About to purchase 2015 Thor Palazzo 33.3

[Gearhead777]

I'm looking into flying down to AL from NY to purchase a lightly used palazzo 33.3 (2015) with 11k Miles. The owner did a virtual walkthrough with me and I discovered the check engine light was on. It ended up being low on coolant (about 2 qts) for the CEL to turn off.

Other items owner fixed since new:

Leaking water from antenna into cabinet
Transfer switch
Inverter
New House Batteries
Oil was changed once around 5,000 miles.

Coach does have the 3trax slide system (2 tracks on top, one on bottom)

Owner agreed on me having a local RV service center do a pre-buy inspection and wanted me to come up with additional items to have checked. Any recommendations?

Should I have them pressure test the coolant system for leaks? or is it common to add coolant in RV's.

This will be my first RV purchase. Coming from a pop up and a lance truck camper.

Thanks in advance.

[Marksnet]

Originally Posted by Gearhead777

I'm looking into flying down to AL from NY to purchase a lightly used palazzo 33.3 (2015) with 11k Miles. The owner did a virtual walkthrough with me and I discovered the check engine light was on. It ended up being low on coolant (about 2 qts) for the CEL to turn off.

Other items owner fixed since new:

Leaking water from antenna into cabinet
Transfer switch
Inverter
New House Batteries
Oil was changed once around 5,000 miles.

Coach does have the 3trax slide system (2 tracks on top, one on bottom)

Owner agreed on me having a local RV service center do a pre-buy inspection and wanted me to come up with additional items to have checked. Any recommendations?

Should I have them pressure test the coolant system for leaks? or is it common to add coolant in RV's.

This will be my first RV purchase. Coming from a pop up and a lance truck camper.

Thanks in advance.

An inspection survey is a must.
Beware of passenger side below windshield rot.
They like all coaches have their issues but I sure like the way they look.

[Corc]

If you read this forum, you can find a bunch of things to check, or be concerned about. I bought mine new and it had things to be fixed, part of the game.

Open the storage compartments and look at the floor. Check for sagging or wood rot under the plastic sheeting, especially the wet bay. If they are solid, make sure to seal the edges when you get home, especially underneath.

Have not had to add coolant to my 2018 Palazzo. Not a big deal being low, but always curious where the coolant went. Could plug in a scan tool to read if there are any stored fault codes on engine, did it overheat?

Obviously try all the slides, including front bunk and awning, smooth, straight and even is what you are hoping for.

I love my Palazzo, but it is a Thor build, which means some things being off is to be expected. Being located myself in Huntsville, AL., hate to see a Palazzo leaving the state, but best of luck to you.

[ky bob]

We purchased a 2015 33.3 last year and we are very pleased with it except for the bonded leather used on the 2 front seats and the jack knife sofa is junk, It starts peeling and will look horrible. The 1st owner had the front seats reupholstered before we purchased it and they are great, We just had the dinette and sofa reupholstered.





Also checkout the flooring in the basement storage areas. I will be replacing the flooring in the basement area of ours because much of the orig flooring is waterlogged and falling apart.
We really like the coach and got it at a good price so the repairs aren't too big a problem to deal with.


With any motor home there are things that need attention.


The power of the engine is great and I love having the exhaust brakes. It drives well.


Having it checked out is a must. Have trans fluid and engine oil samples sent to Blackstone labs for a quick and low cost chemical analysis. These test will tell a lot about the condition engine and transmission

[iluvuk]

Originally Posted by Gearhead777

I'm looking into flying down to AL from NY to purchase a lightly used palazzo 33.3 (2015) with 11k Miles. The owner did a virtual walkthrough with me and I discovered the check engine light was on. It ended up being low on coolant (about 2 qts) for the CEL to turn off.

Other items owner fixed since new:

Leaking water from antenna into cabinet
Transfer switch
Inverter
New House Batteries
Oil was changed once around 5,000 miles.

Coach does have the 3trax slide system (2 tracks on top, one on bottom)

Owner agreed on me having a local RV service center do a pre-buy inspection and wanted me to come up with additional items to have checked. Any recommendations?

Should I have them pressure test the coolant system for leaks? or is it common to add coolant in RV's.

This will be my first RV purchase. Coming from a pop up and a lance truck camper.

Thanks in advance.

24000 miles on mine and never had it over heat, check engine light or low coolant. I love my Palazzo despite many minor problems as mentioned by Kybob!

[wstrace3]

I am furthest from an expert as you can get..

1 oil change in 5 years ??? It is recommended 1 per year or 15k miles. Whichever comes first. Experts on here may say that the 1 time in 5 years is no big deal.

what about generator servicing ?? did they change after break in period ??

