Isata 3 Questions

[hfpnt52]

Brian-
By going to the 2017 chassis (June/July) will it change the CCC? Or no real difference. Thanks.

[bclemens]

Nope. We have seen no changes on the radar for 2017 chassis. Other than I'm sure they will raise the price. With the Euro down, you'd think it would be the opposite...but its Mercedes-Benz.

[Philos3]

I would find it hard to believe that MB would care about changing the ccc for the MH mfgs. The MH mfgs IMO could care less about the ccc for these units and this includes B units...they hope you miss the concept altogether.

The selling response is focused on the advantages of carry minimal cargo, gas mileage, mobility, and small parking footprint...for short vacations and travel to relatives...and some motel stays.

Most buyers of these units they are targeted at never take CCC into consideration.

If you are paying attention, you must up model to a DX3...or become a weight denier.

[bclemens]

Actually, Mercedes in Europe bumped their GVWR on the Sprinter platform for that exact reason. Everyone is speculating why they have not bumped it for US chassis, but it remains a mystery.

European Sprinter Gets 990-Pound GVW Boost - News - Automotive Fleet

And I don't hope you miss the concept...there is not a day that goes by that I am not trying to figure out how to shave weight...and I mean daily. I have tried about 15 variations of fiberglass sidewall skin (to get the best balance between weight and look), I've change sink covers to save 20lbs, we've experimented with 4-5 different countertop variations. The list goes on.

[GusinCA]

So we are the proud new owners of a custom painted 2018 Isata 3.

We just got back from our inaugural shakedown weekend in Palm Springs.

We couldn’t find any other motorhome of this size with a full slideout. We ordered one custom because we couldn’t find an Isata 3 with the over cab sleeper. We ordered the full leveling jacks and the LP generator, solar panels, sat, Sony, etc.

We are leaving for a 2 month road trip all across the country in June, so I really look forward to getting great use out of this machine...

Some observations-

The GOOD:

1. Power. The turbodiesel V6 leaps off the line once the turbo spools up. Very nice to have. The mileage is really good.
2. Driving feel. The Mercedes is solidly built. We’ve had dozens of Benz’s in our life, so this is no surprise. The handling is nice, the solidity of the whole machine seems very good.
3. Roominess. The inside is huge when the slide is out. Biggest reason we bought it. No one else has it.
4. Looks. The all silver paint job with black wheels really looks clean. The interior colors are fantastic. The seat coverings feel very nice.
5. The fridge, the Truma, the toilet, the sink, all solid. Slideout feels good, but this is our first RV so I wouldn’t know.
6. A/C system works flawlessly. Heater as well. Vent fans are excellent. Windows are very well made.
7. LED lights. A little bright (wish they could be dimmed) but there are so many ways you can switch them on and off. Just perfect lighting.
8. Love the soft close drawers and cabinets. Very high quality feel to these parts.
9. Solar panels are excellent.
10. Mattress is very comfortable.
11. Storage is very good. Plenty of room both inside and out.
12. The turning circle. Are you kidding me? It’s so tight that you really have to worry about the back end swinging wide. But you can turn on a dime it’s that good.
13. The overall feel of the outside locking cabinets. They just feel very solid and tight when closed.
14. The awning is huge and seems very well made. Wish it would stop when you let go of the button, but maybe that's a standard thing. Wish you could dim the outside lights as well.


