BlindBadger
USA
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Wanted to post my overall experience so far since I got the RV at the Phoenix Cruise America location and drove it 1760 miles home to Spokane (with a detour to the grand canyon, north rim).
I'll go from bad to good on everything, but I want to make it clear that my family and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the RV. All the major systems are working great, the V10 has PLENTY of power when mated to the 6-speed, and we can't wait to go out in it again!
Ok, onto the bad...the CA refurbishment was good, but not as thorough as I ended up expecting it to be. It's definitely a used RV and has clear signs of that in wear and fit/finish (little scratches and other thing on the interior that I won't dive into in the list below). Other items I noticed were:
- There's missing caulk at the top of the shower
- There's a gap around the fresh water fill port (CA confirmed that it's not normal and should be tight with a gasket)
- The wall between the fridge and the dinette doesn't seal against the outside wall...not sure if that's normal or not, but by comparison to my parents' truck camper (which is sealed tight), it isn't.
- The propane sensor goes off while boondocking if we use the fridge a lot...propane smell is noticeable when exiting and entering the cabin (I turned it off at the tank since then). Pending diagnostic to see if CA willl fix the issue here. Doesn't happen when using shore power.
- Black tank sensors permanently read 2/3s...from what I've read, this is just normal for RVs in general so I figure I'll not worry about it and replace it with a different type of measuring system in the future.
- House door striker is loose/misaligned. Seems like it's stripped in the wall as the striker can move in place by hand. When door is deadbolted, it's nice and tight in the frame...without deadbolt engaged, it feels only half-closed.
- Bathroom door opens while driving. We place something in front of it for now but seeing if CA will fix it (seems likely as they mentioned this sometimes happens on their active rental units and they've fixed it in the past)
- There's some daylight visible through the side of the bottom step...CA indicated they'll likely repair, pending diagnostic.
- Half or more of the drawer slides fall out of their guides at half or near full extension. They look pretty old and pitted so I think they got missed.
- I climbed on the roof and checked the A/C once I got home and it looks like it hasn't ever been cleaned. It worked find on the trip but I think it could definitely use a deep clean and some simple maintenance. The A/C itself works great, albeit loudly (fan noise...compressor noise is almost imperceptible).
- The useless rear-view mirror looked like the silver in the mirror itself was decomposing...I popped it off and threw it in the trash since it's not useful anyways.
- The shower floor was dirty, as if it hadn't been wiped down...I don't think they cleaned it very thoroughly inside.
I flew down knowing these things might show up and took the risk to drive it home as-is and get things repaired after because of how well I heard things go for others and because I only have so much PTO at work (and struggled to get an RV inspector scheduled...gave up after contacting 5 different places and being met with various difficulties from "we need you to leave the RV with us for a week" to non-response to finding out they've retired from the business). Some of the items I didn't notice until we were already on the road as well, but none of them had any significant impact on our ability to function or camp so I'm not worried.
All of the issues are ultimately minor and relatively easy to fix but they're present and we're waiting to get the RV into a shop for an estimate/diagnostic to see if CA will take care of them out of their goodwill fund. Speaking of that...the first 3mo/3,000 mile warranty is powertrain...other fixes (cabin/house stuff) are all "goodwill fund" so that's something to be aware of if purchasing from them. The drivetrain itself is immaculate under the hood.
Diagnostic with the local RV shop is scheduled for the 15th so we'll see how it goes then. Worst case scenario: I go through the aftermarket warranty I purchased from them for hte coach side for any systems and just do repairs myself (which, like I said before, all relatively minor and easy to do...just don't want to have to do them myself if I don't have to).
Now, some interesting changes/update on the RV itself for current model years:
- Transmission defaults to Tow-Haul mode. No need to hit a button to get there. Just start it up and it's in that mode. Nice! I assume this came in with the 6 speed.
- The 6-speed is NICE. It's quick to downshift to help with braking at even a minor tap of the brake pedal and holds speed easily on downhill grades. The extra gears also make it easy to go up hills. It's no sports car, but it drives very well and rarely jumps above 4,000rpm (only in the steepest parts does it do that)
- The stems for the dual rear tires are metal. I noticed this when installing the TPMS system I brought with me (I also noticed none of them had valve stem cap on them...not a big deal since I was replacing them with the TPMS sensors anyways, but it just caught me by surprise). Nice that I don't have to upgrade these as it came upgraded.
- All interior lights are LED already...I think that's already been reported by others but I figured I'd include it for completeness. Exterior lights outside of the headlight assembly are also all LED.
- The solar panel that was mounted to the A/C unit on the roof was removed and the hole where the wires ran down are fully sealed.
- The proximity sensors for backing up work really well still and surprised me when I was squeezing the RV into the shop.
Picking up the RV was smooth as silk...all the major systems appeared to be working just fine (fridge was warm but it takes a while for it to cool down initially and is working perfectly now). My parents had driven down in their truck camper loaded with gear I had pre-purchased in anticipation for the pickup and they let us load it up in their loading bay in the shade while the RV was plugged in and AC was running. My sales rep, Kevin, also gave me a new sewer hose, new drinking-safe water hose, and new folding table as part of a get-started kit. The RV also came with the stuff that was already there (the old table, old sewer and water hose, and old 30a to 15a plug converter). I had upgraded versions of stuff for most of that already but it was nice to have backups.
