Palazzo Owners

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Patchy

So we took our first trip in our 2013 Palazzo 33.1.......450 miles round-trip---to Brooksville and then to Ocala, Fl to show our beagles at dog shows. ( We previously had several shakedown multi-day tests at a campground close to home). We spent 12 days in the MH and had a great time. We travelled with the front roof-top ac on and ran the genset. We got 9.8 mpg with total fuel used for both genset and main engine---(and, with just fuel to cummins----10.8mpg). We towed our ford focus with Blue Ox base-plate, Blue-Ox Alpha arm, and RVI2 brake. All went very well....the rvi2 only applies the brakes in harder stops and worked well. Since it was my first time towing with the car and brake system I brought along my infrared thermometer to check the disc and trans temp to make sure nothing was heating up on the toad.....no problems to report.... The MH was a real pleasure....we used all the systems, including the heat. Everything worked.....except a leaking water pump......which I have now removed and will replace on my next trip. I e-mailed Thor today-- and--- tonight they called and said send it back and they will reimburse me. There was a cabinet door hinge I fixed....but it was no hill for a climber..... The DVD player had a hum through the speakers but I switched the combo unit from 1k ohms to 75 ohms and the hum went away. I installed the pro-fill battery fill system on the house batteries, waxed the starboard side(which now completes the wax job), and polished the wheel covers...... Scoots won in Brooksville and is now a Grand Champion. Patch took a four point major and may one day be a Champion also.... We are off next to Miami at which time I will fix the pump.. Had lots-a-fun, the rig was great, the beer was cold n plentiful--- Regards Rich, Patty, Scooter n Patch 2013 Palazzo 33.1, 2014 FocusSE, Blue Ox plate and bar, RVI2

Great to hear!

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by Batten54

Would Best Buy have one...or do you have to order it? Just frustrating...I buy a Ford pickup for around 30K (nicely equipped) and everything works perfect. I buy a 207,000K (list) motorhome from the largest manufacture (I think) Thor....and it spends over 7 weeks out of the first 5 months in the shop...it's there now! And I have to go buy a separate module to get the radio to work as stated.... Sorry...just that kind of morning.

I don't recall anywhere it saying that the radio is a satellite receiver. I did not get the separate module as it requires an additional subscription. I just plug in my portable XM that is also used in 2 other vehicles.

[Oliver-Max]

Originally Posted by Butte64

I don't recall anywhere it saying that the radio is a satellite receiver. I did not get the separate module as it requires an additional subscription. I just plug in my portable XM that is also used in 2 other vehicles.

At the Thor Diesel Club rally the question of why is the radio is "satellite ready" but does not have the module for SIRIUS to function . The answer was, the radio supplier provide the radio with the type of features that Thor requests.

I have a portable satellite XM radio, one that I bought at least 10 years ago and it works just fine using the input jack on the Jensen radio. No additional wiring or connections are needed. We connect our iPad through the same jack to listen to music we have recorded and/or downloaded.

Iggy
2013 33.1
MINI Cooper Clubman S

[Ridinbear]

Originally Posted by gramps2578

I'm just curious as to why you cancelled your old one. Was it set up in another vehicle ? Why didn't you just activate the radio in the Palazzo,it is satellite ready. You still need to activate the portable one with a new Sirius subscription. Just asking.

I didn't know it was satellite ready?

[photoguy1313]

Originally Posted by Ridinbear

I didn't know it was satellite ready?

I think the more accurate statement would be that the radio is equipped to accept an after market adapter that will interface a satellite receiver with it.

[mikebrls]

Originally Posted by mikebrls

new faucet install

it come's out about 2 inches more but you can put your hand's totally under neath the water so it work's 100% better

someone asked for name brand , now if only the sink was larger

[Berlin Kid]

Originally Posted by mikebrls

someone asked for name brand , now if only the sink was larger

What unit do you have? My bathroom sink is plastic. 2014 Palazzo 33.1

[mikebrls]

Originally Posted by berlin kid

what unit do you have? My bathroom sink is plastic. 2014 palazzo 33.1

2014 33.3

[gramps2578]

Originally Posted by photoguy1313

I think the more accurate statement would be that the radio is equipped to accept an after market adapter that will interface a satellite receiver with it.

