New Buyer

[Cougar-Denali]

High all-
I have a deposit on a 2017 (2016 chassis) Thor Chateau 35SF with 1 +1/2 bath. Are there any showstoppers I should look for at delivery and insist Dealer fix before I accept the vehicle? I will have a technician with me for the test drive and to inspect for some of the issues from this forum. Two items where I would really appreciate comments are:
1.Could rear bath configuration cause a handling problem and how can it be corrected?
2.How can we test for drive train vibration and who is best to fix it?
Richard

[Bumpyroad]

did you step into that small shower that that unit has?
bumpy

[az99]

Sounds like you made a very good decision. Thor and AS IS could become very expensive.

[Cougar-Denali]

I Canceled the order. Love the floorplan and Ford 555 chassis. But I don't want to spend six months or more getting Thor's manufacturing defects corrected. MHSRV's service department is an oxymoron.

[samven1]

If the contract and paperwork says AS IS you do not have any warranty weather its new or not. There could be a few reasons why they do this but they obviously have a reason. I would be more than a little hesitant to buy anything when the dealer was so obviously hiding something from me. You might want to take the VIN and call Thor to find out why. It may have had a water leak that has been covered up or some structural damage that could not be fully corrected ect. and Thor auctioned it off to recoup some cost. Check to be sure you dont have a salvage title. AS IS does not just absolve the dealer but everyone involved, Ford, Thor, the chassis stretcher everyone.

[fredbon]

I am surprised a new unit, under warranty, being sold "AS IS". Regardless of how repeatable the dealer is, they are wiping their hands of any customer service, leaving you to deal with the factory alone.

Fred

[Bordercollie]

C-D,

If this is one is being sold as a new rig, and the sales agreement says "sold as is" I would be forewarned about their willingness to fix factory defects under warranty and not buy from them unless they are almost giving it to you.

Getting a reputable dealer's service department to properly and quickly fix factory defects, with a normal sales agreement is hard enough. If the factory must authorize and pay the dealer to fix defects, and is unable or unwilling to do so, you are out of luck.

[RE_Todd]

Check your DEF fill hose, my 35SK had 2 180 degree kinks and wouldn't fill. You won't need to fill it for 5000 miles, so probably won't find it in warranty. I cut about a foot off of mine to get it to flow normally.

[Cougar-Denali]

Thanks again for all the replies. Motor Home Specialist's Sales Agreement say it's "SOLD AS IS", meaning MHSRV waives all responsibility for correcting the manufacturer's defects regardless what the salesman and their tech says...They do say they do warrantee work for Thor, but that doesn't mean they look for it.
"Trust and Verify" - Ronald Reagan

[Bordercollie]

Try to make sure that the refrigerator is operating normally on propane,110v shore power and generator power. Fridge must be on overnight to cool to proper temperature. Have them demonstrate starting the generator, turning on roof AC, adjusting thermostat, and proper shut down and restart procedures. Test the furnace for proper start up with the thermostat and shut down procedures. Test the water heater for start up and shut down on propane and electric ( if it has electric option). Make sure you understand shore power hookup, automatic or manual transfer from shore to generator power and operation of auxiliary (house) battery on/off switch and operation of converter charger and battery charging. Check whether engine start battery will be charged when rig is plugged into shore power (or not). Have them show you where the low point drains valves are and how to use TV antenna/cable TV devices. Operate all faucets and toilet, and look for any leaks under kitchen and bathroom sinks. Check for proper operation of all exterior door and compartment locks. Check for proper operation of cab heater and AC, radio and vents, windshield wipers and washers, and test drive looking for any
braking, handling, acceleration, vibrations or strange noises.
Have them demonstrate setup and stowage of awning. Don't buy an extended warranty package they are generally full of loopholes and exclusions. Put money in a "Pearl Harbor" account for periodic and unexpected expenses. (Phew!)

[wbwood]

Cougar-Denali wrote:
High all-
I have a deposit on a 2017 (2016 chassis) Thor Chateau 35SF with 1 +1/2 bath. Are there any showstoppers I should look for at delivery and insist Dealer fix before I accept the vehicle? I will have a technician with me for the test drive and to inspect for some of the issues from this forum. Two items where I would really appreciate comments are:
1.Could rear bath configuration cause a handling problem and how can it be corrected?
2.How can we test for drive train vibration and who is best to fix it?
Richard

1) If it's a problem, then don't buy it.
2) If it's a problem don't buy it.

Have everything fixed that needs to be fixed. If it's something that needs to be altered in order to work correctly, then don't buy it. Especially when it comes to mechanical stuff.

[DrewE]

As for your rear bath question: I can't imagine any likely scenario where that would in itself cause a handling problem. It does imply that holding tanks are at the rear and sloshing stuff in them could in theory be noticeable, but RV tanks are not really big enough for difficulties in practice.

The only driving drawback I can think of for this layout specifically is the impossibility of having a back window. With a stick-on wide angle lens and sightlines from the front, the window can be nice. A rear view camera is a viable (arguably superior at times) alternative. Of course, one can drive safely with just the outside mirrors, but more visibility is never a bad thing.

[Racine96]

Wow! Make sure you look at everything and all if fixed before taking over. MHO

[Cougar-Denali]

First, thanks everybody for your postings. My delivery was scheduled for last Friday and I had a checklist from your postings and an RV technician with me. We found 11 manufacturing defects. MHSRV couldn't fix all the defects by closing time, so I went home. Most interesting one was I had them top off the fuel tanks to check for the filler pipe vent issue and one filler kept kicking back and overflowing. Working all day Saturday they diagnosed it as a kink in the filler hose. Monday morning when they were fixing the hose they discovered the fuel tank was full and tank was reading empty so they sent it to the Ford dealer to fix the fuel gauge. Going back in January to finish the delivery inspection.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Cougar-Denali wrote:

2.How can we test for drive train vibration and who is best to fix it?
Richard

Until someone more knowledgeable chimes in:

Anything "wrong" with the drive shaft assembly will be the warranty work of the company that stretched the chassis. We found this out when we had a carrier bearing go bad on our E-450. (The chassis-stretcher was VERY accommodating and were willing to make our trip to Elkhart a one-day affair; but we were awaiting a new grandchild, so chose to have it repaired locally, at our expense) As far as vibrations go - I'm not sure how you can test for that; but when a carrier bearing goes bad, you know/hear it immediately....LOL!