Community Forums

ghoticov · 07-15-2016, 09:01 PM

Hey guys!

My wife and I are looking at buying a 2016 Tiffin Allegro 36 LA and have a few questions about the coach that my dealer didn't know. They weren't super knowledgeable in general when it came to the coach, in fact, I knew more than one of the guys.

Anyway...

For those with the 36 LA, if you have the upgraded Pure Sine Inverter (which the one we are looking at does, as well as the residential fridge), shouldn't I be able to watch TV on the larger TV while driving without running the generator? I would think since it has a 2000W inverter, I should be able to watch this tv (running the tv and satellite dish) while driving, right?

Also, I saw it has 4 batteries but the battery bank is under the stairs and its so tight in there, it doesn't look like any larger battery would fit. And do you know what kind of batteries that typically come stock in those? I looked in there but couldn't see any info (whether they are 6 volt or 12 volt) without pulling them out (which looks like it would be a pain because they are so tightly fit).

And lastly, any comments in general on this coach? Love yours, hate yours? Anything? We are thinking of going down tomorrow and talk numbers. Has anyone experienced getting 30% off MSRP on one of these?

Thanks for all your help!

Marc

pmchmh · 07-16-2016, 05:11 AM

Marc

We have a 2016 36LA without the upgraded inverter and no residential refrigerator. The mid-ship living room TV works while underway. I can't imagine that it wouldn't work on a coach with the upgraded inverter. We didn't opt for the auto-motion dish, as it doesn't give you DirecTV in HD - only Dish in HD, so the family will watch Blurays/DVDs.

Our coach is in for it's first service and can't check the actual specs on the house batteries, but they are Duracells and pretty sure they're 12 volt.

We love our 36LA! We opted for the combo washer/dryer for resale purposes and found that we use it all the time. Same thing for the central vac - the DW thought it was a waste when we spec' out the RV, and now she uses it all the time.

Some of the things that we would like to see different would be an additional slide on the passenger side in the bedroom. There isn't a lot of room in the bedroom with only the driver's side slide. It would be nice if there was a generator start switch somewhere else besides to the left of the steering wheel, but that's minor. Other than a squeak from the entry door and from under the driver's side dash that I can't locate on my own, we haven't had any real issues.

Some of the modifications that I've made since getting it was to replace the stock Bilstein shocks with Konis, do the CHF to the front, install the 5 Star Tune and add a sound bar to the outside TV.

Good luck with your purchase!

Pat

HGC · 07-16-2016, 09:54 AM

We have a 2014 36LA that we ordered and was able get ceramic tile put in. Makes a big difference in interior look. Not too many people know that Tiffin will do that.
Our unit has been plagued with problems that I am still fixing. IMHO forget dealers, they can make more damage than the original problem. Our's did. Learn what you can fix using these forums and if/when you need real help go to RB or if closer to Connecticut Motor Cars who specialize in Tiffin repairs.Unfortunately the factory doesn't take appointments and you could wait in line for weeks, or go to Connecticut Motor Cars, pretty sure they make appointments.
Absolutely get the Magnum 2012 inverter with the Auto Gen option. It will power your Refrigerator and LR TV while traveling with no problem. And you will not burn out motors and electronics as you would with the Modified Square Wave Tripplite that Tiffin uses as standard equipment. I am pretty sure it was responsible for frying the components of our refrigerator. Have no idea why Tiffin would use The Tripplite when installing a residential refrigerator. What a mistake. We are having Solar Energy Systems in Napanee Indiana install one for us at a cost of over $4k. So it probably is less expensive from the factory if they don't screw it up.
Also check ALL DC connections and make sure they were tightened at the factory. As of today, we found that Tiffin mistakenly put two 20A main breakers in our AC breaker panel instead of the necessary dual 50A. Just another screw up that I paid for both to Tiffin and the poor PDI from our dealer.

Yeh, the 36LA can be a real nice MH if Tiffin QCs it well. In our case it is a continuing string if problems stemming from poor QC at the factory.
I hope this bit of info is of help to you so you can avoid or at least be aware of the hazzards associated with 36LA ownership. Some good news is that Tiffin will respond in sending you parts and will warranty some things if a problem continues after warranty.
I hope you get a "good one". If you need any other info feel free to contact me by message. Good luck!

ghoticov · 07-16-2016, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmchmh

Marc

We have a 2016 36LA without the upgraded inverter and no residential refrigerator. The mid-ship living room TV works while underway. I can't imagine that it wouldn't work on a coach with the upgraded inverter. We didn't opt for the auto-motion dish, as it doesn't give you DirecTV in HD - only Dish in HD, so the family will watch Blurays/DVDs.

Our coach is in for it's first service and can't check the actual specs on the house batteries, but they are Duracells and pretty sure they're 12 volt.

We love our 36LA! We opted for the combo washer/dryer for resale purposes and found that we use it all the time. Same thing for the central vac - the DW thought it was a waste when we spec' out the RV, and now she uses it all the time.

Some of the things that we would like to see different would be an additional slide on the passenger side in the bedroom. There isn't a lot of room in the bedroom with only the driver's side slide. It would be nice if there was a generator start switch somewhere else besides to the left of the steering wheel, but that's minor. Other than a squeak from the entry door and from under the driver's side dash that I can't locate on my own, we haven't had any real issues.

