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Old 05-09-2019, 06:04 AM   #1
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Initial observations about my Thor Magnitude

We are halfway into our first trip covering 5000 miles. The Ford F550 cab exceeds my expectations as to power, mileage, and ease of driving.

I cannot say the same for the house portion. First off, a major feature of the Magnitude is the skylight in the bunk over the cab. On the first day of the trip, we hit rain and a major leak developed along the passenger side of the skylight. When we got to the first campground that night, the maintenance man came to our site after his shift and laid sealant along the leaking side. It was night time, he had only limited sealant, and the job wasn't pretty but it worked as we went through an Oklahoma storm the next day and stayed perfectly dry. In the Navy that repair would called Damage Control. Called the dealer the next day and was told it shouldn't have external sealant as it is installed in a manner similar to an automotive windshield. Nice concept but poorly executed. Further leaking developed and I had the entire window sealed at our destination.

Other issues: step lockout function does not work, furnace outlets in the bathrooms do not throw heat while others in the coach do, the half-bath toliet had a major leak and the valve had to be replaced, and finally the house door will not latch correctly. The dealer says it needs to be slammed very, very hard but even that does not yield consistent results. The "bolt" which the door latch captures looks to be misaligned: off axis to where it should be and the surrounding frame looks to be deformed.

The coach has potential; the Ford cab makes this the most enjoyable motorhome, out of the four we have owned, to drive. Thor just didn't follow through with adequate attention to detail and quality control when they built the unit. H

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Old 05-09-2019, 12:42 PM   #2
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I agree with you on the F550. Unless someone has driven one a few hundred miles, they don't get it. It's a powerhouse and the cab quality is second to nothing Thor builds. Your issues aren't that bad...considering what a few have experienced with other models. I just kept a list of things as they built up. You live so conveniently to the factory...just make a list and set an appointment with Wakarusa soon. They are unbelievable and will get everything right. I bought mine in May 2018 and made the trip in December 2018. If I were buying again today...I'd do the same thing over again. BTW...it doesn't sound like you're "still looking" anymore.
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Old 05-09-2019, 12:53 PM   #3
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Well im glad you like the chassis so well. Ford makes some great ones. What was your Avg. MPG so far?

I agree with The Gritz. Take to the factory soon....You will get the bugs worked.

The Heater duct in the bathroom seems to be a common problem and a 5 or 10 minute fix. Mine did the same thing.

Take the cold air return cover off (4 screws)....the heater with the connecting ducts is right there. On mine the bathroom duct just fell out of the heater body. It has an alumium fitting that you twist on either 1/4 or 1/2 turn but I had to bend the little tabs to make it tight otherwise It would have fell out again. You can use some of that Alumium HVAC tape to hold all if them in place as well.

I do have to slam my door some (esp when its below 40 deg outside) but in order to have a tight seal and no rattles it needs to be tight. But yours sounds like it might have some other issues as well.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
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Old 05-09-2019, 01:24 PM   #4
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Glad to hear that the Ford part of your rig is performing as it should...
It seems odd to say this ; but the other problems don't sound as if they're the kind that "ruins the deal"
Hang in there: they can all be solved!
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Old 05-09-2019, 02:37 PM   #5
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Glad to hear that the Ford part of your rig is
Hang in there: they can all be solved!
Hard to think that when the sky light is dripping on your face in bed. :-)
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Old 05-09-2019, 03:01 PM   #6
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Hard to think that when the sky light is dripping on your face in bed. :-)
That part of the "self sustaining boondocking" feature. You supose to put a bucket under and drink/take shower later with it.

No extra charge for that feature.
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Old 05-09-2019, 03:58 PM   #7
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As to mileage, when climbing in the mountains, I got 9 mpg. On level roads, I was averaging a shade under 11 mph. My expectations are that these numbers will increase over time.

