gassers and am quite pleased with it. I just got home from a short (600 mile) run from the desert of Arizona into the mountains. I pulled my 3500 lb toad behind all the time, and ran just over 100 miles up and down 6% and 7% "hills" The highest elevation I hit was right at 8000 feet, lowest about 1500, and I live at 3000 feet. So this was no flat land economy run.
For the 600 miles, I got 10.5 mpg. I did do a flat land economy run once with the toad behind. About 300 freeway miles, and got just over 12. Also, I get about 13 without the toad.
As to why they started selling it in the first place, I think that they were getting pressure in the US for a better performing engine. Remember that until '07 they sold the I5 diesel that was pretty weak. They came out with the newer v6 diesel in '08 and then last year upped the performance on that.
The gasser never sold well at all. You are right about them sitting on lots. Of course consider the year, also. In 2008 people were worried about more than RV prices - - - just like today.
For at least one year, 2008, Winnebago made both a diesel and a gasser V/N. I think the mpg numbers are closer -- I'd have to check but IIRC maybe 11 to 13 for the gasser and 15 to 17 for the V-6 diesel. Those numbers are just my mental average of what multiple people reported.
I wonder why they dropped the Petrol(Gasser)?
Good question. I'm sure someone at the View/Navion Yahoo group would be able to tell us.
My guess would be that it just didn't sell very well because IIRC the MSRP was about the same for both the diesel and the petrol, and most people went with the diesel for durability and better mileage.
I recall some folks on the V/N group saying that dealers had to drop their prices on the petrol V/N by thousands of dollars to move them.
Some folks saw/see them as a good deal because one can buy a lot of petrol/gasoline for several thousand dollars.
For example, over $30,000 miles, the petrol V/N would use about $2,500 more in fuel (@ $4/gallon). I understand the discounts on those models were about $6K to $8K.
A secondary advantage is that in some areas of the US diesel may be hard to find.
|
mm047
|
09/25/11 08:10pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Driver's seat leg room biggest Surprise on a Sprinter
A big part of the reason I bought the Winnie on a Sprinter was the comfort for me as the driver. I'm also 6'4", and my long legs and big feet don't do well in the Ford chassis, though a little better in the new ones.
Ford will be bringing their Transit van from Europe to the US in the next year or so. It is roomy like the Sprinter. It is a popular base for RV's there and in Australia. I'd like to see them bring it here, put an Ecoboost 3.5 in it, and give Sprinter a run.
|
mm047
|
09/24/11 10:31am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: What toad for Sprinter?
I tow my 3460lb Mercury Mariner - I4, Auto, behind my 2008 Winnie View up and down the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado quite well. My Sprinter has the 3.5 Mercedes V6 gas engine that was available then.
Max tow rating then was 3500, but the new diesel engine can handle 4200. I don't know if it came out with the '10 chassis or the '11.
I've been one of the lucky ones those 6F35 ford tranny has not blown up, I HOPE I DIDN'T JUST BRING ON THE CURSE. But when I was looking for a toad, the CRV with I4 was my other good option. Automatic was required. I wish I had talked the boss into the CRV. I'd rather buy American, and the Mariner is a nice daily driver, but it scares me as a toad.
|
mm047
|
09/24/11 10:24am |
Dinghy Towing
|
