TEST from New Class B Owner

[Nature]

Hello all,

Yesterday my wife and I purchased a new Road Trek Simplicity. Have not taken possession yet. Very excited

When we get it our first actual overnight trip will be to Las Vegas, New Mexico. That is where the TV series Longmire was filmed. ( I have watched Longmire probaby 4 times.)

Does anyone have any advice for new Simplicity owners. We have owned 5th wheels in past, but very excited NOT to be dragging one around. Very glad to NOT be backing one up.

We live in Albuquerue.

DickB

DickB

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Nature

Hello all,

Yesterday my wife and I purchased a new Road Trek Simplicity. Have not taken possession yet. Very excited

When we get it our first actual overnight trip will be to Las Vegas, New Mexico. That is where the TV series Longmire was filmed. ( I have watched Longmire probaby 4 times.)

Does anyone have any advice for new Simplicity owners. We have owned 5th wheels in past, but very excited NOT to be dragging one around. Very glad to NOT be backing one up.

We live in Albuquerue.

DickB

DickB

Welcome to the forum!

I always give the same advice that was give to me. Get to know your RV systems by camping in your driveway or by taking a short nearby trip first to test things out. That will give you some idea of what you need to take and where you will pack things. Class b space is a premium, which you will feel more than most if you're downsizing from a 5th wheel.

In your case you're certainly not new to camping, but some features will be unique to your Simplicity. I believe it has a compressor fridge and macerator dump pump (both features I like). Macerators work well, just don't run it dry and burn out the impeller. When you hear the sound change, you should turn it off after only another 10-15 seconds since it probably means your tanks are dry.

I you have Etrek lithium, I suggest you search some other forum threads here for tips. Great when the lithium works, but some problems in the past. If you have the underhood generator, it is a separate alternator mounted low under the engine, so don't bump it on any parking curbs.

You'll love the gas mileage, ease of driving, ease of parking, and fitting into any camping slot. And you can disregard those "No vehicles over 24 feet beyond this point" signs.

Enjoy, and remember this wise saying I heard. "You don't live in a class b, you live out of a class b".

[rowiebowie]

And if you have any questions, this forum can offer you a lot of help. So don't hesitate to ask away.

[Nature]

Thanks for your very helpful post. I feel welcomed here.

I have bought our new RV sight unseen, as we live in Albuquerque and the RV is in Arizona and am really looking forward to seeing it.

[rowiebowie]

Ha, ha. I did the same thing. Bought mine used sight unseen after over a year of researching the "perfect for us" class b. It was hard to wait a week to drive to Houston to pick it up.

I paid an extra $275 for a full check out and demonstration. I had a checklist with me and stopped a few items short of completing the list. After all, things were checking out fine, it was getting late, and we had a 4 hr. drive to get back home. Big mistake on my part, because three of those items weren't working.

Make sure items work on 120 volts AND 12 volts. As I previously mentioned, if you have Lithium batteries, they are great but terribly expensive to fix. It's not uncommon for batteries of all types to be abused or neglected between the factory and the end customer.

Since Roadtrek's factory warranty does not apply to new vehicles sold after February, you need to check things out carefully. I can't emphasize enough, there is no warranty on you new motor home unless the dealer is providing a third-party warranty. How good or comprehensive this warranty will be is questionable. So (if offered), read it carefully.

I hope you got a really good price to mitigate the loss of factory warranty.

Good luck.

[rowiebowie]

I might also be worthwhile checking out these two threads. The first is specifically about the Simplicity model, and the second is about ETrek Lithium problems in general.

http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5...re-6372-3.html

http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f2...s-6266-16.html

Not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, but you need to go into the purchase informed. Before Roadtrek's demise, it had a pretty good reputation. But issues have been coming to the forefront lately that indicate they had just as many issues an anyone else. Even more for their lithium ETrek batteries.

[Nature]

Wow we have similar buying experiences.

I had to go back to the dealer a couple of days ago and give them a $500 check to start the buying process without seeing the thing I was buying. I kinda feel "how stupid is that".

But I had to do it that way because if I had driven to Arizona to buy it, there would have been a 10% tax where as here in New Mexico it is only 3.5% tax.

So sight unseen it is and TOMORROW we pick up the beast. My toes are excited.

[mumkin]

Simplicity comes with one small 100 ah battery. No lithiums so you need not worry about that issue. It may have the added option of the underhood generator, you will need to check that, but it doesn't come with solar.

Probably the first big project that you will want to consider is upgrading the battery. I replaced my Group 27 (that it comes with) to two Group 31. I also had solar added.

