Palazzo Owners

[TheArnolds]

Originally Posted by Gingerela

Boy, I'm really feeling clueless right about now! When would you need to use the water pump? We had one on our gas unit, but never used it. We always plugged into the water line at CGs and that was it.

How would I even know if my water pump is damaged or not?

When we travel we use the toilet and need to flush and the sink to wash our hands therefore we need the water pump switch to be on (selector switch in wet bay to be in the "Normal" position) for these to work. Once we get to the campground we connect to external water supply and switch the selector to the "City Water" position and turn off the water pump switch. If you dry camp or overnight in a Walmart, Flying J, etc parking lot you will need the water pump to get water for whatever.

Water dripping out the bottom of your rig when the water pump switch is on is a good indication that your pump may be leaking. When the pump switch is on and the selector switch is in normal and you get water at the sinks and toilet then your pump is working. You may also hear it running when there is a demand for water.

[ChallengerRN]

Originally Posted by Indianjim

Hello,
I've been reading this Forum for about 2 months after getting my Palazzo. I received a lot of good info and tips and thought it was about time to join.
We got a new 36.1 in June. A little confusing since a number of threads refer to 2014. My bill of sale states 2013.
Well, we love the DP, had a Class C before, would not go back. I think the Palazzo offers good value but there have been a number of annoying small issues to deal with. From reading this Forum, others have had the issues also.
I look forward to corresponding with everyone and sharing issues and solutions.

One issue that seems unlikely to be resolved is that on this site, under "Manufacturers, Thor". There are at least four Palazzo threads. How do you keep up with them?
Happy to be on board,
Jim Grove

I would check the title & make sure it is a 2014. Could easily be a misprint on the bill of sale?

[Gingerela]

Originally Posted by Indianjim

Hello,
I've been reading this Forum for about 2 months after getting my Palazzo. I received a lot of good info and tips and thought it was about time to join.
We got a new 36.1 in June. A little confusing since a number of threads refer to 2014. My bill of sale states 2013.
Well, we love the DP, had a Class C before, would not go back. I think the Palazzo offers good value but there have been a number of annoying small issues to deal with. From reading this Forum, others have had the issues also.
I look forward to corresponding with everyone and sharing issues and solutions.

One issue that seems unlikely to be resolved is that on this site, under "Manufacturers, Thor". There are at least four Palazzo threads. How do you keep up with them?
Happy to be on board,
Jim Grove

Hi Jim,

Welcome! I am awaiting delivery of my 36.1 which was scheduled for tomorrow, although I'm not holding my breath since I don't have any confirmation yet.

I am curious as to your experience of going from a gas unit to a DP. I am in the same situation. My husband and I know nothing about DPs and had never driven one except for the 36.1 we test drove at a dealership.

We're scheduled for a Frieghtliner Camp course, but we may have to postpone it for another month since delivery on the unit will most likely be delayed. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I'm keeping a list of all the issues that many folks here seem to have so that I can make sure to check these out when I finally get my Palazzo. Of course, that is if I can even figure out where to look I have found that nicer people than the ones here probably don't exist! What a great group to learn from and share with.

Congrats on your new purchase and enjoy!

[jimbooth25]

I also went from a class a gas to the palazzo and its a big difference, I now have more power and towing capacity and also better gas milage, the breakers are touchy but got use to them now. As far as driving its pretty much the same except got to Check the air pressure in the system and do a break test witch I do every time I go in the unit, and it is much quieter also, the engine noise is in the rear of the coach witch is muffled by better insulation and the bed. I love my palazzo and will never go back to a gas

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Gingerela

Hi Jim,

Welcome! I am awaiting delivery of my 36.1 which was scheduled for tomorrow, although I'm not holding my breath since I don't have any confirmation yet.

I am curious as to your experience of going from a gas unit to a DP. I am in the same situation. My husband and I know nothing about DPs and had never driven one except for the 36.1 we test drove at a dealership.

We're scheduled for a Frieghtliner Camp course, but we may have to postpone it for another month since delivery on the unit will most likely be delayed. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I'm keeping a list of all the issues that many folks here seem to have so that I can make sure to check these out when I finally get my Palazzo. Of course, that is if I can even figure out where to look I have found that nicer people than the ones here probably don't exist! What a great group to learn from and share with.

