2004 Vectra 40AD just picked up... - Page 2

lajuene · 08-14-2011, 06:19 PM

I did take down the panel and let the water dry out. it didn't work, I going to try it again tomorrow. maybe it needed to dry more. Glad yours worked out, hope I have the same good luck.

BucknJeff · 08-19-2011, 06:25 AM

I'd like to tell you that I have not done the same thing, and even more, I'd like to tell you that I have not done it twice!

I'd like to, but I can't.

The fresh tank overflow is not sufficient to to drain a fast fill from a high pressure park connection.

I can tell you that the lovely design of the gravity water fill door just above the outside entertainment radio will quickly prove that the stereo is NOT submersible.

I also suspect that the smoke you saw, while coming out of the speakers, was caused by something else. Be careful, as there are live electrical outlets there.

HD4Mark · 08-19-2011, 06:53 AM

Congrats on the new Vectra. We have the KD floorplan and live (summer) right down the Thruway from you just outside Syracuse.

I overflowed our tank the same way one time and must have been lucky because the water exited out of the overflow tube on the bottom. Now I keep and eye on the indicator in the water bay. If you fill from the other side you will hear the water coming up just like when you fill your car with gas.

About the fridge. I assume it is a Norcold 1200lrm 4 door with ice maker. Ours is in the garage. We went through the same stuff with it as everyone else and replaced it with a residential fridge. See this thread http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/new-f...dow-93522.html and http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/repl...197-97661.html and many more. Good Sam replaced the cooling unit and board with a Dinosaur last fall but we still didn't think it worked up to what it should.

If you have a basement AC, take a look at the ductwork leaving the rear of it and going up through the rear cap to the ceiling vents. Some of them (like ours) came apart. A simple foil tape job or what we did was to first wrap as much of it as possible with foil bubble insulation then use real big tywraps and foil tape.

If I think of anything else we encountered I will post it. We have had our Vectra almost 2 years.

In the fall we go in the opposite direction you are now and go to Fl for the winter.

FIRE UP · 08-22-2011, 11:46 PM

lajuene,
Congrats on your new purchase. You'll find lots to tinker with and improve. If I may, I'd like to give you a tad bit of advice on the purchase of your Flat Screen TVs. Some here have purchased Vizios and have had good luck with them. And while they are gaining some of the market, please read as many reviews of the model you're going to attain for your coach.

We recently purchased a nice one from Costco with intent for it to be installed in the front end of the coach after, a brief stay in my garage where I do most of my work. Well, from the first day, that TV never acted right. A very long time to turn on, a long time for the sound to activate after the picture appeared, and that goes for channel changing too, the color was not near as nice as the model we saw at Costco. We had to change all the setting so much that the flesh tones were barely humanoid. The sound, it had to be up pretty high for me to hear it and then, here comes the commercial, it about blasted me right out of the garage.

Well, we went in, found Costcos website, and started reading reviews about it. That model Vizio, was rated very poorly. About eight out of ten returned it for the same exact reasons that I just pointed out.

So, my point, do some serious research, not only on what will fit but, the make and model of what will fit too. We traded in that Vizio for an almost same exact size Samsung with all the same attributes and it's a way better TV. Nicer picture, color enhancement perfect right out of the box. Sound is perfect. Turn it on and wait about 5 seconds and it's on and the sound too. Changing channels is about 3-4 seconds and the sound comes on at the same time the picture appears. Just some thoughts here.
Scott

DAN L · 08-23-2011, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

lajuene,
Congrats on your new purchase. You'll find lots to tinker with and improve. If I may, I'd like to give you a tad bit of advice on the purchase of your Flat Screen TVs. Some here have purchased Vizios and have had good luck with them. And while they are gaining some of the market, please read as many reviews of the model you're going to attain for your coach.

We recently purchased a nice one from Costco with intent for it to be installed in the front end of the coach after, a brief stay in my garage where I do most of my work. Well, from the first day, that TV never acted right. A very long time to turn on, a long time for the sound to activate after the picture appeared, and that goes for channel changing too, the color was not near as nice as the model we saw at Costco. We had to change all the setting so much that the flesh tones were barely humanoid. The sound, it had to be up pretty high for me to hear it and then, here comes the commercial, it about blasted me right out of the garage.

Well, we went in, found Costcos website, and started reading reviews about it. That model Vizio, was rated very poorly. About eight out of ten returned it for the same exact reasons that I just pointed out.

So, my point, do some serious research, not only on what will fit but, the make and model of what will fit too. We traded in that Vizio for an almost same exact size Samsung with all the same attributes and it's a way better TV. Nicer picture, color enhancement perfect right out of the box. Sound is perfect. Turn it on and wait about 5 seconds and it's on and the sound too. Changing channels is about 3-4 seconds and the sound comes on at the same time the picture appears. Just some thoughts here.
Scott

what size and model vizio did you have?

i have been looking at a 32'' led model.
it is supposed to have a variable sound output to work with our quasi ''surround sound''.

