Thor Forums

[vfrhugh]

Purchased our 2017 Compass 23TR May 25, 2017. The design is working well for my wife & I. The Ford Transit diesel has exceeded my expectations. My only problems have been quality control issues with self tapping screws & staples into particle board, wiring not secured under the home, rear mud flap bracket bolts missing & loose , and (the most expensive )house batteries failed. I still love the MH and wasn't really shocked by everything that has gone wrong. Below are some of my ownership high/low lights.

AC condensation:
Producing streaking on the side was making our MH look old fast. I found a 3/4"threaded x 1/2" tube 90 degree lawn sprinkler fitting at Lowe's. I trimmed the 3/4" to fit under the AC condensate drain. Think of your grandfathers pipe bowl. I had a 4' section of irrigation tubing that reached the rear corner of the roof. Temporarily taped it to the roof and it's still working great. Also added Trim-Lok Drip Rail w/ spouts on each end on the drivers side of the coach.

No spare, no problem:
Before we purchased our Compass I didn't think too much about not having a spare tire. Within a month of ownership the rear drivers side inside tire picked up a nail. Fortunately I discovered it in the driveway. Right away I bought a spare rim on eBay and a matching tire from Walmart. After mounting and balancing I'm in for about $225. Now where to carry? Hanging it off the rear defeats the purpose of having a short motorhome not to mention security issues. Mounting under the chassis would require a lot of thinking and fabricating I'm not ready to attempt on a new motorhome. The 195/75-16 tires are smaller than typical dually setups. After carefully measuring I decided that there's room under the couch for a spare. I removed the structure under the couch for storing the table top. Also lowered the access door to the floor(less than 1"), and moved the table post storage brackets up to clear the tire. I used nonslip cabinet shelf liner between the floor and rim. The table top rests on top of the upturned tire w/ liner on top of the tire. Although I'm still not equipped to change a wheel myself, I at least have spare if needed.

Ford Transit issues:
Issues might be to strong of a word. I'd poured a new concrete slab to park the new MH on and noticed an oil spot under the differential. I checked the level & it was still within 1/2" of the fill hole. Front seal was ok, just a tiny cover leak. Now here's what made it an issue. In the greater Houston area(over 6 million people) there is only "one" Ford dealer that is equipped to do warranty work on motorhome chassis. Once I had an appointment things went smoothly. It took a little over three weeks to get in. Three days for the repair and a front end alignment. Drives even better now.

Drawer slide fail:
During our second trip the drawer under the microwave wouldn't snap closed and would open if I turned right too fast. These drawer slides are anchored to a flimsy support structure under the cabinet. My support had come unstappled from the microwave main support. Repaired with wood screws.

Cure for Texas heat:
We discover early the ac couldn't keep up with heat loads coming from the chassis windows. I purchased driver, passenger, & windshield covers from Heatshield. They worked so well I contacted the company and they custom made a cover for the Compass23TR skylight. Super nice company to deal with. It took a while but the end result was great, $39.95 plus $17.89 shipping. The difference is dramatic!

Tall me - short her:
Although the shower is plenty big enough, the shower wand angle left a lot to be desired. Installed a Dura Faucet RV Shower Slide Bar. Also removed the restriction orifice so there is enough flow for the tankless water heater to work.

That's all for now but I'm optimistic. The design is awesome but execution could be a little better. Hopefully most of the bugs have been worked out now. I have pictures but haven't had any luck uploading from my iPhone.