Top 10 things you Hate about your RV

[MLP]

Originally Posted by kwplot34

So far I only have one, and that is the front cap screws coming out that hold the front cap on to the coach.

Have you tried JB Weld? The faster will not back out without heat softening it in the future.

[MLP]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

1. Steering, Swaying and ride comfort (F-53 added Safe T Plus and Sumo Springs but refuse to try the CHF )
2. Gas Mileage / Buying Gas ( Spent $140 this morning
3. No Dimmer switches (coach was too dark or too bright; I fixed with Mods)
4. No Audio / Volume controls on Steering wheel
5. Impossible to easily drain oil filter without wasting oil and design / location of Catalytic Converter (Too easy to steal) (F-53)
6. A receptacle that is on side wall next to TV is NOT on Inverter
7. No outside connection for water hose hookup ( to wash RV to get my fresh water tank down to 1/3 full
8. The stock OEM FLA NAPA House Batteries (what a waste, fixed with Pure AGMs
9. Placement of cupholders on Driver side ( unsafe to use as designed while driving)
10. Driver and passenger's screen inserts rattle at high speeds (inherent with design)

I put Safe-T-Steer and air bags in the back of my class C. I raised the back to put more weight on the front end and had a front end alignment. I could drive it with one finger, was not bothered by trucks passing and unless the wind was above 35mph with gust, I was not bothered. Ended white knuckle driving.

[MLP]

Originally Posted by HMCSW

Really don't hate anything:
What I dislike the most all have to do with what I spent.
1-8 stereo - sh*t speakers
9: cushions - foam not firm enough wish it was leather.

Most RV's come with the best crap speakers available. They purchase every appliance in fact every item in bulk at the lowest cost. I ditch the speakers and sound bar. You can purchase cheep waterproof marine speakers for $35 to $45 and they sound like $700 speakers compared to the OEM. I actually found the crappy OEM speakers for my fifth wheel for $12 for the pair. Shipping was more than that!

My TV died in the fifth wheel. I found it on close out for $45. I replace it with a Samsung. I actually repaired the power board and am using it in my wife's sowing room.

[MLP]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

We drove first 3 months and a 15 hour track through Florida, Georgia, Tenn, Alabama, Miss on some really bad roads, it was a struggle to keep it straight and the large pot holes to the right had me in constant fear. It was all Interstate except for a stretch in between Atlanta & Birmingham The Safe T Plus fixed that, I can drive down a flat road without touching steering wheel now. No Cheap Handling Fix is/was needed, but if Ford or Winnebago says or had said it is recommended I would have done.

With that said steering is no longer and issue, but I was still getting pushed around like a rag doll every time a big truck passed me or a big gust of wind. Also during turns in city driving the RV would sway or bounce or whatever is best to call it. It was if I was driving some excessive speed and I was not. I could be going as slow as 10 mpg and it bounced on turns. The Sumo Springs we bought last year was about $1,200 for both Front and Rear I am a by the book guy for some things and this was one, I had a Sumo Springs Authorized Dealer install them. It was the only time my RV has been serviced for anything beside an Authorized Winnebago Dealer. They charged $600; so I spent just south of $2,000. But it fixed the issues, I don't get blown around anymore and the Coach does not rock and roll like it use too. It was definitely worth it, but I don't believe it should have cost $1,900 to do. We saved so much on the RV and that it is a non factor. Besides I use part of my $7,000 reserves from not buying the Extended warranty to pay for.

My point earlier is that I just think between, Ford, TMC, Winnebago others that use F-53 should be forced to sit down in room and come up with recommended fix for existing coaches. Did I have to do no; but it was problematic enough for me to pay $1,900 to see what it would do. Once done, I didn't ask for a refund and I am pleased with the results. Seems like the labor was about right, but both front & rear springs should have only cost about $700. Had total cost been around $1,300, it would be what I view as reasonable (that is just my uneducated opinion).

