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Thread: OutLaw 29j
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Old 03-18-2019, 12:40 PM   #14
Judge
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2020 Magnitude SV34
State: Florida
Posts: 4,147
THOR #12751
Do yourself a favor and go over the thing with a fine-tooth comb during your pre-deliver inspection AND during your first 3 - 6 months of use. You will be amazed and / or astounded at the problems you will find and want corrected under warranty.

I thought I'd post this... even though it is going to be long..... in case it helps other Outlaw owners.

I purchased a 2018 Outlaw 29H last August that we could use to take our Spyder on trips. There were some issues during the PDI and then we found a bunch of issues during our first couple trips.

I dropped the unit off in October for warranty work after two months of use and just got it back this weekend. Here is the laundry list of issues I had:

1) San-T Flush Vacuum Breaker Leaks and Floods Interior - Like many others have reported, the San-T Flush leaked from day 1 and the issue was a bad Vacuum Breaker. The problem is that it is in the bathroom wall behind the control panel and shower area. They have to take the whole wall apart to replace it. My dealer was great and got Thor to let them spend the extra time and materials to create an access panel in the wall in case it ever fails again. Then it can be replaced without tearing apart the bathroom wall.

2) Water Leak - After two months of use I had water dripping from above the drivers seat. After doing a leak test, they found the window on the slider was leaking. When they took it apart the window NEVER had the seal installed in it from the factory!

3) Floor Flexing Around Toilet - My wife noticed that the floor would flex around the toilet area. The dealer agreed and contacted Thor. They weren't sure if Thor would want us to take it back to the factory or approve them to do the repair. The dealer was authorized to do the repair and it was extensive. When they removed the toilet and cabinet and opened up the bathroom floor around the toilet they found no support of the sub-floor whatsoever in that area. They ended up also removing the black tank to gain access to the floor from both sides. They ended up adding 3/4 plywood and angled steel to build supports and beef up the floor.

4) Odds and Ends - There were some other more minor issues the dealers addressed... and didn't address. I had them also do the annual inspection for the "Forever Warranty" they offered as part of buying it. They found a propane leak on the back of the on-demand water heater (which is under the kitchen sink). They found a loose fitting from the factory.

Pretty scary the number of issues on these units from the factory but that has been reported by hundreds of people with almost every manufacturer.

It still gets better.....

My dealer was 5 hours away and they finished the work January but I was not going to drive it back home through the PA mountains in the winter. When I picked it up Saturday, the chassis battery was about dead so the guy tells me not to shut it off when I get gas until it charges up.

The LCI Levelers Low Voltage Alarm was going off but I wasn't too worried because the chassis battery was low. After getting home the Low Voltage error was still happening. After doing a lot of research I decided to put the chassis battery on a battery charger (even though it should have been fully charged after 5 hours running) and plug in the shore power.

The next morning the Low Voltage error was still occurring even though the chassis battery was fully charged so I had to start troubleshooting. I checked the easy stuff first like fuses and breakers. I then measured the voltage at the Leveler motor and it was 0V. I started under the hood and took apart all the battery cables to make sure they were clean and tight.... they still looked like new... but that didn't solve the problem.

I started tracing the heavy gauge wires from the (+) side of the battery. I had to unbolt the coolant bottle to get to a relay to check the cable connections. I then find two issues (again from the factory). The nut was not tight on the cable running from the battery to the relay and there was a 7.5a fuse that was also blown. I figured this had to be it! I tightened the cable and replaced the fuse but I still had the Low Voltage error for the levelers.

I realized what I did fix was the emergency start relay! This was the circuit to use the House Batteries to boost the chassis battery if it ever ran down. I then remembered during my PDI someone left the lights on and killed the chassis battery. When they tried to use the emergency start nothing happened and they said it was because the house batteries weren't charged enough. The real issue was the blown fuse and loose cable to the battery from the relay.... again it was this way from the factory.

Now... back to troubleshooting the Low Voltage error. I crawl under the unit to start tracing the power and ground connection points. Everything I find looks clean and tight. Then after working my way from the Leveler motor towards the house batteries, I see a few heavy gauge wires and two connection points on the side of the house battery box under the RV. These connection points are actually circuit breakers with small yellow plastic reset handles. I see one handle is in on one breaker and the other handle on the other breaker is out. When I flip the one that is out inwards it reset the breaker.

I then go inside, start the engine and I hit the lottery! The Low Voltage error was gone and the Levelers were working again. Of course there was nothing in the Thor documentation that ever covered these two hidden breakers.

So much for bringing home the RV from the dealer and thinking I would be ready for the camping season when it starts in a month!

The good news is that I learned a lot more about the Outlaw. I also learned I need t carry a lot more tools, fuses, etc. when we travel to deal with issues. I also learned how to deal with the Levelers not working and the manual override. I also stumbled on the manual override for the Slider... which I need to dig into the procedure for it next should it stop working on a trip.

I really like the Outlaw and don't want to scare you.... but it is disappointing that you can spend a lot of money for a product that was not assembled and tested properly before it left the factory. Unfortunately this is just the way it is for RV's and Campers with every manufacturer and you have to learn to accept it if you want one.

It does help if you have technical and mechanical skills. I'm glad that I do and can do a lot of my own troubleshooting, repairs and maintenance. I can't imagine owning one and not having troubleshooting and repair skills.
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