For all Intents and purposes

[Fritos55]

Originally Posted by BROAD ST

My leak is in front of the passenger seat on the dash,been there 3 times for it,this last time he told me he has no idea where it's coming from

BROAD ST - So sorry to hear about what does seem to be an inordinate amount of issues with a new unit. [Sigh] My leak seemed to be coming from above the top of the windshield. Not exactly sure where since there's a lining up there above the bunk. It dripped onto the dash just to the right of the drivers seat, about halfway between the front and back edges of the dash. Of course, that just says where the low point was up above that collected the water to the point that it then dripped down. No way to know where exactly the leak is without getting up behind the liner. Hopefully, the dealer will get that figured out. They've had it for a week now and I haven't heard anything back from them, but they're so busy that they don't even start looking at a unit until 3 days after you drop it off. Must be a lot of RVers out there! ;-)

I'll post back here once I hear anything back from the dealer.

[Fritos55]

We bought a new 2019 Intent 29L back in mid-June and have been so busy actually using it that I never got around to looking for user groups. We have about a 4 week lull in our travels so I finally joined Winnebago Owners and BDUB turned me on to this thread. It took most of a LONG evening to get through the 250+ posts here but I'm finally caught up. Since many of the posts seem to be about the 26M, I thought I'd share some of my experiences with my 29L. I'm trying to figure out how to set up a blog on this site and failing that, I'll blog somewhere else. I'll let you know where to find me. :-)

Before I do that, though ..... BDUB, I wonder if it might be possible to get the site Admins to set up a separate sub-group for us Intent users, rather than this one [now rather long] post? Just a thought .....

Keep those posts coming! I've learned a LOT from you folks!

[bdub]

Originally Posted by Fritos55

We bought a new 2019 Intent 29L back in mid-June and have been so busy actually using it that I never got around to looking for user groups. We have about a 4 week lull in our travels so I finally joined Winnebago Owners and BDUB turned me on to this thread. It took most of a LONG evening to get through the 250+ posts here but I'm finally caught up. Since many of the posts seem to be about the 26M, I thought I'd share some of my experiences with my 29L. I'm trying to figure out how to set up a blog on this site and failing that, I'll blog somewhere else. I'll let you know where to find me. :-)

Before I do that, though ..... BDUB, I wonder if it might be possible to get the site Admins to set up a separate sub-group for us Intent users, rather than this one [now rather long] post? Just a thought .....

Keep those posts coming! I've learned a LOT from you folks!

That's a great recommendation. I'll ask about setting that up. It is one of the more active pages from what I've seen. We liked the 29 for sure. That extra couch would do well for us when traveling with 4 adults. Most of the time it'll just be Mrs and our two pups though. Still, the extra room would have been really good. Tell me, is that couch good for adult sleeping? We found the dinnette is too short.

[YGoHom]

Bdub, if I could go back, I'd definitely get the 29'er. The wheelbase to weight to length ratio is far better on it. I can't imagine it has the BS handling issues we have with the 26'. The extra cabinets, larger bathroom/toilet area and shower size would be awesome too.

[YGoHom]

Trying to reduce the “tail wagging the dog” affect so I got my old Saturn wagon set up for towing. It had zero negative effects on handling compared to my Jeep Wrangler. About half the weight too!

[YGoHom]

I forgot about another little project that I just finished. I made a storage area for wood blocks, and a space for my 6’ folding ladder, above the hydraulic system.
I also made room for 4 propane bottles by moving some of the wire harness.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by YGoHom

I forgot about another little project that I just finished. I made a storage area for wood blocks, and a space for my 6’ folding ladder, above the hydraulic system.
I also made room for 4 propane bottles by moving some of the wire harness.

You are an engineer aren't you? Holy crap your mods are next level awesome. Trademark or patent some of those before Winnebago steals em for future builds!

I started looking at the different layouts and I gotta say we would probably go with the 30 if we had our druthers. Mrs loves having the toilet separate from the shower. Your Wrangler wrestled bad with your rig? Dang it! That was what we were looking to buy to tow. What was the biggest problem?

