Quote:
Originally Posted by HarleyOutlaw
While I'm thinking about it.............
How many folks on here actually live in their Outlaw full time?
|
We are just over one full year fully full-time in our 2015 Outlaw 38RE.
Any frustrations with Thor are well within the bounds of our expectations given the RV industry as we know it, the Outlaw's price-point, and our experience living full-time in three 40' - 42' Class A coaches.
So far, there has been NO need to take the Outlaw back to the factory !
We DID have to travel to Chino, CA, to the Alfa factory with our then brand new 2001 Alfa 40' See Ya SN#8. We spent FIVE days achieving repairs and the 43 "service bulletins" that needed to be applied. Yet, Alfa still needed to send us next to the Oakland Freightliner Truck Shop for another multi-day appointment! After a six week delay on their "RV waiting list," the rest of the needed work was performed, including "leveling the coach's airbag suspension." After > 5,000 very dangerous miles, leveling allowed our coach to finally ride safely at highway speeds. When we sold that pusher, the buyer got a fully functional and safe Class A. Lessons: Don't buy a single digit serial number - let the factory work out initial production issues. And, if you buy a diesel pusher, be prepared as an RV owner at Big Truck Depots for LONG waits.
We also had to travel to the Nappanee, IN factory with our then brand new 2008 Newmar Allstar 4257 42' Toyhauler. At the time, I thought that a much more expensive pusher from a "Highline" manufacturer, delivered through a great dealership, should have left us with many fewer frustrations. We paid more than twice as much for the Newmar, and we did have far fewer than half as many issues than with the Alfa - but we still needed a factory trip "for formal approval to carry our Smartcar in the 4257 garage." This after we bought the 4257 specifically on the basis of Newmar distributing advertising photos showing a Smartcar being hauled inside their 4257! As far as I know, we were the only owners ever to actually receive such a Newmar factory "letter of approval." Before selling the 4257, we did blow the turbo output casting leading to more than a month long repair between the Newmar dealership and the Cummins diesel shop. Lessons: Don't trust any RV manufacturer, and be prepared as an RV owner at Big Truck Depots for LONG waits.
Again, so far, we have had no need for a factory repair visit with our Outlaw 38RE.
However, for perspective, our satisfaction with this Thor product is based on buying our coach knowing we would potentially need to self-solve a long list of "improvement opportunities," some identified before coach acquisition, but most identified only by living in the motorhome. You need a full set of tools. You must also stock on-board a good inventory of nuts, bolts, screws and hardware supplies adequate for daily projects.
We redesigned our 38RE kitchen to integrate an upgraded microwave that adds the convection oven feature. We pulled out the gas oven in favor of a premium stainless steel three burner gas cooktop which made room below the cooktop for our Vesta dishwasher. Above the kitchen cabinets, the factory DVD player was upgraded to Blu-Ray.
Dishwasher and Convection Microwave
The rear patio deck was re-engineered with a block-and-tackle, enhanced hinge springs, a reversed railing gate, and low railing bars recently added for small dog safety. The deck surface was water-sealed along all the outer edges and all hardware brackets so the deck structure does not become filled with water and rot when the deck is left open in the rain. (See photos in the new MODS post for the reversed gate. One can now actually use the hand rail with a gate that opens outward.)
Preload Deck Springs
Block and Tackle
Block and Tackle Storage
Waterproofing the Deck Surface
Small Dog Deck Mods
Reversed Deck Gate
We gutted the 38RE's living area - the uncomfortable sofa was removed and replaced with two VERY comfortable Ikea chairs, a low side-table / storage cabinet and a pull-out pantry built from a 37LS pantry core acquired from Thor by our dealer.
Chairs/Table/Pantry
Where the oversized dinette arrived from the factory, we now have two bar stools and an Ikea bar-height table (widened 50% by adding a custom hinged drop leaf - photos to follow soon on the MODs thread).
A movable stainless steel kitchen island (adding more kitchen storage plus a coffee bar and prep counter) occupies the balance of the space liberated by gutting the uncomfortable factory dinette.
The Thor factory mattress was tossed and replaced with a pair of Ikea twin mattresses plus foam pads. The Ikea twins are a few inches undersized compared with the industry, so the Ikea pair are only slightly wider than the Thor factory "king" which was seriously more narrow than an industry king (an industry king mattress will NOT fit in a 38RE).
The air conditioning was redesigned. We starting with an upgrade of both factory units to high capacity heat pumps, swapped by our dealer prior to coach delivery. The rear AC unit's ducts were completely redesigned and extended to fully supply conditioned air to the 38RE bedroom, not just supply air to the sitting area (while freezing the front bathroom).
ALL six ceiling ducts were found to significantly leak AC air pressure into the roof insulation cavity at both AC points-of-supply, failing to deliver much of their conditioned air to the coach's interior living space. Once all the ducts were sealed, the two main AC units easily match our front-to-back cooling demands w/o need for running the 5000 BTU 3rd AC (which can still be run at lower electricity usage for quiet sleeping if desired).
We added a small GE dehumidifier from Home Depot to improve humid sleeping conditions on nights when it is not warm enough to run the AC.
The "computer desk" in front of the passenger chair was upgraded, replaced with a much larger work surface that is now credible for dual-head computing. Besides computer hardware, it provides a surface area large enough for papers and pens plus a drink glass and plate of food. The associated passenger chair was modified so both the rotation and forward-back levers will allow one much more easily to sit down, rotate forward, and then slide up to the desk surface.
All 5 pee-traps were upgraded to improve under-sink storage and integrate true Studor valves (the cheap factory air relief valves leaked creating odors). Solar powered roof fans were added on top of both plumbing vent stacks. These tiny fans were modified to run 24 hours a day from coach 12VDC providing constant negative pressure on all three holding tanks. Additional negative pressure blowers were added to the rear tank's dump compartment to negate further any possibility of tank odors entering the coach's living space.
We did have to return to Danville, VA for our windshield leak repair. It was removed and re-installed, fixing the widely reported leaks. Work was performed at our dealer's glass subcontractor shop.
Danville Windshield Repair
Our second year aboard holds plans to replace the kitchen sink and kitchen counter, add more shelves in several of the pantries, and refit the pantry under the main TV with an electric fireplace module before next winter.
Downstairs, only a few of the compartments have final fitup - one compartment every month or two seems to be our pace.
Jeff Riplinger, 2013 Outlaw, 2014 Sportster 1200, 2007 Sportster 883, 1985 Goldwing, 2006 YZ250f,
Linear Mode
