New 2021 View 24D first impressions

[BigTexEd]

I am new to Rving and have zero experience. I attached some pics. I'm going RVing tonight.

First impressions:
* Easy to drive and more powerful than I expected
* The new tail lights are WAY BETTER than the 2020. These look good.
* The A/C doesn't cool very well in Texas in August ... but nothing does really. Even while driving and A/C on max, it's not that cool. I need to figure out how to cool it down.
* The gas mileage seems to be much lower than advertised: 10mpg vs 18mpg
* The fit and finish has something to be desired. Many things just don't fit well
* Sadly the solar controller AND inverter/charger had incorrect battery types. I had to manually change them myself to LiFeO4.
* The fridge uses a lot of power.
* I went with the standard seats, because the upgraded front seats were too expensive and I didn't like the feel of them. I need to find someway to make these comfortable too. The Artico man-made leather feels like vinyl. I didn't expect that in a Mercedes.
* I'm unable to turn on the A/C with just the house batteries (inverter turned on...I can hear a click for the A/C calling for power...nothing)
* The power awning is cool!! It retracts if the wind is too high. bravo. It also has an app for it. fun.
* The rubber gap on the bottom of the slide out is not playing nice. Even when I picked it up, it doesn't stay like it should. It bunches in places. No bueno. I pull it out by hand
* I find the TV is adequate. It's not 4K, but who cares. I hooked up a Apple TV to it and that has all the streaming. The JBL sound bar is super loud. I give the package a B rating. I'm going to see if I can live with it.
* LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the auto-levelers. OMG...so nice. How can you do without them?!?!? Apple App which allows you to control it. cool.
* Diesel generator is louder than I thought it would be. I measured 79db about 20' away on my phone. Easy to operate though.
* The cab only has ONE radio speaker ... and it's near the windshield...and it's lame. My 1974 Datsun B210 had better STOCK speakers. Uh...no. Can we fire the person who designed that?
* Dealer demo was not good. Guy seemed disinterested.
* The front window shades work better than you expect. I was disappointed that we don't have the slide-rail version anymore, but these do a better job than you think. They are held in with magnets too.

Overall ratings:
Driving: A- (Would have been an A with comfortable seats that cool)
Amenities: B+ (Nice, but generally near the mid to bottom of the market)
Fit and Finish: C (They didn't really care. There is wire splices on the floor. dents on some parts.

A few questions ...random order
* I'd like to cover the table holders "hole" near the Murphy bed and by the driver. Is there a rubber "thingy" that drops down in there. we don't want to use them.
* Anyway I can block the heat coming into the coach from the skylight in the shower and the vent near the door. They are big areas and I can feel the heat.
* Should the A/C turn on under battery (I have LiFeO2) with the inverter turned on and battery selected?
* I would like to hardwire my surge protection. Is this OK? Will it void a warranty? Looks like I'll have to slice some wires.

 

[creativepart]

Congrats!
And Tex, from what you've said... all is normal.

No, the A/C will not run on the inverter. It will run on the generator. You can run with the generator on and then run down the road with the A/C on. I could be behind the times with the LiPo Option - but I still don't think the A/C runs on battery power.

Bad dealer? Not the least bit unusual.

Hot inside in Texas. Well, it's 104 here in the Hill Country today. So, no RV with a single A/C is going to cool quickly once it gets hot. What you need to do is, start with it cool and work to keep it cool all constantly. You'll be fighting the heat every hot day. Don't let it get a head start.

Do, what we do. Get in the RV. Drive to Colorado around 8500' elevation. Open a cool drink and relax.

I would think the skylights have shades. But I guess not or you would close them. Some folks paint the shower skylight with white paint on the outside to let light in but reflect heat.

That quilted insulated aluminum you buy in sheets are great when cut to fit your windows.

