Brave Owners... Whatcha Think??

plasma800 · 05-08-2015, 10:25 AM

Looking for some thoughts from brave owners.

Woofer-01 · 05-08-2015, 10:51 AM

OK...
Can you be more specific?

plasma800 · 05-08-2015, 11:23 AM

Ok

If you own a new winnebago brave, do you like it or hate it? Pro's? Con's? Gas Mileage? Everything works well? Drives good? Comfy or not comfy?

reinerka · 05-08-2015, 12:02 PM

We bought a 27B last year in November and love it. We upgraded from a Solera (Sprinter based) and enjoy the added space very much.

Overall we have had several quality issues and the build quality (QA perspective) is worse than Forrest River. The dealer was a complete waste of time to service it and all they did is watch TV in the unit instead of fixing it. The chassis had some issues and those got fixed by a Ford Truck shop over several weeks (loose shock bolt, bearings bad causing the steering wheel to shake violently, etc).

There are still squeaks in the dash board that we need to figure out. I don't trust a dealer to fix them any more after the experience we had with the dealer we bought it from.

I used to be a good fan of Garmin and I like the GPS in the Brave but the unit has its flaws like jumping all over the map which is annoying - usually only happens in the mornings - I should have it replaced and will do so when the next generation of the GPS comes to the market.

Our mileage stays consistent at about 6.2-6.7 mpg. It hardly matters if I drive 60mph or 70mph....

Overall we would purchase the unit again - however certainly not from the same dealer and do a better check on delivery of the unit.

Reiner

plasma800 · 05-08-2015, 01:18 PM

I would say not exactly glowing.... I'm wondering if you're missing the mileage of your Solera! I've been seriously hunting the sprinter market here lately, and the brave with no slides or the 27b kinda got tossed into the mix too.

Does it have a black tank flush? The winnie website indicates that maybe it doesn't??

And how does it handle now? Does it behave?

reinerka · 05-08-2015, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma800

I would say not exactly glowing.... I'm wondering if you're missing the mileage of your Solera! I've been seriously hunting the sprinter market here lately, and the brave with no slides or the 27b kinda got tossed into the mix too.

Does it have a black tank flush? The winnie website indicates that maybe it doesn't??

And how does it handle now? Does it behave?

Actually we do love it and don't miss the Solera. Sure the mileage was better in the Sprinter (~14-16mpg) but the Sprinter gets about 250 miles before you need gas - now 500 miles are feasible before a must stop for gas

. We're now used to paying more for gas and it does not bother us as much. It was a big "worry point" when we purchased a gas powered one. However we would trade for a Brave with the new 5.0L cummins diesel in a heartbeat.

The living quarters of the Brave (27B) is fantastic and fits nicely for 2 people plus our dog (mini Schnauzer). The dinette is very comfy and big enough for 4 people. The bed is so much better than the corner bed we had and was the reason we wanted something else in the first place. That was also the reason to not even consider the smaller Brave - corner bed again.

Having 54gal of water is good and a big improvement over the ~40 of the Solera. We can now boondock for a week without even thinking about water or dumping.

There is no black water flush - you're right. Not an issue so far and we've been around at least once or twice a month camping. Still works as it should.

Handling is actually very good. It is not blown around like the Solera and easy to drive (to easy for the size).

Reiner

plasma800 · 05-08-2015, 03:47 PM

I betcha you could install a black tank flush if you wanted to. I've seen some videos on how that's done and it seems mostly straight forward.

I know on our old DP bus, that black tank flush was very very handy. Sometimes we would need to flush it 2 to 3 times until the water came out clear.

Without a flush, the method of doing this is pulling a garden hose into the bathroom through the window, and holding the toilet open and fill the black tank up, and release it again. Not the end of the world to do I suppose.

Don't leave that hose unattended

plasma800 · 05-08-2015, 03:53 PM

just curious too, do you full time in yours?

JimGeorgia · 05-08-2015, 06:05 PM

We purchased our 2015 Brave 26A in October. They were very scarce then and had to get one in FL shipped to GA.

