2003 Roadtreck 170 Popular on Dodge

[Candlestick]

Purchased in early 2004 with ~5,000 miles. Now has 72,000 miles on it.

We had terrible smells in the RV from the toilet system. The dealer refused to work on it with any sewage on board. The local Roadtrek dealer refused to work on it because we hadn't bought it from them. Took me almost two years to determine the problem was the toilet itself. Very strange design--the sewage actually can come up into the base of the toilet. The base was sealed against the top and there was a defective seal--unfortunately the seal is not replaceable. I threw the toilet away and replaced it with a traditional design and solved the problem--but had to rewicker one of the walls to make it fit.

We have had persistent issues with the rear door leaking at the top (which gets the bed wet). Roadtrek guidance is to slam the door on a 2x4, which doesn't work at all. Dodge dealer says problem is with the weight of the spare on the door. Solution is to add a sheet of plastic behind the blind going down to the floor--which gets the floor wet, but not the bed. Just keep adding sealant at the top--but it still leaks.

Sewage dumping system failed at blackwater valve (when the tank was full of course). Had to be replaced. Sewage line crosses horizontally lower than the chassis. Bumped it once on the ground and now it is cracked. Don't know how to repair it.

The fiberglass fairing on the right side has broken along the bottom due to contact with a few curbs. Another inch above the ground would have been better.

Refrigerator and Fantastic Vent have failed and been replaced. Air conditioner failed and was repaired--very tricky to remove--comes out into the vehicle.

Van is very heavy and repairs are expensive. Needs new front brakes every 20K miles. Television antenna system does nothing.

The driver's seat is too tall. I'm 6'2" and have to bend over to look out the front window. Can't find any way to lower it.

Portable table: the pipe that holds it up has a plastic ring on both ends. The end that goes into the floor has come off and stays in the floor.

Bed is crosswise and it is a bit short. Noticed Sportsmobile actually builds into the sidewalls, making bed longer--would have been nice.

About 11mpg overall. Curtains rip out as the plastic sliders are installed in soft plastic. Roadtrek will not sell new curtains except through dealers and nearest dealer is now ~100 miles away and unwilling to be useful. We love the ability to park in any parking space--have even mastered parallel parking!

Overall evaluation: very good craftsmanship with no regard for weight. Used every square inch of space--kept thinking there was a crack in the space-time continuum. Very poor dealerships. Am thinking about replacing this vehicle with another and Roadtrek is in the running. If you buy a Roadtrek, just plan on maintaining it yourself--plan on no help from Roadtrek's dealers or Roadtrek.

[Johnny R]

Welcome to the forum! Too bad you have all these issues. From my extensive chats in campsites with RoadTrek owners, your situation is not typical. If even 50% of all purchasers had your experience the company would have been out of business before now, I think. Did you buy it used from an unreliable source by chance? Not many persons sell a unit at 5,000 miles if they are content with it. Regards.

[Candlestick]

Yep, I bought it from an unreliable source--a Roadtrek dealer.

[gerards8630]

That’s funny!
I am so fortunate, I had been looking for an early model roadtrek, as I wanted to just buy it out right; just recently, i was on rv trader, saw this 2000 170 popular with 29,900 miles and within my budget, so I jumped at the opportunity. I chatted back and forth with the owners and had the van inspected by a reputable rv service garage. My test drive was actually driving from Washington state to Southern California ( about 1200 miles), and my only hassle was my driving an rv for the first time, in the rain, otherwise I made it to California in 3 days and the vehicle averaged 16/mpg.

[Ron J. Moore]

We met a few Canadians some years ago in FL, who had the old 170. The one thing I seen was a long piece of PVC Pipe, cut down the middle and mounted above the Rear Doors. They explained basically what you mention....and they said it worked well. Don’t know if this will help, but it worked for them. Ron

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Ron J. Moore

We met a few Canadians some years ago in FL, who had the old 170. The one thing I seen was a long piece of PVC Pipe, cut down the middle and mounted above the Rear Doors. They explained basically what you mention....and they said it worked well. Don’t know if this will help, but it worked for them. Ron

I was just looking for some photos showing the rear door of this model, and I agree that some sort of gutter or diverter attached to the fiberglass raised roof over the rear door ought to do the job. I never did like those one-piece doors. Aside from the weight and stress on the hinges, they require a lot of clearance to open.

Looked at your registry, gerards8630, and I like how they managed to pack so much into the short wheelbase van. Am I correct yours has the enclosed wet bath? Most of the 170's I've seen have the toilet-in-a-closet. I assume the sacrifice is transverse sleeping... Nice looking unit!

[gerards8630]

I knew this short wheelbase model would suit my purposes best, saw a few versions of the 170 popular; as it turns, I got the model that has the double side doors, but no third seat, instead a closet, which butts up to the toilet closet, with a pull out shower wand. I’m ok with it, because this van was gently used, meticulously maintained and cared for with just under 30,000 miles for 20 year old.