Re: 2010 Jayco Seneca 36 MS
I can relate to the Jayco owners' complaints. Won't bore you with the nitty gritty stupid design found in our new Jayco, but would like some help/advice. The sewer line termination is one of the most stupidly designed features I've found. The sewer hose makes an S curve to go down through a heavy PVC tube mounted under the hatch where the line and water connections are located. It would have been very simple to have the hose drop straight down through a port (if one had been made!) so there would be no S bend/curve in the hose. This also prevents (as far as I can determine...but if someone has an idea, I'm open to it) attaching a clear acrylic piece so the black water can be monitored when flushing/draining these (there are 2 sets of black & gray tanks) tanks. Have tried connecting a 45 acrylic piece, but this creates a hump that backs up black and gray water.
Also if anyone has this coach w/2 sets of tanks, would appreciate it if you'd tell me which handles operate which gate valves. I have a back bath and a side bath (toilet & sink only). Have only had this coach a few weeks and still experimenting to find out which pulls operate which gate valves.
You'd think the jerks @ Jayco would be a bit more specific when they tag these, but let's face it: The "designers" and "engineers" never use the bloody things...they use computer model design, not common sense.
The nifty pantry w/4 pull out drawers is another dumb design: When turning or on rough road (what roads aren't rough?), the drawers come rolling out, slam against the door and force it open! Am having dealer come up with something to prevent this.
Here's my recent newspaper column about this. Sorry for the glitch, but think you'll get the gist of it. Title: Do these people ever use the products they build?
Recently we bought a new RV. It's bigger, has some good
features and cost a lot more. We're using it for extended travel
and for my writing assignments that generate topics for this column.
You'd think when someone spends a boat load of money for
something; a car, house, RV or anything else, they could expect
to take possession of a product that meets the quality and design
hype manufacturers advertise.
Wrong!
How many poorly designed features have you experienced
because some overpaid designer or engineer came up with
something they haven't a clue whether or not it makes sense? I . RVs ,fU"f,.marvelsof ~ scaled d~wn house complete Wth mul-
;
ttple baihiooms, AC,kitchens WIth the latest gadgetry for gourmet
cooking and all the other cool things found in a house. .
But they also come with the same problems: Leaky plumb-
.
ing because someone was in a hurry to get off work and screwed
on a connection that cracked and flooded a bathroom (yep, it
happened to us). Just like a modern home we have a neat pantry
)
with sliding drawers that can store all sorts of spices and other
stuff. But when you make a turn or ride a rough road (what road
isn't rough?), the drawers slam forward popping open the door
creating a mess if someone isn't there to stop everything from
crashing to the floor.
This latter experience happened recently when we were
.
returning from the maiden trip to test our new RY. My wife had
to sit on the floor against the pantry door so the drawers wouldn't
pop it open as they slid forward when I made a turn!
A great design, huh?
You gotta wonder if the wizards who design these things ever
use them in real life situations. I doubt it. They probably put
them on a "test track" that's smooth as glass, has no bumps and
perfectly engineered turns that meet Indy 500 standards. After
such a test, they crow about their accomplishment.
How about stocking the thing with all the stuff RVers take,
driving them on a highway, use the facilities, hook up water
lines
; holding tank flushing lines and then hope everything
doesn't flood or come flying out of the pantry?
These people are like those who write instructions on how to
assemble something. They haven't a bloody clue how to assem-
;
ble (orin the RV instance use) the thing they designed. And to
make matters worse, they can't write instructions that make any
sense because they don't know how to do it!
.
Our RV manufacturer likes to tout its "Amish quality." We all
know Amish folk are terrific craftsmen who take pride in their
work. That's fine as far as it goes. The cabinetry so far seems to
be quality. But that's the only part the Amish influence comes
into play. The Amish didn't botch the plumbing connection that·
flooded our bathroom. The Amish didn't design the pantry that
won't stay shut because the drawers slam against it when turning
or on a rough road~
Perhaps this is the reason so many things are built in foreign
countries
. They've seen the sloppy work and poor design and
found ways to make something better. (Except for Toyota who
seems to have fallen into the trap of poor design.) On the other
hand, we are also flooded with cheap stuff from Communist
China made in shops where automatons work ungodly hours for
pennies a day.
I wonder how long it will be before a foreign made RV hits
the mark.et. Just think of the potential market for something that
has better quality control and has been tested by putting it in
service as a true RVer would.
In the meantime: Buyer beware!
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