Congrats on your new purchase and enjoy!

We went from a class c to our Palazzo. Just love it.
One thing with a rear engine dp, you need to watch your speed. You have so much power and its so quite it will get away from you if you are not watching.
We just take our time going anywhere. Just wave to folks as they pass by.
Save travels.

[Redridge]

this is our first coach ever... we decided to buy our last MH first as they say. We love the Palazzo.

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by Redridge

this is our first coach ever... we decided to buy our last MH first as they say. We love the Palazzo.

Ditto!

[Batten54]

All hail the mighty diesel! All hail Palazzo

We picked up our 36.1 June 28...and love it! Went from Tulsa to Joplin MO the following day for "first night" out. Running down I44 I had to look at the tach. to see if the engine was running. My wife and I actually had a conversation at a normal voice! There was a good side wind that would not have been fun in our old gasser (06 Georgetown 315DS) but the Palazzo just cruised along. We will NEVER go back to a gas rig!

About ten days later we went to Lawrence KS for a granddaughter's birthday and stayed a week. We have two daughters and their families in Lawrence and one daughter with family in KC so there were five grandkids and six adults in and out of it. We never thought we would use the drop down bed in the front...but three or four grandkids stayed several nights and it was great to have.

Two weeks after we got home we started on our trip out west to see close friends in Medford OR. He is a diabetic and has had a lot of health problems lately. Thought it would be a good test of the new Palazzo and see them before things got worse.

We covered a little over 4,400 miles and were out about a month. We enjoyed the ride a lot and also not trying to "make time" as we did not have a tight schedule. Other than the normal few odds and ends we had TWO MAJOR ITEMS.

The first being the dash...it went out! The first time was for a min. or two. And when it came back on the "average speed" showed 81mph.
The second time it was out most of the day. From about 30 miles north of Lodi CA to about 40 miles south of Redding CA. That time when it came back on the "average speed" showed 271mph!!! lol What a ride!

I have to stop here to tell you that we stayed an extra night in Las Vegas (the crap tables were good to me) to go to Vegas Freightliner first thing Monday morning...big mistake. When we told them about the short dash outage and that we were on vacation they were not only uncaring but one guy behind the desk was down right sarcastic. Spouting of that they MIGHT look at it in a couple of days. He also said we could not have a coach with that low mileage, and that the Freightliner chassis was made in Mexico and driven up. He also said it would cost over $5000 for our first service! BS! Being a "born and bread Okie" I "sometimes" get a little redneck. So I took the opportunity to leave while he was still in one piece and I was still not in handcuffs.
On the flipside my wife goggled Freightliner Service on her cell while going through Sacramento and called the Redding location. They were GREAT! told us how to get there and how long it should take. When we arrived they took excellent care of us by looking at it within 30 min. The manager wanted a tech on the morning crew to look at it (and they needed Freightliner to tell them why the VINs were different computer vs chassis) so they told us how to get to a very nice RV park about 2miles away and several good places to eat. They found a bad module of some kind in the dash and had one sent overnight. Next day they popped it in and we were on our way. Great service with nice people! Wish they were closer to Tulsa.

The second being the FULL WALL SLIDE.
We arrived in Medford OR late afternoon and there were not any 50amp spots open till the next day...so we got a 30amp for the night and headed off to see our friends. The next day they told us which 50amp spot we could have and we started to move. When we hit the switch for the full wall slide the bottom moved in and the top didn't. I tried to back it out and it never moved again...and with my luck it was Saturday. So Monday morning I was on the phone with Thor at 5 AM (OR time) and they told me how to disengage the slide motors and...push it in! With the help of a mobile RV service guy this monumental task was completed. A local Thor approved RV dealer was able to get us in a few days later. After a lot of looking and back and forth with Thor I was told the slide parts needed would take 3 weeks or more to get there as they had to come from slide mechanism manuf.
It was at this point we decided to cut off the second half of the trip and head for home. We stayed another week with our friends (half of our plans) then hit the road taking about a week on the road. We lived in the motorhome for 15 days with the full wall slide locked in the travel position! Not fun!!

