Tuscany Owners

[powerboatr]

These Astoria folks are starting to make me feel lonely

You fellow Tuscany folks need to pipe up and say howdy

[gbburgess]

How about us Tuscany want-to-be's. We are looking to purchase in the spring when the money and the weather are more hospitable. For now our Georgetown 373 will get us to Florida and back this winter.
Ed and Barb
2007 Georgetown 373 xl
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport

[gmullen]

Howdy, We have our second Tuscany on order. Ordered the 2014 44MT with Euro Chairs and table with four chairs. Came off the line Dec. 12th and moved to paint. They say it will be completed mid to late Jan. Dealer in Elkhart says he needs a week to prep and add the extras we ordered. Hope the weather is better when they call. Attached photo showing color of new Coach.

[SteveOGilroy]

Originally Posted by powerboatr

These Astoria folks are starting to make me feel lonely

You fellow Tuscany folks need to pipe up and say howdy

Powerboater, don't fell lonely. We read all your postings and appreciate them. Now about the seats....We are upgrading to a totally different seat with really ultra-leather and adjustable arms plus foot rest and power lumbar.....

New tires this year, the current ones are date coded 2007. Think we'll go up a size to 275R70 22.5 from the 255R 70. Michelin or Goodyear?

Looking at solar. Do you have solar? Your in TX correct? There should be some sun there.

Now post even more, and yes more pictures.


Steve

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by gmullen

Howdy, We have our second Tuscany on order. Ordered the 2014 44MT with Euro Chairs and table with four chairs. Came off the line Dec. 12th and moved to paint. They say it will be completed mid to late Jan. Dealer in Elkhart says he needs a week to prep and add the extras we ordered. Hope the weather is better when they call. Attached photo showing color of new Coach.

very nice

[smikles]

Howdy, we just bought our first Tuscany in Oct. So far so good.

[Mac99]

We are all here, just reading and learning and enjoying the process. I have an
08 Tuscany 4076 and am getting ready for new tires as well. I was cautioned
by the tire folks that I should stay with the same tire size. They said changing
size could be problematic for the ECM on the engine. I'm staying with
Goodyears, yes I've had some rivering, but I've had zero sidewall cracks
and no other issues. Been thru two windshields with rock strikes, but thanks
to Nationwide Ins, has not cost me a nickel. It's been a good experience over
4+ years and 56,000 miles. Lets all get together in Myrtle Beach !

[Joerpilot]

We picked up our 2014 Tuscany 36MQ in December and really like it! Went on a short shakedown trip over new years. When friends asked how our trip went. I say "The weather was lousy, the campground was marginal, and we had a Great Time. Taking it back to MHSRV for a short list of squaks in Feb. the factory didn't hook up the heater duct in the bathroom and the central vacuum. One cabinet hinge and the drivers mirror works loose. We are really looking forward to our first big trip in March.

[EDALLSAILS]

Maybe we're over at the THOR Diesel Club? The Damons owners merged with the New Thor diesel Club because Thor bought Damon. Many Tuscany owners there along with Mandalay owners. safe travels... ed

[ARollingHome]

We are out there Powerboatr, lurking just beyond the back driveway. Love our Tuscany and have had some small challenges but nothing too big to handle. Changed out the big window blind with a Shade-O-Matic, fit real well behind the valance and trim and was able to match the colour of the original blind. Previous owner changed out the Goodyear steering axle tires after first year, and this fall I replaced the Chinese tires he had put on (sidewall cracks), with Hankook's.

[buckeyeduffer]

We are here as well Powerboatr. As someone else said we are always reading everything you post.

Just topped 63.0k miles on our 08 Tuscany and still having to fix a bunch of small stuff following every trip. Most exasperating is the storm of minor electrical issues we have had to fix. Headlights, video camera, power blinds, outlets, switches (propane valve, water pump, generator start, leveling system, power step motor, etc). Have had to rebuild one of the HVAC's only to find out there are no spare parts available for the Carriers. Seat upholstery is a mess as everyone else is experiencing with Damons junk. Will have to replace soon as they are beginning to look like s___.

On a positive note the chassis systems are performing beautifully. We make it a point to get it serviced every 12 months in Gaffney and are very pleased with their service and the experience. The Cummins ISC is performing wonderfully. I have never even seen the engine and absolutely no problems. Runs like a dream and with power to spare. Sweet spot seems to be about 72 mph and we let her run in spite of the 6.5 - 7.0 mpg. The original Goodyears made it to 55.0k miles and were ugly from rivering at that point. Replaced them with Michelins and the ride improved 100% even with 115 psi tire pressure.

Researching now to determine the possibility of chipping the Cummins. I would like to improve the fuel consumption if at all possible, and some reports say it is no problem at all to jump the horse power up to around 425.

So -- that's our Tuscany health report. We are OK with and have enjoyed the unit but at our age and income will likely not upgrade, and would not ever buy or recommend buying a Damon or Thor product again.

Thanks for sharing all the stuff you do and if you happen to get to NW Tucson please stop in.

[MuckSavage]

Originally Posted by Joerpilot

We picked up our 2014 Tuscany 36MQ in December and really like it! Went on a short shakedown trip over new years. When friends asked how our trip went. I say "The weather was lousy, the campground was marginal, and we had a Great Time. Taking it back to MHSRV for a short list of squaks in Feb. the factory didn't hook up the heater duct in the bathroom and the central vacuum. One cabinet hinge and the drivers mirror works loose. We are really looking forward to our first big trip in March.

