Thor Forums

[jabrabu]

We have owned our 2018 Chateau 31E for one year now. It is loaded with pretty much all the extra options, including:
- 2 house batteries
- A/C upgraded to 15,000 BTU
- Leatherette captains chairs, dinette, and sofa
- Power driver's seat
- Remote adjustable side mirrors


We have used it a lot, including a 5500 mile trip around the country this summer. There have been a lot of small issues and few big ones, but overall I'd say it's been okay and it is very nice and luxurious for a class C.



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Here are the issues and how they were corrected:

· Expanding foam crumbled in left side stowage compartment
o Applied new expanding foam and painted black
· Trim at front of slide was loose when new
o Glued/sealed with silicone adhesive
· Bottom of drawers popped out in kitchen and bedroom
o Fixed drawers with glue and staples
· Hinges ripped out for stowage under bed
o Installed new screws
· Mud flaps in front of rear tires – supports ripped out.
o Used zip ties to secure flaps
o Installed new screws and covered with gorilla tape
· Water leaking inside from under slide
o Tightened fitting on water heater
· Compartment doors over sofa come open while driving
o Installed magnetic latches
· Weatherstripping in stowage compartment by entry door came out, leaving gaps to outside.
o Re-installed weatherstripping and sealed with gorilla tape
o Gorilla tape came off, so sealed it with Flex Seal
· Auto leveling jacks failed with a “low voltage” error
o Repaired by fixing battery grounds
· Metal bar came off front right window blind
o Blind replaced under warranty
· Kitchen window blind would not stay closed
o Blind replaced under warranty
· Generator wiring conduit melted on generator exhaust pipe
o Wrapped housing with friction tape and secured to frame using zip ties as temporary fix
- Housing later replaced during generator repair

· Generator cranked but would not start (70 hours on generator)

o Had ignition coil and control module replaced under warranty
· Track for bedroom sliding door ripped out of overhead
o Secured with new screws and additional screws
· Trim over front of dinette bench lifted
o Glued down with Titebond


Upgrades I did:

· Installed shampoo/soap dispenser in shower
· Replaced shower nozzle with Oxygenics nozzle
· Added ventilated memory foam mattress topper to overhead bunk
· Installed cabinet door magnetic latches in cabinets over sofa
· Built cover for stove to provide more counter space
· Installed Hellwig front and rear swaybars
· Installed Saf-T-Plus steering controller
· Replaced Axxera radio with Pioneer AVIC-8200NEX Nav/DVD/CD receiver
· Sealed inside taillight openings using spray-on rubber coating (Rustoleum equivalent to clear Flex Seal)


There are still a couple of items that are not yet resolved:
- Wing walls at front of coach delaminated (scheduled to be repaired next week)
- A couple of side marker lights no longer working (may get those replaced next week)


The handling improvements (swaybars and Saf-T-Plus) were well worth it, making it a lot more enjoyable to drive.
The stereo upgrade was also well worth it. The factory Axxera stereo annoyed the heck out of me.


I have a few future upgrades I'd like to do:
- Install an inverter and maybe solar.
- Upgrade shocks to Bilstein HD shocks.
- Install sound deadening around cab.


We've had some great family trips and made some good memories in this beast, and we are looking forward to many more.