Purchasing 2022 Winnebago View 24d

[alllcinc]

Well, I sold my 37ft 5th wheel and I'm in the process of closing on a new smaller Motorhome. As we all know, problems/issues on RV's are inevitable. But its nice to have a self-contained RV for needed travels. That said, if anyone is willing to share their experiences (good and bad) and/or offer any advice on a Winnebago View 24d I'd appreciate it. The unit I'm getting has an LP generator, A/C with heat pump and the new Mercedes chassis with all its bells and whistles. We're looking forward to traveling from South Texas (long term residence) to southwestern Washington (my summer home/hangout) and catching sights along the way. Happy and safe travels to everyone!

[rprochnow]

We love our 2021 View 24D, despite having some issues. Based on our experience, here are some areas to watch:

Entry door: When doing you pre-purchase inspection, check the seals around the coach entry door while it is closed. If you see any daylight, have them make adjustments to fix that - which can usually be done with a combination of adjusting the door latch u-bolts and adjusting the large rubber gasket around the door frame.

Entry door latch/lock: This is a weak spot in the View design. Never try to operate the inside and outside handles at the same time - or use the power lock/unlock at the same time as using the inside or outside handle. The latch has a couple of plastic parts that be broken if two operations on the door latch are done at the same time.

Water leaks: We had some leaky water connections - which have been fixed now after several passes. Not sure what happened - if it was a flaw in the manufacturing (they didn't tighten the fittings enough) or somehow we got high pressure water (failed regulator?) into the lines. An easy way to check this is to turn on the water pump, run some water through a faucet and then turn off the pump. Wait for several hours (or overnight) - and then turn on the water pump. If you hear the pump run any after turning it on - that means you've probably got a leak somewhere - that should be fixed.

Awning: We've had bad luck with our Carefree awning. During our first two years, the motor has required replacement. We don't use the awning that much, so it's been disappointing to have that happen twice. Recommend that you open/close the awning several times during your pre-purchase inspection, check that the wind sensor automatically retracts the awning and verify the awning is pulled tight back into the chassis when closed. Before your first year warranty expires, you should do another check of the awning (if you haven't been using it).

TV cabinet latches/push button latches: These are plastic pieces, that can break. We now carry spares for both the TV cabinet latches and the push button latches, so that if they break during a trip, we can quickly replace them.

Tank monitor: The simple E-1/3-2/3-F OnePlace monitor was frustrating to deal with as first time RVers. Last year, we did a DIY installation of a SeeLevel II bluetooth tank monitor and now get % readings of the water and propane tanks. It took us several hours to do - and well worth the time - if you're willing to do a little rewiring and install sensor strips on the 3 water tanks.

Sprinter audio: We were very disappointed in how poor the audio was in the Sprinter cab while driving. Search the internet for instructions on how to disconnect the center speaker. Once that's done - the audio is much better (and it appears they still haven't fixed this in the latest Sprinters).

Extra table: The extra pedestal table turned out not to as useful as we hoped. We removed it from our View and replaced it with a folding table that takes up as much space in the closet while stored - and provides us a larger table.

Sleeping for guests: The dinette and overcab really only work for 1 adult or possibly 2 small kids. I believe Winnebago has fixed the problem with the cushions for the dinette so it works better as a bed.

Command strips: We've used these to hang a bunch of things in our View. We mounted the fan control and our TV remote on strips over the entry door. We added clothes hooks on the wardrobe closet door. And I mounted a multi-outlet power strip on the wall in the TV cabinet. We had Lichtsinn mount a second towel hook in the bathroom, underneath the standard hook mounted above the light switch - so we can now hang two bath towels.

Cell phone booster: We have a Drive Reach RV Extreme in our View - which is a combination of the 4G/5G Drive Reach booster with their larger interior antenna (mounted with command strips on the back wall of the cabinet to the left of the TV). The standard WeBoost "desktop" antenna really only provides cell phone boosting for devices within a few inches, while the larger wall-mounted antenna provides boosting throughout most of our View. We've been able to get cell phone and internet inside our View even if the phones don't work outside!

WiFi booster: Would not recommend getting the Winegard Connect 2.0. Instead, if you want to get a WiFi booster, get a Winegard Air 360+ with a WiFi Ranger Osprey router. This should give you 2G/5G WiFi boosting with a real router (the Winegard Connect 2.0 only boosts 2G and has a very limited router). Plus, if you want to use it as a hotspot, you can activate an AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon SIM card.

The View 24D floor plan is extremely flexible - we've hosted family meals several times with up to 7 people eating inside our View. With the slide extended, there's a lot of floor space for a 25' RV. We've already put on over 40K miles in 2 years and are finishing our longest 30 day road trip right now.

But, we've decided to upgrade from our View to a Journey 34N - since we're taking longer road trips - and would like the additional living and storage space - plus having an onboard washer & dryer (and much larger diesel and water tanks).