Joerpilot.....can you elaborate? Where was the hose not connected? On the vent or at the heater? I have the same problem.....It's cold in the bathroom!!!!

[SteveOGilroy]

Sandy and Roy, That is interesting. We have an 08 Astoria 3786 PE with the Cummings ISB 340HP with 42K miles. We also think the Freightliner chassis is great. So far zero chassis problems. I'll try to be at Gaffney for the 50K miles service.

We have had two electrical issues, both minor but signs of poor engineering or quality control at Damon. 1) The entry step was intermittent. I fixed it by moving the ground from the step box to the frame several years ago and that no problem since. 2) The front sun screen switch was intermittent. The wire connections and the switch were not snapped in firmly, once done, the switch works.

Mileage: We find that a slower pace, 55-60 MPH gives us a good mid 9MPG. On flat roads at 55 I have hit a calculated (not the engine read out which I is often higher) 10MPG! for a tank.... still the average is mid 9MPG. When I increase my speed to 70MPH my mileage drops to 7. Our toad is relatively lite, a Toyota Avalon. Our Gross weight is 33K (GCWR) so our mileage should be a little better.

Tires, yes we also have the Goodyear G670. I'll be replacing them with Michelin this year. Which Michelin tires do you have? I'm looking at the XZE. Is that what you have? Besides the improved ride, have you seen a change in the mileage?

Seats: We fell in love with a Tiffin Pheaton 40QBH .... until the dealer said he'd take our poor flaky seats (and motorhome) off our hands and for just $200K more we could drive off in the dream motorhome. So we looked around the Tiffin and decided that for about $10K we could up grade our rig and bank $190K. I have new seats (real ultra-leather not the Damon formula) with power lumbar, foot rest and swivel ready for install on Friday. Next will be the MCD blinds to replace the original garbage, the new tires, and a desk work station to replace one of the sofas. Big project year for us.

Really interested in your tires.

Thanks,
Steve of Gilroy CA

[buckeyeduffer]

Originally Posted by SteveOGilroy

Sandy and Roy, That is interesting. We have an 08 Astoria 3786 PE with the Cummings ISB 340HP with 42K miles. We also think the Freightliner chassis is great. So far zero chassis problems. I'll try to be at Gaffney for the 50K miles service.

We have had two electrical issues, both minor but signs of poor engineering or quality control at Damon. 1) The entry step was intermittent. I fixed it by moving the ground from the step box to the frame several years ago and that no problem since. 2) The front sun screen switch was intermittent. The wire connections and the switch were not snapped in firmly, once done, the switch works.

Mileage: We find that a slower pace, 55-60 MPH gives us a good mid 9MPG. On flat roads at 55 I have hit a calculated (not the engine read out which I is often higher) 10MPG! for a tank.... still the average is mid 9MPG. When I increase my speed to 70MPH my mileage drops to 7. Our toad is relatively lite, a Toyota Avalon. Our Gross weight is 33K (GCWR) so our mileage should be a little better.

Tires, yes we also have the Goodyear G670. I'll be replacing them with Michelin this year. Which Michelin tires do you have? I'm looking at the XZE. Is that what you have? Besides the improved ride, have you seen a change in the mileage?

Seats: We fell in love with a Tiffin Pheaton 40QBH .... until the dealer said he'd take our poor flaky seats (and motorhome) off our hands and for just $200K more we could drive off in the dream motorhome. So we looked around the Tiffin and decided that for about $10K we could up grade our rig and bank $190K. I have new seats (real ultra-leather not the Damon formula) with power lumbar, foot rest and swivel ready for install on Friday. Next will be the MCD blinds to replace the original garbage, the new tires, and a desk work station to replace one of the sofas. Big project year for us.

Really interested in your tires.

Thanks,
Steve of Gilroy CA

Steve:

Per the invoice (did not look at tires as the Tuscany is over in storage) the Michelin's we installed are 275/70R22.5(J) MI XZA2 NRG . I am not sure if this helps you any and have not taken the time to research and see what the numbers mean. I do know that we have the powder balance installed in the tires and despite the many negative thing I hear about that system, we are extremely pleased. The ride has improved so much that it makes the driving experience a pure pleasure compared to the Goodyear s. We run them at 115 PSI (vice the 110 PSI recommended by the Michelin dealer) based on advice from a nephew who owns and operates over the road trucks and operates nothing but Michelin's.

Interesting that you mentioned the Pheaton. We too looked at them a few months ago and were very close to closing the deal, as I badly wanted the tag-axle and Sandy wanted the aqua hot system. But after weighing all -- we came to the same conclusion you did. Just was not worth the additional investment at our age, and since we still like our sticks and bricks home, we have decided to upgrade the Tuscany as necessary and when we are done park it in front of the rest-home, give them the keys, and tell them to give us a room.

PS: What are the MCD blinds? We too would like to replace these accordion creatures in our rig.

PS-2: Be sure to schedule your Gaffney visit several week ahead of time as frequently their schedule will not merge well with your travel plans. We sat in their campground for nearly a week last time as I had fumbled the scheduling routine.

Best to you -- Rv_