Ours has been I service for three weeks now, though to be fair I could pick it up at any point and bring back. All the items (broken overheard cabinets above dinnette, lack of power and non functioning outside fridge, sticky step) have been fixed with the exception of the mini fridge. Winnebago is giving the dealer a run around - says to go through the fridge manufacturer for replacement. I think that's a bunch of BS. I didn't buy the fridge from the manufacturer. I bought it from Winnebago. This is weird to me. My warranty is with Winnebago. Why would PD (or whomever) be interested in replacing it. How do I even know how long ago Winnebago bought this from them?

[Fritos55]

Originally Posted by bdub

That's a great recommendation. I'll ask about setting that up. It is one of the more active pages from what I've seen. We liked the 29 for sure. That extra couch would do well for us when traveling with 4 adults. Most of the time it'll just be Mrs and our two pups though. Still, the extra room would have been really good. Tell me, is that couch good for adult sleeping? We found the dinnette is too short.

Yes, the butterfly couch and the dropdown table bunk are both only 60" long so that is definitely a downside. Our 6- and 11-yr old granddaughters fit there, but the 16-yr old took the loft bed. If we had another adult couple with us, one couple would have to climb up into the loft. Which actually wouldn't be that big a deal for me & my wife, except the part about getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, like all of us old folks need to do at least once per night. [Sigh]

I was very interested to see YGoHom's retrofit of the recliners. I've done some preliminary investigations on replacing the butterfly couch with a fold out bed similar to what the FR3 has. There's not enough room for a "sleeper sofa" per se. It would have to be something that takes advantage of the space behind the couch all the way to the wall. I haven't measured it yet, but I think with the slide out, the distance from the port side wall (there's that old sailor in me!) to the dining table bench is long enough for a full size bed. But that's definitely something down the road!!

[Fritos55]

Originally Posted by YGoHom

Bdub, if I could go back, I'd definitely get the 29'er. The wheelbase to weight to length ratio is far better on it. I can't imagine it has the BS handling issues we have with the 26'. The extra cabinets, larger bathroom/toilet area and shower size would be awesome too.

Actually, my 29 does indeed have exactly the same handling issues. If a semi passes me (or I pass a semi), just as we're getting even and there's nowhere else for the air to go, I get pushed to the side. When I enter a curve, I start turning the wheel but it doesn't turn right away. It kinda feels like the rear is weighted down which then picks up the front a little so it feels like the front wheels are kinda skating or skimming the road instead of being firmly planted. I was extremely interested to see your posts on stabilizers and we are definitely going to do that!

I see BDUB used the RSSA Steering Stabilizer by Roadmaster. Would that also work for my 29? I'm an electrical and software engineer and I did rather poorly on all those mechanical engineering classes I had to take, so I really don't understand suspensions, chassis', etc. Also, how would I go about finding someone good to install it? We're going to be in MN for almost 2 weeks in Sept and staying at friends, so I'm thinking that a suspension installer might be a good place to dump, er, I mean, park my RV for some of those days. HAHA

Thanks folks!

[Fritos55]

One rather interesting problem that I've had on my 29L is the middle entrance step. Our first trip out, it came loose. The screws on the coach side of the hinge (all 7 of them!) pulled loose. It was as if stepping on the outside edge of the step (I DO have big feet! haha) created enough of a level to just pull them free. No problems with the other hinged step - at least not yet. For that trip, I unscrewed the hinge from the step so I had a good angle on the screws on the coach side of the hinge, screwed those back in as solid as I could get them, then screwed the step back on. It's still slowly working free again, though. I went to Ace HW and bought 7 of the next size larger screw and plan to replace all 7 once she's back from the dealer. Just kinda weird.

Also on that trip, I started having trouble opening the door from the inside. After a couple experiences with that, I looked more closely at the latch and realized that the screws holding the latch to the door had loosened up some. Tightened those babies up and everything's fine now.

