First-RV tips for a 2022 Winnebago Vista 32M

[Katdow]

My husband and I just bought our very first RV. A used 2022 Winnebago Vista 32M with only 5,500 miles on it so it feels very new. Do you have any pointers for us on things we should watch for or know about on our new motorhome? Any tips will help us trendously. We did find the open hole in the floor under the bank of drawers in the back bedroom and put screen over it to make sure no critters come up through the underbelly. I read about that in a forum. I hope we didn't get Covid workmanship issues by purchasing the 2022.
Happy Travels! Katrina

 

[Morich]

May I also add some things to be aware of on the first motorhome?
Lots of small points are not as we might assume them to be!
Batteries and what to expect is a big one to trip folks as labels and names may not mean what they seem and keeping batteries in good shape is certain to be a learning experience for an RV as it is so much different than the cars most are used to using.
If a car is driven once a week or more, it keeps the battery from going down. But in an RV, there are almost always small drains working to run the batteries down and if we store the RV for a few weeks or months, it may kill the batteries and that finally requires replacing them if done too often!
A big mystery is the "battery cutoff" switches! So it can come around to you wanting to store the RV, so you want to keep the batteries in good shape, so you have it plugged in to let the normal charging from the converter keep the batteries good. Seems logical?
So, since you are not using anything in the RV, while stored, why not turn the battery disconnect switch off??
Problem is that the converter only charges the coach batteries if we don't do some special move to keep the chassis battery also charged! But the real killer is that the battery disconnect switch DOES disconnect the battery from MOST of the drains but also from the charging! Safety items like CO and propane detectors on the coach battery and radio presets or door locks, etc. on the chassis can still kill the batteries!
Recommend almost neurotic watching the voltage for the first time until getting the details well in mind!

 

[Henbo]

we have a 2014 33C Sightseer, bought new. Still learning as items wear out. Happy with it and have done upgrades. We were considering a newer used rig. If we had, we would have had a professional inspection. Good YouTube videos on it. Helps you look for stuff before problems.

 

[HappyNomads]

My husband and I just bought our very first RV. A used 2022 Winnebago Vista 32M with only 5,500 miles on it so it feels very new. Do you have any pointers for us on things we should watch for or know about on our new motorhome? Any tips will help us trendously. We did find the open hole in the floor under the bank of drawers in the back bedroom and put screen over it to make sure no critters come up through the underbelly. I read about that in a forum. I hope we didn't get Covid workmanship issues by purchasing the 2022.
Happy Travels! Katrina

Katrina, wish I had read this post six months ago, before the mice got into the drawers in the rear bedroom. As to recommendations, my standard recommendation for the F53 Vista/Adventurers with the newer suspension and V8 Godzilla engine is: replace all four shock absorbers with Koni EVOs. That alone changed our drives on “normal” roads from noisy, harsh and unpleasant to a more acceptable ride. We no longer have to shout when trying to converse when driving. A Safety Steer steering stabilizer is mildly useful to keep the rig steering straight ahead during sudden crosswinds or passing trucks. I put it on mainly for safety when experiencing a sudden blowout.

 

[Morich]

Mention of sudden blowouts is something that triggers a suggestion.
Sudden blowouts CAN happen. But when we look really close, those blowouts may actually not be all that sudden, if we are not watching the tire pressure!
One of the most valuable items we have ever added/changed on our RV is a TPMS (Tire pressure monitoring system)!
It has been one thing we have learned to never go far without one and for a number of reasons!
One big issue is that it does let me know when we get a tire that begins to go down. That low air is often the main cause of tire blowouts, so avoiding drivng on low tires is kind of a no brainer if I can prevent it!
Knowing that a tire is reaching a hazardous low pressure is step one to NOT having a blowout as we can stop before the tire overheats!

But then the second issue TPMS solved for me was more personal. I hate thinking about checking and airing tires. Just not fun!
But once I got a setup that works so simple and lets me stop trying to figure what the pressure is doing, I found I had been fighting a fight that I could not win. Trying to set the "RIGHT" pressure was no good once I found how often what I set changed.
I had to widen the alarm settings on the TPMS as it changed way too often as I was driving.
It was a super stress relief to find I was wasting my time chasing a bouncing ball of tire pressure and could relax while letting the machine tell me if it got out of safe range on pressure or temperature.