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Old 07-23-2016, 07:19 PM   #1
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First Impression on 2016 Georgetown XL 352QS

After over a year of research on both of DP and GASSER, Class A, B and C. Asking a lot of questions including all dumb one too. I know that many of the members here and on iRV2 getting tired of me asking too many questions.

After all said and done, I especially thank everyone here and on iRV2 for the help that you gave me to choose my first motorhome.

After all consideration, I have made my final choice, some may like it, some may think I am stupid, but I think I have made the choice that fit my needs and the most important thing is, I now can join you all on the road and have a good time.

On the 16th of July, we found the end of the year 2016 Forest River Georgetown XL 352QS at the MHSRV. The model looks great, met our needs and have quite a nice interior cabinetry, furniture, comfort level, and decent quality works. Of course, I could find that the unit could have more room for improvement, but to be fair, at the price point, it is much better quality than on the couple of the DP that I have looked at with the price point at least 60% more. Since we had done our research, we know that we had a good deal, we then signed on the bottom line, and yesterday, we came back and went through the PDI, stay overnight to inspect more and drove 220 miles back home.

1 - First, thank Carl (my sales rep) and Chris (PDI tech) and Brandy (Finance Manager) at MHSRV. Carl did a great job on present us the coach, Chis did a great job on working with us on every issue that we found and explained everything that I need and should know about the new unit. Brandy did a great job on finance and per our request, she renegotiates for a better rate than original agreed with.

2 - We did all of the PDI, makes all fixes, and totally happy with the unit before go to the finance office for signing the paper works.

What do we like about the unit, one may ask?
1 - The layout could sleep up to 7 adults and one kid up to 4 foot tall, but most campground only allows up to 6 persons anyway. This model came with bunk beds and the overhead loft as well as an electric/gas refrigerator which is what we really preferred. Since both of my DW and I are photographers, we love nature photography and like to camp at BLM, with the electric/gas refrigerator, we could have the refrigerator run for days without electric to keep food fresh for us. We could also use the bunk beds to keep our camera gears without having to bag them each time we come back for a photo shoot and still have the dinnette and sofa empty for resting and enjoy the rest of the day.

2 - The model has 4 slides, 2 for the bedrooms and bunks and 2 upfront for the kitchen and living area. This makes to coach really roomy. One other thing about these slides that I liked is all of the slides are hydraulic operated which is still could fail at any time, but the way I understood was it should be more reliable than cable or gear and track slides.

3 - We went through every single detail that I could think off based on what I have learned from everyone on this forum as well as on the iRV2 forum, all checked out, good shape, and our PDI technician was very helpful. Everything wrong that we found (not many), was fixed within the hour. By the end of the day yesterday, everything was completed. We spend the night there, enjoy our first night ever on the RV, the first ever in our life on an RV. We have done many tent camping for photography in the last 7 years and we alway dreamed of having a home away from home instead of a tent, and now, we have it, we loved it and we look forward to many years ahead.

4 - This morning, we woke up around 6:30 am after a full night on the motor coach and felt very good. The bed was fantastic, just like my bed at home, air conditioning system works well. All kitchen appliance, refrigerator, microwave, shower, hot water, generator, everything works flawlessly. Had a fresh cup of coffee, walked around the unit, admire the nice coach and make some more final inspection before we ready to pack up and leave for home.

How is the drive?
On the drive home, it was approximately 220 miles, it was much more different than the 5 miles test drive near MHSRV.

I did reduce the tire pressure down from 95psi to 80psi (Michelin tires), filled with a full tank of gas the whole 80 gallons, 2/3 tank of fresh water, just my DW and I on the coach with some light luggage. The drive was very smooth on the nice and flat highway, the front end alignment was great, it holds the coach right on. But a little tough on the not so smooth road. I drove through a section of about 15 miles worth of construction, narrow lane and shifted, with a little wind, I have to work both of my hands and arms to hold the coach steady. I can feel what others have been talking about "white knuckle" driving. I definitely need to have something like "Safe-T-Plus" install on this coach. I also felt the coach somewhat rocking which may be a good candidate for CHF or Sumo-Spring.

How is the power?
The drive section from Alvarado to Houston was not that hilly, we are in Texas, the only high point in the highway was the overpasses. But at some of the high overpasses, if I want to maintain 65 mph, the engine would push to 3500 rpm. I do not like the engine noise at 3500 rpm, therefore I settled to have the speed reduced to 60 mph at 2200 rpm. On the flat section, I could cruise at 65mph at 2200rpm, the engine still a little loud, but since the engine is right under my nose, I would not expect much. I need to add some more insulation to under the dog house and hope to reduce a little engine noise as well as the little engine heat output that leak into the main cockpit. As far as the mile per gallon, it is too early to tell. I will tally all of the mileage and gas used then I may have a better picture of the fuel consumption. But for the time being, I would think it used around 7 to 8 mpg. Remember, the coach is not loaded to it capacity and not tow any car either. So I do expect the mileage will be worst. But that is expectable from this type of RV.

How is the generator?
The generator works very well, very quiet. Hardly could hear from my bedroom even though the generator is right beneath the bed.

