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11-08-2017, 09:01 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Smoky Mountains
Posts: 553
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Isata 3 Owners
What issues did you discover with your new Isata 3? What problems were found during your pre-delivery inspection?
We will soon be traveling about 9 hrs from home to pick up our Isata-3 24FW. When we leave the dealership we will be at the mercy of Forest River dealers near our home.
We really want to have the bugs worked out of this unit before we leave. Previous RVs that we purchased had relatively few problems & I expect Dynamx to be a step up from those. After all BC signs each RV that rolls out of his plant. I think you can see his signature under the right front fender
So, what things would you recommend to check closely?
Thanks to all.
Happy camping
Dave
__________________
Dave & Julie - Motorhomeless for a while!
SOLD 2018 Isata-3 24FW - Invisibrake/Roadmaster Falcon All-Terrain Tow Bar/2019 Wrangler Sport S 2.0 Turbo
SOLD 2015 Tiffin Allegro 36LA/2014 Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
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11-08-2017, 09:59 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 333
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I would think that your local Forest River dealers would be able and willing to work on problems related to the stand alone items that carry specific manufacturer warranties; i.e. the fridge, the a.c., etc. Certainly look for any problems related to those items but I would focus on possible build issues. Do all interior and exterior doors open and close easily? Are under-carriage wires neatly secured to framing and not hanging down? Check this site for issues reported by other owners. And when you take the test drive, be sure that the radio is not on and listen for nosies; there will always be some but you may hear sounds that you know will drive you nuts on a six hour drive. And do you know where the closest authorized Sprinter service center is? RV dealers won't touch Sprinter problems. But do have them check tire pressure and liquid levels. You will need to use one of the detailed check off lists that are on this site. And you may need to plan on staying overnight.... or several nights.... if problems are found. I am sure the dealer's sales department will apply pressure to the service department to fix problems you find while you are there,but there are limits on manpower and some parts may need to be ordered. I wish funds could be held in escrow, such as when one buys a house, that would only be released after problems are corrected. Honestly, I think you need to plan on making a return trip to the dealer. That being said, we enjoy hour Isata 3, but just wish there had been fewer things that required me to make several trips to our dealer, who is about three hours away. Good luck and happy camping!
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11-08-2017, 10:53 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 155
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Turn everything on, plug in every outlet, open every faucet and run hot/cold water, fill water tank (mine was cracked), test all electrical devices. Open and close the awning and slides a few times. Look over the exterior for loose fasteners, inspect the entire roof for sealant voids - mine had several.
Take it for a spin, make sure the entry door stays latched (doesn’t squeak), test the latching of all exterior compartment doors (mine need adjustment).
Congratulations on the new Dynamax! You will love it, we are absolutely thrilled with our ownership experience so far.
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11-08-2017, 11:29 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Posts: 1,821
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We picked our 24FW up in May and had a full day PDI and stayed at the facility with full hookups for 2 days to make sure everything worked.
When we bought the unit about two weeks prior there was an issue with the slide not working properly, which I assumed happen while on the lot with all the traffic opening and closing the slides. They had replaced the slide motor(s) before our PDI. If you follow the posts, the Lippert slide seems to be a common topic (not just on the Isata 3), so just make sure your slide is operating smoothly and evenly as it moves in and out and seals evenly when closed.
During PDI we had an issue with the camera system not working in the rear view mirror and they found a loose wire under the drivers seat and that was the only issue corrected during PDI. We have driven about 4,000 miles and 6 camping trips since May and had no issues other than learning more about how everything works and is interconnected. This is our first ever RV, so learning all the time. This forum has been invaluable.
Good luck.
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11-08-2017, 12:23 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Smoky Mountains
Posts: 553
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Thanks Slimtime & Milkman, I'm building a PDI checklist and will add your ideas.
We're planning on staying at the dealer 1 or 2 nights also. They need our Fiat 500 Abarth for a day to hook up our InvisBrake system for towing. RCD in Pataskala is a good dealership, so we expect a good check out.
Thanks.
Dave
__________________
Dave & Julie - Motorhomeless for a while!
SOLD 2018 Isata-3 24FW - Invisibrake/Roadmaster Falcon All-Terrain Tow Bar/2019 Wrangler Sport S 2.0 Turbo
SOLD 2015 Tiffin Allegro 36LA/2014 Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
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11-08-2017, 08:53 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 49
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Isata 3 Owners
I second everything said. Probably safe to assume the dealer has not done much more than wash it and opened the slide. We picked up ours 5 weeks ago and spent 3 days at the dealer as they fixed things that we had found. We have to bring it back next week to have the inverter replaced and the Solar controller fixed or replaced. We have to drive 7 hours back to the dealer because the local one can't fit us in until February. Your local dealer may not be as bad but I would plan on making the drive back if anything needs to be done. We like our Isata 3 but a little disappointed with how many issues we discovered on our own and how difficult it is to get them repaired. Guess we were a little naive.
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11-08-2017, 09:27 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 850
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akkw, This is really not good news for a recent buyer. I would hope your issues are all resolved & Dynamax has improved their final inspections & QA process.
