New Thor owner

[pghtinman]

Hello All,
I am new to this forum, or any forums, also new Thor Outlaw 37RB owner, And new to motorhomes. I hope to meet and make a lot of new friends. My Outlaw will not be delivered until May or June of 2018. My first of many questions is. Is there any advice or anything I should pay particular attention to before I accept?

[Tom Bowe]

Welcome. My advice is to read everything you can on this forum and rv.net on pre-delivery inspection. Then make a comprehensive list of everything you need to check during the PDI. Don’t let the dealer rush you through it because it will get fixed right away if you find a problem before you take delivery ... maybe not so fast after you have signed off on it.

You’ll find the biggest frustration most of us have had during the warranty period is with the dealer’s service department. Many headaches can be avoided at the time of PDI.

Enjoy. These coaches give a lot of value for the money once end initial bugs are worked out.

[SuperD]

Congratulations and welcome to the forum!!!
When you do your inspection be methodical. Start at the door and work your way around clockwise checking everything that opens, moves, or turns on/off. Move to the inside and again start at the door moving clockwise, doing this reduces your chances of missing something. Be sure to check all the faucets inside and out. Have the tech show you where all the low point drains are located, you’ll need those for winterizing. Check your sewer connections and valves to make sure they work, one of my other coaches had the sewer access hatch about 2” off center from the outlet, no way to hook up a hose.

Make friends with the Service manager, that’ll come in handy later! LOL

[pghtinman]

Thank you Tom and Dave. I've been moving around different posts. So much knowledge and information.

[Bob Denman]

Welcome to the Party, and congratulations on choosing a GREAT rig!
SuperD is right: be methodical, and take LOTS of notes during the delivery process... Anything that isn't working or looking right, will need to be addressed

Why did you choose this particular rig? Is is due to the garage in the back, or were there other considerations at play?

[JamieGeek]

Since you are new to motorhomes and are looking for a predelivery inspection (PDI) you might want to download Ed's crowd sourced Axis/Vegas manual here: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f10...nual-4961.html

It isn't specific to your unit but many of the topics covered are good for all motorhomes and there is a good PDI checklist in there.

[Hokie-Dave]

Make sure any cosmetic issue you see interior or exterior is noted at the time of delivery. If it isn't Thor will deny your warranty claim. We are going through this now with Thor. Being new to RVing I didn't read enough or know enough to nitpick and make sure any little thing I didn't like was noted at delivery time. I thought I'd have the warranty period to find and get these things sorted out.....

[jpmihalk]

Congrats and welcome to the forum! Yes, do your homework and document EVERYTHING. The more effort that you put in at the beginning will help you later on.

[pghtinman]

HI Bob,
Nice meeting you. Toy hauler because I don't want to leave my Harley behind. The RB model because I'm not going to sleep in a loft, the loft is for my granddaughter and I don't need the extra bed in garage. I looked at all the models, including Newmar hauler and this was the best for me. This is my retirement gift to me from me. I will be on the road a lot.
Dave

[pghtinman]

Thank you ALL. Looks like the list of items I'm taking with me is growing. And I did download Ed check list. Unbelievable.

[bevedfelker]

During the PDI make sure everything works -- on shore power, battery power, and on generator. Also don't drive away with a list of discrepancies and system problems the dealer says they can fix later. Let the RV and tell them you will sign the paperwork and take delivery when the punch-list of discrepancies are corrected.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by pghtinman

HI Bob,
Nice meeting you. Toy hauler because I don't want to leave my Harley behind. The RB model because I'm not going to sleep in a loft, the loft is for my granddaughter and I don't need the extra bed in garage. I looked at all the models, including Newmar hauler and this was the best for me. This is my retirement gift to me from me. I will be on the road a lot.
Dave

It sounds as if your Toad will be riding in style... just like mine!
(Although I've only got the Outlaw 29H: "Style" is relative...)
The Missus and I couldn't get our heads wrapped around driving something that...large!

[pghtinman]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

It sounds as if your Toad will be riding in style... just like mine!
(Although I've only got the Outlaw 29H: "Style" is relative...)
The Missus and I couldn't get our heads wrapped around driving something that...large!

