Thor Super C (Chateau/Four Winds) improvements and mods

[Sites]

Hey folks,

I purchased a 2014 Thor Chateau 33SW last August and right from the start I experienced the new RV owner blues. In short, after driving back to San Diego from where I flew out to purchase it in Texas, it spent its first 3 weeks in the shop with about a dozen issues, ranging from minor to major.

That said, aside from all of the issues, now that I've resolved most of them either through warranty or just fixing it myself after the local Thor service dealer either did a half-assed job fixing a problem, or just flat out didn't fix it after it sat in their shop for weeks, I like this motorhome. I wanted something fairly nice and that could reasonably tow 10k+ LBS, since I have a desert prerunner truck and several motorcycles to trailer out with the family. Dynamax's were nice, but out of the $$$ range I was willing to invest on a first MH. I also looked as used medium duty chassis Super C's (older Show Haulers, etc.) but anything close to $100k was too dated looking and generally VERY used. So I saw the F550 chassis based Thor 33SW and bit the bullet.

After owning it for about 7 months now, my impression is that Thor came up with a great layout and mated it to a good chassis, but as a result of both production line quality assurance issues and the general feeling that everything beneath the surface was designed to speed up build time, there are many improvements that can be made by owners to make this coach better. And frankly, should have been done at the factory before shipping off to the dealer! 🙂

The reason I'm starting this thread is because I've noticed a few other Thor Super C owners on here and other forums, that have all mentioned having similar issues (house water pump leaks, front fuel tank filling issues, front hydro jacks too low from the factory, poor house battery capacity, etc.) I've also noticed a few very cool modifications and improvements by others on here as well, such as relocating the house batteries to one of the storage compartments and switching to a bank of four 6v batts. I figured it would be useful to try and centralize the communication of issues encountered, how to resolve them and suggestions to improve the coach.

I've done a few already and will post one of them shortly. Hopefully other Thor Super C (33SW, 35sk, 35sg, Etc) will chime in as well.

[seal13il]

Robbie, I disconnected the 110 and turned the invertor off, left it for couple of hours, started the invertor, showed 12.8 and once plugged in it showed 13.1

[RobbieH]

I bet you are OK. the 11.5v thing is exactly what happens when it needs a reset.

I bought $400 of new batteries for mine just to find out it was just the inverter.

[seal13il]

I totally agree with you Robbie (as much as I hate it..), just frustration of paying for 2 new batteries to go kaput cause an idiot in the stealership doesn't care:( , I'll go grab some distilled water and reset the invertor:)

[RobbieH]

If that breaker is popped, they won't charge on shore power. Also, they probably left it unplugged the entire time.

I'll say this, and I don't mean it in a negative way, you will need to learn to deal with this stuff on your own. You will have times that you are many hours from a dealership and will not be able to get help. Also, from experience, the dealerships right now are backed up on service and may not be able to get to you for weeks. If you learn the easy stuff like this, you avoid dealing with the dealership and the anger you'll have trying to get them to hurry up.

[seal13il]

RobbieH wrote:
11.5 means the inverter needs to be reset. Unplug from shore power, don't run the generator, turn off the inverter (panel by the entry door) for 30 minutes. Turn it back on and it should change to something other than 11.5.

Also, check the breaker under the bed, I have a picture on page 54.

Another thing, the water level needs to be checked and filled on a monthly basis if you stay plugged in. Only use distilled water.

http://www.wikihow.com/Check-Car-Battery-Water-Levels

Thanks Robbie:) Ill go check it.....I just need to know if I should go back to the RV shop and have them deal with it as all was fine with 1 month old batteries before they took it...my guess is it set there for 2.5 months without a charge:(

[wog099]

I had some questions earlier on the Super C Four Winds, but I decided to buy the Jayco Seneca instead, and have just recently picked it up.
I appreciate all your information. It was useful in making my decision and in picking up useful knowledge.
Thanks,
Wade

[RobbieH]

11.5 means the inverter needs to be reset. Unplug from shore power, don't run the generator, turn off the inverter (panel by the entry door) for 30 minutes. Turn it back on and it should change to something other than 11.5.

