View & Navion owners - Would you buy again?

[Mooneypaul]

Originally Posted by fourgonbound

Have you actually had an issue with things breaking for being over capacity?

This is a valid concern but may never actually be a real issue.

My 24J 2017 View has a OCCC of 1260# or something. Not sure why there's such a big difference with yours.

The G rear slide adds weight. Also he probably has a bunk too. My OCCC is about the same as his.

[gomango]

Originally Posted by HDRoadking

Knowing what you now know, would you buy again ? What is your favorite thing about your coach? What is your worst complaint?



Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

We bought it used in 2013 from a private owner. Had no real issues so far. We store it inside while not in use. We also co-own the unit w/ another couple. We have a carefully worked out agreement. Everything is working out there too so far. I would highly recommend that arrangement if you can because it really cuts down the cost of the purchase, upkeep and the proper maintenance.

Its really easy to drive and to get around and park anywhere. The Mercedes diesel engine and chassis is great. The floorplan and all the features in the unit are well designed. We like the queen bed in the rear w/ side isles. We have a metal platform outside in the rear w/ a heavy duty rubberized collapsible storage unit to put all the extra things to compensate the lack storage space of the RV. This has really worked out great for us. The small complaint would the small useless sink the bathroom.
The other thing I can highly recommend is to get a foldable electric assist bike "E Joe" that you can ride around the campsites and go to nearby stores and things. It folds up to fit in a car trunk so you can easily use it when you get home on a bike trail.

[JustFwed]

I think they mean more balanced inside

[gomango]

Originally Posted by Coffie Drink

I would not buy another View. The OCCC of my 15 View is 960 lbs. This is less than most small cars. Mine has 4 seat belts. The View G is too heavy for the chassis. Other Views have more OCCC. IMHO the population of Sprinter MH are over weight.
I do think you can be safe. Run dry. Do not carry stuff you don't need. The problem is many put in bigger batteries, solar panels, Levelers, Sat Dish, and use it to boondock. This forces you to fill the tanks.
Will your View fail if overloaded?

OCCC stands for ? Is it the carrying capacity of the RV? How serious is the problem? What are the safety issues and problems that have been associated w/ this unit? I have not heard it before. Perhaps this should have more discussions.

[Mooneypaul]

Originally Posted by gomango

OCCC stands for ? Is it the carrying capacity of the RV? How serious is the problem? What are the safety issues and problems that have been associated w/ this unit? I have not heard it before. Perhaps this should have more discussions.

OCCC is the amount of people, cargo, water that you can load. It excludes diesel fuel and I believe propane. I have the heaviest View with the rear slide and bunk. The way we travel it works fine with just limiting the amount of water we carry. The other floor plans have 2-3 hundred pounds more OCCC.

Although discussed a lot in forums, I have never seen a post about safety issues or problems related to weight. You do have to be careful about placement of weight due to axle weight limits for front and rear.

When looking at rigs, check the yellow sticker on the door jamb for the OCCC, each one is different due to options. With careful loading these rigs have plenty of capacity, but remember they are not class A’s so when we downsized, we had to adjust.

[DMA]

I would definitely purchase again, especially knowing what I know now.
If it were just me I would go to a B Class.
We purchased new a 15NJ Profile. We now have 41K miles and many great trips in the rear view mirror with many more ahead.
Didn't want the added weight, high center of gravity, or wind resistance of the Humphead. Also didn't want anyone to get the idea there was room for them to travel with us.
I really like the large window in the front.
The J provides an open floor plan day or night. By day a large living space, by night it becomes one large bedroom.
She in the corner berth, he in the converted U dinette. We sleep great.
The converted dinette with bedding and foot rests up provides a great place to watch a movie.
We don't tow, don't have solar, don't have HWH levelers.
We travel light.
I like great maneuverability of the Sprinter 3500.
Easy to park and you always have a bathroom and place to nap.
No checking for bedbugs or hauling around suitcases.
Best accessory to carry? Progressive Industries protective device that goes at the pedastel and protects the electrical system.

