Roadtrek Adventurous quality

WhyCalif · 06-11-2019, 04:46 PM

We are close to buying a late model CS Adventurous. Some concerns based on forum posts regarding overall quality. We owned an early 2000's RT 190, and later of 5th wheel, so we are not new to RV's and understand they are less than perfect. However, our previous RT had issues with the refrigerator door flying open while going down the road, cabinets opening and items falling out, TV flapping around, squeaks, etc. Looking for feedback from Adventurous owners - are these still common?

rowiebowie · 06-11-2019, 06:31 PM

Welcome to the forum WhyCalif!

I don't own that model, but Mike & Jennifer Wendland of RV Lifestyle (formerly Roadtrekking) had that model loaned to them by Roadtrek. I won't go much into the part where they failed to adequately disclose it was not their van and, as such, their reviews were perceived as biased. This was borne out by the fact they reported many of the system problems as "upgrades" when their videos showed them at the Roadtrek factory getting items fixed.

My reason for mentioning them is they are now affiliated with Leisure Travel and so they finally admit in recent videos that many of the problems they had were the result of proprietary Roadtrek systems (primarily Etrek Lithium systems) that were not ready for prime time when rolled out.

Also, do you know that Roadtrek ceased to exist as of February 15th, 2019? Big financial scandal and doors were closed at all their facilities. So do investigate your purchase well, get a good price that might make the uncertainties worth taking the risk, and inquire about warranties. Westfalia has recently purchased Roadtreks assets and may stand behind some systems, but they have explicitly denied any warranty to new models purchased after the February 15th date.

However, if the model you find does not have the Lithium option and is out (or nearly out) of warranty anyway then my concerns above do not apply and I would consider a Roadtrek just as highly as any other class b on the used market. I've had similar problems with cabinet doors on my Airstream Avenue so wouldn't worry about that too much.

Good luck and let us know what you purchase.

Davydd · 06-11-2019, 08:33 PM

Speaking of the Wendlands and the Roadtrekking blog and doors flying open, they had two separate videos on fixes of that problem. So, it continued. Roadtrek used cheap punch the button and open door locks without any deadbolt mechanism. One video featured adding magnet stays.

rowiebowie · 06-11-2019, 08:54 PM

My Airstream had several drawers and one cabinet door that would open (sometimes unloaded). The problem was that Airstream used the push-button positive locks only in few locations. The other cabinet and drawer knobs looked like the same positive latch, but instead were "dummies". But Airstream was the dummy for not making them all real positive latches.

I had to add additional Southco latches like these https://www.amazon.com/s?k=southco+r...sb_ss_i_1_15\\

The problem then was, a few of the drawers are very hard to open since the push-buttons leave little to grip and pull them open. A pain in the you-know-what. I bought mine used but it was pretty obvious it had been rarely, if ever, camped in and so these issues were not fixed. Usually, a good thing about buying used is these things like this have been addressed by the previous owner.

Airstream cabinetry is pretty and durable, but take it from me and others at airforums.com. Airstream quality is a big myth. Still, I love my Avenue Suite on the Chevy Express 3500 chassis.

sebtown · 06-12-2019, 01:07 AM

I use baby safety cabinet devices on my refrigerator and closet doors. End of problem!

Knit · 06-12-2019, 01:42 AM

I have a 2013 RS Adventurous and have generally been happy with the build quality. I did switch out the cabinet
Latches over time to magnets and some Velcro. It took a few years, but have largely eliminated squeaks and noises that were mostly due to stuff we put in cabinets and drawers. I lined cabinets with shelf mats and always have towels and/or foam between kitchen stuff.