The not as great as I would have liked:

1. The wiring under the coach looks sloppy and zip tied together willy nilly. I will definitely be going under there with some zipties and electrical tape to help clean things up.
2. The trailer plug is welded to the bottom of the receiver hitch - below where the RV would drag if you went over too large of a dip. It would rip right off. I’ll have that rewelded to the top of the hitch where it’s protected.
3. There is no plug in the cabinet where the satellite receiver goes, and the hole where you could route a power cable to where the TV is plugged in is too small. I’ll have to use a hole saw and make a bigger hole. They also left sawdust in that cabinet but that’s not a big deal.
4. When we looked at a 2017 model on the lot, it had a swivel mount for the TV, in the 2018 they replaced it with a solid mount (I’m assuming to prevent wobbling while driving) but the mounting position makes it almost impossible to watch from the dinette.
5. When we looked at a 2017 model it also had this beautiful glass bowl in the bathroom, and ours came with a standard stainless bowl. I’m told it’s better but it sure looked better with the glass bowl.
6. The stove rattles. It’s not bad, but it’s seriously the only thing that rattles. I’ll have to think about how to fix that.
7. Wish the over cab sleeper had a big window in the front. But maybe it would get too hot. Wish there was a curtain or even better the buckle net system I've seen on a coachman class c to keep a kid from falling out.
8. I wish there were a way to softly close the main door. You have to really bang it shut (when pulling from the inside at least) and this can be noisy at night. On the other hand, the door seems really solid and sealed tight.
9. Wish they would have caulked the floor of the bathroom. Seems like water could get under the walls pretty easily if someone steps out of the shower without a towel.
10. Wish there was a backup number keypad like on Fords to get inside if you lose your keys. I might replace the main door handle/lock with a coded entry. Maybe offer that as an option?
11. Wish there was a little bidet hose on the toilet. Might have to add that.
12. The grey water tank seemed to fill up quickly, while the black water tank stayed almost empty. Wish there was a way to transfer some grey water to the black water tank so you could use more of the total capacity at the same time.
13. The self leveling system sort of worked. I had to do some manual adjustments to get it truly level. Maybe it just needs to be re-adjusted?
14. No ladder. Why is there no ladder? If a big branch falls on the roof am I just supposed to drive until it falls off?
15. Really wish it came with the auto-braking system available on the Navion/View.
16. Wish it came with the built in front window blinds on the Navion/View. I’ve already ordered those from Winnebago and will be installing them myself.
17. Wish it came with the giant skylight in the Forest River MBS. It’s the same machine, isn’t it? Should be easy to put in. That skylight really made the interior of the MBS brighter.
18. Why don’t these machines have a built in TPMS (tire pressure monitor) like all vehicles must have now? I bought a Tireminder system but it seems silly that something as important as monitoring tire pressure wouldn’t be standard.

That’s it for now. I really love this machine, and we had a great time this weekend, it performed flawlessly (except for the bathroom GFCI outlet popping all the time for no reason, but that’s a minor bug) and really drove perfectly, even in high winds (I guess that’s what the sway bar is for?). It’s our first RV, we’ll keep it for about 7 years until our daughter goes to college, and then we’re buying a BIG one for my wife and I to live in full time. Seems like this Isata 3 is the perfect first RV for us…

[bclemens]