[Kayak73]

Well this is our second View. Three rigs in between so the answer for us is yes, we did buy again. The idea is this will be the last rig because of my age. I hope I can "run the wheels off" though for at least 5 years but I'll take what I get like everyone else.

Safety rests in the hands of the driver, literally. Sometimes we will tow our little Honda Fit, sometimes not. You have to be aware of your cargo, drive with empty tanks and respect the stopping distance. It is a diesel with no helper braking system, aka exhaust, turbo or engine brake. You have wheel brakes only and no engine braking power. Driving in mountains can take a bit more care descending and you might need to stop and let em cool down. It takes more space to stop these things loaded but drive carefully and good to go. They don't have air brakes like our prior DP either. That thing would stop on a dime and go down a long 6-7% grade and never touch the wheel brakes because of the engine braking. You can "tip shift" the Sprinter down which will help but start the descent in lower gear and tap the brakes. Life is good. I was indeed hesitant to go back to a diesel with no turbo brake but having driven one for 5 years I knew it was OK, just drive carefully. If you have not driven one and are thinking about buying I suggest you take a drive to the nearest 6% grade, preferably a 5 miler and wheel down that to get a feel for how it does. You just have to keep the speed down, tap the brakes don't ride them, use a lower gear. If you don't like the feel you can move to a rig on the Ford E450 with tow/haul mode and ride down the same hill on the engine vacuum and cool brakes.

[as000ll]

We own a 2017 View 24G. If I had to buy again today, I would probably go with the 24D floor plan. It was not available when we bought our View. 24D provides more counter space (we love cooking), has a more convenient bathroom, has more drawers, has an all-electric fridge, and provides a larger living space. I'm not sure about the solidity of the Murphy bed though.

Mine was delivered with a long list of problems. My dealer (Colerain RV in Cincinnati: do not go there) did basically nothing to fix them before delivery. No caulking in shower, strap for holding the drain pipe was too short, screen door would not close properly, microwave was not working and had to be replaced, screws went off the curtain railing of the cab over bed, leaking shower hose, etc.). I also had some issues in the first year: rust on the lid over the furnace, waste tanks heat pads peeled off, leaking pipe (elbow) going to the shower, broken clip on the sender component of the LP gauge, valence over the window in the bedroom fell off the wall, hinge strip on the closet got loose and fell off, etc. The good thing: Winnebago really offers a no assle warranty and fixed all the problems I reported. But I am still not impressed with the quality of the delivered product.

We had the same problem as someone else mentioned with our bed. Way too fragile. It broke on our first trip. I put two 2x2 in the corners with screws and no problem since. Does not look super good, but it is solid. (Perhaps, I should have put glue instead).

So, would I buy a Winnebago View again? I say... probably. I saw and experienced a few other brands and they appeared to be even of a lesser quality. During our buying process, the other finalist was Leasure Travel Van but they did not have the floorplan we were looking for.

[Kayak73]

You are right about the Murphy. I am probably a tad heavy for it at 215lbs but I feel the supports in my ribs etc. We will add a topper probably. The other choice is to "get used to it". In the good ole days I slept on the hardwood floor for two weeks before a backpacking trip to get accustomed to "hard" like dirt. I did sleep better as time wore on during our initial two week outing in the V24D.

I think with any new rig there will be adjustments. Most of those I anticipate, like the screen adjustment. We now have a screeching slide on the 24D but it came in to get us home. I haven't looked at it yet to see if lube will help etc.

Every new rig we have bought has required some fixes, changes and mods. It seems that is the norm so I accept it and deal with it and try to keep the attitude upbeat. The refrigerator has made it a bit challenging in the 24D though. Hopefully I can get past that and move on to enjoying the rig.

[as000ll]

You're right. Problems with a new rig seem to be the norm and we really have no other choice to accept it.

Just curious... What kind of issues did you get with your refrigerator?

