Tuscany/Essence/Astoria issues over time

[powerboatr]

Ok fellow Tuscany, Astori and Essence owners. It seems some of us have had odd things go bad and we want to compare notes
I am not Bashing Damon nor Thor. This is an information post and what we had fixed/replaced etc.
Mine is a 2008 Tuscany with the Cummins powerplant.
in service date of Apr 2009 and mileage was 1800 ish. It sat in a dealers showroom for nearly a year and made a few trips to his different lots
genny had 47 hrs on it.
I have just over 6500 miles on her now.
my mileage I will round up to make it easier to compare
first warranty trip
2100 miles, rear closet rod falls off ceiling, I replace it with a ventilated model with numerous screws into WOOD vice luan. BAD design from the start.

Toilet seal replace, dometic/sea lands issue, they installed the wrong seal during assembly at the bowl to pedestal interface.

House batteries checked out, they kept going dead in less than 30 minutes with the inverter on and no loads energized. Took two visits to find problems

4 new ones put in, problem has never returned. This problem could have been from sitting and showroom displays leaving all the lights on over the year and not being recharged to a full charge.
Damon did not hesitate to replace them after it was determined they had sulfated, dealer could have been more proactive in testing...

rear stove burner would not spark to light... it had a very small plastic tube over the sparker... was it tested at the factory?
water line LOOSE under kitchen sink, was it tested at the factory and during pre delivery??

2500 miles
dash dvd/radio/camera thingy gone bad
shower lower pan at door interlace cracked (surface)

3000 miles dash radio replaced, it did take what seemed like a long time for it to be received.

shower repaired

3400 Black tank flusher water break, EXPLODES, partially floods bathroom , water break is now in the upper outside wet bay, bad design having it under the sink inside the coach.

4200 miles water line under sink burst off fitting, I replaced it and every other "in coach" hose clamped water hoses

Fridge small wiper seal 1" x 3" on order, it keeps popping off.
6000 miles

A/C compressor return line on engine is leaking at crimped fitting. talked to freightliner and damon and they are on-board for a repair.
radiator fan clutch electrical wires chaffed through from rubbing on water pump pulley. I fixed it at home, and re-routed the wire to the correct way, which was over the support arm not under it.

both fold out chairs have broken upper backs, I made the mistake and actually sat in one and let my back touch the rear upper cushion.
2 are on order from damon under warranty.

I have a schedule to get her fixed the 18th

things i have fixed, because i am impatient.
ALL basement doors adjusted to not leak.
tracked down 5 basement water leaks and repaired
tracked down a sidewall leak that dripped in basement, it was sidewall fridge access cover trim. it was not sealed on the front lower inside edge and blowing rain would get inside, it took me 2 days to track it down using a spray bottle and air pressure

i have had one incident of the water heater shutting off, i reset all breakers and it worked fine.
I think the heavy rain caused it to shut down

so how many are damons and how many are suppliers?
fuel is still a good 7.8 - 8.2 at 66-68 mph
over all I am pleased with what i paid and the value i received.
My dealers repair team has been nothing short of GREAT..

their pre-delivery guys need some training though

[doc]

Robert, I feel for you. I know exaclty what you have gone through. My problems are begining to work themselves out. My steps have been a PIA but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. (hope it is not a train!)
The problem with the GPS/CD/DVD/Radio/backup camera device has been solved. There is a simple little reset hole (quite small) that put me back in service with this device. The touch screen still will not power tilt down, I have pull it down. Jensen pointed out to me this is not a Jensen unit although it says Jensen when it boots up. Figure that!!

We have had issues with the adjustment on the swing out basement doors, but I think we have that under control now. I am still seeing an occasional drop of water falling in the wet bay when we are hooked up, but cannot determine if that is a water leak from the system or the rain that has fallen the last few times we have been out.
We did have to have some of the glass replaced in the cabinet doors due to the leading causing the mirrored portions to turn black.
The interior cabinet doors were out of adjustment and I had to reset those with some toothpicks and wood glue.
We had a leak in the kitchen sink drain. Simply replaced the drain system there with same from home sinks. Had a leak in freshwater supply line in the same area. Had to really stand on the screwdriver to tighten the radiator type clamp enough to stop it. (Why the dickens do they put teflon tape on a clamp fitting from copper to vinyl hose?)

