Broken down on first trip!

[StrangeJerry]

First trip out in our new Thor Palazzo 33.6

April 13, 2024

Our plan is 7000mi trip out west for 3 months.

Left our home near Nashville, TN on Friday morning and drove 371mi.
About 1000mi on odometer. Mostly delivery miles.
Broke down near Little Rock, with broken serpentine belt, caused by chassis air conditioning compressor. Dashboard air conditioning didn’t work first time we used it on our drive. No idea it could do this!

Freightliner dealership can’t get to it until Monday or Tuesday, so we sat at Harvest Host location (Point Remove Brewing Co) until Monday morning at 6am when tow truck is supposed to get us and tow 40mi to dealership.
Very nice owner, Mike Miller, said we could boondock until Monday morning.

Dealer prep was mostly nonexistent. We waited two days “so they could prep it for us.” We definitely should have had a full inspection, but we were assured they checked everything. BS!

Before our trip we had to fix convection/microwave. Evidently someone at Thor dropped a screw under turntable and it locked up and shut down after 2 seconds. That alone took more than two weeks of arguing with Thor, Whirlpool, and dealership about who was responsible!

Motorhome was dirty outside. Rear dually wheels were stained from standing water. Plastic on outside of front window that clearly said dealer remove was left on. Took me more than an hour to remove.

50 gallons of water in our freshwater tank was gone when we arrived at our breakdown.
Water valve and low point drains were closed.

Window crank on frameless window won’t close because rollers came off first time we used it, so I had to duct tape window down.

Inside rear wheels were missing extension valve stems, making impossible to add air. This after we came back to after leaving dealership because low tire pressure warning came on, so I know they saw the problem because they added air to get light to turn off. Had to buy the valve extensions myself.

So now we wait and pray they can fix it in a timely manner so we can get back on the road.

 

[ducksface]

Did you use an rv checklist app?

Did you bring a knowledgeable friend when you tried every aspect(multiple times) of the motorhome before purchase?

Did you find this forum, or any rv forum, prior to purchase?

Has anyone ever told you, with sincerity;
'Always trust a car salesman'.?

Except for the non-Thor belt problem(who diagnosed this?)alll of those things you say could have been found, prior to purchase, and consequently fixed prior to delivery, by a checklist.

Sorry for your trouble.
The belt is an anomaly.
The rest is perfectly standard in an rv purchase.

How would you like us to help?

 

[Lt Keefer]

Yup, the belt can happen. It is a component and even 99.9% reliability mean some will fail. The rest is standard operating procedure for new campers purchased by over trusting buyers.

 

[PS89]

Go ahead and name the dealer who sold you the coach. They probably charged you for a PDI which, too often, means they Probably Didn't Inspect it...


Kudos to the HH owner, though.

 

[ducksface]

Two weeks, no follow up.
Why?

 

[macdaddy1111]

Its a one hit wonder!

 

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

First trip out in our new Thor Palazzo 33.6

April 13, 2024

Our plan is 7000mi trip out west for 3 months.

Left our home near Nashville, TN on Friday morning and drove 371mi.
About 1000mi on odometer. Mostly delivery miles.
Broke down near Little Rock, with broken serpentine belt, caused by chassis air conditioning compressor. Dashboard air conditioning didn’t work first time we used it on our drive. No idea it could do this!

Freightliner dealership can’t get to it until Monday or Tuesday, so we sat at Harvest Host location (Point Remove Brewing Co) until Monday morning at 6am when tow truck is supposed to get us and tow 40mi to dealership.
Very nice owner, Mike Miller, said we could boondock until Monday morning.

Dealer prep was mostly nonexistent. We waited two days “so they could prep it for us.” We definitely should have had a full inspection, but we were assured they checked everything. BS!

Before our trip we had to fix convection/microwave. Evidently someone at Thor dropped a screw under turntable and it locked up and shut down after 2 seconds. That alone took more than two weeks of arguing with Thor, Whirlpool, and dealership about who was responsible!

Motorhome was dirty outside. Rear dually wheels were stained from standing water. Plastic on outside of front window that clearly said dealer remove was left on. Took me more than an hour to remove.

50 gallons of water in our freshwater tank was gone when we arrived at our breakdown.
Water valve and low point drains were closed.

Window crank on frameless window won’t close because rollers came off first time we used it, so I had to duct tape window down.

Inside rear wheels were missing extension valve stems, making impossible to add air. This after we came back to after leaving dealership because low tire pressure warning came on, so I know they saw the problem because they added air to get light to turn off. Had to buy the valve extensions myself.

So now we wait and pray they can fix it in a timely manner so we can get back on the road.

Breakdowns happen but, a fan belt should not be something the breaks on the first trip with a new motorhome. Just to be clear this is a "NEW" coach not a "new to you"?