How is the air conditioning?
Both of the front and rear air by Domestic, both are 15,000 BTU unit (I think, at least my from AC is), They were a little louder than I expected, but it did blow out good cold air, felt very comfortable inside the cabin even though it was over 100 degrees outside. Of course, it ran non-stop to keep up with the heat.

In conclusion, I know when I accept this 2016 Forest River Georgetown XL, it is not a DP, therefore it would have some room for improvement. However, for the price point, I could have plenty of upgrades and still have plenty of money left make it more enjoyable without breaking the bank. One main thing is that my DW and I was very happy with what we settled for and looking forward to many years of travel to come.

Will this RV will hold up well, I hope so, but I will not cross my fingers and pray because the RV may give me some problem tomorrow, next week or next month. Since I am mentally preparing for the worse, I do know that all RV will have the problem, but I do know that I can fix what will be throwing at me, and since it is a gas coach, it would not be that complex as it would on a DP. Besides, I have many of the good experience RVers on this forum will back me up. There it is... nothing to worry about, right? For that, I thank everyone here.

Will I keep this RV as my last RV as I was planned? Properly not, but it is a great start. Let's just look forward to a better RV future.

See you on the road.

BTW, I need to give my RV a name, would you be interested to help me choose one?
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Old 07-24-2016, 03:53 PM   #2
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Since you and your wife are photographers, you should understand


Congratulations and Welcome......Keep this enthusiasm and joy in mind when you start noticing those little things that drive SOME F.R.O.G.'s crazy!
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Old 07-24-2016, 06:05 PM   #3
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Since you and your wife are photographers, you should understand


Congratulations and Welcome......Keep this enthusiasm and joy in mind when you start noticing those little things that drive SOME F.R.O.G.'s crazy!
Thank Chris...

Pictures will follow very soon...

TL
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Old 07-25-2016, 04:12 PM   #4
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X2 and keep the reports coming.
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Old 07-25-2016, 04:56 PM   #5
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Here are some of the quick clicks from my iPhone:







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Old 07-25-2016, 09:30 PM   #6
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Nice.
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Old 07-26-2016, 07:19 PM   #7
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Today, I have some time to go take some picture of the rig...



















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Old 07-26-2016, 08:07 PM   #8
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Smile

My wife and I have the same unit in the 2015 version. Looks the same except for the dashboard. Our engine AC failed early on. It was low on 134A by .7 Lbs. $400 dollars later and I am still not reimbursed as no one claims its their problem. Three LED overhead lights blink wildly (flicker). The toilet valve came loose because the tech forgot to replace the two stainless screws that hold it in TIGHT. It eventually leaked but we caught it with only about two gallons flooding the floor. The black tank flush system never worked from day one. I'm still working on fixing these issues.

I made an interior wooden step near the door for a place to put your feet when sitting in the passenger chair. I also incorporated a 2 x 12 on the highest step to equal out the step hight. I moved the water pump to the right to facilitate room for my tools. I also installed a hardwired PI 50 amp EMS into the unit.

We are very satisfied with our unit and will eventually solve the problems and see you on the road. Keep me posted as to your issues if you will.
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Old 07-26-2016, 08:13 PM   #9
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Forgot to give a name!!!!! Try Money Launderer
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Old 07-26-2016, 08:16 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by weatherguru1 View Post
My wife and I have the same unit in the 2015 version. Looks the same except for the dashboard. Our engine AC failed early on. It was low on 134A by .7 Lbs. $400 dollars later and I am still not reimbursed as no one claims its their problem. Three LED overhead lights blink wildly (flicker). The toilet valve came loose because the tech forgot to replace the two stainless screws that hold it in TIGHT. It eventually leaked but we caught it with only about two gallons flooding the floor. The black tank flush system never worked from day one. I'm still working on fixing these issues.

I made an interior wooden step near the door for a place to put your feet when sitting in the passenger chair. I also incorporated a 2 x 12 on the highest step to equal out the step hight. I moved the water pump to the right to facilitate room for my tools. I also installed a hardwired PI 50 amp EMS into the unit.

We are very satisfied with our unit and will eventually solve the problems and see you on the road. Keep me posted as to your issues if you will.
I got this rig from MHSRV, they show me the 200 points check list that they went through it twice (so they told me). Based on the rig at the time I picked that up, everything works perfectly (hope it will stay that way as long as it could). I know that thing will start acting up and falls apart, but so far, I did go through the rig inch by inch and found everything where is should be and stay intact for now (cross my fingers).

Like you, I thought about making a cover for the step so the 3rd passenger would not trip on by accident when have the couch facing forward.

I am really interested in wiring an EMS system to the coach. Would you mind sharing what you did and what are all of the parts that you have to get for this upgrade?

