Palazzo Owners

[TheArnolds]

Originally Posted by Gingerela

I'd like to find out more about the seminars being offered at the TDC Goshen rally. Checked out the website, but there are no details.

I attended the last TDC rally in Eureka Springs, AR and we had a wonderful time and met a lot of great people. We have a prior commitment in Texas so we will not be attending the Goshen rally :-(

We had 32 coaches in AR and Thor and Freightliner sent representatives and they arranged for a local RV dealership to bring over a new RV to tour. There were seminars given by Thor, Freightliner, and the travel club sponsored by FMCA. So it was not a lot of seminars like you would see at a FMCA or Good Sam rally but informatative none the less. Thor's Customer Service Manager, Mark Stanley visited every coach and discussed any ongoing issues you were having or just to visit if all was OK.

Understanding that this rally will be close to the Thor factory and Customer Service Center there may be more interaction with Thor and it will give you an opportunity to schedule your coach for service.

This is a great bunch of people and I know you will have a good time if you attend!

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by tcopeland

Any Palazzo owners going to the TDC rally in Goshen. Believe it's October 6 - 11.

We are going to be in Panama City Florida during that week.

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by PaPa-DiDi

We are looking at a new Thor Palazzo motorhome...This will be our first MH and reading this forum has been a great help to us…We for sure want a DP and the Palazzo is in our price range…can't wait to join in on the fun...

Hi PaPa,
I don't know if you found/purchased your new Palazzo yet but I know the RV dealership where we bought our 2013 Palazzo 33.2 still has a 2013 Palazzo 36.1 for sale. It is the Black/Gold color scheme. The dealership was very nice and the owner's daughter, Karen Bishop gave us a really fair price for our 33.2.
The dealership is: Johnny Bishop RV
9871 Hwy 45 N. Columbus, Ms. 39705
The phone number is: 800-569-9847
The dealership is a little out of the way, but there was a really nice Corp of Engineers campground: DeWayne Hayes about 7 miles from the dealership.

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by RKNOLA

I am glad all of you warned us. We did get a call from a rep from Thor and they said "Your coach has newer components so you shouldn't have any slide issues". The dealership did change the Lippert motor to the larger model as recommended by Thor. Well, we picked up our new 2013 Thor Palazzo 33.2 on Saturday 7/13/13 (maybe too many 13's). We luckily decided to camp overnight at a campground about 7 miles from the dealership just in case we had slide issues. When we arrived the slide went out fine. We stayed the night then in the morning when we tried to pull the slide in that is when all the trouble started!! The slide started going in crooked. The bottom half was sticking out about 6 inches. So we tried extending the slide to straighten it back out. The front of the slide would extend but not the back end of the slide. Rick had to go outside the coach and with the help of another male camper they were able to physically PUSH the slide while I pushed the "slide retract" button. (I guess if you own a Palazzo you have to always camp with 2 or 3 extra people to help you get your slide in!!). Luckily I had the cell phone number of the owner of the dealership. We called her, told her about the slide issue. She met us back at the dealership and rented us a car to drive home. (We live 4 hrs. away from the dealership!)
The dealership still has the coach and I am seriously hoping we didn't make a VERY expensive mistake by buying the Palazzo!
I called the Thor representative that told us we wouldn't have any slide issues and left her a voice message: "should I say I told you so now or would you like me to wait until later"??? I hope they don't avoid my call because they don't want to hear me complain!
I will give them today to look over the coach, then I will start calling to find out what is going on! I am also saying prayers that we won't regret buying this coach!!

Hi Everybody,
I didn't want to post again until after our slide was fixed and we had a chance to make sure it worked. We drove back to Columbus, Ms on 7/20/13 to pick up our RV. From what we were told, when the dealership replaced the Lippert motor for the bigger size the technician failed to seat the motor properly in the slot. That caused the front motor to pull the slide in while leaving the rear of the slide slipping and fumbling to keep up. So when we picked the RV up we went back to the campground for another overnight "test run". In the morning we both held our breath as we hit the "retract" button for the slide. Luckily (knock on wood) it seems like properly seating the Lippert motor fixed the problem!
Since bringing the RV home we have had no more slide issues! In fact we took the RV to Topsail Hill State Park in Santa Rosa, Fl. last weekend and had a wonderful time (with NO slide issues!).
Thanks to everyone for all of your help and advice. The Palazzo family is really wonderful and we are happy to be a part of it!! Also, thanks to IRV2 for providing a great information outlet!!

[tcopeland]

Originally Posted by RKNOLA

Hi Everybody,
I didn't want to post again until after our slide was fixed and we had a chance to make sure it worked. We drove back to Columbus, Ms on 7/20/13 to pick up our RV. From what we were told, when the dealership replaced the Lippert motor for the bigger size the technician failed to seat the motor properly in the slot. That caused the front motor to pull the slide in while leaving the rear of the slide slipping and fumbling to keep up. So when we picked the RV up we went back to the campground for another overnight "test run". In the morning we both held our breath as we hit the "retract" button for the slide. Luckily (knock on wood) it seems like properly seating the Lippert motor fixed the problem!
Since bringing the RV home we have had no more slide issues! In fact we took the RV to Topsail Hill State Park in Santa Rosa, Fl. last weekend and had a wonderful time (with NO slide issues!).
Thanks to everyone for all of your help and advice. The Palazzo family is really wonderful and we are happy to be a part of it!! Also, thanks to IRV2 for providing a great information outlet!!