VectraDon · 08-27-2011, 03:22 PM

Hi Eric, It's me again.

I replaced the old RCA tube set in the bedroom with a Sharp Equus. Althoughnit's not a high def. flat screen, the RCA died and I had the Sharp. I had to fabricate a bracket, but it was relatively easy. I will try to attach pictures. If it doesn't work, I'll email them. Good luck. Don

lajuene · 08-28-2011, 08:37 AM

Excellent Dan. I may do this mod too.

Roadking · 09-17-2011, 01:10 PM

I have an 03 UA and replaced the bedroom TV with a 22 inch LG. The old tube type was installed in a cabinet above the washer/dryer and swung out for viewing. Heavy and wasted a lot of space. I mounted the new TV on the wall and tilted it down towards the bed. The cabinet was modified into storage space for two shelves. I did not hook the TV up to the external speakers, but this could have been done.

The front 26 inch TV was replaced with a 32 inch Toshiba. I made a bracket for the Toshiba which allows it to be tipped up allowing access to the large storage space behind it. Appropriate trim pieces were made to fill in the top and bottom and allow for ventilation.

We full time and with each move must reprogram the TV's to the local channels. The menus and ergonomics of the LG TV is much better than the Toshiba. The Toshiba allows internal speakers to be turned off and supports a variable level audio out which works great with the surround sound and with wireless headphones. This is a must have feature. Therefore the dear wife (DW) can put on the wireless headphones and turn the speakers off and not disturb me when I retire early.

MD556 · 09-21-2011, 09:07 PM

Congrats on selecting a great coach!! I hope you enjoy your 40AD as much as we're enjoying ours. We're currently parked in Forest City, and would encourage you, if you can at all, to make the trip to meet the service folks, let them address any major issues you may find, and take the plant tour. I would also encourage you to join WIT and attend at least one GNR. In any case, make sure you register your rig as a "second owner" on the Winnegabo Ind. site (www.winnebagoind.com) so that they can contact you in the case of any major recalls. Winnie also offers excellent support thru the website and over the phone. If I can't find it on their website, online, or have a problem that has me stumped, I don't hesitate to call. Good folks to deal with.

We have had our coach since early '07 and it now has about 60,000 + miles on the ticker. We've made mods to address many of the issues mentioned here, and several more. As far as roof sealant goes, make sure special attention is paid to the areas right above the drivers window and the door where the front cap is bonded/epoxied to the side wall. In '04, Winnie did not use screws to anchor the cap to the sidewall here, and counted on the epoxy to do the job. Ours had a sealant void in this area, and when it rained and blew just right it would leak. Took a lot of time to noodle out where the heck it was coming from. Winnnie wound up putting a couple of screws in the cap in this area to better secure it and prevent it from potentially flexing outward and breaking the sealant.

Winnie offers a major retrofit to the bedroom slide threshold and seal system (one of the things we're having checked out now). It includes new metal threshold and extrusions along the bottom sides of the slide itself, along with a double wiper seal, rather than the original single wipe seal. I bought the hardware thru Lichtsinn's in FC and had them ship to me. We had new duraceramic flooring put in this spring, and had the same folks do the slide threshold retrofit (not a Winnie dealer). I apparently missed the part about the double wipe seal, and we still had a much smaller leak, but a leak none the less. The folks here in FC will install the double wipe seals tomorrow, and assure me that will be the complete fix.

I've also done the TV change. I went with a Magnavox 32" LCD/DVD (32MD359B) I found at Sam's for about $379 that fit into the opening in the cabinet with no modification. It's only 720p, but my eyes can't tell the difference in a screen this size and we don't have HD with our TracVision anyway. I used a Sanus VM400 mount which is very stout and weighs very nearly as much as the TV does. I chose to use "multi-purpose" carpet to finish the 3/4" plywood floor and 1/4" luan sides of the cabinet because we didn't want things we put behind the TV for storage to "migrate" if possible, and the trade off for me me in time as opposed to staining and finishing was attractive. I used regular ol' contact cement to attach the carpet to the floor and side walls. The mount upright is 1x4 with a braced 2x4 backing. I also attached a power strip/surge suppressor to the 2x4 and plug in a small LED night light on the power strip for TV watching or just a dim night light. We secure it for travel with some 1 1/2" very heavy duty velcro anchored to the inside cabinet walls to keep it in the cabinet and keep it from swinging around. Works good for us. We use the space behind the TV for our printer/copier and misc small item storage.

Anyway, congrats on a great unit.

