Tiffin Cahaba 2021 Review

[pawn]

Tiffin Cahaba 2021 Model

Pros:
Volta power system. If it works as advertised, it should take care of our power needs and last the life of the vehicle.
Large bed – 66” x 69”.
Microwave

Cons:
Only two seatbelts, so in most states that means only two people in the vehicle legally
No rear window coverings (fixed for 2022 model year, according to a walkaround vid I’ve seen)(This can be added on later supposedly, and we have it on order)
No storage tube for waste hose (fixed for 2022 model year, according to a walkaround vid I’ve seen)(This can be added on later supposedly, and we have this on order too)
Neutral:
8” ground clearance (one spot with something sticking down to 7”)

The Story:
Bought it on 10/30. Right after signing the contract, went to go do the walkthrough, and the delivery tech was shocked it was sold as it had many items which did not work. Stuff like the black tank was not hooked up properly and the sewage hose could not be attached. It rather made us feel like we had been taken advantage of. That said, it’s a new model, and we were not in a hurry. The service manager assured us he was working with Tiffin to get the issues resolved, and we decided to give them a while and hold off on writing anything until we got the vehicle delivered. Other items – the build quality/attention to detail out of the factory was lacking – some of the light fixtures had been torqued down too much so they’d cracked. One cabinet door was cracked. The shower caulk look like a pre-teen had done it with dirty hands. Little items like that which you’d not expect on a new coach.
We get it two weeks later, and most if not all items on the list are fixed. The day after we picked it up (the evening), we find the outside power plug doesn’t work. So we bring it back the next day, and finally got it on 11.23.21.

We took it camping over Thanksgiving, and it rained. The coach leaked through the air conditioning unit. The Timberline heating unit also doesn’t work, either for heat or hot water.

After the second trip to the dealer, most everything was fixed. The timberline now works (excepting the freezing bug that also seemed to plague the Revel, but that's fixed by popping the fuse)

So, from the factory, this unit came with:

1. Blackwater tank not the right one – fixed 11/18
2. Timberline System:
---a. heater not filled with fluid – fixed 12/1
---b. Timberline heater not working (?) on electrical (this sounds like it might be expected)
3. Volta system not hooked up right
---a. Could not disable inverter – fixed 12/1
---b. Not getting power from solar panels – fixed (1/3?) 12/1 - seems like 1 out of the 3 panels are hooked up, the other 2 don’t seem to affect the performance of the system (i.e. cover them and the incoming voltage doesn't change).
---c. Volta display going dark randomly, requiring system reboot
4. Passenger side rear window doesn’t stay open – fixed 11/18
5. AC unit leaking water into coach when it’s raining – fixed 12/1
6. Lights in coach cracked – fixed 11/18
7. Lights in shower cracked – fixed 11/18
8. Caulk in shower not complete – fixed 11/18
9. Cabinet cracked (on order)
10. Cabinets rubbing (will get fixed with #9)
11. Outside AC port grounded incorrectly – fixed 12/1

Just got back from a 3400 mile round trip. Bad news is the front light bar didn’t have lock washers on it and damn near came off (half of it did). My stepfather noticed it was crooked. We re-attached it with lock washers, and it seemed fine on the drive back. The volta worked well on the trip.

Apologies for the choppy review - I've been adding to it as we go.

[rowiebowie]

Appreciate the honest review. It seems like your initial ownership has been painful, but you haven't let it get to you. Most would write a bitter, angry review of all those problems. I'm sure you've felt such emotions, and rightly so.

I don't know what to say other than it shouldn't happen, ever. Not at the prices of class b (a Tiffin effort especially) and not at the exorbitant prices of today. That said, I'm also on the Airstream forum, and while rare, a few others there have had similar experiences with wildly expensive trailers and Atlas class c's.

Totally inexcusable.

[booster]

Especially since it is a premium RV brand, I really think I would be writing the factory and requesting a replacement unit. Bring up the fact that a lot of stuff you could see was done wrong, so you can't trust the stuff you can't see.

[pawn]

I think I'm more inclined to ask for another year of factory warranty than a new unit.

We rather knew we were getting a potential beta unit. Of course, what we got was an alpha unit. Lol.

If you happen to be considering one, hold out for a 2022 or even a 2023 while they iron out the bugs. They added in those items I mentioned above, which we're trying to get. And for gods sake make sure you walk through and test things before signing and paying!

[mumkin]

Tiffin used to be a respected name. But... who owns them now?

Thor

Which explains every bit of these issues.

Garbage company...