I’ve looked at more recent Roadtrek RS and CS models and they seem basically them same except for the batteries if lithium. I get along fine with the stock 2 AGMs and 200 W solar. But then I rarely stay at the same place two nights in a row. I also have the propane system and generator. I find it nice to have multiple fuel choices although each system require upkeep. IMG_1245.jpg

Picture from Monitor Pass in California two nights ago. Still lots of snow above 7000 ft in places. I like my class B for its mobility!

hdevera · 06-23-2019, 06:37 PM

I have a 2015 Roadtrek CS etrek and have been able to adjust the latches so that they don't open unless I forget to push the lock down (my fault). The electrical system was fixed by me installing a battery equalizer to allow appropriate charging of the two battery banks. I fixed the problem with the compressor refrigerator by increasing the gauge wiring and directly connecting it to the batteries. These were relatively easy fixes but diagnosis the problems were difficult. Roadtrek couldn't do it but once they learned how others fixed the issues they copied the fixes.

I think that finding non lithium CS would a nice purchase and would likely provide you with little heartache.

sanderpjwi · 06-23-2019, 06:45 PM

I own a 2018 CS Adv, purchased last August, with Ecotreks and quality is good. We are currently boondocking all over NE USA and Canada. We have had ZERO problems with our RT. If you view any MFG model forum on the web the majoring of posters are folks with problems. The silent majority are the ones w/o problems. Most of the issues folks post about re Ecotreks are because they haven't followed the manual and the many how to videos RT has available on their website. Roadtrek will restart production in September. The purchase of Roadtrek by Rapido SAS (a family-owned company from France) has been approved by the courts and will close by July 5. Yes, we lost our 6 year warranty but most other brands only offer a 1 year. Anyone concerned about warranties can purchase one on their own. I have not because I don't feel the need. Cheers and good luck in your search for a class B.

avanti · 06-23-2019, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdevera

I have a 2015 Roadtrek CS etrek and have been able to adjust the latches so that they don't open unless I forget to push the lock down (my fault). The electrical system was fixed by me installing a battery equalizer to allow appropriate charging of the two battery banks. I fixed the problem with the compressor refrigerator by increasing the gauge wiring and directly connecting it to the batteries. These were relatively easy fixes but diagnosis the problems were difficult. Roadtrek couldn't do it but once they learned how others fixed the issues they copied the fixes.

This reflects my experience with our previous MY2015 Airstream Interstate. The rig had good "bones", but very poor initial build quality. Nothing was particularly difficult to correct, but there was just so much wrong that it would have been a nightmare had I not been a DIY type.

My observation has consistently been that Airstream and RT have been very similar in this regard--good designs, good materials, mostly good systems, but awful build quality. They can, however, be made into great rigs with concerted effort. If you have the skills and inclination, either brand can represent a viable path to a great rig.

ProseMan · 06-23-2019, 07:53 PM

I own a CS Adventurous 2015 and I find the quality adequate. There are always a few things that need tweaking but the overall quality is there. The cabinets door latches can be fixed by adjusting the hinges with set screws. The intermittent fridge issue is easily fixed by removing the hard wired fuse on the back. Doors that don't stay open can either be adjusted with hex wrenches or with excellent replacement hinges on amazon. The appliances are good quality and reliable once the tweaks are made. I've made several other tweaks to improve livability but not because of quality issues. My unit has 8 AGM batteries, which work fine. You'll definitely want to add a battery equalizer though, which was covered under my warranty before Hymer went kaput.

K Pearce · 06-24-2019, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdevera

I have a 2015 Roadtrek CS etrek and have been able to adjust the latches so that they don't open unless I forget to push the lock down (my fault). The electrical system was fixed by me installing a battery equalizer to allow appropriate charging of the two battery banks. I fixed the problem with the compressor refrigerator by increasing the gauge wiring and directly connecting it to the batteries. These were relatively easy fixes but diagnosis the problems were difficult. Roadtrek couldn't do it but once they learned how others fixed the issues they copied the fixes.

I think that finding non lithium CS would a nice purchase and would likely provide you with little heartache.

I am very interested in your wiring solutions and your battery equaliser. We also have a 2015 CS and am always looking for upgrades. Are you willing to share how you completed those?

MarCorpsMustang · 06-24-2019, 11:20 AM

We have a 2014 CS Adventurous and as another person said, we find the quality adequate. Consider that there are many players involved in construction of a Class B: the van manufacturer (i.e., Mercedes Benz), the appliance manufacturers (i.e., Dometic), and the Class B conversion company (i.e., Roadtrek). Roadtrek uses adequate appliances and does and adequate job installing them and assembling the cabinetry and layout. There's not much they can do about the quality of MB's Sprinter van itself, which is rich with problems (at least the 2014 model is).

