Tiffin Cahaba 2021 Review

[rgames]

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.

Sure, but that's addressing a different issue (repair). A brand-new van shouldn't have *so many* failures of major systems.

And most of my repairs have required replacement of some major component. So what am I supposed to do - haul a trailer with a bunch of spare parts? And for a brand-new van?

The issue is that after 10 months of ownership I still have not been able to complete a trip because some major system fails on every trip, and always on the first day. The repair issue is secondary.

 

[rgames]

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.

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?

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.

Re: furnace - it's an Elwell unit that burns the diesel. It also has an electric heating element but other than that I don't know what kind of furnace it is.

Re: leaks - both leaked. The rear door was supposedly fixed (it was not) but the vent fan leak emerged a few weeks ago and I'm still a few weeks out from getting it in for that fix.

Re: clearance - not really, the issue was the tanks. It's an absurd design for an offroad vehicle. The blackwater tank is *beneath* the fuel tank, then the support structure for it is *beneath* that. I got through to a VP at Tiffin and he acknowledged it's a terrible design. I can't see how anyone takes a stock Cahaba offroad. I think people just buy them for "offroad" looks and keep them onroad or on well maintained dirt roads.

To be clear, the 4wd Sprinter is OK. It's certainly not a Jeep but it can do OK. The issue is the mods that Tiffin makes destroy most of the offroad capability that the Sprinter has. The 4wd capability that remains has some use in, say, mud but you still need to limit yourself to well-maintained dirt roads. Take a look at the marketing pic that Tiffin uses - there's no way I'd drive a stock Cahaba into that location.

If you want an actual 4wd Sprinter you need to rip out the entire undercarriage on the Cahaba. Or get one of the other Sprinter conversions that doesn't destroy the ground clearance.

 

[GeorgeRad]

Re: furnace - it's an Elwell unit that burns the diesel. It also has an electric heating element but other than that I don't know what kind of furnace it is.

Re: leaks - both leaked. The rear door was supposedly fixed (it was not) but the vent fan leak emerged a few weeks ago and I'm still a few weeks out from getting it in for that fix.

Re: clearance - not really, the issue was the tanks. It's an absurd design for an offroad vehicle. The blackwater tank is *beneath* the fuel tank, then the support structure for it is *beneath* that. I got through to a VP at Tiffin and he acknowledged it's a terrible design. I can't see how anyone takes a stock Cahaba offroad. I think people just buy them for "offroad" looks and keep them onroad or on well maintained dirt roads.

To be clear, the 4wd Sprinter is OK. It's certainly not a Jeep but it can do OK. The issue is the mods that Tiffin makes destroy most of the offroad capability that the Sprinter has. The 4wd capability that remains has some use in, say, mud but you still need to limit yourself to well-maintained dirt roads. Take a look at the marketing pic that Tiffin uses - there's no way I'd drive a stock Cahaba into that location.

If you want an actual 4wd Sprinter you need to rip out the entire undercarriage on the Cahaba. Or get one of the other Sprinter conversions that doesn't destroy the ground clearance.

Elwell is using Russian made hydronic heater Avers/Autoterm/Planar, about 20 years old company. There is a division Autoterm in Latvia but how parts supply will work in the current political world only time will tell. These heaters look similar to Eberspacher/Espar or Webasto but I am sure their guts are different. Hopefully there is enough parts inventory outside of Russia.

 

[pawn]

Currently dealing with a water leak in the shower, an issue where the volta is not charging from shore power (but recognizes shore power is there), and the awning not extending more than a foot.

Sigh. Working with Volta on the main issue.

 

[pawn]

Another Update. We finally took our Tiffin to Winfield to get the issues resolved before our extra warrantee expires. The Tiffin people were helpful. We are supposed to pick it up in a couple weeks. We did hear a rumor that Tiffin is no longer making Cahaba's, but might considering revamping them and producing them in the future.

 

[antiguasky]

I’m considering the purchase of a 2022 Cahaba and noticed the clearance issue. Can you share any details on how you reconfigured the plumbing?

 

[yahboo11]

Cahaba is Travato L on sprinter chasis but made by Thor