Hi Bob,
My Fatboy Lo will definitely in style, Hope to have it early June, just in time for Sturgis. First time. My buddy is putting his Heritage he bought in 1996 next to mine. He must trust my driving. I do have experience many (to many to admit to) years ago. Drove Diamond Rio and Macks with 40 ft. lowboys with D9 Cat bulldozers and various other heavy equipment, and not all the miles were on paved roads. Never had to tell my C.O. opps sorry sir. My buddy use to drive a bus. Thinking how I can get into the simulator to brush up on cab over driving.

[pghtinman]

Originally Posted by bevedfelker

During the PDI make sure everything works -- on shore power, battery power, and on generator. Also don't drive away with a list of discrepancies and system problems the dealer says they can fix later. Let the RV and tell them you will sign the paperwork and take delivery when the punch-list of discrepancies are corrected.

Thank you Colonel,
I have been doing a lot of research. The most helpful is your download. That list is coming with me. I'm going to RV 1 in Albany, NY from Pittsburgh. PA. I may have to stay a night or 2. Hopefully not. BTW. My first duty station out of Lackland was with the 9th SRW. Beale AFB. Loved the Blackbird.

[pengoquin]

Based on our experience, here are a few things to be sure get covered. Go over the plumbing completely, understand where, which lines and drains go to what. Thor is big on concealed weatherizing bypasses. Make sure they go over the entire electrical system and explain 110v from shore, 110v from inverter and 12v systems, the location of all fuses and circuit breakers (they hid some on my unit). Do a test drive and make sure the alignment is good, they tend to need to be re-aligned from the factory due to the added weight of slide outs. If they don't come with your RV, contact Thor for a full set of diagrams (plumbing, electrical and venting etc) and owners manuals for such things as levelers and A/C, the owners book is usually outdated and generally vague. You may never need any of these manuals, but if you do you'll be ahead of the problem. Cheers

[j37genie]

I'd also suggest hitting the windshield with a hose, and operate the wipers at high speed. If there is a manual override for the slides, make sure you learn how to use it. Nothing worse than breaking camp on a Sunday, the slide won't work, and Thor is closed (no tech support). Have dealer use a straight level inside the coach, to ensure the leveling system is calibrated properly.Run all of the plumbing fixtures, and check for leaks.

[Tndrea2]

Welcome pghtinman to the forum & might I say glad to have you from a USARMY combat engineer retired

[Mr Sunshine]

Welcome!
I second Jamie's advice, #6 above, about Ed Felker's PDI checklist. Print that and take it with you. You have a lot of friends here, folks who have made the mistakes and made the creative modifications you wouldn't ever dream of. The "search" tab and the "new posts" tabs will come in very handy!

[pghtinman]

Originally Posted by pengoquin

Based on our experience, here are a few things to be sure get covered. Go over the plumbing completely, understand where, which lines and drains go to what. Thor is big on concealed weatherizing bypasses. Make sure they go over the entire electrical system and explain 110v from shore, 110v from inverter and 12v systems, the location of all fuses and circuit breakers (they hid some on my unit). Do a test drive and make sure the alignment is good, they tend to need to be re-aligned from the factory due to the added weight of slide outs. If they don't come with your RV, contact Thor for a full set of diagrams (plumbing, electrical and venting etc) and owners manuals for such things as levelers and A/C, the owners book is usually outdated and generally vague. You may never need any of these manuals, but if you do you'll be ahead of the problem. Cheers

Thank you, will add to list.

[pghtinman]

Originally Posted by j37genie

I'd also suggest hitting the windshield with a hose, and operate the wipers at high speed. If there is a manual override for the slides, make sure you learn how to use it. Nothing worse than breaking camp on a Sunday, the slide won't work, and Thor is closed (no tech support). Have dealer use a straight level inside the coach, to ensure the leveling system is calibrated properly.Run all of the plumbing fixtures, and check for leaks.

Will start a volume two for anything H2O related. Would have never thought of the windshield or wipers. Thank you.