Thor Axis: New Owner Experience

[JamieGeek]

Plug alert - Avalon RV in Akron Ohio is where I purchased my old class C Sunseeker in 2009 and the tech had us there for over 2 hours going over every little nook and switch in that RV. The children were bored silly but I had personally turned on every switch and rotated every knob in the RV prior to leaving. And that was on a second hand model! Unbelievable service.

Our dealer also did that with us..went through every nook & cranny showing us everything.

 

[brad13]

I went nuts with the cable connection this weekend also! Tried a different coax, tighten every coax cable I could get too......since the weather was kind of bad, I decided to go up to the park office and ask the lady if they were having satellite difficulty. They knew we were newbie's, and her husband over heard the conversion and immediately know what it was. I had to look all over, but found it in the cabinet above the TV, hid by that input selector box.....small push switch with a green light........pressed it, and clear as day...my cable

Just curious-Did you come across any of the previous posts on this thread? At least a couple references to the antenna amplifier (the small push switch with a green light).

 

[davidgebo]

It is easy to flush out the antifreeze. Just hook up to city connection, and turn it on, run all faucets, including shower control. Run the water until it is clear. There may be some antifreeze in the freshwater tank. Just remove 4 screws on panel beneath curb-side bed, lift up the panel, and see the tank drain. I cut this panel in half, and used a piano hinge to make this area more easily accessible. I also installed a small shelf just above all the plumbing connections and pipes for more storage. This area is now useful space.

 

[Tytlfamily]

Just curious-Did you come across any of the previous posts on this thread? At least a couple references to the antenna amplifier (the small push switch with a green light).

I did not happen to see them, no....but then again, I was not looking either, since I had no idea it was an issue until I hooked up my cable for the first time!

 

[edvic]

Attaching things

I want to add shelving to my Thor, both to the exterior walls, and to the side wall in the bathroom. What size screw and anchor can I use?

 

[edvic]

Good idea on the piano hinge.

 

[srolfe]

We bought a 14 Vegas last April, We are pleased with it so far.


We consistently get 9-10 MPG.
Rides very well and is easy to control.


We had a few issues with it:
Cabinet door latches were broken or misaligned.
Rubber step covers not glued down
Shower was not sealed around the edges
RV lower outside trim literally fell off
Privacy door track fell off


All were fixed with no problem.


I would say that these types of problems are endemic to this industry, I look at other rv's at shows, and I always see trim and cosmetic problems, amazing that they are shipped this way.


No equipment or mechanical problems so far.

 

[Beacher-THOR]

Evergreen49,

Too bad, this would be a great time for Thor to reach out to customers. They could show customers they actually do care.

With no help from them we should copyright it. If they don't help, they should have to pay us to use it.

You will NEVER get that. It would set a precedent. A very expensive one at that.

I'm here with a Thor now. I started this path with a Fleetwood/Coleman PopUp, and they had constant complaints on their message boards. I then moved into a Fleetwood Pace Arrow, same problems on their message boards. Then, moved over to a Winnebago Vista. Those folks are REALLY aggravated on their message boards, because they have all drank from the "serialized parts, exceptional quality, higher cost for higher quality" Koolaid, (I know, I had a sip).

I'm not being a defeatist when I mention that these other manufacturers have issues. I'm actually in the business of Quality Assurance.,(executive in aerospace manufacturing). I'm a non-retired working stiff. I understand the cost of quality, I live it.

While a $90,000, (purchased price), motorhome may feel like it should have been delivered in perfect condition, there is more to the story. In reality, the F53 chassis cost about $17,000, (wholesale), and the assembly factory put in about $15,000, (wholesale), in materials and appliances, and about $4,000 in labor. That's really it! The rest is markup, margin, and the dealer's markup and margin. Only about 4% to 5% of what you are paying at retail actually goes directly into the manufacturing and assembly, (hourly workers paid just a fraction over minimum wage), of the RV that you just purchased.

The factory that assembled your motorhome on an assembly line, (or with mobile crews that came to the unit being built) accomplished it all within the financial constraints of the 4% to 5% of what you spent. Compare that to the labor rates charged at a local RV or automobile repair center, and you start to see where "you get what you pay for" comes into play.