7 years old and 56k miles and I have never had to add coolant. Had it changed, but never added. Where is the leak ??

they changed inverter, transfer switch and batteries... I would highly recommend an inspection and extended warranty since buying used and with what has been changed on the coach.

P.S.. their price is too high and the gasket around the front windshield needs to be reattached at the top.. it's a crappy gasket and I have to re glue mine several times a year.

good luck !!!
love my palazzo..

[Gearhead777]

Thank you all for the information. The owner is currently bringing it to a freightliner dealer for service as the check engine light came back on even after adding coolant. I told them to get it pressure tested as well. See what the report is soon. I'm not paying the asking price, and I cannot get extended warranty as its a private seller.

[wstrace3]

Originally Posted by Gearhead777

Thank you all for the information. The owner is currently bringing it to a freightliner dealer for service as the check engine light came back on even after adding coolant. I told them to get it pressure tested as well. See what the report is soon. I'm not paying the asking price, and I cannot get extended warranty as its a private seller.

just picked mine up from freightliner last week. Check engine came on and found out their was an open campaign (recall) from cummins for the SCR. Google SCR Cummins recall for more info.

You can absolutely get an extended service plan even though you are buying private. I do not have one and not recommending which is better but google RV extended service plan. I know goodsam and many others offer them.

[GCSuper]

Originally Posted by Gearhead777

Thank you all for the information. The owner is currently bringing it to a freightliner dealer for service as the check engine light came back on even after adding coolant. I told them to get it pressure tested as well. See what the report is soon. I'm not paying the asking price, and I cannot get extended warranty as its a private seller.

Doesn't matter if it's a private sale or a dealer. If you want an extended service contract you can purchase one yourself. Just do your do diligence first.

[BillJinOR]

Originally Posted by Gearhead777

Thank you all for the information. The owner is currently bringing it to a freightliner dealer for service as the check engine light came back on even after adding coolant. I told them to get it pressure tested as well. See what the report is soon. I'm not paying the asking price, and I cannot get extended warranty as its a private seller.

While I'm not a fan, you certainly can get a "warrantee" actually a service contract.There are several suppliers and most will require an inspection I'm told
Of more concern is 1( ONE) oil Change ? So no service or care .. but Not really used at all ? was it occupied but not driven?

[iluvuk]

I wouldn't worry about one oil change in 11000 miles. The cummins manual recommends an oil change every 15,000 miles (except the first which he obviously did). Even if it has been sitting for more than a year, I wouldn't worry about that oil (assuming he did change it 6000 miles ago) as an urgent matter. You have more important things to check out for now. The coolant leak is odd but these things can be fixed.

Now that I have been thinking about it I recall when I drove home from the dealer with my brand new palazzo I noticed a small drop of coolant on the driveway a few minutes after I parked. I crawled under and saw it was coming from a lower hose that had a slightly loose clamp. I tightened the clamp. No leak, never had to add coolant, no problems. It could be something that simple. Just do your careful inspection and see what freightliner says and you will then have more data upon which to decide. Those cummins engines are very reliable. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Gearhead777]

It was not used much for the first 4 years but for local camping. They had it serviced in the beginning of last year before a 6000 mile trip (grand canyon then to myrtle beach). I already told them about the weather stripping, they had a glass company come out and repair it. The windshield was replaced at the end of that big trip due to it being cracked on the road.

The oil does bother me a little because of the time length but for the mileage seems ok. I do all my service myself and usually pretty on top of it.

They never had any problems with the box itself except for the leak and the windshield.

They built a shelter for it 2 years ago. It spent the first 3 on a slab but not covered.

I built a 40x60 pole barn to house this rv so it won't be out in the elements anymore.

What is a good price for this RV? Should I be that concerned about the 1 oil change?

[Gearhead777]

Originally Posted by wstrace3

just picked mine up from freightliner last week. Check engine came on and found out their was an open campaign (recall) from cummins for the SCR. Google SCR Cummins recall for more info.

You can absolutely get an extended service plan even though you are buying private. I do not have one and not recommending which is better but google RV extended service plan. I know goodsam and many others offer them.

I looked into the SCR issue. Looks like insufficient cats. They said never received a letter regarding a recall. Hopefully the service center scans for the code and finds something. Thank's for the heads up!

[just_cruisin]

Originally Posted by ky bob

We purchased a 2015 33.3 last year and we are very pleased with it except for the bonded leather used on the 2 front seats and the jack knife sofa is junk, It starts peeling and will look horrible. The 1st owner had the front seats reupholstered before we purchased it and they are great, We just had the dinette and sofa reupholstered.

Same problem here. What material did you replace with and ballpark how much did it cost?