I have a future upgrade list a mile long (in a spreadsheet), but the most immediate ones I want to get done are:
- Add fans to the main house roof vents (over the front bed and rear bed). There's no fans right now and it was a bit rough in the heat...a little bit of airflow would go a long ways when boondocking.
- Rear view camera. The proximity sensors work on my unit but seeing exactly how close I am would give me far more confidence in backing up.
- I can tell the exterior had a fresh coat of paint on it due to the overspray on the rear hitch. The RV looks nice, but little details tell me more of the story there. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile")
The trip itself, from Phoenix to Spokane, was GREAT! We boondocked half the time, stayed at a couple of KOAs, and stayed at a few private campgrounds and the whole experience was amazing and memorable for my family.
Firstly, we'll never go to Phoenix again in July unless we absolutely have to...119 is way worse than the 110 I've felt before. It literally felt like someone was holding a blowtorch to my legs when I walked from the air-conditioned RV to a store across the parking lot. We fled to flagstaff where it was MUCH nicer.
For driving, I averaged 9-9.5mpg but I was trying to make time while driving to get back home in time for something, so I was often cruising at 70-75mph on the highway.
We got home on a thursday and turned around to meet some friends and camp in it the next day for the weekend (this past weekend). It was a hugely positive experience using it and we can't wait to go back out in it again! My wife and daughter love it and I do too!
If I missed anything. feel free to ask and I'd be happy to give more detail on my experience.
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IAMICHABOD
Sunny So Cal
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Joined: 12/12/2011
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BlindBadger
Wow what a great write up on your experiences on your CA purchase!
It sounds like it went mostly smooth, except being in Phoenix in July,been there done that...
I am sure others will get a lot of help from your post,I will archive it along with others I have.
It is great you had a good trip home and found out all the things you want to upgrade and make some mods to.
I would like to know if CA will honor that good will fund, please come on back and let us all know how that turned out,hopefully you will get it all fixed on their dime.In the past they have been good about fixing things and getting parts for repairs.
Have a Great Camping Season #145 let us know how it is going and of any Mods that you make.
You and your Family have fun!
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C
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SJ-Chris
San Jose, Ca
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Joined: 09/24/2017
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(On Majestic RVs from Cruise America....,but I suppose could apply to any former rental Class C or any Class C in general...)
Does anyone have experience with making changes to the front end steering stabilizer on their Thor Majestic from Cruise America?
I was recently reading about the risks/challenges of a front tire blowout on Class C RVs. During a sudden blowout, there will be a strong pull on the steering that could easily pull the RV off the road (right front tire blowout) or towards oncoming traffic (left front tire blowout). I'm very interested in safety, so I want to do what I can to reduce a potential catastrophic event.
When I look underneath my RV, I see that there is a steering stabilizer already on the RV. I assume this is "from the factory". Here is a picture...
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/GLkCfGNl.jpg)
Does anyone know how good, or how NOT good, this steering stabilizer is (especially in the event of a front tire blowout)?
Do ALL Class C RVs come with this type of steering stabilizer? Does this factory stabilizer significantly protect against vehicle pulling during a front tire blowout??
I am considering replacing what is on the RV with a Safe-T-Plus or a Roadmaster steering stabilizer. Ignoring the "return to center" spring assistance, do these devices actually help during a blowout MORE THAN what the factory default does?
Have any of you Majestic owners had a front tire blowout and if so would you like to share your experience (with an emphasis on how much your RV pulled or didn't pull in the direction of the blowout tire)?
Have any of you Majestic owners replaced your factory steering stabilizer and if so can you give us details and tell us about the impact during your highway driving?
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Thanks!
Chris
San Jose, CA
Own two 2015 Thor Majestic 28a Class C RVs
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jwcolby54
Hudson nc
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John / Angela wrote:Snowman9000 wrote:
Well, 12 years and 180,000K and still going strong. I have no idea how the renters treated it but we tend to try and keep it level. We are kinda hoping it dies so we can put in a compressor model with a little more room. Until then.....
LOL, I hear ya. I will replace mine as soon as the money comes available. 12v Compressor all the way. I alrready have a 50 qt chest style 12v compressor and it is awsome!
JWColby54
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jwcolby54
Hudson nc
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I found a very good youtube video on lithium vs lead acid. It is by an engineer who did extensive side by side testing in the lab where he could get consistent results for each battery type he tested. It is somewhat long but very thorough.
https://youtu.be/iy3hga_P5YY?si=tr2yG_na_vB5rHmQ
It was done at BattleBorn but the results are the same for other manufacturers.
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jwcolby54
Hudson nc
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I am a database analyst / programmer. I built a database using MS Access and scraped 103 records from the CA website, specifically for the 28a. I managed to miss 2 of the records currently out there. I have not done the same for the 25a simply because I am not interested in those and...