Lesson learned: All that bouncing and rattling and vibration WILL shake things loose! It's a good idea to get in the habit of keeping an eye out for loose screws, etc and tighten them when you find them. A little preventive maintenance goes a long way!

[bdub]

Originally Posted by Fritos55

Actually, my 29 does indeed have exactly the same handling issues. If a semi passes me (or I pass a semi), just as we're getting even and there's nowhere else for the air to go, I get pushed to the side. When I enter a curve, I start turning the wheel but it doesn't turn right away. It kinda feels like the rear is weighted down which then picks up the front a little so it feels like the front wheels are kinda skating or skimming the road instead of being firmly planted. I was extremely interested to see your posts on stabilizers and we are definitely going to do that!

I see BDUB used the RSSA Steering Stabilizer by Roadmaster. Would that also work for my 29? I'm an electrical and software engineer and I did rather poorly on all those mechanical engineering classes I had to take, so I really don't understand suspensions, chassis', etc. Also, how would I go about finding someone good to install it? We're going to be in MN for almost 2 weeks in Sept and staying at friends, so I'm thinking that a suspension installer might be a good place to dump, er, I mean, park my RV for some of those days. HAHA

Thanks folks!

That Stabilizer definitely made me feel more confident in the handling/going where I point. I had it installed at the dealer, but any big rig mechanic shop should be able to handle it. The big deal is ensuring the alignment is right after installing it. Steering is responsive and more truck like to me.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by Fritos55

Yes, the butterfly couch and the dropdown table bunk are both only 60" long so that is definitely a downside. Our 6- and 11-yr old granddaughters fit there, but the 16-yr old took the loft bed. If we had another adult couple with us, one couple would have to climb up into the loft. Which actually wouldn't be that big a deal for me & my wife, except the part about getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, like all of us old folks need to do at least once per night. [Sigh]

I was very interested to see YGoHom's retrofit of the recliners. I've done some preliminary investigations on replacing the butterfly couch with a fold out bed similar to what the FR3 has. There's not enough room for a "sleeper sofa" per se. It would have to be something that takes advantage of the space behind the couch all the way to the wall. I haven't measured it yet, but I think with the slide out, the distance from the port side wall (there's that old sailor in me!) to the dining table bench is long enough for a full size bed. But that's definitely something down the road!!

Thanks for the feedback on that. I was definitely thinking of putting a sofa sleeper in there, but what stopped that in its tracks were two things. On the aft seat, there is a box of electronics and stuff. So the sofa sleeper would have to straddle it, and I don't think that's possible. Second, seat belts. We would want the sleeper to accommodate adult passengers, but I wouldn't be able to reconfigure the anchor points to ensure the seat belts faced the correct way in the new position the passengers would be sitting in.

[Fritos55]

Originally Posted by bdub

Thanks for the feedback on that. I was definitely thinking of putting a sofa sleeper in there, but what stopped that in its tracks were two things. On the aft seat, there is a box of electronics and stuff. So the sofa sleeper would have to straddle it, and I don't think that's possible. Second, seat belts. We would want the sleeper to accommodate adult passengers, but I wouldn't be able to reconfigure the anchor points to ensure the seat belts faced the correct way in the new position the passengers would be sitting in.

Good points, and things I'll have to consider if & when we actually get around to doing that. For now, we're going to wait to see just how much of an issue it is. No sense solving a problem that doesn't need to be fixed. :-)

[bdub]

Originally Posted by Fritos55

Good points, and things I'll have to consider if & when we actually get around to doing that. For now, we're going to wait to see just how much of an issue it is. No sense solving a problem that doesn't need to be fixed. :-)

Amen to that. There are enough projects to keep me busy beyond a major renovation. I'm no YGOHOM (and that makes me jealous)!

