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Old 02-03-2018, 05:17 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: California
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THOR #10044
Axis/Vegas 6 month review

Background- Previously we owned a 2002 32’ Class A Winnebago with two slides. Had to part with it after nine years because we moved. Last year we decided to buy another RV. We had Class C’s in mind. Then, we saw a Vegas at one of the RV shows and liked it. After visiting several dealers, looking at mostly C’s and shorter A’s, we found ourselves coming back to the 2017 Vegas/Axis models. Finally, months later, we decided to buy. A final look at available floor plan models led us to settle on the 25.3. (We favored the 24.1 except for the small shower) Time to buy. No local dealers had a 25.3 Vegas model in stock but we found an Axis 25.3. So far we have taken four trips and traveled over 4,000 miles.

Likes: Love the forward visibility through the large windshield and the cabin height above the road. The drop down bed over the cabin is fantastic. (Granddaughters love it!) The low entry step is great. Ditto, the 3 TVs, large dinette, and bedroom slide out. Love the rear view and lane change cameras. The convection microwave works like a champ. The quality of the fiberglass gel coat is very good and the beige color doesn’t show dirt. We really like the flush windows and the unique aero shape of the vehicle very much. Also, the relatively short 26’ length is easy to drive and park. We enjoy the two spacious wardrobe closets and the sliding privacy doors. The electric slide is much better than the old hydraulic drives (they leaked) Also, the toilet is far better than our older plastic Winnie potty was.

Areas of Improvement: Mostly quality control. We jokingly say the RV is held together by staples. Our dinette backs were very ill fitting and staples pulled out every time the cushions were removed. I’ve since used screws and realigned the fitment. Exterior locks are finicky. Wire bundles droop from under the dash cab and looked rather messy. More engine sound insulation would be appreciated. The grab handle and adjacent towel rack outside the shower pulled off the wall almost immediately. The generator is a bit noisy and does not have a pressure fed oil filter. We wish the shower had a folding door rather than a curtain. (Picky, I know) The bedroom slide out is a bit tight but quite functional. The radio mounted next to the bed is in an awkward place and its lights are way too bright. (I cover the lights at night)

Problems: I informed our dealer prior to purchase that there was a constant generator warning light on the instrument panel. Upon delivery, it was not fixed. We refused delivery. After a full month at the Ford dealer it was finally determined it was a Thor cable wiring problem. The problem was finally fixed and we took delivery. Since day one, filling the gas tank has been an ordeal. Had to let the gas just trickle in because gas pump nozzle was constantly shutting off as though the tank was full. Our authorized Thor repair facility found the gas vent hose was kinked. They had to drop the gas tank down to fix it. Works great now. Also, the same repair facility had to replace the entire heater unit under warranty. It had stopped working after using it only twice. Thor authorized the replacement.
Hopefully, no more problems will arise. We can’t wait to take our next trip!……and yes, we still love it.

Mods: Added a 110V outlet on the aisle side of the dinette. The one below the dinette bench cushion next to the wall is very hard to use. Added a power strip/USB to the wall above the dinette. Added a plug in oulet/USB to the 110V outlet below the passenger cup holder. Modified the cup holders to hold deeper containers and varying diameters. Created a handle (rather than the finger hole) to open the dinette bench easily for additional storage after replacing the particle board platform with plywood. I built a sizable magazine/book rack next to the passenger seat. The engine “dog house” got quite hot. I lined the inside with reflective insulation- that helped a lot. Currently adding an OBDII reader which displays engine function details and gas consumption on the smartphone. The Ford manual led me to believe all F- 450 chassis came equipped with an on board computer. Nope.

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Old 02-03-2018, 06:52 PM   #2
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Thanks for review.

Thor website shows 25.3 having a jack-knife sofa, not a dinette. Was yours a custom order? I asked about a dinette in place of sofa a while back and was told they wouldn't make any changes to Axis/Vegas floorplans. It'd be nice if they changed that policy.

By the way, your motorhome is on an E-450 chassis, not F-450. The E-Series comes from Econoline vans, whereas F-450 would be heavy-duty pickup-truck-based chassis.
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Old 02-03-2018, 08:19 PM   #3
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Never mind -- answered my own question. It seems the 25.3 started out with a large dinette but now comes with a jack-knife sofa.
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Old 02-03-2018, 08:50 PM   #4
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THOR #10044
Thanks Chance

Yes, Chance thanks-my typo error E-450 is correct.