In the aerospace industry we have "the luxury" of very extensive and detailed quality checks with raw materials, receiving inspection, in-process inspection, and final inspection. Also, due to modern manufacturing methodology, each individual person that touches any part is responsible for the quality of that part. If they see any defects that may have occurred before they touch the part, they are still responsible and fully accountable. And, if they can identify any process improvements, they are expected to implement them in a prescribed manner. All that accountability has costs in training, equipment, documentation, certification, management, and continuous improvement. Most of those things are just way too expensive to consider implementing in RV manufacturing with only 4% to 5% of what the customer pays going directly towards the manufacturing of the product. In aerospace, as much as 10% to 25% of the hundreds of millions spent by customers to purchase an aircraft or spacecraft actually goes towards the manufacturing. Until at least that much of the customer's money can go directly towards the manufacturing of an RV, the quality will remain where it's currently at. The current RV manufacturing and dealership industry, (in the U.S.A.) is far too convoluted and entrenched in it's business practices to change any time soon. European and Australian RV manufacturers do operate much closer to how aerospace works in this country, and you will immediately notice it when you see a European or Australian RV.

 

[FW28z]

As a potential newbie, that last paragraph is what worries me the most. "Motorhome ownership is not for the faint of heart. There is always something to fix, replace , or improve."

or, how about;

"the only thing that works on a RV is the owner.."

replace "RV" with your favorite brand.

 

[edvic]

It's amazing what they do get away with. Even a 5 minute walk through before sending these things out would solve most problems. Question about attaching things to walls - are pop rivets best way to go? What areas would wiring tend to cross?

 

[EA37TS]

It's amazing what they do get away with. Even a 5 minute walk through before sending these things out would solve most problems. Question about attaching things to walls - are pop rivets best way to go? What areas would wiring tend to cross?

Depends on what you want to attach and where you want to attach it.

I have added some art work to the inside of my current and prior coach and all I used were double sided Velcro picture hangers. I used the type that after put in place they can be removed by pulling the tab. I had a piece of artwork weighting about 3 lbs (a painting done on wood) go 2 years and 7000 miles without falling off the wall. It finally came off when I installed it in my new coach using the same system.

I would recommend before drilling and pop riveting that you contact Thor and ask for a side wall construction diagram. That should at least show you where all the framing etc... is inside the wall.

 

[edvic]

I am trying to access the back of the TV (and the hdmi ports) above the entrance. It has 2 straps dangling down beneath. Any advice on how I can get to the back?

 

[mcr1010]

If I remember correctly, you pull both straps (was very hard for mine to release) and it will release the tv. It is best to have another person to help.

 

[JamieGeek]

Ours does not have any straps hanging down from the TV. I was able to remove it after discovering there are two tabs that you can just barely get to with a long-handled screw driver. Flipping the tabs allowed the bottom of the TV to tilt away from the wall then you lift the TV up.
Those with straps may have a much easier time of it.
(I was able to see the tabs using a snake camera.)

 

[davidgebo]

This is the kind of thing that tells me RV designers and engineers are not RV users and owners. What bonehead hides a rather important device so out of sight and difficult to access? In my Vegas the antenna booster is also hidden, impossible to see without a stepstool, in an overhead cabinet, which is usually stuffed with kitchen and cooking items. Our 2010 Tiffin was the same way, with the antenna booster hidden far back in an overhead cabinet accessible only with a stepstool. We had a 1982 Prowler TT, and that antenna booster switch was on the wall, adjacent to the tv coax connection. Wow, how ingenious!

 

[Bruce-THOR]

You are so right!. They should be required to live in their prototypes for a week or so.

Bruce

This is the kind of thing that tells me RV designers and engineers are not RV users

 

[tclark_1962]

2014 Thor Palazzo first NEW class A. Must say I am not impressed. Like many I fight a constant stream of issues. I've always known that it didnt matter if you bought used or new there would be some items to deal with. I look forward to the day when I've replaced everything with something better. My coach is going in for first year service. Its pages of warranty work. The Freightliner is an awesome dream, the box built on top, not so much. I figure if you got a good chassis and a good roof, anything else is fixable.

Tim Clark

 

[Kathy G]

Hey, at least your engine is still working!! Thor's manuals are really no different than any other RV I have ever had, a generic master and then all the supplier manuals. Less expensive autos have better manuals but they sell a lot more units to spread the development costs over.

 

[Daveht]

You mean you have not found all that extra saw dust yet?

 

[Dragon70]

Someone may have already said it and I missed it but that nylon hot water heater plug is the best thing they ever did for these. The problem is over tightening. Using plumbers putty or Teflon tape you can hand tighten this plug and it won't leak. That said I recommend putting a wrench on it but good and snug is all you need and it will never leak or strip.