Also, check the breaker under the bed, I have a picture on page 54.

Another thing, the water level needs to be checked and filled on a monthly basis if you stay plugged in. Only use distilled water.

http://www.wikihow.com/Check-Car-Battery-Water-Levels

[seal13il]

Guys, a quick question... I had to leave her at the dealer for nearly 3 months for repairs, new batteries installed prior in November, picked her up and it shows 11.5v not connected to 110 and 13 when connected....is it normal or these new batteries are toast?

[RobbieH]

bhplumber wrote:
We would rather have something older that was well maintained and has the bugs worked out vs getting one with less quality that is newer.

Now you know more about why I don't have mine anymore.

Don't get me wrong, we loved our 33SW when it was working. That said, we are about to be full-timers and there simply was not enough room in ours for the two of us and two border collies. So, the search was on. We learned over on the IRV2 forum to look for something used that was high-end when built. To make a long story short, we traded for a coach that was well over $300k new, and has all the options we wanted including AquaHot. It's built in the famous Roadmaster RR8S chassis, has a 400HP Caterpillar C9, and an Allison 4000 transmission. The quality of the cabinetry and such inside the coach is nicer than I see in most homes, it's all solid cherry.

The AquaHot system is pretty darn neat. It is basically a furnace like homes in the north have. It can be fired via diesel fuel or electricity. It has a tank of antifreeze solution which heats copper coils within the tank. It can be used for continuous hot water in the shower, and it also serves as the heater in the coach when the temps get too cold for the heat pumps. Or it can be used instead of heat pumps (the rooftop A/C units) if you want a quiet environment.

Also, the previous owner had a HWH AutoAir suspension system installed on the coach at a cost of $9300. This system makes changes to the suspension on the fly, so wind, road changes, etc. don't sway the coach. It's impressive.

Lucky for us, the salesman who took the coach in trade and traded us for our 33SW didn't know much about them and didn't realize the upgrades that had been done to our "new" coach, he way undervalued it.

If you buy something brand new, you'll spend a big part of the first year working out bugs. They don't QA them, they send you on your way then you go back and report the issues you've discovered. And from what I can tell, they don't build them like they did in the early and mid 2000s.

[bhplumber]

So after much debate the wife and I have decided to pass on the Thor. Which was a smoking deal by the way. There is just to many issues and the fit and finish vs the older Jayco's just isn't quite there. We would rather have something older that was well maintained and has the bugs worked out vs getting one with less quality that is newer. We have decided that after all the RV's we have had a super C should be a perfect fit for us so we had better get EXACTLY what we want within our budget of course.

I did find a Silver Crown Pony Express 2200 online that looked really nice. (sold of course) but gave something else to watch for. Its not real fancy but looked very well built and I like the long wheelbase with short rear over hang.Does anyone have any info on these coaches or possibly know if one for sale? Saying that We are trying to keep our purchase at under 80K.

[RobbieH]

They shipped this thing by truck. It can't go by UPS or FedEx. It was shipped by CEVA. It isn't heavy, it is just huge.

Mine failed twice like yours did, where the back or the front was not all the way in. Once it failed while completely out, but we jacked around with it enough that we were able to get it in and locked and I was able to get it to the shop.

Like you, once they did the upgrade, I never had another problem. In fact, I even accidentally had something in the way once, and it popped the gears in such a way that it came in crooked, but after re-timing it, it solved the problem on its own and we never had another issue. I was like you though, I was nervous every time we used it.

During the upgrade, the Thor technician pointed out several areas where they incorrectly installed the system at the factory, and also several areas where MHSRV made matters worse during repairs.