We got home on a Saturday, got the food out and cleaned it up, and took it to the dealer Tuesday morning. The service manager said he had heard of two more like ours in the time we were headed home. He and Thor had a fix worked out and it is awaiting parts now.

Part of the problem (as I was told) is that the rod from the top gear by the slide motor to the bottom gear is aluminum and I guess they will put in a steel one. There are also a couple of small rollers that came apart.

We'll see how it all comes out, but so far everyone has been doing all they can to correct it. I may start a new thread about this slide problem as it may affect a lot of others...hope the moderators don't shut it down.

[Gingerela]

Originally Posted by Batten54

All hail the mighty diesel! All hail Palazzo

We picked up our 36.1 June 28...and love it! Went from Tulsa to Joplin MO the following day for "first night" out. Running down I44 I had to look at the tach. to see if the engine was running. My wife and I actually had a conversation at a normal voice! There was a good side wind that would not have been fun in our old gasser (06 Georgetown 315DS) but the Palazzo just cruised along. We will NEVER go back to a gas rig!

About ten days later we went to Lawrence KS for a granddaughter's birthday and stayed a week. We have two daughters and their families in Lawrence and one daughter with family in KC so there were five grandkids and six adults in and out of it. We never thought we would use the drop down bed in the front...but three or four grandkids stayed several nights and it was great to have.

Two weeks after we got home we started on our trip out west to see close friends in Medford OR. He is a diabetic and has had a lot of health problems lately. Thought it would be a good test of the new Palazzo and see them before things got worse.

We covered a little over 4,400 miles and were out about a month. We enjoyed the ride a lot and also not trying to "make time" as we did not have a tight schedule. Other than the normal few odds and ends we had TWO MAJOR ITEMS.

The first being the dash...it went out! The first time was for a min. or two. And when it came back on the "average speed" showed 81mph.
The second time it was out most of the day. From about 30 miles north of Lodi CA to about 40 miles south of Redding CA. That time when it came back on the "average speed" showed 271mph!!! lol What a ride!

I have to stop here to tell you that we stayed an extra night in Las Vegas (the crap tables were good to me) to go to Vegas Freightliner first thing Monday morning...big mistake. When we told them about the short dash outage and that we were on vacation they were not only uncaring but one guy behind the desk was down right sarcastic. Spouting of that they MIGHT look at it in a couple of days. He also said we could not have a coach with that low mileage, and that the Freightliner chassis was made in Mexico and driven up. He also said it would cost over $5000 for our first service! BS! Being a "born and bread Okie" I "sometimes" get a little redneck. So I took the opportunity to leave while he was still in one piece and I was still not in handcuffs.
On the flipside my wife goggled Freightliner Service on her cell while going through Sacramento and called the Redding location. They were GREAT! told us how to get there and how long it should take. When we arrived they took excellent care of us by looking at it within 30 min. The manager wanted a tech on the morning crew to look at it (and they needed Freightliner to tell them why the VINs were different computer vs chassis) so they told us how to get to a very nice RV park about 2miles away and several good places to eat. They found a bad module of some kind in the dash and had one sent overnight. Next day they popped it in and we were on our way. Great service with nice people! Wish they were closer to Tulsa.

The second being the FULL WALL SLIDE.
We arrived in Medford OR late afternoon and there were not any 50amp spots open till the next day...so we got a 30amp for the night and headed off to see our friends. The next day they told us which 50amp spot we could have and we started to move. When we hit the switch for the full wall slide the bottom moved in and the top didn't. I tried to back it out and it never moved again...and with my luck it was Saturday. So Monday morning I was on the phone with Thor at 5 AM (OR time) and they told me how to disengage the slide motors and...push it in! With the help of a mobile RV service guy this monumental task was completed. A local Thor approved RV dealer was able to get us in a few days later. After a lot of looking and back and forth with Thor I was told the slide parts needed would take 3 weeks or more to get there as they had to come from slide mechanism manuf.
It was at this point we decided to cut off the second half of the trip and head for home. We stayed another week with our friends (half of our plans) then hit the road taking about a week on the road. We lived in the motorhome for 15 days with the full wall slide locked in the travel position! Not fun!!

