Cornerstone vs. the Competition

[MRUSA14]

I wanted extra outlets an an extra HDMI cable and Entegra would not do it. They are against making any non-standard changes as it complicates production. By non-standard, I mean they might make substitutions of something they already do. For example, we had them delete the fireplace and give us a storage cabinet instead, and they agreed only because they do that cabinet in another of their models.

With the money we saved, we had Lazydays put outlets in and build custom cabinets for us. They did a good job and we are still much cheaper than a comparable Newmar.

[DSL417]

Originally Posted by redbaron73

Some of the custom things newmar did on my coach are:
1) replace wet cell battery with agm during build for the price difference
2) install hose reel
3) replace convection oven with GE advantium for the price difference
4) install extra cable for solar prewire
5) install extra power outlets
6) install preheat loop on oasis for engine

Can this type of customization be done on a cornerstone? Is there a option list when you special order? Others that order newmar have done much more customizing, but I am trying to get a feel for what level Entegra offers. I assume it will be like BMW, pick your colors, and a few options, and if it is not on the order sheet, then "not possible".

Does anyone have an entegra cornerstone order sheet they could post?

Most of those things you mention are already standard on the full line of Entegras. Can't speak to 5 and 6, but I don't have a problem with number or location of plugs, and I don't know what 6 is, but if it is an engine pre-heat or a circulation system for coach heat through the engine, Entegra has that on all models. That's kinda the point...you have to ask for many things that are already standard.

[redbaron73]

It will boil down to price/value. Many of the things that I wanted on my DSDP, I had to add myself. So when comparing any coach, quality, support, and value are what I consider.

One thing I am watching is the resale value of the
Cornerstones. They seem to start out the same
30% off new, so it will be nice to see how they hold value in 3-5 years.

As far as pre-heat, this is a mode the Oasis uses to heat the engine without the plug in block heater.

What about the BMK module for the battery, is that standard on the cornerstone? I had to add this on my DSDP, but it is standard on Essex, king aire.

[redbaron73]

Do you know if the wire for solar prewire is 6ga? It was not on Newmar and I had to get it upgraded.

[MRUSA14]

The engine pre-heat is via Aquahot and was standard on my coach. What is BMK module?

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

The engine pre-heat is via Aquahot and was standard on my coach. What is BMK module?

Battery Monitot Kit/ will give exact State of Charge not just a voltage reading. Much more reliable way to determine battery usage. Kind of like a fuel gauge for batteries

[PDR John]

Instead of just telling you the volts in the battery bank (not very accurate), it will tell the state of charge.

Products: Battery Monitor / Battery Combiner

I'm adding this to my coach, along with the Magnum Advanced Remote Control. Then the auto gen start will also start at a specific time.

[DSL417]

With have that as standard functionality through a module called a Command 30. It allows a number of different monitoring functions and set ups associated with the auto gen functionality.

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by DSL417

With have that as standard functionality through a module called a Command 30. It allows a number of different monitoring functions and set ups associated with the auto gen functionality.

The command 30 is part of the onan right? This was in my prior motor home and did not have the soc. It did have auto start

[redbaron73]

The manual for the commander 30 does use the words state of charge but it is an
Estimate based on voltage, not an actual shunt and computer control to measure input and output. This was a feature missing in my coach and was easy to add. It extended my run time of battery considerably and will give me much longer useful life of the battery.

[MRUSA14]

The battery monitor is something that I plan to add to my coach. There is one made by Magnum that ties into our standard Mangum inverters and requires minimal wiring and displays on our current display. I plan to install this when I get a chance, but I am almost certain that Entegra won't do it if they wouldn't install even an extra AC outlet.

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

The battery monitor is something that I plan to add to my coach. There is one made by Magnum that ties into our standard Mangum inverters and requires minimal wiring and displays on our current display. I plan to install this when I get a chance, but I am almost certain that Entegra won't do it if they wouldn't install even an extra AC outlet.

Yes that is what I installed, the ME-BMK along
With the ME-ARC.

I am not sure how the ems works on the entegra, but my coach required a free software update to the ems as well.

[DSL417]

I don't know that the Command 30 is an Onan system. I am told by Ted Cook, the senior Customer Service engineer at Entegra, that it has a direct connection to the chassis batteries and the coach batteries. He indicated the the charge registered on the Command 30 is the "surface charge" and not an indication of the deep charge of the battery...thus should only be referred to as an approximation of the status of the chassis batteries. The coach batteries are represented by a number, but a true representation is a set of rectangles (3), with three boxes being an indication that the chassis AGMs are fully charged.

[Saltydog44]

Lazy Days added our extra A/C outlet at no charge since the location we wanted was easy to work with. FWIW they missed the spot (Inside a cabinet for the printer) and so we got two...