We previously owned a 2007 Roadtrek 210. The overall quality back then under the original Roadtrek management was superb.

fjc · 06-27-2019, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanderpjwi

I own a 2018 CS Adv, purchased last August, with Ecotreks and quality is good. We are currently boondocking all over NE USA and Canada. We have had ZERO problems with our RT. If you view any MFG model forum on the web the majoring of posters are folks with problems. The silent majority are the ones w/o problems. Most of the issues folks post about re Ecotreks are because they haven't followed the manual and the many how to videos RT has available on their website. Roadtrek will restart production in September. The purchase of Roadtrek by Rapido SAS (a family-owned company from France) has been approved by the courts and will close by July 5. Yes, we lost our 6 year warranty but most other brands only offer a 1 year. Anyone concerned about warranties can purchase one on their own. I have not because I don't feel the need. Cheers and good luck in your search for a class B.

I just picked up a left over brand new 2018 CS. The quality is ok, not as nice as Airstream. However, for the price, I can't complaint. It does have 400 eco trek battery, UG, Volt start and 280 solar. So far everything works. I may need to get MB to give me a new chassis battery under warranty.

I was going to buy extended warranty for it, but all of them exclude the eco trek battery so no sense of buying. I did buy the MB extended warranty for $850 to get total 5 yrs of chassis warranty.

Going to see Tony (Roadtrek expert repair) to get all the wirings, solar, lithium, programing issues corrected. According to him, the wirings are incorrect. It may shorten the life of lithium.

https://sites.google.com/view/suiet-...ecotrek-system

avanti · 06-27-2019, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjc

I did buy the MB extended warranty for $850 to get total 5 yrs of chassis warranty.

Is that an OEM Mercedes warranty? If so, could you tell us what it does and does not cover? Is it inclusionary or exclusionary? I ask because I am not familiar with any MB warranty that is that inexpensive, and I am wondering if it is a better deal than the longer-term MB extended warranties, which are very expensive and are inclusionary and don't cover much.

Keyne · 06-27-2019, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

Is that an OEM Mercedes warranty? If so, could you tell us what it does and does not cover? Is it inclusionary or exclusionary? I ask because I am not familiar with any MB warranty that is that inexpensive, and I am wondering if it is a better deal than the longer-term MB extended warranties, which are very expensive and are inclusionary and don't cover much.

I would be interested to know about the MB extended warranty as well.

MarCorpsMustang · 06-27-2019, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjc

I did buy the MB extended warranty for $850 to get total 5 yrs of chassis warranty.

Sprinters include 5-year 100K mile MB warranty as standard inclusion when purchased new.

fjc · 06-28-2019, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarCorpsMustang

Sprinters include 5-year 100K mile MB warranty as standard inclusion when purchased new.

The 5/100 is for emission and powertrain only, the rest of the chassis such as AC, Nav, xeon is 3/36.

https://assets.mbvans.com/Mercedes-B...anty-Guide.pdf

avanti · 06-28-2019, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjc

The 5/100 is for emission and powertrain only, the rest of the chassis such as AC, Nav, xeon is 3/36.

How much of that stuff is covered for the extra two years for $850?
Who is the insurer?

fjc · 06-28-2019, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

How much of that stuff is covered for the extra two years for $850?
Who is the insurer?

MBUSA, Not sure but I am pretty sure it is the best you can buy.

avanti · 06-28-2019, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjc

MBUSA, Not sure but I am pretty sure it is the best you can buy.

I am quite sure it is the best you can buy. But, that doesn't say much about how good it is. The longer-term MBUSA extended warranties are not very good--they are inclusionary and don't cover the most failure-prone stuff. I am hoping that this one is better--I think it fills in an important gap, but only if the coverage is good.

It would be great if you could scan and post the actual text of the contract. The longer-term ones are available over at Sprinter Source, but I have never seen this one.

At any rate, thanks for posting valuable information.

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