Punch list questions

[HappyGuy]

I went through this rig for a good week in camp driveway and performed a shake down at our favorite local state park. I'm very happy that the punch list is so short. I checked the forums and did not see answers to a few questions regarding punch list items on my new MH. I live 3 hours away from the dealer I purchased from and from past experiences I do not trust one of the local dealers in the area to work on the rig reliably and the other is back logged for months. Neither are FR dealers so short of it I would like to fix the "easy" things before driving 3 hours for service.

First : The TV above the bunk is not receiving a signal. It does not appear to be attached to the booster box that controls the input to the other three TVs. The rig has the optional 32" TV above the kitchen counter. Question is, should this TV be working or was its connection sacrificed to the 32"? IMO 4 TVs are three too many but the kids and wife disagree so I am out voted and need to investigate a fix.

Second : Passenger side rear airbag won't hold air. There is spray foam covering all of the lines so I can't do a soap and water test for leaks. So, this one will likely need to go to the dealer. If anyone has some additional tricks for finding the leak I'm all ears. Cutting off the foam will likely damage the tubing so I'm hesitant to do that and void the warranty coverage for the part.

Third : The bathroom fan sounds like it's contacting metal but I don't see any marks on the metal around the fan and the blades appear undamaged. Do others have a loud bathroom fan on their rig? Since the fan is technically functioning as intended and isn't a constant use item would this even be considered a valid warranty claim?

[youroo]

In regard to #3 (Bath fan) I have not seen a metal fan blade in the newer units for quite some time. The old (4) blade (Noise maker)fans did very little to remove anything,but they let (Everyone know you were in the Bathroom)! The newer quieter plastic blade fans are a Big improvement. Youroo!!

[HappyGuy]

Whoops! I need to clarify a bit. The fan blade is plastic but the housing and support around the blade are metal. I was looking for evidence that the plastic fan blade was hitting the metal supports etc. the noise sounds like plastic contacting metal. There is no external evidence of such a contact.

[bclemens]

1. No signal? Is there coax hooked up to the back of the TV? That is the antenna portion for over the air. If you put a DVD into the dash does it play on that TV? Is there red/white/yellow connections?

2. dealer

3. Might need to push up on the screen. Even though there isn't a mark...it could be rubbing ever so slightly. The plastic ones won't show for a while.

[HappyGuy]

Didn't think to try to play a DVD in the in dash unit. The TV has a coax connection that terminates in the cabinet above the entry door. There are no analog (colored) connections to the TV. The TV powers on but that's all she wrote.

I'll try pushing on the screen for the vent. Come to think of it the fan always starts out fine and then starts "making contact" after 15 seconds or so. Rotational forces could be pushing it into the screen.

[bclemens]

You need to make sure the switch box is set for "ANT". Might as well do all (3) areas on the box to make sure. Make sure the TV input is on Antenna...then scan for channels.

Also, where the TV plugs into the 12V outlet (if there is a button beside the plug in, push it in). If the switch box is powered, then you won't have this button. Either way, the goal is to make sure the antenna booster is powered.

[mwebber78]

When you say the airbag won't hold air, do you mean at all or a slow leak? Driving with no air in the airbags can damage them.

[shabbona north]

if the foam around the lines is intact its unlikely that the line is damaged, its more common to have a fitting leak, mix up dish soap and water in a spray bottle and spray all the parts visible, then look for bubbles.

[HappyGuy]

The bag loses all of its air within 8 hours. trying to keep it pumped up but it's a losing battle. I'll check the fitting at the firewall since I can get to it and it isn't covered in foam. Everywhere else is covered.

[HappyGuy]

Just a quick update on the air bags. Apparently some of the FR Class Cs went out the door with the wrong airbags installed. The bags rubbed against the existing suspension and developed leaks. I spotted mine because I drove distance but if your rig is new and hasn't been driven you may want to check into whether or not your bags are rubbing. By the time I pulled into the dealer both bags were leaking and the passenger side was going flat within three hours of inflation. Carolina Coach and Marine has been exceptional before, during and after the sale. I went to them based on other camper reviews and I have been extremely pleased. They haven't tried to over sell and every person has been direct and instead of trying to answer my question partially, they have sought out the person best able to answer my question.