We saw both the dinette and couch versions. For us the dinette works the best as wife likes a big table and G-kids can spread all their stuff out between meals.
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Old 02-04-2018, 01:29 AM   #5
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Welcome to the forum, great review on your Axis!

That rear radio light bugged me, too, until I found out how to dim and even turn the light off. It's in the manual for the radio.

(Ed Felker, perhaps this trick should be added to your next manual revision!)
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Old 02-04-2018, 02:34 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slomarsh View Post
Background- Previously we owned a 2002 32’ Class A Winnebago with two slides. Had to part with it after nine years because we moved. Last year we decided to buy another RV. We had Class C’s in mind. Then, we saw a Vegas at one of the RV shows and liked it. After visiting several dealers, looking at mostly C’s and shorter A’s, we found ourselves coming back to the 2017 Vegas/Axis models. Finally, months later, we decided to buy. A final look at available floor plan models led us to settle on the 25.3. (We favored the 24.1 except for the small shower) Time to buy. No local dealers had a 25.3 Vegas model in stock but we found an Axis 25.3. So far we have taken four trips and traveled over 4,000 miles.

Likes: Love the forward visibility through the large windshield and the cabin height above the road. The drop down bed over the cabin is fantastic. (Granddaughters love it!) The low entry step is great. Ditto, the 3 TVs, large dinette, and bedroom slide out. Love the rear view and lane change cameras. The convection microwave works like a champ. The quality of the fiberglass gel coat is very good and the beige color doesn’t show dirt. We really like the flush windows and the unique aero shape of the vehicle very much. Also, the relatively short 26’ length is easy to drive and park. We enjoy the two spacious wardrobe closets and the sliding privacy doors. The electric slide is much better than the old hydraulic drives (they leaked) Also, the toilet is far better than our older plastic Winnie potty was.

Areas of Improvement: Mostly quality control. We jokingly say the RV is held together by staples. Our dinette backs were very ill fitting and staples pulled out every time the cushions were removed. I’ve since used screws and realigned the fitment. Exterior locks are finicky. Wire bundles droop from under the dash cab and looked rather messy. More engine sound insulation would be appreciated. The grab handle and adjacent towel rack outside the shower pulled off the wall almost immediately. The generator is a bit noisy and does not have a pressure fed oil filter. We wish the shower had a folding door rather than a curtain. (Picky, I know) The bedroom slide out is a bit tight but quite functional. The radio mounted next to the bed is in an awkward place and its lights are way too bright. (I cover the lights at night)

Problems: I informed our dealer prior to purchase that there was a constant generator warning light on the instrument panel. Upon delivery, it was not fixed. We refused delivery. After a full month at the Ford dealer it was finally determined it was a Thor cable wiring problem. The problem was finally fixed and we took delivery. Since day one, filling the gas tank has been an ordeal. Had to let the gas just trickle in because gas pump nozzle was constantly shutting off as though the tank was full. Our authorized Thor repair facility found the gas vent hose was kinked. They had to drop the gas tank down to fix it. Works great now. Also, the same repair facility had to replace the entire heater unit under warranty. It had stopped working after using it only twice. Thor authorized the replacement.
Hopefully, no more problems will arise. We can’t wait to take our next trip!……and yes, we still love it.

Mods: Added a 110V outlet on the aisle side of the dinette. The one below the dinette bench cushion next to the wall is very hard to use. Added a power strip/USB to the wall above the dinette. Added a plug in oulet/USB to the 110V outlet below the passenger cup holder. Modified the cup holders to hold deeper containers and varying diameters. Created a handle (rather than the finger hole) to open the dinette bench easily for additional storage after replacing the particle board platform with plywood. I built a sizable magazine/book rack next to the passenger seat. The engine “dog house” got quite hot. I lined the inside with reflective insulation- that helped a lot. Currently adding an OBDII reader which displays engine function details and gas consumption on the smartphone. The Ford manual led me to believe all F- 450 chassis came equipped with an on board computer. Nope.
I am just wondering about your "on board computer... nope" comment. What computer aspect do you think you are missing?
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Old 02-04-2018, 06:34 PM   #7
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Thanks for posting your detailed review. We are looking at the Axis/Vegas 25.5 and it is helpful to see what we might be in for.
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Old 02-04-2018, 07:40 PM   #8
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THOR #2526
Welcome to the 25.3 and Vegas/Axis Family. We replaced the dinette with two wall hugger loungers and raised the floor for storage in that area. We also added automatic levelers. It all personal taste. One mod (paid for by Thor) was to move the HVAC thermostat to the front side of the refrigerator instead of hidden by the slide when it is retracted.