[booster]

Originally Posted by pawn

I think I'm more inclined to ask for another year of factory warranty than a new unit.

We rather knew we were getting a potential beta unit. Of course, what we got was an alpha unit. Lol.

If you happen to be considering one, hold out for a 2022 or even a 2023 while they iron out the bugs. They added in those items I mentioned above, which we're trying to get. And for gods sake make sure you walk through and test things before signing and paying!

Since you like the unit setup, just not the current quality, you really have several options, I think.


* An increase in complete warranty for a long time. I would go much longer than an extra year myself


* The mentioned replacement van at no charge


* An offer to order a new van to be delivered in late 2022 or 2023 with a guaranteed trade in value on your van at retail price when you got it. You would pay retail price for the new one so would cover any price increases and/or added features the new one came with. They might actually bite on that one as it would save face for them a whole bunch as nobody would ever hear about a "lemon" being replaced by them. It would also give you a van to use until the new one arrived, and you should be able to get better quality.


Giving companies options sometimes makes the whole thing easier for them to accept, and being able save face and reduce bad publicity on a new product should, I hope, be important to them.

[pawn]

Good ideas Booster, we'll think it over, and thanks!

[pawn]

Another update:

It appears the tank heater doesn't work either. Tiffin is looking into it.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by pawn

Another update:

It appears the tank heater doesn't work either. Tiffin is looking into it.

Trying to look on the bright side, at least you found it while at Tiffin service center.

We've only used our tank heaters twice, on consecutive nights in Yellowstone's Madison campground this past October when temps dipped to 19 degrees over night. I had never tested them before and the only way to know they were working was the power draw noticed on our battery monitor. Wished I'd written down the amp draw, but if I recall it was surprising low. About12-13 amps I believe with all three heaters on.

[pawn]

Lol. I wish, we found out while at home during the cold snap we had last week - when the temperatures dropped to 20 or so. I don't know if there is any damage - I kept the coach heat on and also had a small electric heater in there, so we'll see.

[pawn]

Update:

So the dealer says Tiffin put a trickle charger in where a real charge controller ought to go, which is why it's only charging a tiny amount (10 amp I think he said). We paid to have it upgraded, but even now that it's in it doesn't seem to be charging at all. I suspect an installation issue. I'm not surprised that the techs apparently didn't check to make sure it was working before they let us pick it up.


We also had the sewer hose storage tube and the zip-in window coverings installed. It took 3-4 months to get the items in from Tiffin and another two+ months to get them installed, and it turns out the window coverings we got are not the nice quilted ones Tiffin delivers on the 2022 model, but something thinner. At least it blocks the sun, though. The storage tube works. The tank heater is supposed to be working, but with it being over 100 during the days here, it's not like I can test it other than seeing that it doesn't throw an error when I engage it.

[Gumbyman0202]

I feel your pain. We're at Tiffin right now getting similar issues resolved with our 2022 Cahaba.

[pawn]

Yeah, the techs said the 2022 models had similar issues. Good luck with it.

The good news is the volta works nicely even if the solar panels are not working.

Our water pump just started leaking, so we have to get that fixed as well.

Make sure you check the washers on the light bar! before it comes off

[Gumbyman0202]

I will. Thanks.

We had our miswired DC to DC Converter replaced already. Already dealt with light issue. Now dealing with tank sensors issue.

[Gumbyman0202]

Now after 4 days at Tiffin Wayfarer Service Center, we leave and after about 100 miles or so, our Volta Power System shuts down by itself while unplugged and vehicle parked. It won't come back on. Back to the service center we go. More to follow.

[pawn]

Ouch, that's the one thing which works fine. It does have a software bug where it turns off the screen, but if you turn it off, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on, it starts up. It also doesn't strike if you make the screen "always on" instead of allowing a sleep mode.

[Gumbyman0202]

Well, after two panel replacements we are still waiting for our system to get fixed.

[pawn]

Solar panels? I keep telling them only one was producing energy, but they seemed to think 18 volts is what should be getting produced from three 100 watt panels in the hot texas sun.

[booster]

Originally Posted by pawn

Solar panels? I keep telling them only one was producing energy, but they seemed to think 18 volts is what should be getting produced from three 100 watt panels in the hot texas sun.

They may well be be correct depending on if they are wired parallel or series.


You need to look at the watts or amps generated to tell how much you are really getting. The max power point for many high efficiency panels is around 17.7v volts, so if they are in parallel and 12v panels that is right about where they should be to produce maximum power.

[pawn]

Good to know, thanks.