New Old Journey

[blevtr]

We are going down, from MD, to pick up our '02 Journey 36LD on the 30th. So far, the Lazydays folks have been fine, and I expect, ever the optimist, that they will continue to be. Our first DP (330 Cat) and I expect things to be more intense maintenance wise than our gasser (bless her never let us down heart). One issue that concerns me is soot marks on the AC outlet in the bedroom. Where would soot enter the AC duct work? Its right over the exhaust pipe, but there is no smell in the coach. Any thoughts?
After we do the PDI and assorted paperwork, wife and I are taking an easy run back home. We are really looking forward to being back in an RV, we sold our Mirada at a yard sale in September. Didn't intend to sell it at a yard sale, but it was there, folks asked about it, done deal.

[ernieh]

It's probably not "soot". It's just dust that passes through or around the filter and sticks to the plastic outlet. That being said, there have been some problems with the outlet duct that goes up inside the rear cap. Several innovative solutions to this problem have been discussed on this forum.

If your return air filter is in the base of your bed, you may find it very difficult to change. I converted mine with a return air register that also holds the filter that is mounted on the outside of the bed base. I can change my filter in about 15 seconds.

[smlranger]

You will love your Journey. We bought our '02 36GD used in 2005 and have enjoyed many miles in it. Yes, the diesel is more maintenance-intensive but the power, quality of the ride, better braking (exhaust brake) make for a much improved driving experience overall.

The ceiling material at the first (most rearward) AC outlet does get a bit dirty more quickly than the others which are farther downstream. Winnebago's of that era are pretty famous for separation of the main duct that comes out of the heat pump and rises inside the rear cap of the motorhome. This will cause the loss of cooling air and could certainly entrain some dirty air swirling inside that cap. The fix is to re-tape the joint that splits open. Some folks have had a dealer remove the entire rear cap to make a repair. On mine, and others about which I've read, you can clean and re-tape (using good foil duct tape) the open joint from the engine compartment by removing a metal side panel.

You may not have a problem but I would have the dealer check for that before you take possession. If there is a leak, I'd make them fix it (rear cap removal is not too bad but certainly not a DIY job). An easy way to check is to use an infrared temp gun, run the AC and check for cold air in the area of that rear duct.

[Automobilist]

Agreed, you'll love the journey in the Journey. We recently bought our '02 36LD, same CAT330. Decent power, seems to be rock solid. Ours needs new tires, but then it was under $50k.

My wife has been busy removing all the cheesy brass cabinet hinges, door pulls, lighting, faucets, etc. and replacing with ones more to our taste. Also removed most of the goofy wallpaper strip around the counters, etc. Plus, she recovered the window valances and dinette chairs with a much nicer fabric. Winnebago builds a pretty good coach, but their "decorators" are about 30 years behind.

[Peddler]

Congratulations on your new purchase. We are currently working with Lazy Days on a pre-owned coach and "so far so good". Do you think they treated you right on the final price or did you have to pay a little more to cover their obvious higher overhead? Pretty nice place isn't it?

[blevtr]

Peddler -I guess we paid an OK price, we negotiated and made a decent deal. The service is important, and it remains to be seen if all the promises are kept. We did a lot of research, checked a lot of coaches. There is a certain element of "crap shoot" in any such purchase. If we go back down and things aren't as they should be, we buy another set of tickets and fly back.

Hope it works out, tho. This coach is a happy combination of compromises, just like the last one was.