Maintenance

[AbdRahim]

This may be a stupid question, but has any DX3 owners previously owned a Forester, that could give me an idea of the difference in the cost of ownership, yearly maintenance, etc.?

[AbdRahim]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

This may be a stupid question, but has any DX3 owners previously owned a Forester, that could give me an idea of the difference in the cost of ownership, yearly maintenance, etc.?

Any Dynamax owners? Dynamax vs large class C - any brand?

[halla]

I had a Thor Super C before my 2016 Force and now our 2018 Force HD. The Thor was a hug maintenance nightmare and one of the main reasons we moved to the Dynamax. The cost is higher, but it is worth more than the Thor, yearly maintenance for me is pretty low, I do most of the work myself, i have a few hundred in the oil change materials, I change the oil in the engine and the fuel filters before winter. I store the RV inside, so I dont have a lot of maintenance that I would have if it was stored outside. I am probably not much help with this, but I wanted someone to answer your question.

[dlfishing]

Originally Posted by halla

I had a Thor Super C before my 2016 Force and now our 2018 Force HD. The Thor was a hug maintenance nightmare and one of the main reasons we moved to the Dynamax. The cost is higher, but it is worth more than the Thor, yearly maintenance for me is pretty low, I do most of the work myself, i have a few hundred in the oil change materials, I change the oil in the engine and the fuel filters before winter. I store the RV inside, so I dont have a lot of maintenance that I would have if it was stored outside. I am probably not much help with this, but I wanted someone to answer your question.

I’ve considered changing the oil myself but how do you get rid of 6 gallons of old oil?

[halla]

I put it in a 50 gallon drum, a local guy picks it up for free, uses it in some type of furnace. I have taken it to autozone too if I buy the oil there.

[Vansteenburg]

We get rid of ours at an automotive store like an oreilly that takes old oil, not all do. Our city also lets you drop off a couple gallons at a time for free, but we like to keep or 3gal container, so we use the auto store.

Between the all our cars and our 05 gulfstream 8L v8 we dump 6 to 8 gals every time. Once we get the new rig it will add a few more.

[IsataMatata]

Originally Posted by dlfishing

I’ve considered changing the oil myself but how do you get rid of 6 gallons of old oil?

Most landfills have oil recycle bins. Our county here in NC has several oil drop off stations. Also Walmart auto care centers and if you have an Auto Zone store. These places will recycle your used oil.

[dlfishing]

Good to know, I’ll check with Autozone, about a mile from my house

[Bill Davis]

I had 2 waste oil furnaces in my auto repair shop. We generated more oil than we could burn so We sold the excess to other shops around town. I sold the business a few years ago, but at that time we were selling it for around 30 cents a gallon. Clean Burn is the most popular brand of waste oil furnace out there, at least in our area. If you call them they could possibly tell you who in your neighborhood could use the oil to heat their building. The shop you donate it to would be your newest best friend.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by dlfishing

I’ve considered changing the oil myself but how do you get rid of 6 gallons of old oil?

Any place that sells oil must take used oil back.

[RV Randy]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

This may be a stupid question, but has any DX3 owners previously owned a Forester, that could give me an idea of the difference in the cost of ownership, yearly maintenance, etc.?

I've never owned a Forester but here are some things to consider:

1-DX3 is diesel, most mid-size C's are gas. Diesel is more per gallon than mid-grade gas but diesels (size for size) are usually more economical. But, the DX3 is a big rig so overall your mpg will probably be somewhat less than the mid-size C.

2-You don't say what state you live in, but your license plates/registration and insurance could (maybe) be higher since the DX3 is a bigger class vehicle.

3-When the DX3 tires wear out (they should last a really long time in RV use) they will probably cost a little more to replace as they are probably a larger size.

4-Oil changes probably cost a little bit more simply because the large diesel holds more oil than a typical mid-size C with a gas engine.

5-When the time comes replacing the brakes is probably more expensive due to the size of the larger DX3 brakes.

Maintenance and operating costs for the coach/house are probably about the same, most differences would be on the chassis items above.

That said (other than possibly the license plate thing) I don't think any of these costs are night and day more, just incremental.

[AbdRahim]

Thanks RV Randy. NYS requires another lic. endorsement, but they don't make it easy to find out how to get it. I am waiting for an e-mail reply from DMV now. I did not realize the DX3 was so much heavier. Does that take 27 quarts of oil like DP's? Does it have air brakes?

[RV Randy]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

Thanks RV Randy. NYS requires another lic. endorsement, but they don't make it easy to find out how to get it. I am waiting for an e-mail reply from DMV now. I did not realize the DX3 was so much heavier. Does that take 27 quarts of oil like DP's? Does it have air brakes?

7.3 gallons oil pan capacity, may be more than that with a filter change. I haven't done mine yet so I'm just going by what the website says.

Yes, they do have air brakes.

[AbdRahim]

Hmmmm! I need to study this vehicle more. Congratulations RV Randy - sounds like yours is fairly new. I would love to hear the experiences from more DX3 owners. I have a lot of confidence in gas engines, but no experience with diesel.

[rskeans]

I've pulled a 19000 lb 5th wheel with my RAM diesel and fit right into the DX3. Even my Wife drove the DX3 and she would never pull the 5ver.
I'm not sure what I could tell you about the DX3, but it is a very comfortable unit to drive and to use. We have the all electric option and it is great! No LPG anywhere. On freezing cold winter nights you set the temp you want and the system does the rest.
Go look at one, if you can find one. They sell them faster than they can build them.

[steverkemp]

Yep, best advice is to go look at one. I sold my Forester 3171 and have a DX3 TS on order for this spring. I personally find the Freightliner easier and more comfortable to drive. The air ride seats are heavenly. [emoji56]

[AbdRahim]

All electric? You must not be able to stay unplugged, long boondocking, even for a few days. How does that work? I would love to look at one. I don't believe anyone near me has one, but I have at least 8 years before buying another, if that day ever arrives. This time there is plenty of time to research and talk to people who own my favorite models. Thanks all for your responses. Keep them coming.

[RV Randy]

I don't do a lot of boondocking but I do have solar panels that help the batteries last longer. It's easy to start the generator when you want to run the MW, Aircon or stove. Everything else runs off the inverter, you can usually go 12-14 hours before recharging with the generator.

[rskeans]

Originally Posted by AbdRahim

All electric? You must not be able to stay unplugged, long boondocking, even for a few days. How does that work?

First the primary energy source is the 100 gallons of diesel fuel in your chassis. Then you have these two high capacity AGW batteries that receive energy from the solar panels. Then the MH has the AGS (Automatic Generator Start) feature that will start the on board 8KW generator to refresh the batteries, if needed. I have mine set to come on at 11.5V. Most things in the rig will run off the 3KW pure sine inverter. The cooking is via induction running off the inverter. Hot water is on demand. Heating is with the Aqua-Hot that uses your Diesel fuel or electric or both. Then there is no need to find LPG when on the road. You always can find diesel.
In short it is a beautiful well thought out system, plus with no LPG tank you have more storage.
This system is outside the comfort level for many. We started out that way but now fully embrace the system. We won't go back.

[AbdRahim]

Very cool. Thanks for the info. I stayed at a truck stop last night and ran the generator, and the furnace. I was surprised at how little propane and gas was consumed.