Maiden Voyage long trip ?

[cjoseph]

Anyone pick up a new MH and take off on a fairly long trip?

We are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Our new order has been delayed and may come in any day. We have a trip planned to Disney/Key West that is to start next week.

I held onto the TT and Yukon when things started going south on the new arrival. It was delayed a week at the factory. It has been stuck at a Ford dealer awaiting an ABS module or sensor for two more weeks.

So, from order to delivery it looks between 15 and 16 weeks. (Assuming nothing else goes wrong, ha!)

Of course, we want to take the new rig, but I don't want to rush delivery and outfitting, etc...

What are the chances of something major malfunctioning? We understand there will be minor tweaks, etc... We can live with those.

Anyone take delivery and then take off?

We're kicking ourselves for not making our decision sooner back in January. You'd think that shopping for two years we could have pulled the trigger sooner. We were stuck between two brands for awhile.

[discovery4us]

We picked up our used DP on Wednesday and left from CA to TX on Thursday evening. If its going to break it is going to break. Very little you can due to avoid it especially on a new unit.

[Darbuk]

We did in 20102 and were totally green to RVing, took possession of our 35 ' Class A in JULY 2012 for a 4 month trip ending in OCTOBER, traveling over 6000 miles thru the Rockies, Smokies, Penna, Texas, back to AZ. The La Mesa RV( dealer) was great in coaching us by phone & in person about minor issues that were more our fault than the coach.We purchased the rand mcnally GPS which-- along with feedback from this site's Fprum Members!!-- kept our trip safe and on accessible roads for newbies.

we took a 2nd trip( shorter) to Tuscon this year, and during a freak snow storm, we lost our heat and the electrical power to the steps etc etc. We found out that our dealer warranty did not cover having them make an onsite repair call and we'd be in default if we used the Sam's club road side assistance subcontractor if he was not on Fleetwood's approved list. We also learned what we did not know- like water in the battery under the steps, and how the control panel memory card can reset itself .

we're heading out again for 4 months!! Love it.

[JTHarley]

When I bought my first diesel pusher we literally picked it up at the dealer in Michigan and headed to Myrtle beach for the break in cruise. After reading all the posts of initial problems I was hesitant but knowing I had a new warranty and many places along the way to service it we went for it.

I ended up going to gaffney on the way home to have freightliner replace an airbag and a computer module that went wacky. We where not on any type of time constraint so we just took our time and enjoyed the journey.

[cjoseph]

If the dealer can get it in time, we're going to try to pick it up.

We may even try to shift a couple of reservations back a couple of days and spend the first days of our vacation at the dealership. Hopefully, we can get it this week and not have to do that.

In a perfect situation, we could do a good PDI and not have the added pressure of the vacation clock ticking. I had visions of going over it once and presenting the dealer with a punch list and coming back for it later. Looks like that might not happen. We will still dedicate at least one overnight into the delivery/shakedown process.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[Lobstah]

Ours wasn't "new"...just new to us ;), but I took delivery in Az on a Tues afternoon, left AZ at about 4pm headed back to Mass. Trip was about 2200mi, and was a good shakedown. I discovered the rig needed a 4 wheel alignment and a right rear axle seal.
I think if you do a good delivery inspection so that you know the basics are covered, you'll be fine, understanding that as you said, there'll likely be some minor tweaks, some may be more pressing than others.

Good luck, safe travels.

Jim

[sdianel_-acct_c]

If it's under warranty and something goes wrong, can't you take it to any dealer that services that brand or the item like the fridge? Ask your dealer about reciprocity. We bought an RV in Tucson, drove it to Dallas. On the way, the batteries fried. Discovered that the dealership in Tucson didn't check the water in them and it was 120 degrees when we picked it up. The dealer in Tucson authorized a dealership in Dallas to replace the batteries.

[Dennyf]

We took delivery in May of 2003 in central New York and just a couple of weeks later left for Alaska. Only problem we had was with the refrigerator, Had to finish the trip working out of a cooler. Was a little hassle but didn't ruin our fun. We took 64 days to do the trip and logged in 13,500 miles. Jayco made good on all accounts and I still have that motorhome and it's still going strong. Denny