It was a bit of a pita doing this as I had to click on each and every one of the listings to get into the second page because the VIN and the miles are only available on the second page. Sigh.
But it is done. Now I have to check up occasionally to see new listings as they occur. BTW if there is anyone out there who can actually automate this using for example Python and wants to help me do this please do speak up. I managed to use the windows paste buffer to paste it into my db, from where I parse the 10 lines of text into the various prices and other fields.
I can export this thing out to an Excel spreadsheet if anyone is interested in seeing what is out there and how the prices break around the miles and year.
2018 prices range from $38850 with 136302 miles vs $46850 with 96850 miles.
2019s range from $39,350.00 for 150562 miles up to $46,850.00 for 117924 miles.
Of course I also have the location where each unit is being sold.
I have the VIN and did a basic lookup on it. Not much of interest to me in that.
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sch44792
LA
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jamesa403 wrote:This goes back in time, but in 1989 I bought a 1984 Coachman with 96,000 miles on it. I sold it in 2003 for a Bigfoot. It was a rental unit, but I was the second owner after the rental company. It was a plain jane 26 foot. We put another 45,000 miles on it - the only major mechanical problem was the timing belt. It had a 460 Ford engine and I didn't realize it needed the timing belt changed at 100,000 miles. Luckily there was no engine damage. The major thing that I didn't pay attention to was the roof, and the leaking problem. The roof leak didn't seem to be a problem at first (visible water marks), but when it was pulled apart, I'm surprised the roof hadn't caved in. If there was anything that you need to watch is leaking. Mileage doesn't bother me, but leaking will kill it quicker than anything. The repair job was over $10,000, but insurance paid a good chunk of that.
This was our first RV experience, and we travelled all over North America from LA to Alaska to Newfoundland. Now we are on our 3rd RV, and looking to buy our next one.
Good luck with your new to you RV - just keep fixing all the little cracks on the roof and at the seams. It will pay off in the end.
Man, that's quite the RV journey you've had! The timing belt story gave me a little scare, but it's the roof issue that's the real eye-opener. Good on you for sharing that tip about leaks; it's something I'll definitely keep an eye on for my own RV. Here's to more safe and epic road trips!
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jwcolby54
Hudson nc
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I am not seeing photos, instead seeing 'due to personal preferences; or some such. Anyone know how to set that so I can see photos?
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jwcolby54
Hudson nc
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SJ-Chris wrote:(On Majestic RVs from Cruise America....,but I suppose could apply to any former rental Class C or any Class C in general...)
...
When I look underneath my RV, I see that there is a steering stabilizer already on the RV. I assume this is "from the factory". Here is a picture...
Does anyone know how good, or how NOT good, this steering stabilizer is (especially in the event of a front tire blowout)?
I have heard that the factory installed is pretty much worn out and needs to be replaced
Quote:
Do ALL Class C RVs come with this type of steering stabilizer? Does this factory stabilizer significantly protect against vehicle pulling during a front tire blowout??
This is less a 'RV specific' thing. It is something that folks do on the E/F 450 whether RV, VAN etc.
Quote:
...
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Thanks!
Chris
I don't have mine yet. I am going to buy one around June of 24 according to my planning spreadsheet. I'm semi-retiring and going to live in mine. I drive tractor trailer now and will continue to do so for several more years.
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jwcolby54
Hudson nc
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Booner wrote:After having my 23A for over a year I thought I would check in.
I haven't had really any negative issues with the RV until recently, and it concerns the house battery. It seems I haven't been giving the battery the love it deserves. CA said they put a new battery in the unit before I bought it, and the battery is a rather expensive battery (Lifeline 100 AH AGM), but since I can't find anything on the battery telling me when it was made, and I suspect that if the battery was "new" a year before I purchased the rv, it probably wasn't charged or maintained as it should have been.
When I first got the rv, I put a number of long trips on it, which should have fully charged the AGM battery. It's only been lately that I think it doesn't hold a charge as it should. But then, how I'm using the rv now has changed, With the cost of gas, I don't make the long trips anymore.
So I think either the battery has seen better days due to the way it's been used prior to my ownership, and/or the way I've been charging the battery hasn't done it any good. For example, I thought that simply driving the rv a long distance would fully charge the battery. No, the alternator will only give it a bulk charge; to fully charge the battery up to 100%, I need to trickle charge it for a couple of days. Who would have thought that?
For a while I've been researching adding solar power to help fully charge the battery. I've learned a ton of information on batteries and solar on the Sportsmobile website. I realize there's information available on various RV sites, but I found that after reading them, they didn't answer all of my questions. On the Sportsmobile site, all of the information I was looking for was in one spot.
the link-->https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f20/faq-s-battery-problems-and-common-power-calculators-1940.html
Hopefully, this link will help someone discover everything they need to know about how to take care of their house batteries.
Lead acid batteries of any type self discharge somewhat rapidly. When it sits, leave it plugged in if possible. If not have a solar panel charge it if possible. If not put a trickle charger on it. If not... just cruise in it every month.
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