I had a break down on my first trip in January 2023. But it was not caused by equipment failure. I ran over a length of truck tire tread from a blowout. It was spread across both lanes, and I could not avoid it without driving off the narrow shoulder. The tire debris got tangled up on the tail pipe pushing the tailpipe into the rear tire which then dragged the tail pipe under the tire. This pulled the pulled the tail exhaust system down onto the drive shaft bending it. This all happened on a Friday at about 10:00am by the time Good same roadside assistance found a tow truck it was near sunset. The shop we found was about 70 miles away, by the time we got there the shop has closed for the weekend. We ended up taking the coach to the County Fair ground in the town where the shop was located so I could keep the coach plugged in. I was low on propane so I could not stay in the coach and have heat all weekend so I checked into a local hotel since I knew I would not be able to stay in the coach while repairs were in progress anyway. It took 4 business days to get the parts and about 6 hours to install. They did take everything apart while waiting for parts. I got the coach back the next Friday near the end of the day. during the week I contacted a local propane dealer. They were nice enough to agree to come out to fill my tank after hours once I got my coach back Friday evening. I do have to say the repair shop, the propane dealer and all the people I interacted with in Winfield KS could not have been nicer. That at least was the one good part of the experience. While waiting we did a little local site seeing. They do have a rather interesting local history museum occupying an old High School.

 

[MJC68]

Hmmm, blown serpentine belt is very unusual. Wondering if the A/C compressor locked up as the OP said the dash A/C didn't work. And if that compressor locked up, wouldn't you smell the belt burning up? Without further input all we can do is speculate.
All the other crap as Duck and LT said is unfortunately regular RV build issues which if not caught at a PDI could/should have been addressed after a couple of short shakedown excursions. All of us on this forum have been there done that with build issues. All of us have had our own "what the hell" moments with our units as well. The $20 question is can you move on, get it fixed and enjoy the rig?

 

[StrangeJerry]

Update!
Back on the road after nine days in Little Rock.
We did make the best of a bad situation and had a good time.
Left Page, AZ yesterday and arrived in Zion.
Mostly smaller problems now. Things to get fixed under warranty when we get back.
Taillight with water in it, window shade that fell off while traveling and scared the **** out of my wife. Can’t screw it back on because rivet broke. Window crank on back bedroom window, fresh water system that only sucks air (maybe I’m missing something, because I hear pump work).
There was what seems to be some sort of calcium buildup in our freshwater tank that came lose during sanitation. Water had brown pieces of something in it. I flushed tank again.
We have water bags for our upcoming time in Yosemite, so we’ll get buy.
Also have a small bag of mystery screws we found on floor over time.
This is a brand new Motorhome with a total of 2300mi so far.
After repair in Little Rock, I pulled over to check dolly straps and noticed transmission fluid leaking. They forgot to tighten hose clamps, so I was lucky. Easy fix!
Our trailer had some issues too. You really need to be handyman in the RV world.
Finally relaxing in Zion for the next four days.
Having a great time despite problems. Adventure!!!

 

[HMCSW]

If you get a chance go to the Kolob Canyons section. Not as crowded and a great hike that goes past an old timers cabin. Larson Cabin. It ends at a natures amphitheater hollowed out wall. If towing a Jeep there is a slot canyon not too far away. Peekaboo Canyon. You will need 4x4 and deflate tires to 15PSI to get through the sand. It is awesome too. Have fun.

 

[RetiredTorng]

StrangJerry - Glad you are enjoying your trip even though you have some major problems. I am going on a 4 months trip from CA thru OR then to WA, then come back from the pacific coast. I've been shaking down for the past 4 months. Hopefully I will enjoy mine too and no hassles. Wish you a nice 3 months trip.

 

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Hmmm, blown serpentine belt is very unusual. Wondering if the A/C compressor locked up as the OP said the dash A/C didn't work. And if that compressor locked up, wouldn't you smell the belt burning up? Without further input all we can do is speculate.
All the other crap as Duck and LT said is unfortunately regular RV build issues which if not caught at a PDI could/should have been addressed after a couple of short shakedown excursions. All of us on this forum have been there done that with build issues. All of us have had our own "what the hell" moments with our units as well. The $20 question is can you move on, get it fixed and enjoy the rig?

I think the OP was saying that after the belt failed the AC stopped working. Something to be expected. As for smelling the belt because the compressor locked up, the OP has a rear engine so he would not smell anything like a belt burned up by friction.

 

[usmcsarge]

Enjoy the travels!

Glad some of the major items got fixed. I'm on my 2nd new Class A and all I can say is a lot of this is SOP, they build them faster than you could have ever thought possible and the QC is nothing like the auto industry. That includes the Freightliner side from my personal experience. Yes, 2nd time I went in and identified 38 things to fix then you spend a year with "them" having it more than you do as you take it back each time to fix things damaged during the repair process. Don't get me wrong, our current one is a 2019 and we have over 44k miles. We love it, but also carry a lot of tools and repair items like Gorilla Tape for awnings etc. Boy the stories!

 

[Cwalther]

New motorcoach blues !