We got home on a Saturday, got the food out and cleaned it up, and took it to the dealer Tuesday morning. The service manager said he had heard of two more like ours in the time we were headed home. He and Thor had a fix worked out and it is awaiting parts now.

Part of the problem (as I was told) is that the rod from the top gear by the slide motor to the bottom gear is aluminum and I guess they will put in a steel one. There are also a couple of small rollers that came apart.

We'll see how it all comes out, but so far everyone has been doing all they can to correct it. I may start a new thread about this slide problem as it may affect a lot of others...hope the moderators don't shut it down.

What year is your Palazzo?

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Batten54

All hail the mighty diesel! All hail Palazzo

We picked up our 36.1 June 28...and love it! Went from Tulsa to Joplin MO the following day for "first night" out. Running down I44 I had to look at the tach. to see if the engine was running. My wife and I actually had a conversation at a normal voice! There was a good side wind that would not have been fun in our old gasser (06 Georgetown 315DS) but the Palazzo just cruised along. We will NEVER go back to a gas rig!

About ten days later we went to Lawrence KS for a granddaughter's birthday and stayed a week. We have two daughters and their families in Lawrence and one daughter with family in KC so there were five grandkids and six adults in and out of it. We never thought we would use the drop down bed in the front...but three or four grandkids stayed several nights and it was great to have.

Two weeks after we got home we started on our trip out west to see close friends in Medford OR. He is a diabetic and has had a lot of health problems lately. Thought it would be a good test of the new Palazzo and see them before things got worse.

We covered a little over 4,400 miles and were out about a month. We enjoyed the ride a lot and also not trying to "make time" as we did not have a tight schedule. Other than the normal few odds and ends we had TWO MAJOR ITEMS.

The first being the dash...it went out! The first time was for a min. or two. And when it came back on the "average speed" showed 81mph.
The second time it was out most of the day. From about 30 miles north of Lodi CA to about 40 miles south of Redding CA. That time when it came back on the "average speed" showed 271mph!!! lol What a ride!

I have to stop here to tell you that we stayed an extra night in Las Vegas (the crap tables were good to me) to go to Vegas Freightliner first thing Monday morning...big mistake. When we told them about the short dash outage and that we were on vacation they were not only uncaring but one guy behind the desk was down right sarcastic. Spouting of that they MIGHT look at it in a couple of days. He also said we could not have a coach with that low mileage, and that the Freightliner chassis was made in Mexico and driven up. He also said it would cost over $5000 for our first service! BS! Being a "born and bread Okie" I "sometimes" get a little redneck. So I took the opportunity to leave while he was still in one piece and I was still not in handcuffs.
On the flipside my wife goggled Freightliner Service on her cell while going through Sacramento and called the Redding location. They were GREAT! told us how to get there and how long it should take. When we arrived they took excellent care of us by looking at it within 30 min. The manager wanted a tech on the morning crew to look at it (and they needed Freightliner to tell them why the VINs were different computer vs chassis) so they told us how to get to a very nice RV park about 2miles away and several good places to eat. They found a bad module of some kind in the dash and had one sent overnight. Next day they popped it in and we were on our way. Great service with nice people! Wish they were closer to Tulsa.

The second being the FULL WALL SLIDE.
We arrived in Medford OR late afternoon and there were not any 50amp spots open till the next day...so we got a 30amp for the night and headed off to see our friends. The next day they told us which 50amp spot we could have and we started to move. When we hit the switch for the full wall slide the bottom moved in and the top didn't. I tried to back it out and it never moved again...and with my luck it was Saturday. So Monday morning I was on the phone with Thor at 5 AM (OR time) and they told me how to disengage the slide motors and...push it in! With the help of a mobile RV service guy this monumental task was completed. A local Thor approved RV dealer was able to get us in a few days later. After a lot of looking and back and forth with Thor I was told the slide parts needed would take 3 weeks or more to get there as they had to come from slide mechanism manuf.
It was at this point we decided to cut off the second half of the trip and head for home. We stayed another week with our friends (half of our plans) then hit the road taking about a week on the road. We lived in the motorhome for 15 days with the full wall slide locked in the travel position! Not fun!!