Overall we have enjoyed the coach and have invested in upgrading the chassis (common on all F53's it appears), transmission shifting (5 star, but's it a V10 issue).

This being my first new unit I don't have a good barometer of how it stacks up against other makes. My other stuff was used and the kinks had been worked out. Upon delivery I found loose shock bolts (many others too apparently), some missing stuff (probably left in the dealer in FL) and a few other minor things. The 26A, unlike the 27B and 31C has a unique master bed that part of which folds down to make a queen. Added a pad and the sleep comfort was ok, however the fold down leg was not made for prime time. Discovered the Winnebago has already changed the design and upon contacting them, they have agreed to replace the earlier version.

The challenge is, with Winnebago here in GA, not that you have stuff to fix but the limited options available to do warranty work. In GA its basically Camping World so you know there's a wait time. My first experience with CW was not positive as they improperly (in my opinion) lifted the unit while doing repairs and did some minor damage to the underside and front bumper. CW made it right and finished up the other stuff and got the missing parts (extra table, pedestal) ordered and replaced.

My reading of the forums is that compared to many brands, we came out ok. Since there only two of us and a dog, the size is right and no problems with slide-outs (there are none).

Would I do it again? Yes.

Hope this helps.

Jim

azkunk · 05-08-2015, 10:06 PM

We just got our 2012 Brave 27B last week and LOVE it. We upgraded from an ultra-lite TT so the quality is much improved. We were in the market for a class C but fell in love with the retro re-design and got a great deal. We went for a short trip last weekend and did notice that it was pretty loud going uphill. Not sure if that is the shift thing JimGeorgia is referring to or if it's due to my husband's lead foot. Inside was so much more spacious than our TT and was perfect for the 2 of us and 3 dogs.

JimGeorgia · 05-09-2015, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azkunk

We just got our 2012 Brave 27B last week and LOVE it. We upgraded from an ultra-lite TT so the quality is much improved. We were in the market for a class C but fell in love with the retro re-design and got a great deal. We went for a short trip last weekend and did notice that it was pretty loud going uphill. Not sure if that is the shift thing JimGeorgia is referring to or if it's due to my husband's lead foot. Inside was so much more spacious than our TT and was perfect for the 2 of us and 3 dogs.

Hey Andrea. Go to 5 star tuning thread within this forum. Lot's of good info and plus there's a group buy going on. Won't cure steep uphill climbs, but it will help on constant gear hunting.

plasma800 · 05-09-2015, 06:51 AM

So I'm wondering to myself, "how does this thing navigate in a gas station?"

In our old bus, we just hit truck stops with the 18 wheelers. Begin forced into a gas station with a 14 foot wheelbase kinda makes me nervous...

plasma800 · 05-09-2015, 06:55 AM

Jim, on the 26A - I have a few questions.

Do you find it hard to get out of bed if you are on the wall side of the bed?

Do you also experience 6 MPG?

plasma800 · 05-09-2015, 07:07 AM

Wonder how fast the genny really uses LP?
oooo wait, it uses gasoline.

JimGeorgia · 05-10-2015, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma800

Jim, on the 26A - I have a few questions.

Do you find it hard to get out of bed if you are on the wall side of the bed?

Do you also experience 6 MPG?

1. No problems getting out of bed. Only concern was weak leg and possibility that it might fold under weight. Any coach built after 3/15 has new, stronger leg (ours will be retrofitted under warranty).

2. I do not pay a lot of attention to mpg until I get more than 3000 miles on the coach. Right now my best estimate is 7 on average, but the recently installed 5 star tuning may help some as I'm no longer having the numerous downshifts to 3rd on any sort of incline.

Hope this helps.

reinerka · 05-10-2015, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma800

So I'm wondering to myself, "how does this thing navigate in a gas station?"

In our old bus, we just hit truck stops with the 18 wheelers. Begin forced into a gas station with a 14 foot wheelbase kinda makes me nervous...

Never a problem with that even with a toad. Sometimes we block two pimps - that is the only inconvenience to others when its busy...

Reiner

plasma800 · 05-10-2015, 11:03 AM

Good to know