New Coach Systems - Are They Overwhelming?

[SomeDay]

The newer the coaches it seems there's untold amounts of systems, electronics, automation etc that can go wrong compared to a decade or so ago. On the surface feels like you'd need a degree to be able to open your blinds, turn the heat on etc? Or is it truly not as overwhelmingly complicated as it all looks combined with screen touch and everything else added in today?

Those of you with newer coaches, did/do you feel overwhelmed at times with your systems? Do you find that there's always something and if so what that doesn't work with them, either as brand new or since owning them?

Looking forwards to your experience, but please try to recall how it felt as well at the beginning before getting familiar, and how hard it was then.

Thanks a mill as always for sharing your experiences.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Overwhelming? Maybe. There certainly is a lot of powered and electronic controlled stuff that is more for the "cool" factor than an actual convenience or work-saving feature. But the fact is that many buyers love it, at least when the sales guy demos it. Maybe regret it later, when the cheaply made & poorly designed stuff soon craps out and you then learn that parts are no longer available either.

[Ivylog]

Coming from a 5er to a 2005 Dutch Star 4023 shouldn’t be all that bad... no multiplex which started about them. The EXE wouldn’t been that much different.
Yes, there a lot of new systems and probably the biggest hurdle will be upgrading the TVs ...getting rid of the switching box and all the unused cables. You can mount a smart LED TV on the face of the box, not in it. Can’t say I was overly concerned but I’ve transition in several steps from the 5er.

[Arch Hoagland]

We went and looked at new high end coaches about a year ago. I decided if you gave me one I'd sell it.

They are very nice however, when the electronics start malfunctioning you have a real problem on your hands.

I suspect dealers are having a hard time hiring qualified people to repair them but I don't know that for sure.

[TonyDi]

I agree. The technology is overwhelming. Most of it is glitz. Very expensive to fix, if you can even find someone who can work on it.

[Dutch Star Don]

Yep.....don't go out and buy a new car with all those fancy upgrades, like electronic ignition, power windows, power seats, seat memory, garage door openers. You'll never be able to fix them and will be left stuck on the road.

If you were buying new, would you demand a diesel with mechanical injection or a motor home with points and condenser because you're afraid of electronics???

I camped in a Shasta 12' trailer with a propane lamp on the wall, hand water pump and an icebox. State of the art at the time, but I sure wouldn't want to go back to camping that way. We worked hard for it and enjoy the luxury of the new more sophisticated coaches.

[gnvrvin]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Yep.....don't go out and buy a new car with all those fancy upgrades, like electronic ignition, power windows, power seats, seat memory, garage door openers. You'll never be able to fix them and will be left stuck on the road.

If you were buying new, would you demand a diesel with mechanical injection or a motor home with points and condenser because you're afraid of electronics???

I camped in a Shasta 12' trailer with a propane lamp on the wall, hand water pump and an icebox. State of the art at the time, but I sure wouldn't want to go back to camping that way. We worked hard for it and enjoy the luxury of the new more sophisticated coaches.

Well put many of us with older coaches update one way or another:
Get rid of CRT TV's...
No TPMS install an after market...
No Camera system? well install one...why not a birds eye view system,,,
Original EMS heck upgrade to a glass cockpit...

Stay safe,
greg

[gnvrvin]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Yep.....don't go out and buy a new car with all those fancy upgrades, like electronic ignition, power windows, power seats, seat memory, garage door openers. You'll never be able to fix them and will be left stuck on the road.

If you were buying new, would you demand a diesel with mechanical injection or a motor home with points and condenser because you're afraid of electronics???

I camped in a Shasta 12' trailer with a propane lamp on the wall, hand water pump and an icebox. State of the art at the time, but I sure wouldn't want to go back to camping that way. We worked hard for it and enjoy the luxury of the new more sophisticated coaches.

Well put many of us with older coaches update one way or another:
Get rid of CRT TV's...
No TPMS install an after market...
No Camera system? well install one...why not a birds eye view system,,,
Original EMS heck upgrade to a glass cockpit...

Stay safe,
greg

[Skip426]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

We went and looked at new high end coaches about a year ago. I decided if you gave me one I'd sell it.

They are very nice however, when the electronics start malfunctioning you have a real problem on your hands.

I suspect dealers are having a hard time hiring qualified people to repair them but I don't know that for sure.

Now that the chassis and engine/transmission systems are nearly bullet proof , the manufactures are intent on loading the coaches up with stuff that requires attention and will require expensive repair or an upgrade to a newer RV.
Same as the " Must have " phones , computers etc, etc , the advertisements ,
say buy, buy, buy, you need this; then they stop supporting the older systems .
All to keep the manufacturing sector rolling .
Think about it ; was there anything really wrong with the old (er) technology, do you need a 5G phone to survive ?
If your computer can be hacked , do you really need your coach to be computer controlled .