PM me if you think I can answer anything that may come up. We're on the road, and net access is sometimes limited, so be patient. I will get back to you.

MD

lajuene · 09-22-2011, 03:17 AM

MD556 - I have signed up as the "second owner" on the Winnegabo Ind. site. I made notes for my service guy from your leak experience. I have the same small leak in the BR and over the driver door. We are removing the 2 old TV's this week and I think we are going to go with a TV loose on the buffet. We'll have doors made for where the TV was in the cabinet and use it for storage. Not sure yet if we'll mount the tv on the buffet or just lay it on the bed when traveling. Thanks for the tips. I'll keep you on my list as a resource.

lajuene · 09-23-2011, 08:09 AM

Installed a Trik-L-Start and it immediately started charging my chassis batteries! Whoo Hoo! This is the best upgrade I've made so far and cheap too about $45. Was harder to install than I thought but only because I had to remove the cover over the solenoids in the electrical storage bin. I broke a ceramic push button breaker when I did this and a new one is on the way. $20 plus shipping. I'm pretty sure I broke it although I suppose it could have been cracked already in which case it's a good thing I found it. On the installation, I'm going to move the Trik-L-Start to OUTSIDE of the solenoid cover so I can see the charging indicator lights in stead of behind the cover as it shows on the Winnebago installation supplement. Took the TV's out, giving them to my Aunt Marge who needs a new TV. All done travelling this year (sad) so it's time to unpack and bring the rig to my local RV service center for a bumper to bumper check out to be ready for fulltiming in the spring. OUR LAST WINTER IN THE SNOW!! priceless!

Grimesy · 09-23-2011, 07:35 PM

A couple of numbers you might need. The customer service number for Camping World is 1-800-626-6189. I am sure they will try to stone wall you but at least it is a place to start. The Winnebago Itasca Travelers (WIT), is a travel club sponsored by the factory with State Clubs and local chapters so you can join other Winnebago owners for fun, caravans, campouts, rallies and 10% discount on parts etc. 800-643-4892 (ext 1).

Gaffney, SC is truly a must. The freightliner Factory is there and a multi bay repair facility is located next to the Community College. While you wait for service you may stay in their RV Park free. Joining the Freighliner Club, $10.00, gets you a 10% discount. Lots of things have been thrown at you but you will find this is the most helpfull bunch in all of cyber space.

Don, WIT 70041

lajuene · 09-24-2011, 06:21 AM

Grimesy - We did join WIT, haven't gone to an event yet. We plan on going to Gaffney after we start travelling full time. We also joined the Freightliner club. Thanks

ichn2go · 09-24-2011, 07:47 AM

Check the ride height adjustments. This can have a lot to do with the "pulling" also. Its often overlooked...Congratulations and many happy miles.

lajuene · 12-05-2011, 01:22 PM

Our Vectra is at a Cummins garage getting a new piston cooling nozzle installed. It broke off and was found by my dealer's tech when he did an oil change. Guy was on the ball. That could easily have been missed.

pyoots · 12-12-2011, 04:45 PM

Lot of water under that bridge from complaints from people who had work done and unhappy with the results. Folks in the store seem pretty friendly and knowledgable but for all the negatives coming from the garage side, I dare not trust my 100k to shade treers. Too many horror stories!

lajuene · 12-12-2011, 05:09 PM

pyoots: I agree about Camping World. Only had a little experience with them and it was 50/50, not good enough. I think it varies from store to store from what I hear.

lajuene · 01-04-2012, 03:26 AM

Well it wasn't the cooling nozzle. It was the dipstick tube. The end of the sleeve broke off and fell into the oil pan. Replaced tube, $540 mostly labor but I'm happy it was found before the dipstick tube broke off completely. This may have been the first time the oil was ever changed. It's a 2004 but it only has 13k miles and I just got it in July with 11.6k miles so.....

lajuene · 01-04-2012, 03:31 AM

Travlr Slimline 3005 DirecTV dish is installed, not activated yet. Nice rebates on that right now. Some interior slide damage repaired nicely. 45 point maintenance checks done, Blue Ox 10k Aventa LX towbar installed on rig and 2012 Jeep Wrangler done. Invisibrake installed and done. Haven't used it yet though. Still some body work to do (a big deep scratch where previous owner I think rubbed a street sign all the way down the curb side about 7 feet up. They are going to check the Basement AC duct work to be sure it's all intact and install an LP tap on the tank so I can use a grill and Olympian heater. Can't wait till spring to launch fulltime!!

Phelpo · 01-04-2012, 06:49 AM

Eric, One thing I did on my 40AD was to tape (eternabond) the seam where
the roof mets the side, I used black tape and will never have to worry about
leaking again. Takes a good half to whole day to do, but it is well
worth it. Search this site and you'll see some pics of how other have done it.

Phelpo