[Eagle5]

Hi Alllcinc,
Heading to Southwest Washington during the rainy season? Pretty much the opposite of Texas, to be sure.
(Yes, the rainy season lasts for ten months)
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

[alllcinc]

rprochnow- thanks for the information. Your response was very helpful. I'll definitely check all of these out on my pre-delivery inspection.

Eagle5- I think I need to clarify from my initial post. I'm currently in southwestern Washington and will head to south texas in late December. I'll return to Washington in April/May for the late spring, summer and fall. I'll enjoy a couple of months of rain and cooler/colder weather then head south.

[alllcinc]

Thanks rprochnow. I now discovered how to do a quick reply.

[alllcinc]

Eagle5, I see you're from South Bend WA. I stay in Toledo when I'm in WA.

[Eagle5]

Hi Again alllcinc,
I was just up at Roy Robinson to get some self-leveling roof sealant, and while they had plenty of Views in-stock, they had zero Minnie Winnies. Just an observation.
Being in Toledo, you are on the wrong side of Pluvious to truly enjoy SW Washington rain!
Eagle5

[bigb]

Originally Posted by alllcinc

Well, I sold my 37ft 5th wheel and I'm in the process of closing on a new smaller Motorhome. As we all know, problems/issues on RV's are inevitable. But its nice to have a self-contained RV for needed travels. That said, if anyone is willing to share their experiences (good and bad) and/or offer any advice on a Winnebago View 24d I'd appreciate it. The unit I'm getting has an LP generator, A/C with heat pump and the new Mercedes chassis with all its bells and whistles. We're looking forward to traveling from South Texas (long term residence) to southwestern Washington (my summer home/hangout) and catching sights along the way. Happy and safe travels to everyone!

Welcome to the forum and be sure to join the Sprintersource forum for all your Sprinter related questions. We have been very happy with our Sprinter based motorhome, especially the MPG. You will probably be getting a 2021 chassis, regardless it will be the OM642 V6 3L Bluetec diesel and your chassis will be a VS30. These are the last of the V-6 diesel engines, Mercedes will only be supplying the new 2l 4 cyl diesel engine in the 2023 North American Sprinters.
If you are a DIY it is fairly easy to maintain a Sprinter and you can learn all about it at the Sprinter site.

[alllcinc]

Eagle5, I'd rather not have a lot of rain. We actually get plenty here in Toledo. It's almost non-stop starting in late October/November. What's good is that it's not heavy rain like we get in south Texas. But the constant heavy drizzle does get to the point that makes me want to head back south. We thoroughly enjoy this climate though. BTW, thanks for the Roy Robinson lead. I've reached out to them to see if they can match or get close to what I'm paying. I found a decent enough deal (IMO) in Boise Idaho.

[alllcinc]

Bigb, thanks for the Sprintersource forum lead. I'll definitely be joining. I'm not a DIYer so I definitely need to find a good service location for both Mercedes and Winnebago. I hope my issues are manageable at my level.

[Melabago]

Just bought the 2023 24D 2 months ago. It has the Mercedes Sprinter 2021 Chassis, so I think it is all similar to the one you are buying. So far we had good experiences with it. We have travelled over 5000 miles. No major problems. In the first 30 Days, we had minor issues, like the kitchen sink rusting, too much noise extending the slider, and issues with the cabinet knobs. Other than that - after 5000 miles no issues.

Some advice :
1. Change the house batteries to lithium. I changed the dual Napa 12V 100 Amp lead acid to a single 12V 200 aH lithium LiFePO4 made by Lossigy ( on Amazon ) It fits the dimensions of the other two.

2. THe Slinky black water hose - I changed to the Volterra SS01 system - now only a 3/4” hose easier to handle. ( Amazon ) The 10’ slinky you still need to keep if you do camping without connections.

3. Make sure you turn OFF the inverter if you are not going to be camping where there is no electrical connections. This drains the house batteries, even when not in use. It was not properly explained to me.

4. Pick up a sun shade for the Mercedes Sprinter 2021 . Again amazon and it is not expensive. THis is better than the shades they give you for the inside

5. Check and make sure your tire pressures are what the label at the drivers door indicates. There are two labels. One from Mercedes ( ignor this one). And the other from WInnebago. My dealer did not put the correct pressures according to this chart and my miles per gallon suffered. I Always check the tire pressures and adjust . This has given me 15 mpg at 65 mph.

6. Change out the shower faucet !

7. Add a blind spot camera to the right side of the RV. I found out that Winnebago does not have blind spot warnings at all - after I started driving it. As it turns out , Winnebago buys the Mercedes Benz chassis with no Mercedes Benz mirrors. they add a Chevrolet extended mirror and that does not have the camera or sensor. So I purchased a cheap Screen and ‘spy’ style camera and hook it up when I am driving.