Before I take the coach back to Indiana, I will let my dealer take a shot at these issues as they are very competent. They handled 20 or so issues my wife found in our "pierside" (our driveway) periods prior to our trip; weather in Ohio was not conducive to any local shakedown trips.

I will go to the factory if required, but my experiences with our Fleetwood coach were not that great. We had a main slide issue which required the entire room to be removed and rebuilt. Of course, after getting it back after two months, found the same problem existed as they neglected to install the retrofit. Lost another month after that, effectively killing the summer. Thor may be better.

I must commend Thor for their after hours Dead Coach support: it was superb and helped resolve two slide issues that popped up. We at first thought "Oh no, Flertwood all over" but it wasn't the case.
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Old 05-09-2019, 04:19 PM   #8
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On cruise at 65 we get between 11.7 and 12.2 MPG but I haven't loaded her up with everything I own. Factory service is 5 Star if you resort to that need. Enjoy the ride. One of the best features...not having to run generator for A/C while traveling...the dash A/C keeps things nice back there. One note worth mentioning...the bathroom sinks dump into the black tank...they will fill faster than you think when boondocking.
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Old 05-20-2019, 01:08 AM   #9
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Returning it back to dealer tomorrow after 21 day 5000 mile trip. 27 issues to be resolved but I have full confidence that our dealer, Performance RV Sales in Thornville Ohio, will address all of them. They are NOT your typical dealership, they are smaller in size but handle primarily Super C's. They move a number of Showhaulers; the Magnitude is about the the smallest they sell. They take care of their customers.
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Old 05-20-2019, 12:12 PM   #10
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Rare advantage!!! Good to know they are there. When I hear these good dealer reports, I post them in my database for future travels in those areas. Build a list of issues (they will always pop up) and try to schedule repairs with those dealers as you travel.
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Old 05-24-2019, 02:03 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by goliver22 View Post
We are halfway into our first trip covering 5000 miles. The Ford F550 cab exceeds my expectations as to power, mileage, and ease of driving.

I cannot say the same for the house portion. First off, a major feature of the Magnitude is the skylight in the bunk over the cab. On the first day of the trip, we hit rain and a major leak developed along the passenger side of the skylight. When we got to the first campground that night, the maintenance man came to our site after his shift and laid sealant along the leaking side. It was night time, he had only limited sealant, and the job wasn't pretty but it worked as we went through an Oklahoma storm the next day and stayed perfectly dry. In the Navy that repair would called Damage Control. Called the dealer the next day and was told it shouldn't have external sealant as it is installed in a manner similar to an automotive windshield. Nice concept but poorly executed. Further leaking developed and I had the entire window sealed at our destination.

Other issues: step lockout function does not work, furnace outlets in the bathrooms do not throw heat while others in the coach do, the half-bath toliet had a major leak and the valve had to be replaced, and finally the house door will not latch correctly. The dealer says it needs to be slammed very, very hard but even that does not yield consistent results. The "bolt" which the door latch captures looks to be misaligned: off axis to where it should be and the surrounding frame looks to be deformed.

The coach has potential; the Ford cab makes this the most enjoyable motorhome, out of the four we have owned, to drive. Thor just didn't follow through with adequate attention to detail and quality control when they built the unit. H
I am curious about the roominess of the 550 cab. When I looked at 350 and 450 class C motorhomes the cab was too small and cramped for me.

Is the 550 similar to its little siblings?