We went through the same aggravation with the new Horizon we bought several years ago and when the bugs were out, we had a great coach for many years until we decided we wanted more space.

I try to look at all the things we DO like and they, by far, out number all the faults. > 425 HP cummins, 8.0 Onan, Sleep number bed, etc, etc.
Sure we are still having problems, (piece of trim fell off the cabinet in bedroom due to nails being to short) but they are getting less and less aggravating.
So, let's make a pact - we keep RVing and having a good time and not let the little stuff get us all bothered. Life is short and too precious to go through it all bothered.

[powerboatr]

doc


I agree with you. most of my stuff has been small and so far has been fixed as i expected.
the jensen unit i see for some can be a bit tricky, i have found under the dash if you spend a few hours tiddying up the wiring it seems to help with the gremlins.

It seems we all have had some oddities that we solved. your steps in particular, i know mine very well now because of it.

i have been very happy with the new unit. still learning the curve on the equalizer set up to moderate sub woofer.

like i said overall we have been happy and I really like driving it,
we just made 11 hr trip in the car

i sure did miss not taking the RV ,


Let me add Damon 1-800 folks have been great sans one water question.
i am slowly accumulating a bunch of wiring diagrams from them.

[buckeyeduffer]

Robert:

We are in the midst of a like odessey. We purchased the 08 Damon on 28 September and it has been at the dealers service bay all but 10 days since then, Supposedly it will get back on the road tommorrow but we will see. Have already been wared that they have a "ton" of part on order. Just for kicks I have enclosed the "punch list" we discovered post-PDI. My dealer seems to be serious about making it right. We are looking forward to getting it back on the road and finish the shake down.

I believe our rig sat on the lot for a substantial amount of time and we used that fact as a price negotiation lever, so we were not blind going in.

Darrell:

A couple of items I forgot to discuss with you on Wednesday.

· Drivers Side Windshield Washer line – not secured to the body. Appears that the lock washer and nut was not installed.
· Generator 100 Hour Maintenance; Generator just topped 200 hours and is due a service. Please add that to the service order.

Thanks

Rv_
(h) 520.395.0065
(m) 803.606.7744
aka: buckeyeduffer -- "Go Bucks"



From: Roy Varner [mailto:buckeyeduffer@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 4:11 PM
To: 'dsexton@freedomrvaz.com'
Cc: 'janderson@freedomrvaz.com'; 'Sandy Varner'
Subject: RE: Delivery Walkthrough Discrepancy #1 - 10.5.09 -- Varner Damon Tuscany

Darrell:
John:

Had to cut our trip short as too many discrepancies with the coach to stay gone any longer. Will bring it in tomorrow as you instructed.

New additional problems are:

· Hot Water Heater Inoperable on both electric and gas: Had a rv repair center trouble shoot yesterday afternoon and found out the wiring was not even connected to the circuit board. He ordered a replacement circuit board but we had to depart last evening due to the air conditioner outage (referenced below))
· Air Conditioner Outage; Both air conditions failed last evening in Lake Havasu, and would not operate on shore or generator power. Was too hot to remain in the coach without them so we pack up and headed for Tucson.
· Leveling Control Inoperative (all lights flashing on control panel): After raising the jacks after first use, all light indicators on the control panel started flashing and could not be shut off.
· Passenger Rear Leveling Jack Cylinder Leaking: Jack left a heavy hydraulic oil soak after first time use.
· Refrigerator: Will not operate on propane.
· Head Light Low Beams: Badly need adjustment of low beams. Unsafe to use as currently set.
· Electrical Outlet by Passenger Seat Inoperative:
· Cloths Rod in Bedroom Closet Collapsed and pulled Hanger out of ceiling: Purchased new rod but need hanger reattached.

