TV Access 2013 378

[jjansen]

I am waiting for my overdue 2013 378 to arrive. Since I needed a fix I went to the dealership just to wander around the one that they have on the lot. In the 2013 model the television is built in. We didn't spend a long time in the RV but neither myself nor the sales rep could figure out how to access the TV rear and sides. There is a side panel for the power but it had a solid shelf above it that appeared to prevent access to the television. If anyone actually ones a 2013 378 (must be 2013) could you answer two questions. Is the TV on some sort of mounting mechanism whereby I can easily rotate or angle it a few inches so that it is more visible from the kitchen at one time and visible to the drivers seat at a different time? How do you get access to the rear of the TV so that I can plug in and out various cables starting with my HDMI cable?

Jackie - owner in waiting 2013 378

[wrapperman]

Just removed mine 2 days ago

There are 5 screws on the top just inside the opening and 4 on the bottom. I had to use a long skinny screw driver to get the out. To put them back in my tool had a screw holder on it so it would not drop the screw. The tv is fix rigidly to a piece of plywood. Unless you mount the tv to a tv mount that swivels it is permanently fixed on the plywood. I had to remove my tv because the video cable was not in all the way to the back of the tv Video input which cause a fuzzy picture.
I am considering installing a home theater system and running a hdmi cable from the cabinet to the tv. FR is not known for installing high end entertainment systems in their Georgetown xl 378 coaches.
Still love our motorhome. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Love the floor plan of our 378.
We purchased our 2013 I'm may of this year.
I have done several mods to it already and looking to do more.
Hit me up with any questions you may have or if you want to know the issues I had I will let you know also.

[jjansen]

Originally Posted by wrapperman

Just removed mine 2 days ago

There are 5 screws on the top just inside the opening and 4 on the bottom. I had to use a long skinny screw driver to get the out. To put them back in my tool had a screw holder on it so it would not drop the screw. The tv is fix rigidly to a piece of plywood. Unless you mount the tv to a tv mount that swivels it is permanently fixed on the plywood. I had to remove my tv because the video cable was not in all the way to the back of the tv Video input which cause a fuzzy picture.
I am considering installing a home theater system and running a hdmi cable from the cabinet to the tv. FR is not known for installing high end entertainment systems in their Georgetown xl 378 coaches.
Still love our motorhome. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Love the floor plan of our 378.
We purchased our 2013 I'm may of this year.
I have done several mods to it already and looking to do more.
Hit me up with any questions you may have or if you want to know the issues I had I will let you know also.

I would love to hear what you have done to your vehicle. You should probably also tell me what issues you ran into and what I can expect. Over the winter our first major mod will be removing the dinette and having a desk with two monitors built-in with a pull out eating table or something like that. I really think my first purchase will be a TV mount and just see how flat we can get one so that it doesn't stick out very far. Thanks for your response, now I know why we couldn't find out how to easily get to the cables..............Jackie

[wrapperman]

Jackie The first issue was when we picked up the coach. When we finally left the dealer it was closing time. We bought it in Grand Rapids Michigan and headed home to Tyler Texas. Right away I noticed it did not stay in the lane and the steering wheel was cocked about 20 degrees to the right. It was difficult to drive. After reading several post on this forum I had the front end aligned. It made a BIG difference and the steering wheel was also corrected. Now it drive like a dream. I can send you the alignment results if you like.
Also my slide out cylinders are not properly adjusted. Had I not realize it, it would have bent the rods or cracked the slide out or even pushed the wall out and cracked it also. The 2 nuts were never tighten down
Also when I have the hydraulic cylinders adjusted I am going to have them check the water heater panel on the out side. I think some screws have come out. Cause the panel to stick out about half an inch. I have read on this site that the water heater is not supported enough and it is causing the water heater tank to drop and causing more problems I am attaching photos os everything I mentioned.

[wrapperman]

Jackie I forgot to mention I installed a central vacuum. Two of the pics is of that
The cost for the vac was 275 including shipping. Took about 3 hours to install. Of course it took 2 hours just to figure how and where to install it lol

[jjansen]

Thanks, I have two more questions, the first I am almost embarrassed to ask. Assuming that my generator is not turned on and that I am not plugged in to shore power do I have access to some or all my 110 plugs? I was sure I did but someone else has made me question this. I believe that we have two batteries just for the coach. I have an electric coffee machine that I want, need :-) to be able to use. My other question is to do with overall quality. The 378 that I looked at in the dealership recently had panels falling off, screws coming out etc. It has concerned me. Thanks for your help so far.

