Tiffin Cahaba 2021 Review

[Gumbyman0202]

Good discussion on solar panels. Thanks.

I was talking about the Touch Screen Panel that controls the Volta Power System. Volta told me it's basically an interpreter that takes signals from the battery pack computer and displays the results.

Obviously not the cause of my issue. When I know root cause I'll let you all know.

[pawn]

Mine will go dark, but it's just the screen going dark, the volta still powers everything. And it's basically the screensaver mode just not coming back on without a system reboot.

The dealer had me swap out the charge controller with a Victron SmartSolar Charge Controller (150V 45A Tr). And it says it won't charge because not enough juice is coming in. It shows 17.88 V, and 0.0A off the solar, and 53.76V and 0.0A off the "Battery", and says it won't actually charge until the solar voltage is over 5 volts more than the "Battery"

[pawn]

FYI - Volta sells a bluetooth interface for your phone. We've debated getting it.

[booster]

Originally Posted by pawn

Mine will go dark, but it's just the screen going dark, the volta still powers everything. And it's basically the screensaver mode just not coming back on without a system reboot.

The dealer had me swap out the charge controller with a Victron SmartSolar Charge Controller (150V 45A Tr). And it says it won't charge because not enough juice is coming in. It shows 17.88 V, and 0.0A off the solar, and 53.76V and 0.0A off the "Battery", and says it won't actually charge until the solar voltage is over 5 volts more than the "Battery"

I just looked at the manual for that charger. It actually states the "nominal" voltage of the panels must be 5v higher than the battery voltage. That would mean that you would need three 24v panels so running at 72v to qualify to charge. It will not buck up voltage, it appears.


Your panels would have to be 24v panels in series to do that. It appears yours must be wired parallel and probably 12v panels. It is time for them to pull a panel are get the part number so they can look up the specs and then check to see how they are wired. With all the problems you have had I would suspect that they might have used the wrong panels and wired them incorrectly.

[Gumbyman0202]

After a couple of days, my Volta Power System seems to be working again. No real rhyme or reason at this point. The 6-wire connector at the battery was tightened and Volta panel may have been replaced, but no root cause for the random shut down yet. We are awaiting a firmware update from Volta that is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

[Gumbyman0202]

Well, we got the latest Volta update that is supposed to fix the dead screen. Volta has been flawless the past couple of days.

[indofunk]

I've put a deposit down on a 2021 Cahaba that is being prepped and repaired but the dealer isn't forthcoming with the details but after reading your post I'm afraid I might end up with a very expensive cargo van. Do you have any tips or guidance to look for during inspection? Should I decline delivery full stop?

[pawn]

I'm not sure if I'd like us to scare you off - yes, we've had issues, and we're working through them, but I'd definitely go in with my eyes open. Also, ask about turnaround time in their service department - ours started good, but now it's like two months before we can even get an appointment. And then they want to keep it a month. That'll eat up the 12 month warrantee really fast. Make a checklist. I'd definitely go over the unit with the delivery tech before signing anything. But this is a pricy unit - you should be happy with it and not feel like you're getting robbed.

[Gumbyman0202]

https://tiffinmotorhomes.com/class-b/cahaba

We like ours. We had some issues but went to Tiffin Wayfarer Service Center in Winfield AL and they fixed them. You just have to be insistent that you want things fixed and they will comply.

[rgames]

I’m just past 9 months of ownership on my 2022 Cahaba that I bought new and the van is just now working as it was supposed to on day one. It is uncanny how many of the same issues I faced:

- Furnace worked once for about 10 minutes then died. Techs said it only works when diesel tank is at least half full (not true). That’s what they told me a month after I brought it in with less than half a tank. When I got it back I immediately filled up the tank and demonstrated that it still didn’t work. Then they got me back on the repair schedule for 6 weeks later. It had already taken me 10 weeks to get it in for repair and returned with nothing done to it. In the end it took something like 6 months to get the furnace fixed.

- Solar panels were not connected - techs said they were working correctly and that the solar panels only work when the battery is fully charged (not true).

- Volta system kept crashing and CO detector kept going off - turned out to be a short in a wire bundle that was squashed between the battery and the battery support. I can’t think of anyone with some basic hands-on skills who would install a wire that way. You’d think that would cover the people Tiffin hires but apparently not.

- Rear door and vent fan leak. Combined with the non-functional furnace and 20 deg temps our first night was miserable: the bed was drenched and extremely cold.

- Control panel for interior lights would not turn on.

And finally, not a manufacturing issue but an absurd design decision: the 4WD Cahaba has horrible ground clearance. Shame on me for not noticing but driving on a few fairly benign dirt roads with a few small bumps basically destroyed the entire undercarriage. So I ripped it all out and installed a new setup that goes no lower than the fuel tank (that also saved about 200 lb). I cannot fathom why Tiffin did not take the same approach. Go take a look at the other Sprinter conversions and you’ll immediately see a huge difference in ground clearance.

In short, I find the Sprinter to be fairly capable. And the Cahaba layout is nice. But Tiffin appears to have zero quality control and the lack of ground clearance will leave you with several thousand dollars worth of mods if you want to take your 4WD vehicle anywhere that a minivan can’t go.