Fat Mat installed on the dog house and everywhere near where I could reach really lower the engine noise. But my favorite mod was installing a handlebar on the screen door (Camco 42183 Screen Door Cross Bar)

I am having my local RV repair shop check to see if I can get the new 2018 mattress lift system for the rear queen bed. We can then use a normal (non-folding) mattress.

If I was to buy today, I would be looking hard at the 27.7. But need to see one in-person to see if the kitchen works for us.
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Old 02-04-2018, 08:33 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by slomarsh View Post
.....cut.....

We saw both the dinette and couch versions. For us the dinette works the best as wife likes a big table and G-kids can spread all their stuff out between meals.
Just noticed that of the 7 floorplans available on Axis/Vegas, Thor no longer offers a dinette unless it's in a slide. I'm guessing that since dinette is much wider than jack-knife sofa, they must now feel it leaves aisle in kitchen too narrow on units without slides.

I personally like dinettes much better because they provide forward-facing seating, but can see in pictures that sofa takes up a lot less room when table isn't installed. Baddad53 had posted picture of his dinette for sale with 44-inch width dimension. That's pretty generous width for a small motorhome unless meant to sleep two people or children. Just curious how you feel about kitchen aisle width.
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Old 02-04-2018, 08:34 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Mr Sunshine View Post
Welcome to the forum, great review on your Axis!

That rear radio light bugged me, too, until I found out how to dim and even turn the light off. It's in the manual for the radio.

(Ed Felker, perhaps this trick should be added to your next manual revision!)
Thanks. I do recall pushing a button on the radio which turned off all but one light. It was still too bright so I covered it at night. I will check the manual-thanks for reminding me to do so.
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Old 02-04-2018, 08:37 PM   #11
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THOR #10044
Hi,
well, the Ford owner's manual indicated by pushing the small button on the dash it would allow you to scroll through menu items such as gas mileage average, etc. All the button does on ours is reset the trip odometer.
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Old 02-04-2018, 08:46 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chance View Post
Just noticed that of the 7 floorplans available on Axis/Vegas, Thor no longer offers a dinette unless it's in a slide. I'm guessing that since dinette is much wider than jack-knife sofa, they must now feel it leaves aisle in kitchen too narrow on units without slides.

I personally like dinettes much better because they provide forward-facing seating, but can see in pictures that sofa takes up a lot less room when table isn't installed. Baddad53 had posted picture of his dinette for sale with 44-inch width dimension. That's pretty generous width for a small motorhome unless meant to sleep two people or children. Just curious how you feel about kitchen aisle width.
Right, the dinette on ours is not on a slide. It makes the aisle a little tight but two people can pass each other fairly easily. We like the couch arrangement and the greater width it provides. However, the downside for us was the small size of pedestal table(s) With them in place I wonder if the aisle is any wider?
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Old 02-04-2018, 09:12 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slomarsh View Post
Hi,
well, the Ford owner's manual indicated by pushing the small button on the dash it would allow you to scroll through menu items such as gas mileage average, etc. All the button does on ours is reset the trip odometer.
Yes, sadly the stripped chassis units don't get the fancy dash.
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Old 02-04-2018, 09:36 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by slomarsh View Post
.....cut..... However, the downside for us was the small size of pedestal table(s) With them in place I wonder if the aisle is any wider?
I think dinette versus sofa with table would be very similar in total width.

On a different thread a while back we were discussing our hypothetical "dream" idea for an Axis/Vegas floorplan, and mine has been the 25.2 floorplan stretched a foot to include the 24.1 Twin/King beds. I also wanted a dinette so I overlaid one in place of sofa. I'm not a fan of slides.

In this cut-and-paste floorplan the aisle ends up a little wider than either Thor floorplans because it matches bathroom wall width (39~40 inches if I recall correctly). You can see though that at 44 inches in width (per Baddad53 dimension) the dinette may be slightly wider than sofa's table. Minor difference either way.
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Old 02-05-2018, 11:11 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slomarsh View Post
Thanks. I do recall pushing a button on the radio which turned off all but one light. It was still too bright so I covered it at night. I will check the manual-thanks for reminding me to do so.
The light bugged me a lot, so I learned quickly how to turnout off. I toss and turn so twice in the last year I have accidentally turned the radio on. Both times it was playing on the outside speakers. The first time I thought our neighbor was being a jerk! Yikes, it was us.
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