[Kayak73]

Well there is a very long thread on iRV2, WGO owners forum with nearly 6000 views so I won't go into that in detail again. There is a short thread in this forum as well. Let's just say it is a great idea to have a 12VDC compressor refrigerator as long as it is not a DE0061R which is standard in the V24D. Long story short, lot of us had a bad thermostat. Got it replaced. It still does not keep food frozen in freezer unless you bump the control up to a point where it also freezes everything in the bottom section, like eggs, beer, water etc. It runs between 13-17F in freezer around setting 4 depending on ambient temps. Overnight it still puts a little ice in the bottom bottles of water etc. but the freezer items are not frozen. Liquid popsicles etc.

[Winterbagoal]

We have a 2018 N24V without the cab over bunk, and so far, so good. Love the layout, as it resembles our '02 Roadtrek 190P for sleeping. We added the Froli sleep system and it feels great. We also like that the twin beds double as chaise loungers for reading or just relaxing and watching TV. We also added the dual pane Euro-styled windows for rainy days, they flip open form the bottom and deter entry from the rain. The blinds are a nice feature, too, the way they combine bug control and visual access to the interior of the coach.
No major problems with either fit and finish or hardware, but it's early in the game. I was a little disappointed that the cab cutaway chassis is so stripped down. I expected it to come with more of the van's techie bells and whistles w/equipment for safety and functionality. The fuel economy is exactly what I had read about before we bought, and can be improved upon by judicious use of the accelerator pedal/cruise control. The storage is a great reason to have a garage sale, after down sizing from a 2016 Sunstar 26HE - 153 cu ft. to 43 cu ft. - but I've managed to get it organized to bring what we need, and nothing more. It does push you towards minimalism, if you weren't already headed there.
As of today, I'm just hoping the weather improves, so we can finish loading it up for travel, and get the final weighings done - we should have enough room on our OCCC/GVWR/GCWR to pull our Jeep, if we decide it's necessary.
We've driven all 3 major classes of motorhome, and so far, this one looks like it will be the last one we'll ever need or buy.
Yes, would buy it again, but hope not to have to.

[bjdechaine]

We have had our View 24J for a little over a month and it is perfect size/floor plan for us. We would definitely buy another. We like the space inside, most of the time we don't even extend the slide when we stop for the night. The corner bed is great for us. I sleep near the wall and can hop in and out without disturbing DH. But then, I am 5' 2", DH is 6' 1". I haven't come close to using all the storage space. The mileage is great, 13 to 18 mpg depending on where I get the diesel, which I find strange. Diesel is diesel, right? Or I may be wrong. Never had a diesel before.. I find Exxon gives the best mileage.. I am the only driver and it handles great. Still figuring out how things work and have several modifications I will be making, plus adding solar. The previous owners took the solar panels for their upgrade.

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by bjdechaine

The mileage is great, 13 to 18 mpg depending on where I get the diesel, which I find strange. Diesel is diesel, right? Or I may be wrong. Never had a diesel before.. I find Exxon gives the best mileage.. I am the only driver and it handles great. Still figuring out how things work and have several modifications I will be making, plus adding solar. The previous owners took the solar panels for their upgrade.

There are more than a few threads discussing the problems and/or challenges of using biodiesel as opposed to true petro-diesel. One factor that differentiates them has been reported as poorer fuel economy because, like ethanol, there's less bang for the buck in the biologically produced product. So, if you notice the amount of bio diesel in your next fill up (it's suppose to be stated somewhere on the pump) you can expect fewer miles per gallon as the percentage of biodiesel content rises. If Exxon works better for you, check the biodiesel content next visit, and stick with it.

[bjdechaine]

Originally Posted by Winterbagoal

There are more than a few threads discussing the problems and/or challenges of using biodiesel as opposed to true petro-diesel. One factor that differentiates them has been reported as poorer fuel economy because, like ethanol, there's less bang for the buck in the biologically produced product. So, if you notice the amount of bio diesel in your next fill up (it's suppose to be stated somewhere on the pump) you can expect fewer miles per gallon as the percentage of biodiesel content rises. If Exxon works better for you, check the biodiesel content next visit, and stick with it.