I’m almost at the end of my warranty and the van only now functions like it was supposed to when I bought it. The "warranty" is not a warranty; it’s Tiffin’s QC process.

[Gumbyman0202]

Going back to Winfield, AL so Tiffin can fix the remaining issues on my Cahaba SC19 before warranty runs out. Many of the issues are repeat issues that were not fixed properly the first time.

Hopefully 2023 is a better year for this RV. MERCEDES Benz Dealership is working on the chassis portion. Recals and such. Picking that up today before warranty runs out on that portion of the RV.

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by rgames

- Solar panels were not connected - techs said they were working correctly and that the solar panels only work when the battery is fully charged.

Which leads to the obvious question.. that kind of defeats the purpose of the panels, doesn't it? Oh my the times we live in..

[mumkin]

Tiffin is now owned by Thor... which explains every single one of your issues with abysmal quality control. That is what happens to every company that they purchase.

[Gumbyman0202]

I really lost all confidence in Thor and Tiffin. Time to go to a smaller company that really cares about quality control and puts the customer first.

[rgames]

Originally Posted by rgames

I’m just past 9 months of ownership on my 2022 Cahaba that I bought new and the van is just now working as it was supposed to on day one.

Well... maybe not. We confirmed everything was working and started on a three-day trip then noticed it no longer charges while driving. So we had to return after one day because we would not have enough battery.

Good grief. I've now tried to use this van four times over 10 months of ownership and every time I've had to cancel the trip because some major system failed.

I guess this is only possible because demand so far exceeds supply. If an auto manufacturer had a regular vehicle with so many failed systems you'd be able to take it back under a lemon law.

[booster]

Originally Posted by rgames

Well... maybe not. We confirmed everything was working and started on a three-day trip then noticed it no longer charges while driving. So we had to return after one day because we would not have enough battery.

Good grief. I've now tried to use this van four times over 10 months of ownership and every time I've had to cancel the trip because some major system failed.

I guess this is only possible because demand so far exceeds supply. If an auto manufacturer had a regular vehicle with so many failed systems you'd be able to take it back under a lemon law.

Lemon law?

[rgames]

Originally Posted by booster

Lemon law?

Yeah - every state has a "Lemon Law" that protects buyers of new vehicles. If a new vehicle continually needs repairs and the owner suffers a "reasonable loss of use" after repeated repair attempts then the manufacturer is legally obligated to buy it back. Of course, you might have to take them to court to force them to do so, so there's that. But 6+ months of repairs in less than a year would definitely qualify as "reasonable loss of use".

The issue in my state (Arizona) is that the lemon law does *not* cover the "home" part of motor homes. The chassis is covered. So I seriously doubt any of my issues would be addressable with Arizona's lemon law.

I suspect that is the case in most states and is why Tiffin can get away with selling such garbage. They buy the chassis and that's Mercedes' problem. Your only recourse is market forces, which are not in the buyer's favor these days.

Alas.

Caveat emptor.

[N147JK]

As the old saying goes.. "if you want something done right, do it yourself". I'd roll up my sleeves and work on it myself. These vans aren't that complicated, you will learn 100 new things, and save a ton of money, time, and frustration.

[booster]

Originally Posted by N147JK

As the old saying goes.. "if you want something done right, do it yourself". I'd roll up my sleeves and work on it myself. These vans aren't that complicated, you will learn 100 new things, and save a ton of money, time, and frustration.

I think the Cahaba is a fully multiplex unit with Volta power system, so a large part of the van is not all that simple like the older vans a lot of us have.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by rgames

I- Furnace worked once for about 10 minutes then died. Techs said it only works when diesel tank is at least half full (not true). That’s what they told me a month after I brought it in with less than half a tank. When I got it back I immediately filled up the tank and demonstrated that it still didn’t work. Then they got me back on the repair schedule for 6 weeks later. It had already taken me 10 weeks to get it in for repair and returned with nothing done to it. In the end it took something like 6 months to get the furnace fixed.

Is this hydronic or air heater, what brand? I think minimum fuel level is quarter of the tank, at least in my 2013 Sprinter. These heaters are vey finicky and connection from the tank to the pump and to the furnace need to be done exactly as defined in manual, Espar or Webasto.

Originally Posted by rgames

- Rear door and vent fan leak. Combined with the non-functional furnace and 20 deg temps our first night was miserable: the bed was drenched and extremely cold.

Did both leak or it was only roof fun. To fix correctly roof fan it must by removed and reinstall. Did they remove the fan?

Originally Posted by rgames

And finally, not a manufacturing issue but an absurd design decision: the 4WD Cahaba has horrible ground clearance. Shame on me for not noticing but driving on a few fairly benign dirt roads with a few small bumps basically destroyed the entire undercarriage. So I ripped it all out and installed a new setup that goes no lower than the fuel tank (that also saved about 200 lb). I cannot fathom why Tiffin did not take the same approach. Go take a look at the other Sprinter conversions and you’ll immediately see a huge difference in ground clearance.

Was the skirt the main issue? Maintaining Sprinter Road clearance on my van was a key objective but a lot of folks love those skirts.