Purchasing New 30.2

[snoodledog]

Originally Posted by Rampncamp

Well after a rocky start, a cheerful mid-section and a not so good finish, we are home with our new ACE. Let me preface anything else by saying that the coach is beautiful; in and out, the intricacies are wonderful.
Now for the downside.
MHSRV needs to address their service. Took the whole day to address what minor issues needed to be addressed and then left the two major issues unresolved a poor excuse and a band-aid fix.
The first we discovered 2 miles from, already on the way home. Out of no where the dash blower fan began screaming (scared the kagebbers out of my son). Went back. They took the dash on the passenger side apart only to spray a little silicone on the fan. Then the tech couldn't get the laptop table top of the dash to close due to the electrical plug (which I'm more than sure he had replaced incorrectly). So they cut it down (??!). Two hours later back on the road. Two hours further along and same screaming. The sound was that of metal on metal. Hmm you think maybe just a bad fan motor which would have been a simple fix since the whole dash was apart. Nope they chose band-aid fix so had to spend a whole day at Camping World addressing same issue. The other was, and this one is ridiculous. During our stay we noticed that with the water heater on and 4 tvs. Let me add that these were LCD and ranging in size from 16 inch to 29 inch, the tv's would suddenly turn off. checked all breakers, fuses, gfci plug and all good. Even went so far as to testing all other plugs in the unit which turned out to be working. 20 minutes later uneventfully the tvs came back on. The tech and the svc manager both suggested, just a normal Thor wiring issue. and we were drawing to much amperage with the tv's and water heater!!?? wow!!what?? Camping world svc manager had same reaction. They attempted to reproduce but couldn't. However, they recognize it to be an issue so if it occurs again I know where to go. The one last issue which is Ford, is the steering wheel is cantered about 5 to 8 degrees to the right. So whilst you're driving straight down the road its somewhat awkward to hold steering wheel in that position. The only ford dealer in the area that deals with this chassis do not have the capabilities to correct. Not sure what to do about that one.
In closing the coach is beautiful, we even have a direct line thru a cell phone to a Thor rep who answers the phone and we are thoroughly looking forward to our first trip.

We just got our ACE 30.2 and had the same problem. On our first outing we had ac running and I turned on the hot water heater (electric). After some other check i was setting up TV on the Campground Cable and notice no power to any of the TVs. I check fuses and said a few choice words. Then I remember something for walk throught. The tech told me that the coach has a "green" feature that doesn't allow you to overload the electrical system. I switch off the hot water heater and about 45secs later the TVs came on. I switch the hot water heater back on TV went off again. So i fired up the LP side of the Water Heater and left the electrical side of the hot water heater off.
I would suggest you try that and see if works for you.

[Pounder]

Hello Rampncamp,

I was wondering if they fixed your TV/water heater issue.
We have our Ace 30.2 now as well and are seeing the same problem.

Thx,
Alex.

Originally Posted by Rampncamp

Well after a rocky start, a cheerful mid-section and a not so good finish, we are home with our new ACE. Let me preface anything else by saying that the coach is beautiful; in and out, the intricacies are wonderful.
Now for the downside.
MHSRV needs to address their service. Took the whole day to address what minor issues needed to be addressed and then left the two major issues unresolved a poor excuse and a band-aid fix.
The first we discovered 2 miles from, already on the way home. Out of no where the dash blower fan began screaming (scared the kagebbers out of my son). Went back. They took the dash on the passenger side apart only to spray a little silicone on the fan. Then the tech couldn't get the laptop table top of the dash to close due to the electrical plug (which I'm more than sure he had replaced incorrectly). So they cut it down (??!). Two hours later back on the road. Two hours further along and same screaming. The sound was that of metal on metal. Hmm you think maybe just a bad fan motor which would have been a simple fix since the whole dash was apart. Nope they chose band-aid fix so had to spend a whole day at Camping World addressing same issue. The other was, and this one is ridiculous. During our stay we noticed that with the water heater on and 4 tvs. Let me add that these were LCD and ranging in size from 16 inch to 29 inch, the tv's would suddenly turn off. checked all breakers, fuses, gfci plug and all good. Even went so far as to testing all other plugs in the unit which turned out to be working. 20 minutes later uneventfully the tvs came back on. The tech and the svc manager both suggested, just a normal Thor wiring issue. and we were drawing to much amperage with the tv's and water heater!!?? wow!!what?? Camping world svc manager had same reaction. They attempted to reproduce but couldn't. However, they recognize it to be an issue so if it occurs again I know where to go. The one last issue which is Ford, is the steering wheel is cantered about 5 to 8 degrees to the right. So whilst you're driving straight down the road its somewhat awkward to hold steering wheel in that position. The only ford dealer in the area that deals with this chassis do not have the capabilities to correct. Not sure what to do about that one.
In closing the coach is beautiful, we even have a direct line thru a cell phone to a Thor rep who answers the phone and we are thoroughly looking forward to our first trip.