Yes,you do have to purchase a module and an antenna and than you have to contact Sirius and subscribe to XM. Go to JensenRvdirect , they show what you will need,they give the part numbers, you can buy from them or Google the part numbers and you can buy it for less elsewhere.

[Palazzoteam]

It's information like this that helps me go through our new Palazzo and confirm similar items...thank you for your post. We Love Our Palazzo

Originally Posted by jwshawaii

I haven't posted very often but decided to provide my experiences to date and hopefully the information may help others;

We have a 33.1 purchased in April 2013 and now with 5,500 miles. We had a warranty visit to the Elkhart factory in Sept - they fixed the following items;

1.) The main entry door swings open with a lot of force (I am speculating the door shock absorber lacks compression). The hinge on the top of the door is already damaged.
- I removed the piston and applied a bumper to the fuel door

2.) We have a split seal on a basement door, which will need to be replaced. Also the doors do not stay latched.
- We have water leaks in the two large storage bays and the smaller one where the water tank is located.
3.) One of the kitchen cabinet doors is a lot lighter in color then the rest of the doors (see picture).
4.) We have a buzzing/humming noise with the F50- ATS Furrion automatic transfer switch located behind a panel below the main TV (I checked and it's not hot just noisy).
5.) The sound bar below the main TV does not produce sound.
I disconnected the HDMI cable to get the sound bar to work - this doesn't seem to be the long-term solution? 

6.) When traveling we have the clunk sound behind the drivers seat somewhere in the main slide (this has been reported by several Palazzo owners).
Also the slide cover bows in the center allowing significant amounts of water to pool in the center

7.) There are numerous minor finish issues with the woodwork mainly associated with poorly finished nail wholes.
8.) The trim is loose on the bathroom door frame.
9.) the window fabric frame on the drivers side in the bedroom is loose (the rear bracket is not attached correctly)
10.) On rear wheel well a metal strip is loose and needs to be trimmed and reattached. This issue is beginning on the other wheel wells.
11.) The mirror in the bathroom cabinet broke after being closed - It wasn't slammed but the latch does require a firm push to close.
- I already replaced
12.) A overhead bedroom cabinet door broke when being opened. It’s been temporarily glued back together but should be replaced
13.) In the storage bin located below the driver, a 12-volt fuse connector is empty. I don’t know what fuse is specified or if one should be installed.
14.) Sink cupboard hinge is loose.
15.) Water pump is load and has banging sound.
16.) Trim gap on bathroom door – interior upper corner
17.) Toilet handle cover piece does not stay fully attached
18.) Wastebasket door crooked
19.) Generator hard to start and then stopped working
20.) Porch light not working


All these items were corrected. They needed four days to complete. The 4th day was needed to send to the Onan service center to replace the fuel pump.

I have found the noise in the main slide can be corrected by releasing the tension in the slide after retracting by extending the slide by approximately 1/4".

Also - one added suggestion for those who have commented on the limited space for the bunk mattress. I drilled a whole 3.5" below the whole that is used for the holding pin used in the up position. I purchased a "U" bracket 3.5" long by 1.5" wide to lower the stored position of the bed in the stored position. The extra room allows for a mattress and/or bedding storage.

I hope this information is helpful.

Overall - the RV has worked very well.

