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Old 07-17-2017, 04:09 PM   #1
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Need advice on Thor

Hi!
We are on the market for a motorhome with bunk bed. We've seen the Thor ACE 30.2 or the hurricane / windsport 34J.
I have read A LOT on the issue with this brand. My main concern is the full wall slide. I don't know if it is "safe". It seem to be a very huge moving part prone to problems.
So, is Thor a really bad choice, or do we see a lot of problems because as an affordable brand, there is more Thor coach on the market and hence more problems?
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Old 07-17-2017, 05:59 PM   #2
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You are very correct about more units = more warranty issues, while percent stays the same. Thor Motor Coach (TMC) is no worse than any of the other mass production makers for issues at delivery.

Another part of the new RV experience is based on the dealer. A great dealer will properly prep the RV for pick-up and repair what goes wrong properly after delivery. Unfortunately, there are too many dealers that do not do a great job in these areas.

These point are true of any and all brands. So much so that owners of several premium motorhome brands make an annual pilgrimage to the factory service center...they even have pet names for this Mecca. You can see these pet names in those owner's forums. TMC also has a factory service center that has rave reviews if that become a need.

The 3 TMC lines mentioned are the "entry level" gas coaches (ACE, WindSport, and Hurricane). These are beautiful and affordable RV's.
And being entry level just means that there are less options than the Miramar and Challenger...plus, the ACE has been North America's best selling gas Class A for the last 4 years.

These RV's are made with commonly available components and are easy and affordable to repair - unlike brands that use proprietary parts and systems

Having said all that...The buyer of ANY motorhome should have "eyes wide open" and double check everything in the coach before closing the purchase. The dealer should provide a Pre-Delivery Inspection where the buyer can check everything. We did not accept our RV until every item on our check was corrected. If there are parts to order, the buyer must decide the correct path, but if repairs are done after pick-up, the buyer has lost the pressure provided from the sales staff.

Pick the RV that YOU like...that's what matters.
TMC offers motorhomes with most everything as standard equipment (few optional items). They pre-sell every RV built, to a dealer (no special/custom orders & no debt). And there is no factory pick-up. All these things help keep price points as low as you will see in the industry.

Finally, about the cliche' term "Thor Quality": Thor RV is many-many brands from Airstream to Coleman, Entegra to TMC, and Dutchman to DRV Luxury Suites. That should say something not often said about quality.
https://www.thorindustries.com/get-t...the-companies/

Best luck
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Old 07-17-2017, 07:50 PM   #3
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Excellent reply.

Climbing on my soapbox to talk about slides. I have a love/hate relationship with slides.

I love the open space that only a slide can provide.

I hate that umbilical cord that connects the coach to the slide. The issues: poor workmanship leaving a sloppy job for problems to occur or you to fix. The cord interferes with the seals on entry level rv's.

The seals: again poor workmanship will allow water and bugs inside the rv.

The slide mechanism: the motors are hidden making repairs difficult. The controls are complex and expensive.

The rollers: cheap, plastic and sized just big enough to last for only a while.

Now here is where people talk about how wonderful their slides work and denial of the numerous problems people have posted begins...
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Old 07-17-2017, 08:00 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biggcrisp View Post
Excellent reply.

Climbing on my soapbox to talk about slides. I have a love/hate relationship with slides.

I love the open space that only a slide can provide.

I hate that umbilical cord that connects the coach to the slide. The issues: poor workmanship leaving a sloppy job for problems to occur or you to fix. The cord interferes with the seals on entry level rv's.

The seals: again poor workmanship will allow water and bugs inside the rv.

The slide mechanism: the motors are hidden making repairs difficult. The controls are complex and expensive.

The rollers: cheap, plastic and sized just big enough to last for only a while.

Now here is where people talk about how wonderful their slides work and denial of the numerous problems people have posted begins...
It seems that this post was missing something like:

There are only two types of slides: Those that have leaked and those that will leak.

Or maybe: There are only two types of slides, those that have failed and those that will fail...

Something like that. It definitely seems that there is a love/hate relationship with slides in RVs.
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Old 07-18-2017, 05:57 PM   #5
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I agree with Scarab0088 post totally.
I have a 2015 Hurricane 34 F with a full wall side. Fortunatly it has the newer Lippert design on it with 6 tracks and motors. I ended up buying it in 2016 as a used unit with 7000 miles on it. The slide so far(knock on wood) I have not had any problems however I would be lying if I told you I was not nervous about extending and retracting it. I have read the many horror stories about the Lippert full wall slides as well but it seems like they are on the pre 2015 models with only 4 tracks and motors.
I always either have the gen running or am on shore power before extending or retracting it and I make sure I sync the motors .We are happy with our Hurricane and just completed 3100 mile trip to Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore and it performed very well. However I have added many modifications for handling , performance ( 5 star tune) and interior mods. IMO the Ace/Windsport/Hurricane line is a good value for your $$. Good luck with whatever you decide.
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Old 07-19-2017, 06:16 AM   #6
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hi rdd001. thank you for your coment; what is th 5 star tune about and how it increase your performance/mpg?
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Old 07-19-2017, 07:55 AM   #7
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5 star tune reprograms the engine from the stock configuration and changes the shift points (much smoother) and gives you an increase in hp,torque and I have seen a .4 mpg since installing. There a many post about it on this site. Also there are several YouTube videos as well. It is expensive I paid $429.00 with the IRV2 discount but worth it IMO.
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Old 07-19-2017, 02:41 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by rdd001 View Post
5 star tune reprograms the engine from the stock configuration and changes the shift points (much smoother) and gives you an increase in hp,torque and I have seen a .4 mpg since installing. There a many post about it on this site. Also there are several YouTube videos as well. It is expensive I paid $429.00 with the IRV2 discount but worth it IMO.
To piggyback on this. I did not see much of a difference with the Cheap Handling Fix (google if you don't know), but the 5 star tune is noticeable!
Our ACE drives completely different with it. I am unsure of the mpg savings. But is drives quieter and the transmission always seems to know what it is doing. No horrendous downshifts when trying to gently accelerate.
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Old 07-19-2017, 04:22 PM   #9
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Just to clarify I got 7.4 mpg with the 5 star tune and 7.0 mpg without it.
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Old 07-19-2017, 05:07 PM   #10
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I've had my 5 star tune for over 15K miles, with out 1 single problem. I haven't noticed any gas milage improvement, but more power and smoother shifting still makes it worth the investment cost.
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Old 07-22-2017, 06:51 PM   #11
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I have 2015 ace 30.2 enjoy it.
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