Tech Questions related to Trilogy

[KD Nolte]

I am into my first trip with the new unit and having some technical issues. I have tried the dealer but they seem to know even less than I do about these units.

1: Cable TV connection: I have plugged the Park cable to the Plugin marked Living room ( I also tried the other two) made sure the selector switch for the Antenna was turned off ( Tried it to the on position as well) set the TV to Cable, did the Auto Program and ...... Nothing. Neighbours TV works from the same cable so that works.

2: Fridge power supply: The fridge runs off the inverter power. Is there a way to switch the fridge to shore power and not run it through the Inverter?

3: De-Winterization: Where are the Low Point drains for the hot and cold water lines.

If anyone can shed some light on these issues it would sure be appreciated.

Thanks
KD

[sroarke]

Wow KD, we are about to take delivery on our Trilogy and I'm very interested in following your post. Frankly it scares the heck out of me. We're having ours delivered to our campsite on the 4th of May and I agree the dealership seems to have no clue as to how most of the systems work. You would think they would have to go through some training before being certified to service our units.

[Doogie]

Sroarke,

We have had our Trilogy since the fall and have been extremely happy with it. I agree with most of the comments in this thread is that it seems that the dealers seem to be unfamiliar with the Trilogy's. We have had a few minor (cosmetic) issues and a ceiling fan that made noise but everything was fixed with no problem from a local dealer (that I did not buy it from). I hope your new unit shows up with no issues but remember to take the time and look over it very good.
Doogie

[KD Nolte]

sroarke

My intent was not to downgrade the Trilogy in anyway, I hope no one feels that I have.
I have now spent my first week in the unit and I'm very happy with my choice.
The tech issues are primarily due to the inability of the dealership to inform themselves of the product they sell and their failure to properly prepare the unit for the customer.
Two of the three issues have now been resolved. It seems that the Trilogy does not have any low point drains for the Hot or Cold water lines, so I will need to add these myself.
TV connection issue was due to a mislabel of the connection points. The Inverter power issue was due to the Breaker being left off. Once the Breaker was turned on the the Inverter has switched over to shore power.

I am impressed with how well these units retain their heat and stay comfortable at low temps. Night time temps have been -9 C (14 F) day temps at -2 C (29 F). Water lines have remained functional, floors stay warm and there doesn't appear to be any cold areas due to insulation issues. However I have taken extra measures to insure the unit stays warm. Both ceiling fans left on, unit heater placed in the main garage, a small heater in the bedroom and the fireplace on. Furnace is set to 69 F and only cycles occasionally.

Before picking up your new unit do as much homework as you can. Contact your dealer and ask that they are prepared to go through all the functions. These units are not your run of the mill RV and are setup different than most other RV's. As an example the water pump is a gravity fed unit located below the water tank at the back of the unit and is accessible through the belly pan just in front of the water tank drain. There isn't a filtration system other than the one in the fridge.
You may want to have an adjustable furnace vent installed in the Bathroom as this vent is closest to the furnace and the majority of the air is delivered to the bathroom leaving the rest of the trailer with out suitable air distribution. I will be installing duct dampers to properly balance the air distribution.

I hope you enjoy your new unit as much as I am enjoying mine.

KD

[sroarke]

Thank you both for your very informative posts. I've gotten more information from you than from our dealer. Makes me feel a lot better knowing that there is someone to turn to for answers. I feel more confident now. The Trilogy is really a beautiful unit and we're really excited for summer/Spring.

[KD Nolte]

It's a pay it forward type of site. We all gain from each others experiences and issues. Hopefully this small group of Trilogy owners expands and we have a solid group to draw from when new issues arise.
I truly believe we have the best Luxury 5th on the market for the money. As it is such a new unit there isn't enough history to determine what the issues will be so we will all be learning together.

KD

[Herk7769]

NOT a Trilogy owner...

But:

Low point drains look like this on our Flagstaff:

Not too helpful on the other two...

[KD Nolte]

Yup, thats what they looked like on my other units too. Couldn't find any on the Trilogy though. Even the dealer couldn't find them.
Thanks for the picture, hopefully it helps others too.

KN

[dezolen]

Many dealers are out there only for the sale. Don't expect them to be up on how they work these days. It's become a throw away society.
Thankfully I am able to troubleshoot and fix things myself.
Your problems seem minor and hope you figure them out.
If the fridge is a residential one I imagine it runs off the inverter all the time even with shorepower.
TV will need to be traced back to switch box. Could be something connected wrong
PS Love the Trilogy line and hope to have one if I ever upgrade my Tow Vehicle

[Masondood]

Hey KD- I'm just about 3 hours from you in that city people |Stampede to, and I was wondering where you bought your rig? I'm thinking the dealer didn't do much of a PDI to leave you with so many questions?

Feel free to message me about your dealer/buying experience, I'd like to learn from your experience before I take the jump! Thanks! Michael

[KD Nolte]

MasonDood

We bought our unit from High River AutplexRV.
We didn't have a very possitive experience but now that I have gone through it I see where I could of made a difference as well. Once we started having issues I engaged the General Manager and the Trilogy Factory Rep and things started to change.
I was able to get a great deal on our unit which is why we bought it there in the first place. Unfortunately we bought it when the RV shows were on and they were swamped trying to get all the units they sold out the door in time to cash in on the factory rebates. Part of the issue also was that ours was the first Trilogy they had sold and thier knowlege level was limited. I can confidently say that I knew more about the Trilogy than anyone on their staff as I had done 8 months of research before buying one.
I wouldn't suggest that someone not buy from AutoplexRV but you need to know what to ask for before you go in. Insist on a full walk through of all components with the RV Tech when you negotiate the sell. Get them to demonstrate everything and I mean everything right down to the TV's.
I will recommend highly the Trilogy as it is one of the finest units you can get. They still have some short comings but they are minor in the big scheme of things.
Here are a few items that I would ask to be included in the sale:

• Extra 30lb Propane Bottle and tie in
• Electric operated Isolation valve on the 100lb tank.
• Hot and Cold Low point drains on the water system.
• A Winterization line and 3 way valve ahead of the water pump.
• A complete cleaning of the unit inside and out.

• Decline the Diamond Kote as it is not worth the money when you have as good a paint job as the Trilogy has.

Hope this helps.

KD

[Masondood]

Thanks KD. I went to The Autoplex last weekend and talked with sales rep there for about 45 minutes. Told him I wouldn't be buying before next year and he was great sharing his time and knowledge with me. I had already studied the Trilogy carefully and asked a couplr of "trick" question s which he was able to answer easily. I've visited 3 dealers here and the others weren't bad, but the sales job was at the used car level not a major investment level. Thanks for the tips, good stuff to know! Safe travels.
Michael

[sroarke]

Great advice KD.