[akeagle]

Originally Posted by Fritos55

One rather interesting problem that I've had on my 29L is the middle entrance step. Our first trip out, it came loose. The screws on the coach side of the hinge (all 7 of them!) pulled loose. It was as if stepping on the outside edge of the step (I DO have big feet! haha) created enough of a level to just pull them free. No problems with the other hinged step - at least not yet. For that trip, I unscrewed the hinge from the step so I had a good angle on the screws on the coach side of the hinge, screwed those back in as solid as I could get them, then screwed the step back on. It's still slowly working free again, though. I went to Ace HW and bought 7 of the next size larger screw and plan to replace all 7 once she's back from the dealer. Just kinda weird.

Also on that trip, I started having trouble opening the door from the inside. After a couple experiences with that, I looked more closely at the latch and realized that the screws holding the latch to the door had loosened up some. Tightened those babies up and everything's fine now.

Lesson learned: All that bouncing and rattling and vibration WILL shake things loose! It's a good idea to get in the habit of keeping an eye out for loose screws, etc and tighten them when you find them. A little preventive maintenance goes a long way!

Perhaps some Locktite on those screws might keep them from loosening up. Locktite Blue will allow removal, Locktite Red is permanent.

[Fritos55]

Originally Posted by akeagle

Perhaps some Locktite on those screws might keep them from loosening up. Locktite Blue will allow removal, Locktite Red is permanent.

Thanks for the great suggestion! If I ever get my unit back from the dealer, i'll give that a try. ;-)

[Fritos55]

Decided to make the plunge on some kind of steering stabilizer as everything I am hearing says it will make a big difference. I know BDUB is using the RoadMaster RSSA and I seem to remember that others on this thread do as well. The local shop is recommending Safe T Plus but the cost is a lot more. He wants $612 (plus $60 bracket plus $250 installation) vs $305 for RoadMaster RSSA on Amazon (plus $95 bracket plus TBD for installation). I'm just concerned that this is one of those "you get what you pay for" situations so wondering if anyone has any feedback on why one would be better than the other (outside of cost).

BDUB - did you look at the Safe T Plus?

I suspect that either of them is better than nothing! I'm also hearing that the Safe T Plus requires more adjustment to get it exactly right. Maybe that's why installation is $250 for a 1 hour job - they have to drive it and adjust, drive & adjust, and repeat.

[bdub]

Frito-i definitely looked at the SAF T PLUS and watched a ton of YouTube videos on both. Then I looked through the reviews on Amazon and decided if the Roadmaster was so highly thought of but at such a more affordable price.... Well why the heck not. I've not regretted it so far.

[Fritos55]

Thanks! That's kind where I'm landing as well. We're getting ready for a 6+ week excursion to Nebraska (it's football season!) and MN (for a niece's wedding). Because we'll be in MN for almost 2 weeks & staying at friends & relatives, I found a Roadmaster dealer up there who will install either Roadmaster or Safe T Plus. So I can dump, er, I mean, drop off my RV there for several days to have them install it. Saves me trying to find a place to park it for all that time. haha

I'll let y'all know how it works out for me!

[feiter]

Originally Posted by Fritos55

Decided to make the plunge on some kind of steering stabilizer as everything I am hearing says it will make a big difference. I know BDUB is using the RoadMaster RSSA and I seem to remember that others on this thread do as well. The local shop is recommending Safe T Plus but the cost is a lot more. He wants $612 (plus $60 bracket plus $250 installation) vs $305 for RoadMaster RSSA on Amazon (plus $95 bracket plus TBD for installation). I'm just concerned that this is one of those "you get what you pay for" situations so wondering if anyone has any feedback on why one would be better than the other (outside of cost).

BDUB - did you look at the Safe T Plus?

I suspect that either of them is better than nothing! I'm also hearing that the Safe T Plus requires more adjustment to get it exactly right. Maybe that's why installation is $250 for a 1 hour job - they have to drive it and adjust, drive & adjust, and repeat.

I have SafeTPlus and paid only $50 more installed. Love It and was best investment. I now have put over 11000 miles on it. On 5700 mile trip now and my Intent has performed beautiful. Only a few minor issues mostly due to loose screws and my brake system (RVI3). Either product will do job for you but get one for sure