[wrapperman]

The only inverter that the coach comes with is one for the residential refrigerator. It only operates it. The two coach batteries operate the refrig for about 3 - 4 hours when the motorhome is not running. When it is running the coach batteries stay charged. Please ask the dealer how the coach battery switch works as well as the inverter switch works.
You could add an inverter that would operate the circuit for a plug that you would then plug the coffee maker in. This setup would require someone knowledgeable in electricity. It is doable. I too thought about adding an inverter so my wife could watch a dvd and the TV while going down the road. I have yet to do it but it will be a project in the future.
I can let you know how I plan on doing it if you like. Let me know.
Another way of making coffee is to buy a 12 volt coffee maker. Just a thought.
As for the quality of the unit we are very pleased with it. I have friends that have more expensive units with more issues than ours. This is our third RV and they all had issues. The second RV had major issues but all were solved to our satisfaction.
At this time we are very pleased with the motorhome. It drives great and very quiet. You should love your as well.
The floor plan is what sold us on it.
We got a great deal on ours. We paid 104K and it included everything you could get on it, except the central vacuum. Ours is a 2013.
You can call me if you like with any questions.
I will private message you with my number with your request.

[jjansen]

Thanks for your answer. I had seen an inverter mentioned and must admit that I thought that meant I could use my pod coffee maker. Are there 12v sockets anywhere near the kitchen area?

I hope you don't mind my asking all these questions. You are certainly more help and more knowledgeable than my sales person has been..........Jackie

[wrapperman]

I will look on mine tonight for 12 volt plug. I don't recall one near the kitchen. One is next to the table on the side of the TV cabinet. And of course 1 on the dash. An inverter to run a 120 volt coffee maker would require at least 900 to 1200 running watts. That's a medium size inverter unit and would require almost 100 amp at 12 volts to power the unit. It is doable but pricey, unless your husband wants a little project.
I do not own a 12 volt coffee maker but you may want to do a cost comparison.
What my wife and I do is run the generator for a short time to make cookies or nachos in the convection oven then turn the generator off. We find it only takes about 5 minutes for coffee or 15 minutes for cookies.
Hope this helps.

[jjansen]

How easy is it to turn the generator on just to make a cup of coffee? My husband is the handy man not me but I am guessing that it is more than just turning a switch and therefore this doesn't sound convenient for a single cup of coffee.

Also you said that you can probably run the fridge for 3-4 hours when you aren't driving or plugged in. Next year my husband and I are taking 3 months off work to drive around. We anticipate towing a small car. I can easily see us parking the RV in a parking lot outside of town and then leaving to go into town with the car for a full day. Is my fridge going to warm up if the RV is left parked for 8 - 12 hours? I am used to fridge's running on propane so this has never even been a consideration before.

I really appreciate your input. Of course if my machine had been delivered on schedule I might have found some of this out on my own by now.........Jackie

[wrapperman]

The generator is very easy to turn on. It is just turning on a switch. There are 2 ways to turn it on. One is on the outside on the generator itself or if you prefer you can turn it on in the coach. There are 4 switches under the radio. One of them is a remote startup switch for the generator. Press it and hold till generator starts. You must turn off both air conditioners until the transfer switch kicks in then you will have power to all appliances. Including running the air conditioners on the roof. I have been told that there is a delay switch on the roof top units that if properly set would eliminate this step of making sure the roof top unites were in the off position. We found running the air units were needed when we went to Florida last month in 100 degree heat while going down the road.
As for how long will the refridge last is a good question. Our batteries lasted only about 4 hours then the inverter turned off but the refridge stayed cold almost over night. I might just time how long it stays cold on an off refridge., and will let you know. My wife may think I'm crazy but what's new.
If you find this to be an issue you can purchase automatic generator starters when the batteries get low but they are between 3 to 4 hundred dollars.
As for towing a small car it does it like you don't even know it is behind you. We have a 2008 Honda CRV and the first time we towed it I turned on my rear view camera several times to make sure it was still back there.