Some of the modifications that I've made since getting it was to replace the stock Bilstein shocks with Konis, do the CHF to the front, install the 5 Star Tune and add a sound bar to the outside TV.

Good luck with your purchase!

Pat

Thanks for the reply!

I did not realize that DirecTV would not be in HD, that's crazy. Is it because the In Motion Satellite can't lock in on those HD satellites?

ghoticov · 07-16-2016, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HGC

We have a 2014 36LA that we ordered and was able get ceramic tile put in. Makes a big difference in interior look. Not too many people know that Tiffin will do that.
Our unit has been plagued with problems that I am still fixing. IMHO forget dealers, they can make more damage than the original problem. Our's did. Learn what you can fix using these forums and if/when you need real help go to RB or if closer to Connecticut Motor Cars who specialize in Tiffin repairs.Unfortunately the factory doesn't take appointments and you could wait in line for weeks, or go to Connecticut Motor Cars, pretty sure they make appointments.
Absolutely get the Magnum 2012 inverter with the Auto Gen option. It will power your Refrigerator and LR TV while traveling with no problem. And you will not burn out motors and electronics as you would with the Modified Square Wave Tripplite that Tiffin uses as standard equipment. I am pretty sure it was responsible for frying the components of our refrigerator. Have no idea why Tiffin would use The Tripplite when installing a residential refrigerator. What a mistake. We are having Solar Energy Systems in Napanee Indiana install one for us at a cost of over $4k. So it probably is less expensive from the factory if they don't screw it up.
Also check ALL DC connections and make sure they were tightened at the factory. As of today, we found that Tiffin mistakenly put two 20A main breakers in our AC breaker panel instead of the necessary dual 50A. Just another screw up that I paid for both to Tiffin and the poor PDI from our dealer.

Yeh, the 36LA can be a real nice MH if Tiffin QCs it well. In our case it is a continuing string if problems stemming from poor QC at the factory.
I hope this bit of info is of help to you so you can avoid or at least be aware of the hazzards associated with 36LA ownership. Some good news is that Tiffin will respond in sending you parts and will warranty some things if a problem continues after warranty.
I hope you get a "good one". If you need any other info feel free to contact me by message. Good luck!

Thanks! Your post is a wake up call for us. I know that most/any MH can/does have issues but its one thing to spend $47K on a MH (which is what our current 2012 Thor Hurricane 30q cost) and spending $125k-$130k on the Tiffin 36LA, only to have issues as well. That is what makes us the most nervous. We are very comfortable with our Hurricane 30q. Does it have nice bay doors like the Tiffin? No. Does it has a washer/dryer? No. Is the quality overall at where the Tiffin is? No. But it also doesn't cost 3X as much and if they both are going to have issues, I would rather deal with that with a cheaper coach.

We do love the 36LA at our dealer but they are not even a Tiffin dealer, I am not sure how they got the coaches. It is Paul Everett RV Country in Fresno, CA and the fact that I may not be able to trust them doing any work scares us since we are in California, which is a huge drive to Red Bay, AL (we are also not full timers).

Thank you for the honest post, it puts things in perspective. I do think I could fix some possible issues but I don't know if I want to deal with them while paying 3X what we are paying now. Ya know?

ghoticov · 07-16-2016, 12:18 PM

Oh yea, and the coach does already have the upgraded inverter. I saw that it was a Magnum 2000W, which from what I am reading is a very nice inverter.

Its the small QC issues that might scare me off. I can guarantee our dealer hasn't done any QC because there were small things we already noticed on one other Tiffin coach ther. There's a 35QBA they have, which has molding falling off the wall, the LR slide was jacked up (one side going all the way in, the other not), kitchen backsplash fell off)...and those were just the obvious things.

Granted, it wasn't on the coach we are looking at but it is still concerning none the less.

pmchmh · 07-16-2016, 10:21 PM

Yes, the in motion dish can't get the proper satellites. Also, I would be wary of that dealer.

ghoticov · 07-16-2016, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmchmh

Yes, the in motion dish can't get the proper satellites. Also, I would be wary of that dealer.

I did read some terrible reviews on them on Yelp.

Are you from the Central Valley?

luvlabs · 07-17-2016, 09:29 AM

"I did not realize that DirecTV would not be in HD, that's crazy. Is it because the In Motion Satellite can't lock in on those HD satellites?"

No, your antenna can't lock onto the satellites that broadcast HD for DirecTV. It should lock onto the Direct SD satellites. This is not a new problem, BTW - it goes back at least 10 years when Direct made a switch. If you have DirecTV and want HD, you are going to have to purchase a Trav'ler antenna or use a tripod with a DirecTV home dish mounted.

However, all of the dome systems can be programmed for Direct or Dish. You need to check the antenna and see what it is set for. If you go with Dish you can get HD on the antenna you currently have. If you stay with DirecTV you get SD only.

carluv · 08-03-2016, 04:21 PM

We just bought a 2016 36LA. Like others said, having things fixed at the dealer is a waste of time. We were on vacation so went to Red Bay on our way home to Fla. I had made arrangements about 3 weeks ahead of our arrival and they took us right in. We arrived at the campground on a Sunday afternoon and they called us at 0715 Monday morning. Worked on it all day Monday and Tuesday. You get to stay with you MH and ask the Techs all the questions you have and they will show you all kinds of things the dealer should have explained.