[RVRandy]

Originally Posted by pmcsurf1

Coach pulled to right during test drive. Cw, on delivery day, said it was all good. Still pulled driving home. Took it to Freightliner in Jax FL. Replaced def tank head and did a front end alignment. Left shop to drive home. Still pulled to right. Got home. Called Freightliner in SC. They said take it to Freightliner in Lake City FL. 2 hours west of Jax. I got there at 12 noon. Left there at 930 pm. Remember this is for a front end alignment.
Mechanic and I test drove. Still pulls right. Mechanic and service manager all scratching head. Mechanic says let me try... Ride height adjustment. Still pulls right. Drove home dejected. Freightliner fl says they need to call Freightliner SC. .

I had very similar issues on mine. It had a bad pull to the right when delivered. It was sent to a non-Freightliner shop where it was aligned but it still pulled right. Eventually I measured it and determined the ride height was off by about 4" leaning to the left. That was fixed at Freightliner but it still pulled. They had to align it again, after the ride height was fixed, because fixing the suspension effected the front end steering.

At that point it didn't pull near as bad as before, but still did a little. And the steering wheel now had a wobble when hitting bumps and has a constant vibration.

It took several more trips to another CW location and 2 different tire shops but we discovered the right front tire was worn down unevenly with some cupping. Apparently due to the unit being driven 1500 miles from the factory when it was delivered with the front end out of whack. THOR put a new tire on it and it fixed the pull, but we still had a wobble and vibration. Eventually determined that 2 of the wheels were out of round. THOR paid to have 2 new ones installed.

It now tracks straight with no pull, no wobble and no vibration. It was a pain but persistence paid off. It also helped that I was a heavy equipment mechanic for years and drove big trucks. That way when the tech at CW would try to say "that's just the way motorhomes drive" I could say BS. THOR was very good about paying for the needed repairs and having one of their troubleshooters work with me on email and via the phone.

If you have that much of an imbalance in air bag psi and the coach is relatively evenly loaded, that is the place to start. Park on a level paved area and let all the air out of your suspension, give it a good 2-3 minutes to empty completely. Measure from the ground up to the top center of the rear wheel well lip on each side of the coach. The measurements should be within 1/2" + or - side to side as long as it is level and the pavement is fairly even. Now, with the engine running, air the suspension up fully, giving it 3-4 minutes to reach full height and full air pressure. Repeat the same measuring process. Although the measurement will now be a bigger number because of the increased height, the side to side variance should be roughly the same as before. If not, then the ride height needs to be adjusted. Take it to Freightliner to make sure that is done right.

Once you know for certain the ride height is good, have them confirm the alignment is still good. If after all that it still pulls, check the wear on your front tires. Use the jacks to raise the front end high enough for the front tires to be about 1" off of the ground. Get down and look at the gap between the pavement and the bottom of the tire, it should look about even all the way across. If not, then the tire may have scrubbed off unevenly due to the other issues. With the tires still in the air, have someone slowly spin the tires while you watch the gap. If you see any noticeable widening/narrowing of the gap it means the tire and/or your wheel could be out of round. For safety, don't get under the MH when the tires are off the ground, just check when laying in front of the tire and to the side.

If everything else is determined to be good and you still have a pull it could be a defective tire i.e. the internal bands are bad. The easiest way to confirm this is move the right tire/wheel to the left side and move the left side tire/wheel to the right. If you had a pull to the right before and now it pulls to the left, its the tire.

The next thing to check would be to make sure the right side wheel bearing is not defective or that the brakes are not dragging on the right front. Either one could cause a pull to the right. When you have the front tires in the air and you spin them, see if they both free wheel about the same amount when spun with equal force.

Let us know what you find.

[Butte64]

Randy,
Thanks for the great write up. This is exactly the kind of information we need and why I appreciate iRV2 and fellow Palazzo owners so much.

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by Butte64

Randy, Thanks for the great write up. This is exactly the kind of information we need and why I appreciate iRV2 and fellow Palazzo owners so much.

Great info...... Thanks!

[TheArnolds]

Randy, great write up!
When I had my chassis alignment checked at Freightliner in Gaffney they told me that they needed to adjust the ride height prior to the alignment so like yours they work hand in hand.