Hymer Aktiv... our first RV!

[Navanod]

[Navanod]

Above are pics from our trip to Painted Hills National Park.

Our Inverter/Charger died in the middle of our trip. One more item to add to our list of problems/issues. I wish we could survive a single trip without issue. This is a BIG one as we have zero power now. Checked fuses, drove the rest of our trip to see if it would reset, no power to anything. We had a electrical smokey smell right before it died.

Dropped by a local Hymer Dealer in Redmond, Oregon and they stated ours isn't the first with the Inverter/Charger dying.

Another 1-2 months out of commission in order to get it booked, diagnosed, parts ordered and install. The joys of owning a Hymer Aktiv.

I hope everyone has better luck than we do... This is getting out of hand.

[gregmchugh]

Sounds like it died. There are two circuit breakers that might have been triggered on the back side of the inverter if you are not aware of them.

[BBQ]

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What brand and model is the dead Inverter/Charger?

[ClassB4Me]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Does Roadtrek / Hymer allow the customer to take the vehicle house components to any company for repair and get reimbused while under warranty? This kind of downtime could wreck a trip if the repair delays are long.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by BBQ

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What brand and model is the dead Inverter/Charger?

Roadtrek early on ordered stock OEM inverter/chargers (don't remember the name) but they are now having it built to their particular specifications. The bad news is that it can be replaced under warranty only at a Roadtrek service facility. The good news is that because the inverter is a Roadtrek proprietary design, they are subject to warranty replacement from mile one driven.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Navanod

Our Inverter/Charger died in the middle of our trip. One more item to add to our list of problems/issues. I wish we could survive a single trip without issue. This is a BIG one as we have zero power now. Checked fuses, drove the rest of our trip to see if it would reset, no power to anything. We had a electrical smokey smell right before it died.

Dropped by a local Hymer Dealer in Redmond, Oregon and they stated ours isn't the first with the Inverter/Charger dying.

Another 1-2 months out of commission in order to get it booked, diagnosed, parts ordered and install. The joys of owning a Hymer Aktiv.

I hope everyone has better luck than we do... This is getting out of hand.

Doesn't Roadtrek/Hymer use the same inverter/charger for all their coaches equipped with the 2k unit? It's a plug and play installation and it's surprising that their repair facilities don't have a replacement on hand.

[booster]

With a lot of their stuff the last few years, Roadtrek just seems to have had a lot of trouble with either picking appropriate parts that can handle the job, and work well together, or they have been just going too inexpensive with the lower tier, and/or "to spec" components. You sure would think that by now they would understand enough of what is going on to be able to put out much higher reliability and usability than the have been.

Of course we all have to remember what "built to our specifications" actually means. Normally, at least in all the industries I worked in, it would mean an off the shelf item, with some cost reductions somewhere. It could also be just a different label on it and a lower cost to the buyer if they assume the warranty costs. Very rarely, from what I have seen, will it be a higher quality product than what it was based upon.

[Viperml]

Navanod,

Thank You for your honest post. This just confirms that Roadtrek/Hymer still delivers garbage. I would not even consider them if they offered a free unit.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Viperml

Navanod,

Thank You for your honest post. This just confirms that Roadtrek/Hymer still delivers garbage. I would not even consider them if they offered me a free unit.

Could be the luck of the draw, but the electricals/electronics in our 2017 fully loaded 210PC have operated flawlessly. What Roadtrek may lack in the perfection of execution, IMO, they are well ahead of their competition in innovation. We wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

[rjb66]

Just bought my Hymer Active less than 3 weeks ago (from the Redmond dealer, no less) and Inverter/Charger started making loud vibration noises out of the blue last week. Shut it all down and called it in to the dealer, they're looking at a month out to look at it. Also Voltstart not working,microwave not working, a list of cabinet fitting issues to be resolved. Needless to say, I'm not impressed. Sure is pretty at first glance though!

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by rjb66

Just bought my Hymer Active less than 3 weeks ago (from the Redmond dealer, no less) and Inverter/Charger started making loud vibration noises out of the blue last week. Shut it all down and called it in to the dealer, they're looking at a month out to look at it. Also Voltstart not working,microwave not working, a list of cabinet fitting issues to be resolved. Needless to say, I'm not impressed. Sure is pretty at first glance though!

Ugh! Maybe it's better that all this crap has happened in one fell swoop rather than requiring multiple dealer visits.

I wonder if a call to the factory regarding this wouldn't prompt faster service at the Redmond facility.

Does the microwave just not heat or is it totally inoperative?

Does the inverter vibrator noise occur at a cold start or after it's run awhile?

Did the dealer provide you with instructions regarding the sequential steps necessary to get Voltstart operational?

[rjb66]

Microwave works except for heat. Clock, timer, and rotation all works (which we tested at pickup - should have done a heat test I guess).

Inverter started making noise while sitting parked after a couple hours. Makes the noise immediately when I turn switch on, both at the inverter itself and on the control panel switch.

I found a pdf of using the voltstart online and followed the instructions. The switch doesn't light up, and once I have engine started it doesn't switch off (tried a few times, each time it ran over an hour before I called it quits). Talked to Hymer rep and he stated that light should indeed come on at switch if it's working. If you (or anyone) has other instructions, I'd be glad to give them a shot.

And yeah, I agree best get it all knocked out if possible at once (at least the mechanicals. The shelves, etc. I can live with awhile). We're trying to coordinate any fixes with the Portland (Gresham) branch, as it's 2 hours closer than driving to Redmond. We'll see how it all pans out. Hopefully in a month or so I'll be singing the praises of both dealer and manufacturer!

[Navanod]

Originally Posted by BBQ

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What brand and model is the dead Inverter/Charger?

My inverter is a Pro Star SineWave Combination Inverter Charger... Not sure which model as you can't see any model description.

[Navanod]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Sounds like it died. There are two circuit breakers that might have been triggered on the back side of the inverter if you are not aware of them.

No circuit breaker I can see, there are two fuses though and they are fine:

[Navanod]

I saw a brand new Aktiv at my local Fred Meyer here in Beaverton... Anyone here? Looked nice in Silver! Maybe I can trade mine in

[rjb66]

Aye...she is pretty isn't she? You didn't want a microwave, power, or voltstart with that did ya? Was getting some stuff to make it a bit more livable, then ran over to Craft Pourhouse next door to drown my sorrows (and use their outlets...)

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Navanod

No circuit breaker I can see, there are two fuses though and they are fine:

Download a manual for the inverter to see the two circuit breakers on the left side...

http://www.aimscorp.net/documents/PI...0W24V240VS.pdf

The fuses you see are on the battery disconnect relay and protect the circuits that control the relay.

[Navanod]

Originally Posted by rjb66

Aye...she is pretty isn't she? You didn't want a microwave, power, or voltstart with that did ya? Was getting some stuff to make it a bit more livable, then ran over to Craft Pourhouse next door to drown my sorrows (and use their outlets...)

Ha... I almost waited for you to come out to talk... but changed my mind because I didn't want to be that guy! Are you in the Beaverton area? I'm close to that Fred Meyer.

[Navanod]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Download a manual for the inverter to see the two circuit breakers on the left side...

http://www.aimscorp.net/documents/PI...0W24V240VS.pdf

The fuses you see are on the battery disconnect relay and protect the circuits that control the relay.

Yeah... I pushed those as well. I knew they were a reset button, but not the circuit breaker. It does nothing.