[Rampncamp]

Well here we are a few months in from purchase and a couple shorty/local trips under our belt. Right now the coach is sitting in the driveway for the first time in quite some time due to repeated trips to the dealer.

What has been corrected to date:
-steering issue; alignment and steering wheel removal to straighten things up. I gotta say it also, and obviously, seems to handle much better.
-sliding door falling out of ceiling took a couple of try's but I think this time they found the aluminum girder that spans the ceiling where it is to be anchored (and not just a handful of screws into ceiling panel).
- A/C was not cooling - replaced thermostat (however I believe this should be a two unit coach, 50amp, since we've found that even in the low 90's, where here in Texas is considered mild, it has difficulties, if not to say, it is incapable of, reaching appropriate indoor temperatures). Putting reflective blinds on windows will hopefully help
- shower is still leaking but I'm going to hit it myself with some silicone as the dealer did not apply a sufficient bead
- what we believed to be a rear monitoring camera issue was diagnosed to be the monitor/screen of the radio itself (one is on order).
- as for the electric portion of the water heater - interestingly a Thor rep explained to me over the phone that it should not have been a feature on this model due to it having only 30 amp capabilities. Had never heard the 'evergreen' term, but when I mentioned this to the service manager there they discovered that the unit has a 'power management system'. Not sure why Thor rep did not know this?? This causes the power to cut off and be delivered to where it is needed without tripping a breaker or popping a fuse. So they simply took the TV from the living room off that circuit and ran it to another and bingo bango, problem fixed. I can now run all but the microwave with the electric water heater on.

Have a few trips coming up to include a long road trip. I'm hoping at some point to breath and not feel apprehensive that yet another issue rears its ugly head. On the bright side, the Camping World is not shy of getting dirty and not only addressing the issues I bring to them, but also in discovering others all on their own.

Hope this helps.

[Pounder]

Thank you for the update. It is very helpful.
I have my own list that I am compiling. Because our dealer (General RV) is 4 hours away I am hoping a closer Thor dealer can help me out.

What is really strange is that the cabinets have been mounted so crookedly. I still can't understand why they do this!

Originally Posted by Rampncamp

Well here we are a few months in from purchase and a couple shorty/local trips under our belt. Right now the coach is sitting in the driveway for the first time in quite some time due to repeated trips to the dealer.

What has been corrected to date:
-steering issue; alignment and steering wheel removal to straighten things up. I gotta say it also, and obviously, seems to handle much better.
-sliding door falling out of ceiling took a couple of try's but I think this time they found the aluminum girder that spans the ceiling where it is to be anchored (and not just a handful of screws into ceiling panel).
- A/C was not cooling - replaced thermostat (however I believe this should be a two unit coach, 50amp, since we've found that even in the low 90's, where here in Texas is considered mild, it has difficulties, if not to say, it is incapable of, reaching appropriate indoor temperatures). Putting reflective blinds on windows will hopefully help
- shower is still leaking but I'm going to hit it myself with some silicone as the dealer did not apply a sufficient bead
- what we believed to be a rear monitoring camera issue was diagnosed to be the monitor/screen of the radio itself (one is on order).
- as for the electric portion of the water heater - interestingly a Thor rep explained to me over the phone that it should not have been a feature on this model due to it having only 30 amp capabilities. Had never heard the 'evergreen' term, but when I mentioned this to the service manager there they discovered that the unit has a 'power management system'. Not sure why Thor rep did not know this?? This causes the power to cut off and be delivered to where it is needed without tripping a breaker or popping a fuse. So they simply took the TV from the living room off that circuit and ran it to another and bingo bango, problem fixed. I can now run all but the microwave with the electric water heater on.

Have a few trips coming up to include a long road trip. I'm hoping at some point to breath and not feel apprehensive that yet another issue rears its ugly head. On the bright side, the Camping World is not shy of getting dirty and not only addressing the issues I bring to them, but also in discovering others all on their own.