Thanks for the good we appreciate hearing both. As for the "not so great"...
1. Agree. That unit at Sunseeker/Forester was "free wired" like a house so when I brought that floor plan over here to Dynamax, they continued that. Almost all of our stuff is harnessed, we just didn't have time to start out...but that is happening now.
2. I think we have since moved that....just for the reason you stated.
3. Noted. First I've heard of that, but now I'll have to take a look.
4. Are you sure its fixed and the release mechanism just isn't hanging down? We've toyed with the idea of a fixed mount to reduce rattle...but the one on the line today are swivel. There should be a small ring on a chain that releases the mechanism sometimes that gets caught up behind the TV, Either that or maybe we did fix mount it for a while, but I don't recall.
5. sorry about that. I liked the glass vessel, my wife hated it.
6. I have also toyed with a 2 burner drop in here which I think rattles less...but concerned what people will think about a 2 burner.
7. We don't do that for two reasons. A. the perception is that the windows leak. B. The heat gain from that window is tremendous. You cook in that area if you camp in any sunny areas.
8. Agree, but you have to blame that on NHTSA. On a motorhome (unlike a trailer) you ride in transit...so we have to have these two huge pins that are mandated by law so that you don't fall against the door and fall out or in a wreck the door collapse...so the door is reinforced.
9. Lino runs all the way throughout. My house is not caulked, although I have thought about it because water can damage the baseboards. I don't think anyone caulks the floor...but I'll look now that you mention it.
10. That is not an option from Mercedes, but I'm guessing there is something available aftermarket..
11. When we do a composite toilet we do the sprayer. Porcelain we do not..but can be added and will note for future changes.
12. we can't win on that one. We sometimes direct the lav into the black.
13. I don't think for a time we were setting the "null point". Probably needs to be reset once the unit is leveled. Instructions are in the manual. (or I can post...depends if you have the Bigfoot or the Equalizer)
14. You can get a telescopic ladder that would work for multiple areas. We don't do a ladder on the FW because the rear window is an egress window. You can't put a ladder there. If we move the egress window to the bedroom headboard, then you don't have the bumper to step on if you need to get out...just a big drop. Not the end of the world, but that is our reasoning. We don't put a ladder on anything we build.
15. Do they have auto braking? I know they offer mobile eye, but it is "warning only" not braking and we can offer Mobile eye now. But it can be installed aftermarket.
16. We have looked at optioning them, but there is no local supplier. It is an expensive option and it takes up a lot of space in the window frame. Some have complained that they had no place to rest their arm. It is something we will continue to look at.
17. When I was at Forester...everyone would look at that skylight at a nice indoor show and talk about how much light. Then when they owned it and were camping summertime in cali or Florida or Arizona, they kept asking me how in the world they cut the heat that comes through it and why I thought putting a magnifying glass on the roof was a good idea. So I told our guys to leave it off and keep it cool. (not the same machine either...similar, but two different divisions, different options and build techniques)
18. Not an available option from Mercedes on the cab chassis that we buy. If we installed it, it would be aftermarket just like yours and considerably more expensive.

We appreciate the thoughtful responses...good and bad. It always helps us get better. But also, gives us a chance to explain some things that are out of our control. Like TPMS...it would be really expensive unless we bundle it with something like aluminum wheels. Otherwise we are taking off (6) tires, just to install an aftermarket system. If you option aluminum wheels, we have to take them off anyway...so it would make it more cost effective. But even then, an internal mounted system would probably be $1800 aftermarket.

[GusinCA]

Thank you for taking so much time to form such a well thought out response.
This bodes well for what I would buy in the future.

All of your points make good sense, and I will look at the cons in a new light.

The TV is definitely fixed mount, I just took it down and am having a swivel mount installed.

The wiring mess underneath isn't atrocious, just sloppy. I have no problem spending some time under there cleaning it up.

I can apply a bead of caulk to the bathroom floor. No big deal there.

I'm interested in this mobile-eye system. Anything to improve safety.
I looked this up, it's called "collision prevention assistant" and it has to be part of the vehicle from the factory. The Navion/View has it as an option, and I think you should have it too.
Here's a youtube video on how it works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxvJ-diCS3s

Understood on the TPMS, but I still wish it came as a factory installed unit which talked to the Mercedes computer like it does in all my other cars.

The skylight in the shower is wonderful, but maybe you're right about the heat? We'll see if the shower gets as hot as you say it will in the summer. I know the one in the Forester has a day/night shade.

Thanks again so much!

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by GusinCA

Thank you for taking so much time to form such a well thought out response.
This bodes well for what I would buy in the future.

All of your points make good sense, and I will look at the cons in a new light.

The TV is definitely fixed mount, I just took it down and am having a swivel mount installed.

The wiring mess underneath isn't atrocious, just sloppy. I have no problem spending some time under there cleaning it up.

I can apply a bead of caulk to the bathroom floor. No big deal there.

I'm interested in this mobile-eye system. Anything to improve safety.
I looked this up, it's called "collision prevention assistant" and it has to be part of the vehicle from the factory. The Navion/View has it as an option, and I think you should have it too.
Here's a youtube video on how it works:

Understood on the TPMS, but I still wish it came as a factory installed unit which talked to the Mercedes computer like it does in all my other cars.

