Guido & Becky's 2015 Winnebago ERA 70C

[plasma800]

Originally Posted by goreds2

This is an interesting thread about the Era 70C. It will be great once things are in order. It amazes me how totally unorganized dealerships can be. I will only use the word "unorganized". Nice looking unit though! Congratulations to the users on this thread who owns one.

I find it almost unbelievable that they will let your unit simply sit there on their lot while they dilly dally without really informing you up front... but I hear this A LOT... it's almost like the accepted norm now. I don't find it all that acceptable.

I needed a few warranty items on my airstream, but I took it private to a shop I knew from before, paid out of pocket and am now waiting on airstream to reimburse me as I felt the local dealer would so the same... let it sit there for months...

I might be inclined next time to tell them you're full timing in it...

[jww]

Guido,
Sad to hear of your issues with your local dealership. You are more patient than I !
I have studied the ALDE system since our purchase and the winterization process is extremely easy. Surprised, and puzzled as to how it froze, even at the dealership in MO. Is the liquid in the combustion chamber water or glycol (boiler antifreeze)???


Please keep us informed of the ALDE issue, as it is relatively new to the US market to my knowledge.
To this point ours is functioning properly on 120V and/or LP.


Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease !


Best of Luck

[GuidoLyons]

It really felt like a Seinfeld episode, when I called after two weeks only to find out they hadn't even looked at it. So...why did I have to make an appointment and wait three weeks to drop it off, only to have you not look at it for a month?

Once I showed up in person a few times things started moving a bit faster.

So, if you are ever in Corpus Christi, steer clear of Ron Hoover RV.

The level of service (or lack there of) is really, really sad. I know warranty work gets dead last priority, but you'd think they would make an effort for some repeat business. I could have driven to the Winnebago plant in Iowa and had it fixed faster.


I'm just glad we are not on the road and have the luxury of working the bugs out while we are at home.

I know the Alde system is been around Europe for quite awhile, but was new in 2015 for Winnebago. They also have the Truma on demand hot water system for the Travato (not sure why Winnebago would use two different yet similar systems (The Travto is Fiat based versus Mercedes?) . Seems like parts and service would be easier with one system.

The Alde system was one of the primary reasons we chose the 70C. Lots of great reviews and people are very happy with it, including a thread by JWW so I know it will get sorted out.

[TexasSprinter]

I guess I'm a little surprised at a couple aspects of this. Winterizing the Alde doesn't involve the circulation system at all, just the small heater tank. I was surprised at how easy it was to do. Open a drain line and let it go. I did have to add glycol to the circulating system, as it was a little low when delivered from WB.

Which Ron Hoover outlet? We bought ours in the Rio Grande Valley. We've only had a couple of warranty issues and they scheduled us in for the only days we'd be in the valley last winter and had us in and out in a couple of hours. We also had a cracked fiberglass issue with one of the outside compartment doors, and they paid us to have that fixed locally.

[GuidoLyons]

The Ron Hoover here in Corpus.

[Joe Williams]

Great info I just started looking

[GuidoLyons]

JWW and Texas Sprinter if you have your 70C nearby, could you pull the back cover and take a picture of the routing on the exhaust tubing from the Alde to the exhaust vent? I'd like to compare how yours is routed.

The official diagnosis was that the exhaust vent tubing was improperly routed, which allowed water to enter the combustion chamber. So, not a winterization problem, but an exhaust problem.

After a call direct to Winnebago and more gnashing of teeth, the Alde unit was replaced. Now, my one obstacle wonder service techs are waiting on the proper antifreeze/coolant/glycol to refill the hydonicsystem you'd think that would be something they would have considered several months ago when they began the repair.

I stopped by Ron Hoover on Friday, hoping we would be on the home stretch of getting everything wrapped up.

Nope.

So, to add some helpful tech, here is some information about the Alde antifreeze requirments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuddOT7r0-4

BTW if you need some it's G12++ or G13 specification common in VW/Audi/Porsche/Mercedes Pentofrost E is a G13 spec antifreeze that is available at O'reilly Auto Parts probably other autoparts stores, too, but I know O'Reilly has it. 1.5L and 5L sizes

http://www.pentosin.net/specsheets/Pentofrost_E.pdf

[jww]

Sent you an email

[GuidoLyons]

Thanks JWW



That's what I remember how mine was routed before. When I get mine back, I'll take a picture of the "new improved" routing...I think they tucked the exhaust up behind the wooden frame that holds the mixing valve, to give it just a bit of uphill slant to prevent water intrusion/so water can drain out. They just used a plastic zip tie, so I'm going to keep an eye on it, not sure how hot the exhaust gets. I have some metal ties I can use if it feels like it's too hot.