We got home on a Saturday, got the food out and cleaned it up, and took it to the dealer Tuesday morning. The service manager said he had heard of two more like ours in the time we were headed home. He and Thor had a fix worked out and it is awaiting parts now.

Part of the problem (as I was told) is that the rod from the top gear by the slide motor to the bottom gear is aluminum and I guess they will put in a steel one. There are also a couple of small rollers that came apart.

We'll see how it all comes out, but so far everyone has been doing all they can to correct it. I may start a new thread about this slide problem as it may affect a lot of others...hope the moderators don't shut it down.

You are not the first with this issue with the large slide. The fix appears the same for everyone.
If I had a 33.2/3 I would call Thor and get the parts just to wait for the shoe to drop.
We do not seem to have the issue with 33.1 short slide.

[Batten54]

Originally Posted by Gingerela

What year is your Palazzo?

It's a 2014. I would guess it came off the line around 6\20 or so.

I've heard it's only a problem with the full wall slides...very big and heavy...washer\dryer are also in this slide.
I think the upper Tuscany line uses these for the smaller bedroom type slides and heavy hydraulics for the large ones.
I'm sure it's a size thing not a manufacture one. I've been told most manufactures have go to this type...probably from the same company.
It does away with hyd. pumps, lines, fluid tank, cylinders, etc. so it's probably a lot more cost effective. Come to think about it...I believe the jacks are electric too. They sound different than the ones on my old Georgetown.

Anyone out there have this experience...yet?

[Gingerela]

Originally Posted by Batten54

It's a 2014. I would guess it came off the line around 6\20 or so.

I've heard it's only a problem with the full wall slides...very big and heavy...washer\dryer are also in this slide.
I think the upper Tuscany line uses these for the smaller bedroom type slides and heavy hydraulics for the large ones.
I'm sure it's a size thing not a manufacture one. I've been told most manufactures have go to this type...probably from the same company.
It does away with hyd. pumps, lines, fluid tank, cylinders, etc. so it's probably a lot more cost effective. Come to think about it...I believe the jacks are electric too. They sound different than the ones on my old Georgetown.

Anyone out there have this experience...yet?

I'm waiting on the delivery of my 36.1 and am now concerned that perhaps these wall slide issues continue to be a problem. From what I've read here and discussed with several dealers, the slide problems were no longer an issue with the 2014 models. I'm not sure when yours came off the assembly line, but it seems that it was fairly recent.

I'm sorry you've experienced this issue. I can't imagine having to camp for any length of time with the wall slide completely in. You endured far longer than I would have, that's for sure. I hope you are able to get these issues resolved quickly so you can get back on the road and continue to enjoy your new Palazzo.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by jimbooth25

I also went from a class a gas to the palazzo and its a big difference, I now have more power and towing capacity and also better gas milage, the breakers are touchy but got use to them now. As far as driving its pretty much the same except got to Check the air pressure in the system and do a break test witch I do every time I go in the unit, and it is much quieter also, the engine noise is in the rear of the coach witch is muffled by better insulation and the bed. I love my palazzo and will never go back to a gas

A major difference with the air BRAKE system: When you park, be sure to put in neutral and engage the parking brake before taking your foot off the brake pedal. Keep in mind there is no Park position on the transmission. When you get ready to go, but sure your foot is firmly on the brake pedal before releasing the parking brake.

As for the push-button transmission, when going between Reverse and Drive don't go direct; select Neutral and pause for gizmos to disengage before selecting the opposite direction.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by Batten54

It's a 2014. I would guess it came off the line around 6\20 or so.

I've heard it's only a problem with the full wall slides...very big and heavy...washer\dryer are also in this slide.
I think the upper Tuscany line uses these for the smaller bedroom type slides and heavy hydraulics for the large ones.
I'm sure it's a size thing not a manufacture one. I've been told most manufactures have go to this type...probably from the same company.
It does away with hyd. pumps, lines, fluid tank, cylinders, etc. so it's probably a lot more cost effective. Come to think about it...I believe the jacks are electric too. They sound different than the ones on my old Georgetown.

Anyone out there have this experience...yet?

Jacks are hydraulic. Hydraulic system and fluid reservoir, which should be checked regularly, in upper left corner of generator compartment.