Hope this helps.

[Rampncamp]

Gave it a good wash today and when my wife went inside to fit a new windscreen sunshade we discovered the current to be wet. Investigated the origin and discovered it dripping from the top near the center of the windshield. Investigated a little further and realized that the rubber seal surrounding the outside of the windshield is far from sealing anything. I can stick my whole finger down into it with any difficulty. Going to try and remedy it myself with a bead of silicone and keep my fingers crossed thats where it's coming from and not from the bulk head.

[Rampncamp]

Anybody have any experience/thoughts with 303 Aerospace UV Protectant on gel-coat?

[snoodledog]

Originally Posted by Rampncamp

Gave it a good wash today and when my wife went inside to fit a new windscreen sunshade we discovered the current to be wet. Investigated the origin and discovered it dripping from the top near the center of the windshield. Investigated a little further and realized that the rubber seal surrounding the outside of the windshield is far from sealing anything. I can stick my whole finger down into it with any difficulty. Going to try and remedy it myself with a bead of silicone and keep my fingers crossed thats where it's coming from and not from the bulk head.

We had almost the same leak. I also noticed a gap in rubber seal. It is at the dealer now getting fix. Picking it up on Thursday and out camping Saturday. Hope to drive through some rain to see if it is fixed.

[Pounder]

Hi,

I was wondering if you are able to turn your driver captain chair more then 90 degrees. I am not. The drivers armrest gets stuck against the steering wheel. I was wondering if that is my RV or just all the 30.2's.

Thank you.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Pounder

Hi,

I was wondering if you are able to turn your driver captain chair more then 90 degrees. I am not. The drivers armrest gets stuck against the steering wheel. I was wondering if that is my RV or just all the 30.2's.

Thank you.

Pounder,

This is very common in many gas chassis RV's.

There might be a answer...Once the chair is facing the passenger side of the coach...
1. If you have a tilt steering wheel, tilt it (up or down) to the position with the least amount of contact with the seat...
2. Lower the armrest...
3. Tilt the seat-back as far FORWARD as it will go...
4. And finally, slide the seat as far FORWARD as it will go on the seat base slide...

...In this position, the seat might be able to rotate to face to the rear.

It is normal if the rear of the seat-back is tight to the steering wheel when facing to the rear...adjust as needed for seating comfort.

Best luck

[snoodledog]

Originally Posted by Pounder

Hi,

I was wondering if you are able to turn your driver captain chair more then 90 degrees. I am not. The drivers armrest gets stuck against the steering wheel. I was wondering if that is my RV or just all the 30.2's.

Thank you.

Mine is the same. No matter how you try it will not turn. I have read other posts that someone replace the sofa with a different type. That mod allows the passenger chair to spin all the way around.

[Rampncamp]

Another notch on the tablet of issues. While attempting to level out after just arriving for a weekend trip, the jack motor burnt out...hydraulic fluid blew off the cap of the manual override and smoked poured out for a good hour after that. That was the end of that. With two of the four legs down and the other two half way down, I no longer had any hydraulics. After some humming and hawing managed to manually elevate them. Spent the night leaning to one side. Had to cut the trip short. Contacted Thor who had a new pump assembly over nighted to my residence. A mobile tech was approved to make my location and swap them out.
Wish they had put more attention into initial assembly as they do in the effort they make to address failures. Just can't figure it. Why we're experiencing what are new components giving out like this. New pump assembly dialed in and settin to hit the road for a week long. See how we come out on the other end.

[Pounder]

Well I contacted Thor as well. After having to make 2 emergency stops because the windshield rubbers just blew off I had enough of the growing list of defects.
Unfortunately after 3 calls and 3 messages in 3 days, they have not called me back. I just send them a email as well. See if they will finally respond. This is not what I expected form Thor customer service.

[joelee2]

Have the same problem with my 30.2. I basically can't heat water with electricity as it cuts off TV, micro and outlets. I even had a circumstance where I blew out the breaker at the hookup box. I haven decided to just hear with LP. Next trip to RV repair I will see about the wiring switch suggested in the previous post.

[Rampncamp]

It has been sometime since I have posted(busy dealing with additional and chronic issues).As such we are currently in discussions with Thor.

Anybody have experience with one Enoch Hutchcraft? Linkedin shows him to be the proprietier of 'RV Forensics'?

Thanks