This is my " Conspiracy Theory " and I'm sticking to it.

If the forum moderators find this post ; against forum rules and need to delete it ; I understand.

[sbleiweiss]

We looked at new coaches about a year ago. Hated the electronic control panels where you have to move from screen to screen to control what you want instead of good old buttons and switches. Would get used to it I suppose. Hated the folding beds too.

[Dav L]

Originally Posted by sbleiweiss

We looked at new coaches about a year ago. Hated the electronic control panels where you have to move from screen to screen to control what you want instead of good old buttons and switches. Would get used to it I suppose. Hated the folding beds too.

That's more a function of good user interface design than anything else. A good automation system makes this easier, not harder.
So that it's intuitive. And only has the relevant controls on the screen and not all the controls on a single, crammed screen (very common for newbee DIY'rs to do this - take a look at some of the BlueFire screens...).

And then there is true "automation" where you don't have to do anything because it's "automatic". Most "automation" systems are really just remote control. The forethought on what defines the automation is key. And the easy, intuitive flexibility to change those automation settings (what should it do, and under what conditions, and when).

Good user interface design (mechanical or screen based) is both art and science. My background is from automotive infotainment systems. This is a VERY serious topic. Eye gaze and brain processing studies, focus groups, etc. Get it wrong and you can kill people. Eyes on Road, Hands on Wheel is the motto. Certainly that will change with Autonomous systems in the near future.

[Dav L]

Originally Posted by Skip426

Now that the chassis and engine/transmission systems are nearly bullet proof , the manufactures are intent on loading the coaches up with stuff that requires attention and will require expensive repair or an upgrade to a newer RV.
Same as the " Must have " phones , computers etc, etc , the advertisements ,
say buy, buy, buy, you need this; then they stop supporting the older systems .
All to keep the manufacturing sector rolling .
Think about it ; was there anything really wrong with the old (er) technology, do you need a 5G phone to survive ?
If your computer can be hacked , do you really need your coach to be computer controlled .

This is my " Conspiracy Theory " and I'm sticking to it.

If the forum moderators find this post ; against forum rules and need to delete it ; I understand.

Most all vehicles have been computer controlled since 1996 vintage....
There are roughly 30+ computers in every passenger vehicle now-a-days.

The simple act of opening your car door with your keyfob talks to many computers that personalize your seat / mirror / steering column / Radio station favorites / air conditioning settings for the driver side / etc. Do you really want to go back to manually adjusting everything when you get in the car? A dozen computers are making that one click.

Anything can be hacked...the question is who's going to bother that has the technical background. That same background can hack your bank account.

The reality is consumers want the features that electronics / computing devices provide. And that appetite is growing faster than most anything else. You can certainly choose to stay unconnected but is going to be more and more difficult to do. Heck, you must have used your computing device to post on this forum...

[TXiceman]

Lots of "cool" stuff with all the WiFi connected junk, but the more junk, the more problems. Last year we had a fellow in a fancy high dollar motorhome here that was stuck. His touch pad and the controller were bad and he could not get the slides in ot the jacks up until the manufacturer shipped need parts to install.

Personally, I am not impressed with most of the "Gee-whiz" stuff and like to keep things simple.

Ken

[Dav L]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Lots of "cool" stuff with all the WiFi connected junk, but the more junk, the more problems. Last year we had a fellow in a fancy high dollar motorhome here that was stuck. His touch pad and the controller were bad and he could not get the slides in ot the jacks up until the manufacturer shipped need parts to install.

Personally, I am not impressed with most of the "Gee-whiz" stuff and like to keep things simple.

Ken

I don't think that "Wifi" had anything to do with the touchpad, slide controller or jacks....

If it wasn't for the "gee whiz" stuff, a rig with all those amenities would be extremely difficult to daily use. Anything can break. If it wasn't for the embedded diagnostics in these systems, it would be very challenging to repair even with someone highly technical.

The reality is that those gizmos make it EASIER to repair and less expensive to repair and more reliable.

Are cars more or less reliable than they were in the 80s? Not even close to compare. And a lot of that reliability has been due to the electronics in the vehicle. Jumping from a carburetor to electronic fuel injection and from ignition points to solid state ignition are WAY more reliable.

Not all of us have enough technical understanding to be comfortable with these systems. Fear not. Overall, the people that engineered them are comfortable with it. Just enjoy it and like anything else, deal with the problems that inevitably occur as with any product.