I presume that this is La Mesa. Make sure that they confirm that everything is working before you leave. Most of the Norcold refigerators left that factory wired incorrectly. Have them start it up immediately and set it on "one" and it should cycle once it is cool. Most just keep running and are a giant freezer. The wires in question are attached to the thermostat. We have a photo of the proper wiring set-up over on the Facebook Zion and Simplicity Owners page. On mine, we only had to switch the two wires and all is well. They apparently attached the wires at random, so yours may only have one wire misplaced. I would insist that their service department consult Norcold as to the proper wiring and then they can check it before you leave. By this time they should be aware of this issue... but if it is La Mesa... well... nuff said.

Common issue number two. They gray water tank is sold as 22 gallons, but no one have ever managed to get 22 in it. It is oddly shaped and gets pressure locked. It will fill with like one shower before it backs up in the shower pan. RT did create a fix for it. Make sure that they confirm the fix and with luck you may get a capacity of 15 gallons. BTW... always drive with the shower plug in... otherwise the water splashes back in the shower pan. LOL

If it has the Girard hot water, make sure they get it up and running so that you understand how to get hot water.

I really like my SRT... drives great. I turn on the tow/haul button and it is a pleasure to drive in the mountains.

Because it comes with no warranty from RT anymore, they will try to sell you an extended warranty. Personally I wouldn't bother as most of the systems are already covered by their own warranties... along with the Promaster warranty. I prefer to just self insure and pay as I go. That way, you can go to any service center that you know and trust.

[Davydd]

I've been thinking about this warranty business. An upfitter has to include in his price the cost of warranties and then passes the cost onto the dealer. I think all Hymer/Roadtreks were delivered to and paid for by the dealer before they Hymer/Roadtrek went bankrupt. The warranty was part of the cost and I would guess this cost has to be passed on to the eventual customer or the dealer would not make any money on the deal. However, there is no upfitter to back that warranty cost to the dealer, so if the dealer charges extra for a warranty then you would be paying twice and with a much more limited warranty that will not be backed by any other former Hymer/Roadtrek dealer because the selling dealer will probably want to minimize cost and control of the repairs by doing them. Makes an on the road situation precarious.

Then you have to ask yourself, are you really getting a good deal?

[Bud]

The comments on extended warranties being a Not Good Deal are obvious. IF the FCC is in the business of catching bad guys doing bad, then it seems to me that a TV (whatever that is) commercial for extended warranties is a very good lead.

We all do stuff that may not make sense at times because it feels good - believe in psychics, alien spaceship rides, gods, tarot cards, And Extended Warranties. Might be a good idea to buy one, depends.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I've been thinking about this warranty business. An upfitter has to include in his price the cost of warranties and then passes the cost onto the dealer. I think all Hymer/Roadtreks were delivered to and paid for by the dealer before they Hymer/Roadtrek went bankrupt. The warranty was part of the cost and I would guess this cost has to be passed on to the eventual customer or the dealer would not make any money on the deal. However, there is no upfitter to back that warranty cost to the dealer, so if the dealer charges extra for a warranty then you would be paying twice and with a much more limited warranty that will not be backed by any other former Hymer/Roadtrek dealer because the selling dealer will probably want to minimize cost and control of the repairs by doing them. Makes an on the road situation precarious.

Then you have to ask yourself, are you really getting a good deal?

Dave, I agree with you �� percent.... there's no "free lunch"....

When people say... I purchased a new car with "free oil changes" for the first 50,000 miles.... it's a load of crap... yeah, it's built into the price of the car...

It's the same thing here... they are factoring in to the price and have calculated the average price for anticipated repairs... and are charging a premium price that is likely much higher to cover their cost.

I don't know if this was the case with the old 6 years Roadtrek warranty, but, you have to ask how else could they do that...No one is in the business of losing money.

I would like to think that the "quality control" of my 2012 is pretty good compared to the lower level cookie cutter models that are produced like the Hymer Sunlight through Camping World....

There's a lot of extra equipment on my RS.. that are not Roadtrek products...the actual Roadtrek build is pretty rock solid... cabinets are well finished and function fine....it's some of the ancillary equipment like the Cummins Onan generator that recently failed. It's really impossible to blame Roadtrek for that.

Regardless of how you view this... you are going to pay either upfront or after the fact.. there's no magic here.

Be careful with extended service plans and exclusions, they may not be as beneficial as you think they are.

With the change in ownership of Roadtrek a lot of people who purchased a new unit got caught thinking they would be covered and got burned... very unfortunate.

Another reason why I'm glad that I didn't do that....

[Irlchris]

@Mumkin
I'd love to hear more about how you added solar and swapped out the batteries (self done or did you have it done at a dealer?). I have a suitcase 100w pannel with PWM that I have yet to try out.

@Nature
We bought our 2019 Simplicity SRT last October and it has been great.

Totally agree with fully testing the fridge at the dealer. Also make sure the under hood generator charges your battery and also make sure that it has been checked against the recall that was out back in November.