In my case, it is all fixed now, but it is by far my #1 Peeve with Coach. Not necessarily a fault of Ford or Winnebago or Thor, but you can make those Chassis safer. One other concluding point, I researched multiple forums, and I never saw or read of any owner that had bought Sumos and thought they made their coach worse; so they took them off? I also could NOT find any USED ones anywhere, and you can bet your sweet tooty I tried

I am glad you have good handling. On my Palazzo I had to change the shocks to Koni, add a beefed up rear anti sway bar, Safe-T-Steer, a front end alignment, and air bag isolation kit. Made a huge difference. Did the first two with the alignment. Four point weighing and found the air pressure in the tires were correct. Added the Safe-T-Steer which continued to help and then isolated the air bags - side to side. That cured the being pushed around by trucks, wind gusts, and severe rocking just turning out of a driveway!

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by MLP

I am glad you have good handling. On my Palazzo I had to change the shocks to Koni, add a beefed up rear anti sway bar, Safe-T-Steer, a front end alignment, and air bag isolation kit. Made a huge difference. Did the first two with the alignment. Four point weighing and found the air pressure in the tires were correct. Added the Safe-T-Steer which continued to help and then isolated the air bags - side to side. That cured the being pushed around by trucks, wind gusts, and severe rocking just turning out of a driveway!

While I don't have issue with sway, wind gust, rolling in low speed turns anymore, you bring up a good point about the shocks. It still can be bumpy ride just when driving down regular streets, hit a pothole and it sounds & feels like you have no shocks at all. I spent too much on the Sumo springs so I need to wait another year for another big purchase but I need to start researching if shocks can make a big difference? Any idea how much a set of 4 cost installed?

[MLP]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

While I don't have issue with sway, wind gust, rolling in low speed turns anymore, you bring up a good point about the shocks. It still can be bumpy ride just when driving down regular streets, hit a pothole and it sounds & feels like you have no shocks at all. I spent too much on the Sumo springs so I need to wait another year for another big purchase but I need to start researching if shocks can make a big difference? Any idea how much a set of 4 cost installed?

If you are a do it your self person, for the Freightliner chassis XC chassis, it is about $176 each. Great shocks. I did hit a huge pothole in on US101 and felt the passenger side front hit the stop. Other than that they have been terrific. One person on a form stated he thought that they were too stiff. Not me. Great stable ride. My install was with other work and the labor was all inclusive with the the other work. Assume double the price which seems to be normal at independent RV service centers. Remember I am in California where a 1550 sq ft house wit two car garage on a postage stamp lot is 1.3 million. So labor is high here. It used to not be this way. I paid 84k for it in 1979. That was 15k higher than one sold a week before I purchased mine! A two bedroom apartment is 4.5k per month near me.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by MLP

If you are a do it your self person, for the Freightliner chassis XC chassis, it is about $176 each. Great shocks. I did hit a huge pothole in on US101 and felt the passenger side front hit the stop. Other than that they have been terrific. One person on a form stated he thought that they were too stiff. Not me. Great stable ride. My install was with other work and the labor was all inclusive with the the other work. Assume double the price which seems to be normal at independent RV service centers. Remember I am in California where a 1550 sq ft house wit two car garage on a postage stamp lot is 1.3 million. So labor is high here. It used to not be this way. I paid 84k for it in 1979. That was 15k higher than one sold a week before I purchased mine! A two bedroom apartment is 4.5k per month near me.

So about $1,000 installed? I have 2019 F-53 I am guessing $700 parts and $300 labor? A lot cheaper than the Sumo Springs investment, but I had to get the Sumos.

Is Koni considered the undisputed best? I have good handling and no sway, but I would love for a smoother ride. One would think the Sumo would make ride smoother than it does but Sumos are clearly not shocks.

I am a DIY, but I know my limitations.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

So about $1,000 installed? I have 2019 F-53 I am guessing $700 parts and $300 labor? A lot cheaper than the Sumo Springs investment, but I had to get the Sumos.

Is Koni considered the undisputed best? I have good handling and no sway, but I would love for a smoother ride. One would think the Sumo would make ride smoother than it does but Sumos are clearly not shocks.

I am a DIY, but I know my limitations.