While we were shopping for our Class A, we went to MHSRV to see what they had on the lot. I walked around in the new model that is similar to the 33SW, the 35SF (the 33SW is not offered anymore). The biggest change we noticed was that they moved the fridge from the driver's side to the passenger side, likely to get weight off that full-wall slide. I liked it though, it makes a lot more room in the coach compared to the 33SW layout. It also looks like they've learned lessons in other areas, things seemed to be put together better (but of course that's without owning it) and material are a lot nicer. It was enough to make me want one! I did not like the idea of 1.5 bath and a queen bed though, we loved our king bed.

[Sites]

Slide issues aside, we really like the layout of the 33SW. If you read a few dozen pages back on this thread, my original 2 track system failed right before a 2 week, 2500 mile road trip. Before that, there was no indication that it was going to fail. And to be clear, mine didn't fail catastrophically like RobbieH's system. The rear gear slipped a few teeth so it wouldn't retract evenly and the rear would end up an inch out when the front was full seated. I also believe that I didn't help the situation since it happened while the RV was parked on an incline and not level when I extended/retracted the slide. But oh well, sh*t happens and I was able to replace it with a 3Trax system.

Shipping might be expensive, but its probably worth it. When I upgraded my 2014 33SW to the 3Trax system, getting the hardware from Thor/Lippert was a nightmare. They sent the original replacement schwintek system (2 track) twice! Then made the repair shop pay for return shipping even though the order specifically said that it was for the 3Trax system. Plus, they would ONLY sell the 3Trax system to the shop and not to me directly. I spoke with the sales person at Lippert and they refused to sell me the complete 3Trax kit, saying that it was "incompatible", which RobbieH and I know is complete BS. Plus, they required me to provide a VIN number to confirm that my RV came with the 3Trax, which of course I didn't have, so I had no luck purchasing directly. Luckily the shop was finally able to acquire the 3Trax kit and install it. Since then (knocking on wood and fingers crossed), it has worked perfectly, which is about 1.5 years now. Though I do get an uneasy feeling everytime I have to extend/retract the slide while we're camping. Heh.

The total price for the entire 3Trax kit (tracks, motors, wiring, seals, etc) was about $1300 -- at least thats what the shop charged me. Installation time was a little less than a day.

[RobbieH]

The shipping would cost a fortune. The box is HUGE. This is absolutely something that you'd want to be local to pick up. It is likely why Thor wasn't interested in me shipping it back - I called them three or four times trying to tell them they shipped me two, and they did not seem to care. But if that rig does not have the 3Trax system, you are asking for trouble.

The drawers are a real issue. You'll find flimsy plastic retainers on the glides, and they will be held in with just one screw. I was able to get Thor to send me a box of several replacements. When you replace them, put two or more screws in each one and it will help. Another issue with them is the bottom drawers in the bedroom. Pull a drawer and you will quickly see the problem, the retainers are screwed into a board held from the top, which is not secure. It is able to move back and forth, which will let the drawer fall down. I secured mine to the floor using a very large amount of silicone. There are very likely better solutions, but I needed something I could do quickly as I had a trip coming up in a couple of days, and since it never failed again I left it alone.

[bhplumber]

RobbieH, I hope to close a deal this week on one of the infamous 2014 33sw's. I don't believe it has the 3 trac system so if your still interested in getting rid of yours Id like to speak for it. Let me know what you want for it and if possible I could send you some extra for shipping.

I am almost 100% sure the 33sw is the right RV for us. I like the shorter tail over hang then the 35sk. I almost hate to read anymore about the 33sw, seems to be a lot of unhappy owners out there. The one I'm looking at has 15K on it, paint, diesel gen, It has a few issues with the cabinets but I can handle that. My biggest concern is the slide. The current owner said he has had no issues with the slide.

My second choice is an 07 Seneca on a diesel Kodiak chassis but they seem a lot like my DP I just sold to "downsize" I am looking at a little less then $15K price difference between the units. so I'm not sure is I should go with the older Jayco or go newer and just do the upgrades needed to make it as trouble free as a RV can be.

[RobbieH]

Try the whole reset I described.