From: Roy Varner [mailto:buckeyeduffer@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 9:32 AM
To: 'dsexton@freedomrvaz.com'
Cc: 'janderson@freedomrvaz.com'; 'Sandy Varner'
Subject: RE: Delivery Walkthrough Discrepancy #1 - 10.5.09 -- Varner Damon Tuscany

Darrell:
John:

Any schedule to work this discrepancy list yet? Would like to get these corralled ASAP.

Please advise.

From: Roy Varner [mailto:buckeyeduffer@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 3:53 PM
To: 'dsexton@freedomrvaz.com'
Cc: 'janderson@freedomrvaz.com'; 'Sandy Varner'
Subject: Delivery Walkthrough Discrepancy #1 - 10.5.09 -- Varner Damon Tuscany

Darrell:
John:

Listing of delivery walkthrough discrepancies attached. Advise as to when you want to work these and I can bring the coach in. This is pre-shakedown data so once we exercise all systems may have more to add.

On a general note we find the coach operates very well and will probably be better after we read the operating instructions. We were a bit disappointed that some of the obvious deficiencies listed below were not taken care of by your internal pre-delivery quality processes. Some general notes and requests are:


· Engine Number – I cannot find the number on any of the sale documents. I want to register the engine on the Cummins Power web site in order to network with other owners and the OEM for operating and maintenance tips. The web site tells me where the number is located on the engine but I cannot find any access in the coach to retrieve it? Any help would be appreciated.

· Ceiling Fans: I understand that while negotiated into the deal, they cannot be installed so would appreciate a quid-pro-quo compensation as a substitution. A quality CB Radio installation or credit on a satellite system would be satisfactory to us.


· Awning Noise: On a test drive yesterday, to Eloy and back, the awnings on both sides of the coach were literally banging (on a couple of occasions we thought something had hit us) in the wind. I never experienced this with the awnings on my slide in camper or 5th wheel and wonder if that is normal with this coach?

Initial Acceptance Discrepancies:

1. Passenger – Outside (Front to Rear)
a. Battery Cabinet (house batteries corrosion, replace battery straps)
b. Camera Pod, Passenger front-paint chips
c. Slide out awning missing
d. Crank for entry door awning missing
e. Cargo door #3 sagging, needs adjustment
f. Cargo door #4 is protruding, needs adjustment
g. Slide out finish scrapped, (scrape 1 is over cargo door #1, scrape #2 is mid between cargo door #1 and #2
h. Passenger slide out, molding not clearing when closing, needs adjustment
i. Bedroom slide out, finish chipped above cargo door #4
j. Non skid on entry steps lifting
2. Front (Nose-Outside)
a. Replace windshield wipers
b. Paint flaw under fog light drivers side
3. Rear (Back Outside)
a. Rock guard not hanging straight (left end higher than right)
b. Paint scratch right bottom
c. www.damon decal is torn, either replace or remove
d. Scratch under right backup light
e. Gouge above clearance lights, right corner
4. Driver – Outside (Front to Rear)
a. Porch light globe missing
b. Cargo doors need adjusted (door 1, door 2, door, door 4, door 5
c. Sealant flaw 6” back from camera pod
d. Camera pod, driver front paint chipped
e. Refuel door not fitting properly
5. Front Cabin
a. Passenger seat, paint stain left center top of back rest, immediately above armrest connection
b. Both driver and passenger seats appear soiled. Can they be cleaned up and re-treated?
c. Driver seat right arm rest worn – needs replaced
d. Driver side sunshade in-operable will not stay in down position.
e. Rubber molding on top step landing unglued
f. 110v outlet cover loose next to passenger seat
6. Galley
a. Faucet dripping – there was a leak in the supply line but we were able to repair by tightening a loose clamp.
b. Sealant stain on floor tile in front of sink
c. Sticky substance on freezer door finish
7. Dining/Living Room
a. Molding, center top of slide out, cracked and broken
b. Gouge on woodwork on right bottom of slide out
c. Dining slide out seal, right top, torn and damaged
d. Slide out wood molding gouged, 2’ in front of curio cabinet
e. Vacuum accessories missing
8. Bath Room
a. Shower hose kinked needs replaced
9. Bed Room
a. Left closet door needs adjusted
10. Chassis
a. Air horn inop
b. Right front brake squealing