I haven't been able to see one yet.
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Old 05-24-2019, 11:17 AM   #12
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The difference is the same as a work van versus a pickup...same configuration. Engine is set more forward in the 550 than between the seats, appointments are more along the luxury lines of automotive designs versus a "painters van" and the sound deadening is 10 fold over the van cab. Plus, the diesel is much quieter than the gas and no heat in the cab from the engine. Go to a Ford dealer and slide in an F-Series 250 or higher...it's the same exact cab. I wish Thor build a smaller coach, as in 26 or 28 footer, on the F550 chassis. What a beast that would be. You could pull the fire out of Hell.
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Old 05-24-2019, 12:44 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton View Post
I wish Thor build a smaller coach, as in 26 or 28 footer, on the F550 chassis. What a beast that would be. You could pull the fire out of Hell.
Ding Ding Ding! THOR can you hear Gritz Nowww? That would be a traveling House Limo. I would be First to Order! I would request the 4 door cab model . Hurry Gritz lock in the patent for that model.
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Old 05-24-2019, 01:19 PM   #14
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Never thought of a 4 door cab motorhome on the F550 chassis...AWESOME. I would order one today!
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Old 05-26-2019, 12:33 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton View Post
The difference is the same as a work van versus a pickup...same configuration. Engine is set more forward in the 550 than between the seats, appointments are more along the luxury lines of automotive designs versus a "painters van" and the sound deadening is 10 fold over the van cab. Plus, the diesel is much quieter than the gas and no heat in the cab from the engine. Go to a Ford dealer and slide in an F-Series 250 or higher...it's the same exact cab. I wish Thor build a smaller coach, as in 26 or 28 footer, on the F550 chassis. What a beast that would be. You could pull the fire out of Hell.
OK, thanks.
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Old 06-22-2019, 02:15 AM   #16
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Further on our Magnitude. 5000+ miles to California and back really exposed a number of issues, big and small. Getting back home, we took it back to our dealership with the big punch list. Five weeks later, everything has been worked. This is the advantage of working with a small dealership that specializes in Super C's, Performance RV Sales here in Ohio. They are at Thor each week, giving them feedback on what their customers are seeing. They report that Thor has changed the way they install the skylight that was leaking badly on our trip. Well someone will benefit from our travails. Still am in awe of the Power Stroke, it is fantastiv.
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Old 07-09-2019, 10:42 PM   #17
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Picked up the coach from the dealer (we also store it indoors with them) after four weeks since our return. They had corrected all 30 or so issues with the coach. Took it to South Carolina over the Fourth and returned with no real issues. It was a pleasure to use on this trip.
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Old 07-10-2019, 01:22 AM   #18
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"I wish Thor build a smaller coach, as in 26 or 28 footer, on the F550 chassis."

When DW and I toured plant 250 (the Quantum plant) Matt Smallbone from Thor marketing gave us our tour. I begged him to have Thor build a 26 or 28 foot coach on the 550 chassis, specifically putting the RW28 floorplan on a 550. His response was that Thor's opinion is customers would not want to pay for the more expensive chassis in a shorter coach. I told him he was nuts and if the build quality was good it would sell. I'd trade our RS26 in a heartbeat to get the 550!
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Old 07-10-2019, 02:07 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton View Post
The difference is the same as a work van versus a pickup...same configuration. Engine is set more forward in the 550 than between the seats, appointments are more along the luxury lines of automotive designs versus a "painters van" and the sound deadening is 10 fold over the van cab. Plus, the diesel is much quieter than the gas and no heat in the cab from the engine. Go to a Ford dealer and slide in an F-Series 250 or higher...it's the same exact cab. I wish Thor build a smaller coach, as in 26 or 28 footer, on the F550 chassis. What a beast that would be. You could pull the fire out of Hell.


They added a new floor plan on their website a month or so ago. https://www.thormotorcoach.com/magni...oor-plans/XG32
Not quite 28 ft but shorter than the others.
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Old 12-19-2019, 05:31 AM   #20
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Rattle of power shade on cabover skylight Thor Magnitude

My husband and I are seriously thinking about buying an XG32 Thor Magnitude. But the rattling that the power shade on the cabover skylight makes while driving would drive us crazy! The salesman said that everyone who has bought this unit or the SV34 has called and complained about this issue. He said their technicians and Thor do not have any suggestions to fix it. Has anyone found a way to stop this rattle? Otherwise, it looks like its a great coach but would like to hear from anyone who has purchased one.
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