This is the list of things we had to have fixed after taking delivery so I hope it help (and doesnt scare) you.
1. Fridge as described
2. protection plate for grey/black water tanks on the undercarriage was loose and rattling (they just needed to tighten it up)
3. Radio antenna was missing
4. AGU had to be replaced due to recall
5. Three spot lights (ball swivel ones in the cabin) had to be replaced
6. 12V USB by the flip up counter didnt work. just had to re-seat wires

We love our Simplicity and have made almost no changes to it so far and have 6k on the clock. So don't let the above scare you off but do turn on and test everything on the van before you drive off.

Regards,
Chris

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Irlchris

@Mumkin
I'd love to hear more about how you added solar and swapped out the batteries (self done or did you have it done at a dealer?). I have a suitcase 100w pannel with PWM that I have yet to try out.

@Nature
We bought our 2019 Simplicity SRT last October and it has been great.

Totally agree with fully testing the fridge at the dealer. Also make sure the under hood generator charges your battery and also make sure that it has been checked against the recall that was out back in November.

This is the list of things we had to have fixed after taking delivery so I hope it help (and doesnt scare) you.
1. Fridge as described
2. protection plate for grey/black water tanks on the undercarriage was loose and rattling (they just needed to tighten it up)
3. Radio antenna was missing
4. AGU had to be replaced due to recall
5. Three spot lights (ball swivel ones in the cabin) had to be replaced
6. 12V USB by the flip up counter didnt work. just had to re-seat wires

We love our Simplicity and have made almost no changes to it so far and have 6k on the clock. So don't let the above scare you off but do turn on and test everything on the van before you drive off.

Regards,
Chris

Chris. Good post for the new class b owner (Simplicity or not). Sometimes I feel like we scare new owners when most of what they will deal with is fairly routine. It's different for different rv's and each owner's experience will be unique. But there will be things.

Best if you can handle them by yourself. Second best is a good dealer who stands behind their sales with a good service department. Third is a good warranty by a responsive manufacturer. Recent Roadtrek buyers (since February) do not have the latter.

With the help on this forum, guidance from youtube, and as a result of my experience with incompetent/fraudulent local rv service, I've been able to do all repairs by myself. Satisfying, money saving, and no 4 week wait to get it into service only to be disappointed with the result.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Chris. Good post for the new class b owner (Simplicity or not). Sometimes I feel like we scare new owners when most of what they will deal with is fairly routine. It's different for different rv's and each owner's experience will be unique. But there will be things.

Best if you can handle them by yourself. Second best is a good dealer who stands behind their sales with a good service department. Third is a good warranty by a responsive manufacturer. Recent Roadtrek buyers (since February) do not have the latter.

With the help on this forum, guidance from youtube, and as a result of my experience with incompetent/fraudulent local rv service, I've been able to do all repairs by myself. Satisfying, money saving, and no 4 week wait to get it into service only to be disappointed with the result.

Chris, everything is easy when you know what to do....

Maybe you do, or obviously Rowiebowie claims to be that person.......

If you don't know or have the confidence to make your own repairs, my advice is to find an honest and competent RV specialist. You don't want to make things worse.

I know my limitations.... I don't work on my own vehicles...

Yes, no warranty 😡, if Roadtrek were smart, they would have set up something for people in limbo....

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by Irlchris

@Mumkin
I'd love to hear more about how you added solar and swapped out the batteries (self done or did you have it done at a dealer?). I have a suitcase 100w pannel with PWM that I have yet to try out.

This is the list of things we had to have fixed after taking delivery so I hope it help (and doesnt scare) you.
1. Fridge as described
2. protection plate for grey/black water tanks on the undercarriage was loose and rattling (they just needed to tighten it up)
3. Radio antenna was missing
4. AGU had to be replaced due to recall
5. Three spot lights (ball swivel ones in the cabin) had to be replaced
6. 12V USB by the flip up counter didnt work. just had to re-seat wires

Funny how our lists of fixes matches. The fridge, the loose protection plate (I got to the first stop light and turned around to go back to the dealer... the poor delivery man had to listen to that all the way from Kitchener to Minnesota. LOL). I too had the recalled UHG that boiled my first added battery within a few trips. I delayed the replacement and got caught in the bankruptcy. Nations Starter in Missouri took care of that for me just last week for the new alternator. I paid the labor and hopefully Rapido will cover it as their CEO reported. I had two of the larger leds replaced because they were flickering... and a couple of bad latches.

Since I'm a scrawny little old lady, I don't do much labor on my rigs. My dealer actually managed to talk Roadtrek into including the Zion solar package on my rig. (and the Zion white interior... why I say in my signature that it is almost a Zion) The solar package is 270w. Then my dealer in Minnesota replaced the standard Group 27 with two Group 31s. They put the second in a separate box in front of the original.

[PRKThomas]

Hi, I am in Burque too!