3901 Aria

[Ben Round]

We bought our Aria 3901 from Camping World of Katy, TX in March and took a short trip that was cut even shorter. Our list of items to be fixed numbered 27 and 4 of them were significant. For example, the washer had no power and the shower door leaked so much it needed a drain on both sides. Every TV found a different number of stations... none of which could be viewed from the cable connection. A terrible knocking just behind the front passenger seat.

We returned it to CW along with our list. 2 days less than 2 months later we finally gave up and brought it home to seek out a competent repair facility. CW blames Thor for not approving warranty work, or not shipping needed replacement parts, however, when we call Thor customer service, they provide us with dates and times when CW requests warranty approval and part orders along with their (Thor's) approval and parts shipment times. Be aware that the service department at Camping World of Katy, Texas appears not to be concerned with it's reputation for incompetence or truthfulness.

[TurnerFam]

RVs, especially higher end motorhomes with 'fancier' electrical systems and amenities, can be a learning curve for most of us... the days of just 'jumping in and going on vacation' might be harder than just that.

As for the plugging into less than 50amps and getting some '15amp' reading, your system, the EMS(elec management sys) senses either TWO lines of incoming power(50amp, which is TWO 50amp hot lines equalling 100amps), OR it does not, and therefore 'assumes' that you are on ONLY 15amp service, UNLESS you tell it differently, such as either 20amp or 30amp. The system can then appropriately provide power to the air conditioners and items that it can under that power supply.
Your GENERATOR is typically sized to give you all the power you need to run most everything, simultaneously, on your coach, so the EMS therefore doesn't have to be involved in monitoring it.

When you 'adapt' to 30amp or 20amp or 15amps of power, you have to tell your coach what amount of power you have access to... the best way is to use the size of the outlet's BREAKER that you are plugging into.
You can also purchase several 'dogbone' adapters that give you access to TWO different 30amp outlets, a 30amp and 20amp, or even just TWO 15amp household outlets, to give you the ability to get as much power into your coach as possible.

As for why the air conditioners aren't performing the way you expect, they too have their own issues that must be attended to. Opening the main duct to blow straight down is a good method, and closing all windows and fan vents during their operation is preferred...but, there ARE times when heat and humidity make for difficult temperature control in RVs, especially when there is no shade on the roof.
We put several table top fans around the coach on really hot days, which provides a lot of additional movement of air, which can be just as important as the temperature itself.

[redline]

Hi All,
Just a quick note on the power issue. As it turns out, both 100 amp breakers were blown. Not sure how but according to Thor, they feel I was using a high amp draw circuit with low battery voltage. The odd thing is that all I was doing was moving it in the driveway. But I refuse to fight success so my trip is back on. Thor tech line says you should have the generator on and engine anytime you level or operate the slides. Also, I was informed to hold the slide switch for 5 seconds, in or out, after travel limit is reached. Helps keep the motors in sync. He sent me a battery wiring schematic that helped me understand the system. So when these breakers trip, a little yellow arm will drop down, just push it back up. The blue button will trip the breaker for testing. At first glance, I did not notice the arm was down, assumed blue button was reset. So there was some pilot error here, but I have no idea of what happened. They did not trip at the same time because the shade and step were still working for some time after the jack issue. Hope it was just a fluke. Hey Mike, good to know on the water. So when you hit bypass, it still goes through the filter? Send me your number again if you are ok with that. Anyone else's entry handle look like shattered glass? Mine started looking bad after 3 months.
Happy trails,
Russ

[CSR]

Glad you got it figured out Redline. Thanks for following up and for the tips regarding the breaker.

[Tebo53AZ]

I’ve had mine since March and I like it pretty well. Had to put a heavy duty ground fault in the 1/2 bath as it was tripping but now is ok. Had to do the normal tightening of everything. Also had the small living room slide stick. Found a seat belt bolt under the pull out bed that came loose and was under one of the rollers. Loving it so far.

[plankford3679]

Originally Posted by redline

Hi All,
Looking for info good or bad on the 3901 Aria. Not big on Thor but many are saying they have come a long way and the Aria is supposedly quite nice, but I have not been in one yet. Need help as soon as possible as the BIG show is coming next week in Pomona, Ca and I have been driving my wife crazy looking at different rigs, back and forth between gas and diesel and all the different models. Was focused on a Ventana LE but then...... I feel there is a considerable difference in quality from what I have seen on earlier Thor products but the floor plan and all the rest of the standard equipment is hard to beat, not to mention the drive train upgrade over the LE. I appreciate any input I can get!!
Thanks,
Russ

We’ve had our 3901 for a year and love it. Minor issues were mostly operator error or learning. Have 10k on it and all the little been worked out. Took it to factory service for several issues once and they are fantastic. I had only one trip stopper and it was a simple power wire on slide controls. Every time something seemed serious, it turned out to be minor. Has plenty of mountain power and handles great. I think it’s the best value in the market.

[Tebo53AZ]

I did have a major problem recently. Ready to leave on a trip and slides would not retract. Finally used the override on the Firefly panel & got them in. Found out I lost all 120v control of AC & water heaters even gas water heater. Talked to Thor tech and tried to reset firefly by disconnecting batteries but no help. Finally got Firefly & Thor reps on phone together & determined that Firefly control went bad. Thor overnighted one & I drove to LaMesa in Phoenix. They changed it & got me going in 5 1/2 hours with the Firefly changeout. Thor took care of everything even though the coach was officially purchased 14 months ago. I still like my Aria 3901.

[plankford3679]

They thought mine was in the Firefly too and replaced the board in the rear bath. Still didn’t work and turned out to be simply power supply.

[Tebo53AZ]

I had checked mine and had 12v power at the bottom but nothing coming thru the most of the individual stacks. They wouldn’t tell me if this was common or if anyone else has had an issue