Great!
Welcome aboard.

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by tcopeland

Any Palazzo owners going to the TDC rally in Goshen. Believe it's October 6 - 11.

What does TDC stand for? Where is Goshen? So many clubs out there: (Thor Owners Club, Freightliners Owner Club, etc.) Can anyone tell me more about these clubs?

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by gmadams

We are going to be in Panama City Florida during that week.

Let us know if you find any really nice campgrounds in Panama City. We love that area and are always anxious to hear of some new "hidden gem" of a park in Florida.

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by RKNOLA

Let us know if you find any really nice campgrounds in Panama City. We love that area and are always anxious to hear of some new "hidden gem" of a park in Florida.

Right now I am looking at the Ho Hum RV Park. It looks inviting especially the waterfront sites! It isn't in Panama City. It is actually East of Port St. Joe.

Home Page

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by Dalez

Sorry HD but that 33.1 at Lazydays has my name on it. I will be setting up my signature soon.

Dale

We saw a 33.2 on the Lazydays Arizona site and when we called for a price they quoted us the MSRP price. When I asked them for the final sale price they were still almost 10 thousand above other dealerships! That is when we found ours listed at the Johnny Bishop RV dealership in Columbus, Ms. They gave us a fair price to start, no haggle, no hassle!! We were very pleased with their dealership! They still have a 2013 36.1 on the lot for sale if anyone is looking for that floorplan.

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by gmadams

Right now I am looking at the Ho Hum RV Park. It looks inviting especially the waterfront sites! It isn't in Panama City. It is actually East of Port St. Joe.

Home Page

Thanks for the info, I love the "Ho Hum" name!! I will google them. The park we just went to was "Top Sail Hill State Park" in Santa Rosa, Fl. (just outside Destin). They had a nice pool, a shuttle to the beach, bikes for rent and a nice campground store. (It used to be a privately owned campground but then the family donated the park to the state of Florida). The Silver Sands outlet mall was also only about 6 miles away. They had some wonderful stores! Polo, Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Waterford, Rockport, Sperry Shoes, etc.
There is a great restaurant across from the outlet mall called "Cheeseburger in Paradise" that had wonderful food with a beachy Buffett type of atmosphere.
Enjoy!!

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by Gingerela

Thanks, Jerry. Glad I asked here! What height should the boards be? Is one board (2" high) enough? And how long do you recommend the boards be? I wasn't sure since I am new to all this and really am flying blind here.

I like the idea of the anti-fatigue mats, too, since I can cut them wider for the rear tires. Again, how thick/tall should these be? Is the thickness of one layer enough or should I stack them, maybe glue them together?

Height does not matter since the objective is just to separate the tire from the concrete or asphalt or whatever the coach is parked on.

A comfortable length would be 25", longer even better to avoid running off the back end. Just make sure to do as the Michelin pamphlet says and don't have any part of the tire hanging over an edge.

The mats have an interlocking capability and are 25" square. I would not even cut, just use one under each front tire and two interlocked under each dual.

[Butte64]

In spite of my military background, or maybe because of it and not having Privates around to clean up, I am not exactly fastidious about the floor of the Palazzo. So I really like the color and pattern that hides the dirt so well. So well, in fact, that it is hard to tell it needs cleaning.

But when it does, I really like the Swiffer Sweeper. The combination of the pads and the little vacuum action along with the small size and battery power make it perfect. It worked so well on the laminate floors in the house we got one that is full time in the Palazzo. It is amazing how much stuff gets picked up when you don't think it is dirty.

I don't know if there is a competing brand so I don't know if it is the best available but it works well enough that I am not looking for anything better.

[Oliver-Max]

Are there any Palazzo owners planning to attend the GLAMARAMA on Sep't 18-22 at the Elkhart county 4-H Fairground, Goshen, IN? This is run through FMCA. Check the FMCA website for more information.

The Thor Diesel Club (TDC) is holding a Rally at the same place in Goshen on Oct. 6-11. Thor Motor Coach Customer Service (TMC) will be on site to do minor repair work on your coach regardless of your warranty status. Camp Freightliner will be held at the Rally on Oct. 11-12 only for TDC members. More info is available at the TDC website: Thor Diesel Club
Any Palazzo owners planning to attend the TDC Rally?

Iggy Konrad
2013 33.1
2010 MINI Cooper Clubman S

[RKNOLA]

Originally Posted by Gingerela

I feel as though my husband and I are in over our heads having purchased a diesel pusher. We don't even know what an exhaust brake is, much less how to use it! Lord help us!

When you think about it, aren't we ALL in over our heads? We are driving a GIANT BOX down the road! We have been RVing for many years and I don't think there is one trip that we haven't silently prayed and asked for God to get us through! Whether it be a tight campground space, or a 18 wheeler blowing us all over the road, or a GPS moment that wants us to turn our giant box down a gravel road, we have all had the "Lord help us" thought!!
Just remember you have a really big Palazzo family out there to help and you should be fine!