[jww]

Guido,
It will be interesting to see how they route the "new" exhaust. There is a slight amount of slant on the exhaust fixture fastened to the exterior of the Coach. Would not take much for this slant to be overcome by water......Coach being parked on a hill etc.....
I look forward to learning more about this.
Thanks for the detailed info on the antifreeze. I had assumed that the same fluid I used in our previously owned Coach with an AquaHot would work. Not the same spec. so purchased the Pentofrost E at my local auto parts store this morning.
Best regards,

[GuidoLyons]

I got my RV back last week. It took 122 days. I could have driven to Mars and gotten it fixed faster. Needless to say, I won't be going back to Ron Hoover, Corpus Christi TX again. Ever.


So, they fixed the water heater. Yay!
I was not real happy with how they routed the exhaust.
Yes, they raised it up to keep water out, which was good, but they smashed the pipe and secured it with a plastic zip tie. Which was bad. I wasn't sure how hot the exhaust gets, and I also noticed a tear in the hose.





I tried to see if I could route it better, behind the wooden strip, but that was too sharp a bend to match up with the vent. There are actually two hoses, the inner silver hose is the actual exhaust, the outer black hose is the intake. The hose is corrugated, so you can extend and compress it slightly as well as a slight bend here or there. It is fairly fragile, so don't manhandle it. I added some HVAC aluminum tape to patch the hole.



If the vent was mounted a few inches forward it would be perfect. Moving the vent was not a feasible option... so I removed the offending piece of wood. I saw no useful purpose for it, there is no structural reason that I could see, other than to hold up the mixing valve.

$1.50 for a mending plate and a bag of screws:





For the record, I fired up the Alde to check for leaks and let it run for awhile to see how hot the exhaust gets. I used a Ryobi IR thermometer to check. The inner exhaust was about 150*F at the outlet vent. Down by the heater, the external hose was about 120*F, midway it was 100*F and by the time it up to the vent, it cooled down to 90*F.

[GuidoLyons]

After some research on various bike rack options, we decided to get a Fiamma Carry Bike bike rack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNZ6srHGCbE

I also got my Fiamma Carry Bike 200DJ mounted up. It's been sitting here in my floor since May waiting patiently...

I called and ordered mine from:

Jeff Roberts
Sales/Technical Service
Fiamma Inc.
PH (407)-672-0091
FX (407)-672-0093
http://www.fiammausa.com/


It looks like they've updated the website since then, when I called the 200DJ was not listed on the website, but they had them in stock. Looks like now they have updated the website.
Fiamma Inc. - Products

I have not even mounted a bike on the rack yet, but I was really impressed with the overall fit, finish, and construction of the Fiamma. It took about 3 hours at a leisurely pace, basic hand tools, and a drill with 1/4"/6mm bit.

The instructions, not so much. I think they use the same guy that writes Ikea instructions.

After a dry fit to check placement, it was time to drill 2 holes in my new RV
The mounting rails clamp to the door, but the bottom rail gets 2 bolts through the door, too.







Good design or happenstance? I'm not sure which, but in the down position, the rack just touches the door bumper ~180* open with the door strap unlatched.



You do have to pop off the interior door panel to remove the door bumper (the top rail crossed right at the same location on the door) and to secure the 2 bolts from the inside. I added some sealant to keep water out and used blue Loc-Tite to make sure everything stays tight.

[jww]

Guido,
Thanks for the follow-up on the Alde replacement. I think you made the correct decision to alter the wooden support for the mixing valve. Getting it away from the exhaust/intake is smart!
I am undecided about how I am going to pursue the water protrusion issue. Obviously a longer intake/exhaust tube is needed to reroute.
So far my Alde is preforming as designed. Time will tell.
Thanks

[GuidoLyons]

Did a trip up the Kerrville in the Hill Country of central Texas this weekend for the "Texas W [Winnebago Club] Fall Rally". We had a good time, weather was nice and cool, we met a lot of nice, friendly RVrs.





The 70C was nice and smooth, everything worked great...even the heat worked great. It got into the mid-40s! brrrrrrr!

We have added 2 self inflating mats from ALPS to make the bed more comfortable. They don't take much room and really make the bed more comfortable. (before we put the sheets on)