Sorry to hear of your issues on your maiden voyage. We to feel that the dealer screwed us with a mediocre PDI. Purchased Mirimar 35.2 on 03/21/24 NEW. Got ready to leave and driver side slide wouldn't close. Dealer techs looked but they couldn't resolve. Thor brings in the slide tech gurus who replaced the faulty tracks and gets things working. Finally took delivery on 04/11/24. Drove it home. Took it on a local shakedown trip and had a list of 9 items that were clearly manufacturer warranty issues. Had the unit at home for a total of 6 days and now is at Camping World who has had her for 2 weeks. They say all repair items have to be authorized by Thor. Thor wanted additional Info on A/C diagnostics, so at this point, 2 weeks later, we still don't have authorization to get items repaired.
Some of the issues were discovered in my PDI and dealer supposedly addressed them.
Leaking sink faucets, leaking shower, misaligned dinette table that wouldn't fold down, leaking saniflush connector, misaligned cargo door that hits slide when slide is extended, inconsistent tankless water heater results, and A/C nor refrigerator not cooling properly. Hoping to have unit back by next week, planning a Texas to Canada road trip. Kinda hurts getting ready to make my 2nd monthly $1100 payment and only having unit for 6 days. If I could back out of the deal I would.

 

[ducksface]

The poster just above this post ignored practically all advice offered PRIOR TO PURCHASE from this forums collective knowledge yet says the dealer screwed them.


See the thread I've linked below.


https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f17/class-36407.html#post407813


Sell it.
It'll never be worth more than it is today.

A word of advice:
The internet is forever.

 

[PreCambrian]

Sorry for your troubles. I had a flat on the inside rear dual passenger side on my maiden trip.

I don’t believe that valve extenders are included on typical dual tire setups. I won’t use them. There are disadvantages (i.e. they can break when something goes between the tires, they put stresses on the tire valve, etc.). I choose to have an air chuck that reaches the inside valve.

I will give you something to check for that just happened to me. After almost two years, I finally let my grey water tank get too full while at a park for five days. When I went to empty it a noticed a slight drip from underneath the chassis. After I emptied the tank the drip went away. I think I have a slight leak where the drain line goes into the grey water tank. So fill both the grey water and black water tanks to the top (water will go into your shower and you can see it in the toilet) with fresh water and see if you have a leak. Better now than after warranty period.

 

[HMCSW]

Sorry for your troubles. I had a flat on the inside rear dual passenger side on my maiden trip.

I don’t believe that valve extenders are included on typical dual tire setups. I won’t use them. There are disadvantages (i.e. they can break when something goes between the tires, they put stresses on the tire valve, etc.). I choose to have an air chuck that reaches the inside valve.

I will give you something to check for that just happened to me. After almost two years, I finally let my grey water tank get too full while at a park for five days. When I went to empty it a noticed a slight drip from underneath the chassis. After I emptied the tank the drip went away. I think I have a slight leak where the drain line goes into the grey water tank. So fill both the grey water and black water tanks to the top (water will go into your shower and you can see it in the toilet) with fresh water and see if you have a leak. Better now than after warranty period.

Frieghtliner had a recall in 2021 to remove the extenders and replace them with alligator caps. One side for me is a PITA because of the angle. I picked up a long straight gauge at a truck stop which works. Fortunately I have not had to put air in tires but only a couple times.

 

[Scubawise]

Update!
Back on the road after nine days in Little Rock.
We did make the best of a bad situation and had a good time.
Left Page, AZ yesterday and arrived in Zion.
Mostly smaller problems now. Things to get fixed under warranty when we get back.
Taillight with water in it, window shade that fell off while traveling and scared the **** out of my wife. Can’t screw it back on because rivet broke. Window crank on back bedroom window, fresh water system that only sucks air (maybe I’m missing something, because I hear pump work).
There was what seems to be some sort of calcium buildup in our freshwater tank that came lose during sanitation. Water had brown pieces of something in it. I flushed tank again.
We have water bags for our upcoming time in Yosemite, so we’ll get buy.
Also have a small bag of mystery screws we found on floor over time.
This is a brand new Motorhome with a total of 2300mi so far.
After repair in Little Rock, I pulled over to check dolly straps and noticed transmission fluid leaking. They forgot to tighten hose clamps, so I was lucky. Easy fix!
Our trailer had some issues too. You really need to be handyman in the RV world.
Finally relaxing in Zion for the next four days.
Having a great time despite problems. Adventure!!!

Excellent great personality
All will be well.
We have all been impacted and survived well.
Wine and smile.

 

[StrangeJerry]

Got the tools and Gorilla Tape

We’re learning the routine. We had it down with our trailer, but this is a pretty good learning curve. Thanks for the good wishes!

Glad some of the major items got fixed. I'm on my 2nd new Class A and all I can say is a lot of this is SOP, they build them faster than you could have ever thought possible and the QC is nothing like the auto industry. That includes the Freightliner side from my personal experience. Yes, 2nd time I went in and identified 38 things to fix then you spend a year with "them" having it more than you do as you take it back each time to fix things damaged during the repair process. Don't get me wrong, our current one is a 2019 and we have over 44k miles. We love it, but also carry a lot of tools and repair items like Gorilla Tape for awnings etc. Boy the stories!

 

[Oafdawg-THOR]

Update!
......fresh water system that only sucks air (maybe I’m missing something, because I hear pump work)....

Make sure you have the valves in the wet bay set to the proper position. If you're filling the fresh water tank with a hose the valves should be at the "city fill" position and when drawing water from the tank the valves should be in the "normal" position.