[powerboatr]

"8. Bath Room
a. Shower hose kinked needs replaced"

yep ours was kinked from the bracket that holds it up ????

thats quite a list
its good to see the dealer is getting it corrected.

[The Woodieboys]

We now have 21000 miles on our 07 Tuscany with a Cat C7 engine and have had relatively few issues.

1. Cabinet doors were not sanded prior to finishing. Damon stepped to the front and had every one of the doors replaced. All is well

2. Front Dash A/C quite working. Freightliner replaced a crimped o-ring and away we went.

3. Black Flush valve under bathroom sink cabinet cracked spraying water everywhere. Dealer replaced in about half hour.

4. Sealant around slide openings in coach walls seeping out. Dealer clipped the overflow and re-sealed the openings. (too much sealant was used at the factory and the Florida heat caused it to seep out).

5. Microwave quite working. Damon replaced the microwave.

6. Dometic awning did not roll back in during wind storm and awning tore off and bent rear arm. Dometic replaced everything on the awning except the front support arm and tube. bad wind sesnor and controller was the cause (this happened recently and we had to pay labor costs for it of $200)

7. Small air leak caused air tanks to bleed after three days. Freightliner found the leak and replaced the dash guages that had the hairline crack in it (the poor tech crawled around under our coach in the rain for 4 hours with a soap bottle looking for the leak and only checked the guage after being soaked).




We have been very blessed with the coach and the dealer (I hope we are the exception rather than the rule). After pulling several long trips (last one to Key West last month) and a bunch of shorter trups we are still in love with the coach. I cannot complain one bit about any issues we have had or the service we have had from our dealer.

[tthrower]

Powerboatr,

I have leaks in my basement on the driver and passenger side in the front part of the basement. I've tried sealing under the coach, around the firewall area and added some gasket trim to the door. Still have leaks. What did you do to solve your leaks?

Thanks!

Terry

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tthrower Powerboatr, I have leaks in my basement on the driver and passenger side in the front part of the basement. I've tried sealing under the coach, around the firewall area and added some gasket trim to the door. Still have leaks. What did you do to solve your leaks? Thanks! Terry

Water in storage area -Leaking basement doors?

i added two flaps ad sealed all the spot welds

[tthrower]

Thank you Robert for your insight on the leaks. I'm not sure if I understand exactly where you put the flaps you refer to. Do you have a photo by chance? You also mentioned that you have adjusted the doors. Is there a secret to adjusting them? I've looked at them and couldn't figure out how to adjust them.

Thanks again!

Terry

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tthrower Thank you Robert for your insight on the leaks. I'm not sure if I understand exactly where you put the flaps you refer to. Do you have a photo by chance? You also mentioned that you have adjusted the doors. Is there a secret to adjusting them? I've looked at them and couldn't figure out how to adjust them. Thanks again! Terry

we finally returned home i will snap some photos and post em up
the basically right behind the wheel is the metal firewall that has several spot welds in each corner, i found they were leaking
so i sealed them and then put the flaps over that and sealed them so it will divert any direct splashing

as far as teh doors
the swing up ones just loosen the latch catch and slide it in to pull the door in
the swing outs doors are a WHOLE nuther animal....i beefed up the seal with 1/8 clear tubing inside the bulb seal to give it some more Cushion against the door, so far its working
best is to get in the basement and look for light leaks then think like a bug to seal em up.
hopefully your spouse will let you out in time for dinner
we should home a few weeks so i can catch up