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11-09-2017, 09:13 AM
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#8
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bristol, IN
Posts: 18,878
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We can test all we want, which we do...but electronics are electronics.
1. a good portion of the errors we see are just user error. And I don't mean that in a bad way, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to read the appliance manuals. Many of the situations you run into and think are broken are simple things you can correct in 5 minutes. Jacks are a perfect example. we get calls ALL the time. My jacks are broken. So they don't work at all? Well, they work fine, but auto level doesn't work. Right in the manual it will tell you that it likely lost its null point. 5 minutes to reset and all is good.
2. This is not dedicated rsidential electrical service. We have people plugging 30 amp into 20 amp, 15 amp, sketchy power poles, outside near trees where we get lightening strikes. All of these things can wreck havoc on electronics. Not to mentioned moisture. humidity, storage in non-conditioned spaces.
3. 12V. The 12V system is the life blood of an RV. Most people think 12V is good...everything is fine. 12V is 50% drained and it shouldn't fall below that. When systems are operating on low voltage lots of things happen and they can happen at different times. Some operating ranges are wider than others. CO2 detectors we change out like underwear and 90% of the time its just low voltage, or furnace burn off.
You just bought a fairly sophisticated house, a fairly sophisticated chassis, a 110V power generation system, a 12V power system, possibly solar. It helps to be a little handy...not necessarily to fix things (although that is helpful) but just to figure out that when something goes wrong, there is likely a reason for it. Otherwise you're driving to the dealer for them to gladly spend several hours correcting something you could have corrected before someone even gets the fire started at the camp sight.
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11-09-2017, 11:01 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 264
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Isata 3 issues
Our I3 is our third Motorhome in 27 years and generally speaking the quality and attention to detail exceed that of our previous two.
We have however experienced two significant issues that are probably due to specific individuals at the plant. Judging by what I've learned about Dynamax and Forest River they are probably down the road (or at least retrained) by now.
First, the side cameras leaked when driving on wet roads because they were not installed per the instructions provided with them. The sidewall penetrations were not sealed as required. Also the rubber boots that cover the pigtail to monitor cables were not pulled over the connections. Both were easily remedied on both cameras.
Second, the screws that attach the battery compartment lid (step) hold down protruded into the battery space about 1 1/4 inches. The battery was sitting somewhat sideways so the self drilling screws wouldn't puncture the battery case. The wood block in the photo was added during a trip when the issue was discovered. Replacing the screws with pop rivets took care of that concern.
Other than those items I can find nothing of importance to complain about.
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11-09-2017, 11:04 AM
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#10
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bristol, IN
Posts: 18,878
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Looking at that step currently...I'd like no latch and to make it magnetic.
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11-09-2017, 11:17 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 264
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That would be slick!
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11-12-2017, 07:16 PM
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#12
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 8
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After reading xgarys post, I check our battery compartment and found the same situation. The rear battery was beginning to be punctured on the edge, so placed a wood block protect the battery.
Thanks to xgarys for posting the problem.
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11-12-2017, 09:29 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 264
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I'm glad that I could help prevent a problem for you. I hope more owners are alerted to the possibility of battery failure and compartment damage due to this issue.
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11-13-2017, 10:06 AM
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#14
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bristol, IN
Posts: 18,878
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Alerted my guys to go check all units on line and in the field. thanks for the heads up.
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11-13-2017, 10:22 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 264
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I'm glad to have helped.
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11-13-2017, 12:13 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Posts: 1,821
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Same issue, screw had penetrated the battery shell, but not all the way. Easy fix to remove long screws and use 1/4" sheet metal. That's why this forum is so helpful to all owners. Thanks
__________________
2021 Isata 5 30FW
2014 Honda CR-V
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11-13-2017, 03:39 PM
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#17
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 14
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Be sure you check out the slide more than one or two times. If jumps or skips
a little don't take it. Leave it if they can't make it smooth. That was a major
problem with mine. It was a 18 FW and never right and no support after sell.
I don't own it any more after 3 or 4 months and about 5k miles. Also check the
shower door for leaks and open and close it a few times, also fill and empty the
black and gray tanks. Check everything you can think of. I would send 2 or 3 nights if they let you. Take it for a drive and put some stuff in it to stock it up
and see how it goes. Once you drive off its your problem.
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11-13-2017, 03:54 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Smoky Mountains
Posts: 553
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bclemens
Alerted my guys to go check all units on line and in the field. thanks for the heads up.
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Good work Brian. Good forum, good company 👍🏽
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11-13-2017, 05:24 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 264
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Quote:
Originally Posted by milkman55
Same issue, screw had penetrated the battery shell, but not all the way. Easy fix to remove long screws and use 1/4" sheet metal. That's why this forum is so helpful to all owners. Thanks
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You're certainly welcome. I thought about shorter screws but the thought of anything pointy in range of the battery in a mobile situation gave me the willies. I'm sure you'll be fine though.
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11-14-2017, 06:50 AM
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#20
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bristol, IN
Posts: 18,878
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We've been working on a new design with magnets, probably won't be done until into 19 model year. Until then, we'll change over to rivets.
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