Thank in advance.
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Old 07-26-2016, 08:22 PM   #11
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No problem.We probably could do it over the phone. I"ll send you pictures and share this info anytime. You decide how we can talk.
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Old 07-26-2016, 08:39 PM   #12
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No problem.We probably could do it over the phone. I"ll send you pictures and share this info anytime. You decide how we can talk.
Thanks, I just send you a private message.
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Old 07-27-2016, 04:13 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by weatherguru1 View Post
My wife and I have the same unit in the 2015 version. Looks the same except for the dashboard. Our engine AC failed early on. It was low on 134A by .7 Lbs. $400 dollars later and I am still not reimbursed as no one claims its their problem. Three LED overhead lights blink wildly (flicker). The toilet valve came loose because the tech forgot to replace the two stainless screws that hold it in TIGHT. It eventually leaked but we caught it with only about two gallons flooding the floor. The black tank flush system never worked from day one. I'm still working on fixing these issues.

I made an interior wooden step near the door for a place to put your feet when sitting in the passenger chair. I also incorporated a 2 x 12 on the highest step to equal out the step hight. I moved the water pump to the right to facilitate room for my tools. I also installed a hardwired PI 50 amp EMS into the unit.

We are very satisfied with our unit and will eventually solve the problems and see you on the road. Keep me posted as to your issues if you will.
A couple of comments on your post - we have replaced 5 of the 8 LED lights...they eventually will stop flickering and go out.

Check to see if the back-up valve for your Black Flush kit is installed correctly. It is located underneath the bathroom sink most likely right underneath the sink. It has 2 connectors that both unscrew - flip around the orientation and re-install. That was what was wrong with mine.

I am not sure what you are referring to on the PI 50 Amp comment.

Regards...
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Old 07-28-2016, 09:26 AM   #14
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Thanks for the info on LED lights. 3 new ones are being processed. The Black Flush valve is on correct. I was told to just connect the two together to see if it works without the Air Lock valve in place. As for the PI 50 Amp EMS system, I put in the hardwired unit. My good friend lost his unit ($3000) worth to a mis-wired 30 amp 110 outlet. Electrician hooked it up as a 220 volt outlet. Big problems resulted. I don't want to take a chance the voltage will fall or rise above safe levels. Too expensive as it is !!!!!!
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Old 07-28-2016, 09:44 AM   #15
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... I am not sure what you are referring to on the PI 50 Amp comment.

Regards...
Hello Mickey

I may miss understood your question, but if I understood it correctly then what Charles meant was the Progressive Industry 50Amp Energy Management System that he installed to protect his coach from trashy power.

https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-I...industries+ems

For me, I am using the removable one:
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-I...industries+ems
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Old 07-28-2016, 10:12 AM   #16
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Hello Mickey

I may miss understood your question, but if I understood it correctly then what Charles meant was the Progressive Industry 50Amp Energy Management System that he installed to protect his coach from trashy power.

https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-I...industries+ems

For me, I am using the removable one:
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-I...industries+ems
Ahhh...make sense - I too have one of these for prevention more than anything else. No issues thus far.
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Old 07-28-2016, 10:19 AM   #17
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Ahhh...make sense - I too have one of these for prevention more than anything else. No issues thus far.
Hello Mickey,

I notice that you have the 2016 G'Town XL 350TS which is about the same as my 352QS with the exception of 4 slides vs. 3 slides.

That said, how was your rig performed after you implemented the 5 Star Tuning?

Thank.
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Old 07-28-2016, 03:06 PM   #18
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Hello Mickey,

I notice that you have the 2016 G'Town XL 350TS which is about the same as my 352QS with the exception of 4 slides vs. 3 slides.

That said, how was your rig performed after you implemented the 5 Star Tuning?

Thank.
So so with the 5-Star - maybe more placebo...I had to go back to 5-Start twice or updated shifting...I lost all of my kickdown when going up hills or large bridges...The 350TS is heavy and I think that has a lot to do with it too. I still use the tuning but I wonder if they backed off most of the shifting tweaks due to the issues I was having of not downshifting.

It was night and day different on my 33foot class C which is why I immediately bought the new tuning file for this rig.
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Old 07-28-2016, 03:15 PM   #19
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So so with the 5-Star - maybe more placebo...I had to go back to 5-Start twice or updated shifting...I lost all of my kickdown when going up hills or large bridges...The 350TS is heavy and I think that has a lot to do with it too. I still use the tuning but I wonder if they backed off most of the shifting tweaks due to the issues I was having of not downshifting.

It was night and day different on my 33foot class C which is why I immediately bought the new tuning file for this rig.
Thank Mickey, The reason that I asked because I saw some post regard to the system would work for rig up to 2015. Since yours is 2016, I assumed that they do have a new model for 2016 but not sure if it functions the same.

Also, did you ever concerned about the possibility of voiding your Ford engine and transmission warranty by install the 5 star tunning?
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Old 07-29-2016, 05:26 AM   #20
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Also, did you ever concerned about the possibility of voiding your Ford engine and transmission warranty by install the 5 star tunning?
No - was never really worried about the warranty piece - That's probably a discussion in itself...

2016 was the year of the crossover to the new 6 speed transmission - I have the older 5-speed in my rig. I actually thought I was buying the 6 speed - not a deal breaker as the 6 speed has their issues/complaints if you read around. I think the reason for the 5-speed was that I actually have a 2015 chassis even though though the coach was labeled as a 2016. End of day - all is good.
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