Campers, RVs and Boats For Sale | The #1 RV and Boat Dealer in NC | Carolina Coach

Case in point, when I asked about leveling jacks they showed me an idea for installing manual jacks instead of dropping 4 - 6 K on hydraulics. I love working with folks that treat you like a friend instead of a wallet and these folks delivered.

[Joseph Carozzoni]

"Case in point, when I asked about leveling jacks they showed me an idea for installing manual jacks instead of dropping 4 - 6 K on hydraulics"

Any way you could share the idea. Would like to follow your lead! Thanks.

[HappyGuy]

Basically the idea is to install heavy duty manual jacks.

Scissor jacks for the back (these are rated at 7500 lbs each :

Camco 57421 RV Olympian 24" Scissor Jack, Pack of 2 : Amazon.com : Automotive

And for the front the recommendation was an ultra Fab Power Twin II Stabilizer jack set for the front.

Ultra-Fab Products, Inc.| - Powertwin II Electric RV Leveling Stabilizer PT II-22

Parts would come out to between 900 and 1000.00 with install adding 2 -4 hundred if the dealer did the install. You would then pick up a 5 -10.00 adapter to spin down the jacks with a drill and pick up a 1/2 inch drill at the local hardware store.

I have the drill and tools to spin down the jacks so no added cost for me there but to add in the cost there here is my drill : (120.00)

Shop DEWALT 10-Amp 1/2-in VSR Pistol Grip Drill at Lowes.com

So max out of pocket expense installed and out the door would be around 1600.00 with the added benefit that I won't have to futz with hydraulics, less weight added to the rig, and I can manually operate the jacks if I have to. I don't know if the front can be spun down with the drill but I am hopeful that a 3/4 inch bit will fit. My sisters trailer has electric jacks and they are too slow to extend. If I can run the fronts down with the drill I should be able to get level in 5 - 10 minutes on even a tough site. If I don't have to back on and off of blocks the Mrs and youngsters will be able to start setting up camp while I level which will save even more time. That much closer to beer thirty!
Of course that is all out the window if I'm at a national park and faced with a 5 degree slope. Some blocks will be needed to keep the wheels in contact and weight on the suspension but even then, backing up onto a 3 stack of blocks/chocks and running the jacks down to another block stack will be much faster than repeatedly resetting blocks for the wheels.

[Joseph Carozzoni]

Thanks - will look into this. Two of the rear at Amazon are $130 total, and the front at Etrailer is $600. I've got everything else in terms of tools and supplies, and do all my own work. Let us know how it works out. We didn't opt for the factory hydraulic because of the nearly 300lb weight.

[HappyGuy]

I decided to forgo the manual jacks because there is just no way to mount them so that they are accessible from the rear and not in constant danger of getting smacked when going up a mildly sloped driveway. The front jack setup has a similar problem in that they would drop my clearance up front by 2-3 inches. Guess I'll stick with my original plan of using my blocks and installing air bags all around to do the fine tuning.

Regarding the rest of the punch list. Carolina Coach swapped the TV, repaired the trim etc, swapped the bathroom fan out. Post repair, the airbag on the passenger side is still losing air at a consistent 2 lbs per hour. Not huge so I'll live with it and it will be on the list next time the vehicle goes in for warranty work. Worst case I'll replace the line when the air compressor and front bags are installed.

They missed the non working outside light but when I went in to put a volt meter on the switch I found that it wasn't hooked up. Two pig tails and it was up and running. The item was obviously missed on the list but no harm no foul since it was a 15 minute start to finish fix. The rest of the work was solid and as per usual, their service department is over loaded and under staffed to handle their peak season. I have never found a good shop that didn't have those problems.

[mwebber78]

The airbags should be repaired properly, Firestone states the airbag can be damaged without proper air pressure, something that'd be hard to maintain if its going flat in storage.