The skylight in the shower is wonderful, but maybe you're right about the heat? We'll see if the shower gets as hot as you say it will in the summer. I know the one in the Forester has a day/night shade.

Thanks again so much!

FWIW,

I have read many complaints on other forums about the skylights leaking on the Sprinter based models. Some had to be replaced. Also many complaints about the heat gain. One of the reasons that I didn't buy the other brand. It may be resolved by now but it was a problem a year ago.

Our door has become very easy to shut after using the vehicle for awhile. No harder than a home door.

Does the Mercedes TPMS offer all of the capabilities of Tire Minder or TPS707?. Such as tire temperature and loss of pressure warnings?

I suspect that you grow ever more fonder of your Dynamax as many other owners have.

Bobby

[GusinCA]

I agree, I think I'll grow to like this machine very much.
Once I get the swivel mount in place, the tireminder installed, some caulking where it needs to go, the retractable sunshades in the front windows and drill a hole for the power cord it should be perfect. These are all relatively minor squibbles on a large complex machine that seems very well put together.

[bclemens]

Just a heads up, I was taking a picture of the hole to show the line and the recent for the TV is Above the TV. (At least on the one I was looking at). Not sure what is in the hole, but maybe we have changed that as well.

[bclemens]

PS. TPMS is not available from mercedes on the cab chassis. Maybe on the vans, but not the cutaways.

I do know that Mercedes offers collision prevention...but that is from Mercedes. The one that Winnebago offers is Mobile eye, which is different.

[GusinCA]

In my unit there is an outlet next to the TV. It has two plugs, one taken by the TV.
In the cabinet where the sat receiver would go there is also an outlet, and the microwave is plugged into it, but for some reason it is a single outlet so I have to run the power cable for the sat recvr through the hole that goes out the left side of the cabinet, behind the Jensen head unit, and out the hole next to the TV. Not such a big deal (had to remove the head unit) but the hole in the cabinet is already packed tight with the two coax cables and an HDMI cable.
It's not a huge deal, just a little pita.

[bclemens]

Well, I blindly took a picture in that area so I could remember to tell the guys to make the hole bigger. When I went to email it, I realized we must have added an outlet.

Either that, or maybe we're talking about two different things and you have the cab over bunk option? Then I need to take a different picture.

[GusinCA]

Yes, I have the sleeper above the driver and passenger seat. The cabinet I'm talking about is to the left of the microwave, and to the right of the Jensen Audio control panel.

[dmersereau]

It appears that there is no hood fan over the stove? Is there not? And how is that ok?

[GusinCA]

You don't need it. The hugely powerful fans (3 of them) in the roof of the RV suck everything out. We cooked a lot this last weekend in it and it was never a problem.

[bclemens]

^^This^^

Most exhaust hoods make it too dark, aren't LED and they rattle. Then the outside flap would flap all the time after the little swivel tabs would break. So a new outside range hood exhaust came out that everyone uses and you have to push the tabs UP to open it, then have to remember to snap them back into place before you leave or it will flap when driving. Half the time you can't reach the tabs anyway on a motorhome cause it sits so high.

According to code, you can have an exhaust vent within a certain area of the cooking surface. The Maxxair vent series that purpose...is way quieter and has a built in rain cover so doesn't matter if its raining or not. win-win.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by GusinCA

Yes, I have the sleeper above the driver and passenger seat. The cabinet I'm talking about is to the left of the microwave, and to the right of the Jensen Audio control panel.

I think the plan was to put the Satellite over the fridge. Is that not where the cables were run?

[slimetime]

I am still waiting on an answer for where to find the satellite cables in my '17 Isata 3 that came with the winegard t4. They are not visible in any cabinets, and would like to install a receiver but don't want to tear up the place searching.

Thank you

[bclemens]

Cab over or no?