Shocks are like oil, which truck is best, etc. There are rabid fans of each. Koni makes great shocks/struts. I had them on my Porsche 911S on the 70s. I put the Koni FSD on my Itasca DP. Bilstien also makes great shocks and shock aficionados can tell you the subtle, maybe not so subtle differences in dampening. I got my Koni for the Itasca at Shock Warehouse as I recall. Some people didn't get good service, I did. I had a truck store that works on real trucks, not a pickup enhancer type truck place, install them and new steering links on the FL independent front suspension. Course an alignment. I got some improvement. Shocks are dampening, not miracle cures.

[ducksface]

Shocks
The Shocks for my little 24.1 aren't going to be the same best bet for some 34ft monster with the same frame.

Koni or bilstein mean NOTHING except brand name if you don't get adjustable shocks and adjust them to your needs.

That's what you're doing by buying either brand, adjusting the shocks by buying new pressure and valving. Just take it the logical step further and don't just generically buy the name,
Buy
The
correct
Application.
Buy adjustables and adjust them until they are closer to ideal than to 'fits e450 1989 through 2021'.

I wouldn't put the konis for the mentioned porsche on my Lancia Stratos and you all pretty much know why.

Apply that same reason to your RV. Shocks just keep the bounce and trounce under control between the suspension and the frame. They do nothing else. The 30,000lb rv is not my 11,000lb rv.

My 24.1 runs stock ford rear shocks just fine but has lengthened bilstein up front.
My little blazer runs stock-ish front shocks yet has custom-valves one-off rear shocks.

[RCS]

Been looking to upgrade the shocks on my XG32, but Koni doesn't make them for the F-550 RV (called them, they are talking to their R&D, engineering and marketing folks - they said perhaps later this year...). Anyone upgraded the OEM shocks on the F-550?

[ducksface]

Bilstein built mine per my specs(actually a pro 4x4/spring shop specs).

Any worthwhile 4x4 shop can build you any shock you want.
The key is to ask THEM what you want....

[dkoldman]

This reminds me of when I had the Safe T Plus installed, I had to go a Spring Shop and the owner was adamant against all of the prevalent fixes like shocks, sway bars etc. He was saying something about the real fix being with the actual springs? I can't get exactly right what he said; so something may be off, but the guy has been doing Springs for big trucks etc. his entire life as his father started the company back in the war days. The son is a real Old man, and may be retired by now?


Regardless, I prolly can live with what I have. But this may be like the CHF, if there is no real simple obvious answer, I likely will not do anything. My experience has been when I bet I lose; so no way I am gonna figure out from all of the information the right course of action on shocks. I may have to call down there to talk to the guy or his shop and start from the beginning to see where they try to take me?

Since I do drive my RV on a regular basis as if it was a SUV, getting it to the point where road bumps and potholes on local streets don't make it sound like the RV is falling apart would be a nice to have. I got my year 3 warranty money not spent so I could see me forking up $1,000 on shocks or similar early in 2022 assuming no other out of pocket repairs.

During interim, I think I may try less air in tires? Wall sticker says 82 psi which is what I have. I have played with adding a little more here or there but I could not tell a difference. I know I am suppose to go get it weighed, but like the CHF, hard to believe that is really necessary. Yes I know it is good thing to do an all that but really? I am not adjusting my tires every time I poop the tanks full or fill freshwater tank. Per Goodyear; if I went strictly by their weights for my tires; 80 psi, 75 psi and 70 psi are the only options I have to be less than my current 82psi. So I may just drop it down to 75psi 3740 Front axles and 3515 rear axle and see what happens? I am sure going up to 85 or 90 psi will not make smoother.

[ducksface]

I run 65f/60r for no reason other than someone here said it suited their 24.1
My 3/4t chev 16" 10 ply run at 32psi
Neighbor runs his at 75psi

I couldn't give a flying patoot about tire mileage on
Sure to time out
Truck or rv tires.

I'll run them where they comfort me and do not cup themselves.

Springs?
A good shop will do what's right.
A bad shop will ruin you.

These monster springs on this little blazer are 'weaker' than a single leaf stock spring.