8. Murphy bed : the most uncomfortable bed I slept on. I added to the exiting mattress 4 inch Memory foam and. Another 3 inch bamboo topper. SO now the bed is 11” and still fits when closed. Needed to add some step stools to both sides of the bed since the new height was a little bit challenging.

I would also suggest buying a label printer and label all of the switches. Saves you a lot of time figuring everything out later .

[rprochnow]

We always leave our inverter on.

The only reason we would turn off the inverter would be if we were putting our RV into long term storage where there wasn't a 110 outlet nearby. Then we would turn off the inverted and disconnect both the coach and chassis batteries.

Otherwise, we would leave the inverter on.

Our 2021 View 24D has 490W of solar and 250Ah of lithium batteries, plus an AMP-L-START to charge the chassis battery from the coach batteries.

When in storage and plugged into an outlet, the inverter is needed to charge the lithium batteries, which then also keep the chassis battery charged.

When we have the RV parked during the day on a trip - and we aren't inside the RV, we could turn off the inverter but that wouldn't have much benefit. The solar panels should provide enough power during the day to keep the batteries charged and also cover any power used by the inverter and the attached devices (microwave/TV/cell phone booster...).

On the murphy bed, there are some risks in overloading the mechanism. We have only the stock mattress - no topper - and broke one of the plates used to secure the belt that moves the bed. When that happened, the bed would not open or close - and the plate had to be replaced before we could use the bed.

If the mechanism gets stressed too much, the motor, straps, attaching plates or even the bed frame could be damaged.

So if you do add more to the bed - carefully review how easily it opens and closes.

One adjustment you can make is to give the mattress enough "give" so that it slides down when closing and eliminates any tension that could be caused when the end of the bed (with bedding) tries to pass under the ceiling of the slideout over the bed.

There are 4 straps on the underside of the mattress connecting it to the bed frame. By loosening those straps slightly, you can make it easier for the mechanism by adding more clearance between the end of the bed and the ceiling.

Though if you do that, when the bed is brought down, you'll want to give the mattress a tug towards the refrigerator to get it to fully extend before using it.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by rprochnow

We always leave our inverter on.

The only reason we would turn off the inverter would be if we were putting our RV into long term storage where there wasn't a 110 outlet nearby. Then we would turn off the inverted and disconnect both the coach and chassis batteries.

Otherwise, we would leave the inverter on.

Our 2021 View 24D has 490W of solar and 250Ah of lithium batteries, plus an AMP-L-START to charge the chassis battery from the coach batteries.

When in storage and plugged into an outlet, the inverter is needed to charge the lithium batteries, which then also keep the chassis battery charged.

When we have the RV parked during the day on a trip - and we aren't inside the RV, we could turn off the inverter but that wouldn't have much benefit. The solar panels should provide enough power during the day to keep the batteries charged and also cover any power used by the inverter and the attached devices (microwave/TV/cell phone booster...).

On the murphy bed, there are some risks in overloading the mechanism. We have only the stock mattress - no topper - and broke one of the plates used to secure the belt that moves the bed. When that happened, the bed would not open or close - and the plate had to be replaced before we could use the bed.

If the mechanism gets stressed too much, the motor, straps, attaching plates or even the bed frame could be damaged.

So if you do add more to the bed - carefully review how easily it opens and closes.

One adjustment you can make is to give the mattress enough "give" so that it slides down when closing and eliminates any tension that could be caused when the end of the bed (with bedding) tries to pass under the ceiling of the slideout over the bed.

There are 4 straps on the underside of the mattress connecting it to the bed frame. By loosening those straps slightly, you can make it easier for the mechanism by adding more clearance between the end of the bed and the ceiling.

Though if you do that, when the bed is brought down, you'll want to give the mattress a tug towards the refrigerator to get it to fully extend before using it.

Is your inverter and converter one unit? Just curious, mine are separate units and since my batteries are charged by the converter and I can shut the inverter off separately. In fact I haven't turned the inverter on in over a year because we always have hookups or generator power. Leaving the inverter on while parked and not plugged in puts a drain on my coach batteries from the keep alive circuitry in the TVs.

edit: It just occurred to me that maybe you are calling your converter an inverter?
I am also curious if there are inverter/converter combinations though, having an inverter and a converter is new to me, prior campers I've owned were simple 12 volt setups.

[alllcinc]

Melabago, thanks for the helpful information and advice!

[rprochnow]

In our 2021 View, we have a Xantrex inverter that also provides charging to the batteries when plugged into shore power or running the generator.

When running off batteries, the inverter powers the microwave, induction cooktop, TV, cell phone booster, wifi booster and our laptops.

So we're always using the inverter - powering devices while running off batteries and charging the batteries when connected to shore power and running the generator.