Winnebago Era 70a

[ed6713]

Giving some thought to a 2014 Era 70a.
Very interested in the opinion of current/former owners.
The good, the bad and the ugly.

Thanks

ed

[Neverhappy]

My Roadtrek wrote:
Back to the Topic please.

sometimes off topic can be real funny :B

[Book]

BudJ wrote:
"2-no inverter..... to run 110 volt accessories with out plug in or genny"

Hi Book,

So does that mean your TV is 12 volt along with any sound system, satellite TV receiver,.............. etc.

Thanks.

Bud

YES.... 12 VOLT TV ETC.....

[My_Roadtrek]

Back to the Topic please.

[ed6713]

NMace wrote:
Not sure how far in the boonies you boondock, but I rarely urinate indoors; at home or rv'ing.

Ever since we got indoor plumbing, the DW has refused to take a !"?@ in the woods. Can't see her changing her mind now.

🙂

Ed

[NMace]

Not sure how far in the boonies you boondock, but I rarely urinate indoors; at home or rv'ing. Use very little water when I flush after deficating. Still 10 gallons will fill quickly. 2 people in 4 days is good.

[deborahsheik]

Book wrote:
Bud, TV's are 12 volt.... no problem.... removed front tv....and have swivel on rear tv, big enough to see from front seats.... wired surround sound to rear tv... great....

Do you have a photo of the rear tv on a swivel?
Do you sit in the cab seats to watch? Our driver seat does not swivel completely...it hits the loveseat.

[georgelesley]

ed6713 wrote:
One of my concerns is the very small, 10 gal., black tank. With two people I can't see it lasting for more then maybe 2 days. We boondock a lot.

Any thoughts on that?

Ed

I doubt you will find much bigger in most "B"s. Advance RV makes one on a sprinter chassis larger, but then so is the price by alot. We just use public toilets as much as possible. We also boondock a lot, but one can usually find an outhouse somewhere.

[ed6713]

One of my concerns is the very small, 10 gal., black tank. With two people I can't see it lasting for more then maybe 2 days. We boondock a lot.

Any thoughts on that?

Ed

[bobojay5]

We changed out the front TV for a 15". Allows much more countertop room as is, but we're going to move it this spring up to the end of the overhead cabinet. Have seen pics of this mod, great setup.
We usually watch different stuff when we watch TV so we need the second unit, otherwise we'd probably do the rear TV swivel thing and take out the front

[georgelesley]

Book wrote:
Bud, TV's are 12 volt.... no problem.... removed front tv....and have swivel on rear tv, big enough to see from front seats.... wired surround sound to rear tv... great....

What size swivel and where did you get it. I have been thinking about doing the same thing since we took the front one out. What about the surround sound, separate system? Thanks!

[Book]

Bud, TV's are 12 volt.... no problem.... removed front tv....and have swivel on rear tv, big enough to see from front seats.... wired surround sound to rear tv... great....

[bobojay5]

We've got 10k miles on ours since last April. So far really loving the coach, with a few small reservations like the others have said.
Everything in the coach is 12 volt except the microwave & coach AC. So if you want to run any 120v stuff, (while not plugged in or running genset), you need an inverter. I bought a small 400 watt one at Harbor Freight and installed a 12v outlet under the countertop in the galley.

The price on these ERA's can't be beat for a brand new off the lot unit.
+1 on what georgelesley says above on his items. +1000 on what he says about the optional expensive GPS unit. It's junk. Have fooled with a 2014 unit also and the folks that bought it say the same about the new one.
I've looked at a 2014 up close on a 2014 Sprinter chassis and Winnebago has made some nice alterations and a couple subtractions on them.
The '14's have a much shorter above the roof coach AC unit on them which looks nice. And they are now installing a quality multi stage Progressive Dynamics converter/charger in them so your coach batteries won't get boiled out. Also the graphics are way less gaudy on the '14's.
Winnebago is now ordering Sprinters without the fog lights and deleting the inside the sliding door grab handle. The lights, meh....the grab handle is a necessity for us.
Either year, '13 or '14, you will work on multiple rattle issues. Also I took all the drawers, cubbies etc out and put insulation in where feasible. Tie wrapped wiring to clean that mess up too.
Not having a macerator is a plus in my book.
We also took out the bed wedge because it won't get used and are using that space as a closet.

As far as the Sprinter goes. Where we live, the Kansas City area, the service sucks. We have 1 MB, and 1 Freightliner Sprinter dealer here. Neither is a shop I would recommend, especially the MB store, (MB made them become a Sprinter dealer, they didn't want them). You can take your Sprinter to either brand store for service, IF they are a Sprinter dealer. On the road, just be aware that Sprinter stores are few and far between. Both of the Sprinters we've had, a 2008 & this '13, have had service issues requiring multiple visits.

We'd do another one in a heartbeat, with reservations about the Sprinter, but wouldn't order the optional $$$ dash GPS unit for sure.

[mlts22]

When looking at ERAs last year, one of the biggest selling points to me was the bathroom. It was big, but not so much that everything else was reduced to deal with it.

There are a few things I'd add. One would be the above mentioned inverter. Another would be an EMS so if CG voltage got dangerously low, it would shut the 120VAC shore power line down to prevent damage to compressors. Still another would be a solar charging system to help keep batteries topped off.

[georgelesley]

We have 12000 miles on our 2013 ERA 70A since May. Agree with the lack of insulation. I added some wherever I could. We use a plug in inverter from Walmart for keeping electronics and other small stuff charged. I use the power point in the rear intended for tail gating and run a 110v extension cord to the inside bed. When traveling there is always some electronic toy being charged. It also powers the satellite receiver when not plugged in. The TV and other electronics are 12v.

We do not use the pie slice shaped cushion to make the twin beds into a king sized bed. In the space by the refrig where this cushion is stored we had a roll out pantry made.

As with most RV's, there were rattles and squeaks. Patience and me using a piece of hose to my ear while the wife drove found most of them and all have been fixed. If you buy it and want info on what noises seem to be common to the breed, PM me. All are fixable.

The in dash GPS on ours is a disappointment. Too hard to use (the wife says diabolical). I think they changed it for 2014. I would make sure I knew exactly how to use it before I left the dealership.

The sprinter heating A/C controls are a bit different and take some getting used to, but once understood are great and work extremely well. We did have rear and side door screens installed in ours. Huge improvement, but pricey. The side window sreens do not completely stop bugs. If you need more info I can give you a simple cheap fix.

All in all, love the unit. We plan to keep it for the rest of our RV'ing days. 18.5 MPG, love the genny (LP), lots of lights, plenty of storage, some would disagree but we love the bath/shower.

Good luck!