Thank you, I was wondering if the biodiesel was affecting the mileage. Many of the pumps here in the Phoenix, AZ valley do not have any biodiesel labels, so I would guess that means 'none'?
I admit I am fearful of doing something that will void the warranty. So far my errors have been minor. Between reading every page and word of the Mercedes manuals, the two Winnebago manuals and the forums, and retirement being so very busy, my reading is going slow. I feel like I am back in nursing school figuring out central lines, IV solutions and blood chemistry. LOL There is so much information. But like the rest of life, one step at a time and a glass of wine.

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by bjdechaine

Thank you, I was wondering if the biodiesel was affecting the mileage. Many of the pumps here in the Phoenix, AZ valley do not have any biodiesel labels, so I would guess that means 'none'?
I admit I am fearful of doing something that will void the warranty. So far my errors have been minor. Between reading every page and word of the Mercedes manuals, the two Winnebago manuals and the forums, and retirement being so very busy, my reading is going slow. I feel like I am back in nursing school figuring out central lines, IV solutions and blood chemistry. LOL There is so much information. But like the rest of life, one step at a time and a glass of wine.

I'm new to the diesel thing, too. I've read as much as I can about bio versus petro diesel and the warranty thing, and it seems that there's not much you can do except keep an eye on your oil level, stick to the recommended service intervals, use recommended replacement parts, and try to avoid the bio stuff as much as possible. That's difficult to do in states where it's been mandated, but that's another story. It remains to be seen whether MB will honor biodiesel related warranty claims, when it sells diesel vehicles in states that mandate the stuff.
Just enjoy your rig and your travels and try not to worry about it too much was the best advice I found on the net.

[DMA]

15NJ Profile Humphrey.
43K miles and just put new Michelins with Dually Borg stems on and replaced the Continentals. Also had the front end aligned and the Michelins rebalanced by balancing while on the vehicle. Took a little vibration out from the original Discount Tire balancing job.
Smoother, quieter, less stiff feeling ride with the Michelins.
The Borgs are a great addition. Much easier to check pressures and air up if required. Guess I could put the simulators back on now but actually I have no intention Of doing that.
Last trip? Northern MI and UP. Never tire of the Big Mac Bridge crossing.
Next trip? Nova Scotia and Maine in September.

Also working towards getting setup to tow. Including a new vehicle. But that's another story for another Thread.

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by DMA

15NJ Profile Humphrey.
43K miles and just put new Michelins with Dually Borg stems on and replaced the Continentals. Also had the front end aligned and the Michelins rebalanced by balancing while on the vehicle. Took a little vibration out from the original Discount Tire balancing job.
Smoother, quieter, less stiff feeling ride with the Michelins.
The Borgs are a great addition. Much easier to check pressures and air up if required. Guess I could put the simulators back on now but actually I have no intention Of doing that.
Last trip? Northern MI and UP. Never tire of the Big Mac Bridge crossing.
Next trip? Nova Scotia and Maine in September.

Also working towards getting setup to tow. Including a new vehicle. But that's another story for another Thread.

Which model Michelins? I'm eventually going to switch when the Vancos start to show wear. MS2? Defender? AT2? (not sure if they fit). Also, did you stick with stock LT215 85R16E ? I haven't explored alternate sizes, as I'm nowhere near a new set. Just wondering if they offered any other size options?
Also love Sleeping Bear Dunes area, and traveling through the UP, in general.

We tow with a 2018 N24V, if you have any questions. 2016 JKU using Blue Ox equipment.

[jcurtisis]

Oh yes. The 24D is fabulous in providing the MOST living space and a LARGE kitchen area and HAS A COUCH (which is a murphy bed)!

[DMA]

https://www.michelinman.com/find?sea...&zipCode=37774


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