About Mercedes stuff - your driving a Merc Truck, not a car. Mercedes builds a lot of utilitarian bare bones trucks. WBGO orders them to build an RV on. Amazon buys 'em and hauls stuff in them. Not the same as a Mercedes E300 sedan.

Don't trust the power awning auto retract. It's a help sometimes but it will let you down in a big sudden wind and destroy your awning in less time than it takes for the motion sensor to react.

If you're not using the table leg inserts, I'd guess they are just screwed into the floor and can be removed. But I've never had any so that's a S.W.A.G.

Hard wired surge protector is fine. Never heard of any warranty issue. We carry a portable because, this is our 5th RV and it may not be the last. Though I know lots of folks swear by the hard wired version.

 

[BigTexEd]

Congrats!

Do, what we do. Get in the RV. Drive to Colorado around 8500' elevation. Open a cool drink and relax.

You, sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. That is the main goal of this whole deal.

Thank you!

 

[rprochnow]

We purchased our 2021 View 24D in early June and have already taken several Texas trips (from Houston). A few comments:

While driving, set the temp to LO in the cab, that will help some. We've also run the diesel generator while we're driving so it will run the coach air conditioning in addition to the cab air conditioning, and that has helped to bring down the temperature in the coach.

We've found the fuel consumption typically ranges 12-13 MPG with brief periods of better mileage. I tend to drive at speed limit or +5 - and on many TX roads, that's 80 MPH, which will trade more fuel for shorter time.

If you had an AMP-L-START installed (to charge the chassis battery from the coach batteries), it will also need a jumper changed to indicate the coach has lithium batteries. Though if the lithium batteries have a BMS, running in the NORMAL mode should work OK, according to the manufacturer.

The coach A/C should only work while running the generator or running off 30A shore power. The compressor pulls too much power to be driven off the coach batteries. [When I put our View into storage this week, I plugged it into a 110 outlet. I had forgotten to turn off the air conditioner at the thermostat, and was surprised when it started running off shore power. I quickly turned it off at the thermostat, because I didn't want to risk blowing the breaker on the 110 outlet, and having no power while we were in storage.]

We upgraded our TV from the stock 32" ATYME "dumb" TV with poor speakers to a 32" Samsung 4K Smart TV, with much better speakers (can hear it fine without a sound bar) - and now we not only get streaming apps - we can also stream in 4K!.

The cab has 3 speakers - right & left in the doors and center. The audio system is poorly designed. The volume of the center speaker cannot be adjusted with the balance controls - only the door speakers. And because there's only a single center speaker, you really don't get stereo, since the center speaker is right for the driver and left for the passenger. You can search this forum for simple instructions on disconnecting the center speaker - since I did that, the cab audio sounds much better, and the balance control actually does something...

We purchased our View at Lichtsinn (1000 mile drive from home) - and they were fantastic with the walkthrough and providing us post-delivery support before we drove home.

Lichtsinn hardwired a surge protector in the electric compartment - something I would strongly recommend, vs. having a portable surge protector. If an authorized Winnebago service dealer installs the upgrade, it shouldn't impact your warranty. If someone else does it, that could void the warranty. [There have been some discussions about owners installing their own lithium batteries on a new View - and I strongly expect that upgrade would also invalidate the Winnebago warranty on any electrical issues, unless the installation is done by an authorized Winnebago dealer or partner.]

Since picking up our View in early June, we've already done 3 weeklong trips and one long weekend trip - and love our View - and planning to take many more trips in the months ahead. The 24D floor plan is fantastic for 2 people - and has allowed us to already entertain family with all of the dining and seating area.

As for fit & finish - there are a few small areas - such as chipped paint on the inside of the rear wheel wells - but nothing major that can't be fixed the next time we have the View in for service. We'll probably make the 1000 mile drive back to Lichtsinn next summer and let them do the first annual maintenance.

 

[Winterbagoal]

I am new to Rving and have zero experience. I attached some pics. I'm going RVing tonight.

First impressions:
* Easy to drive and more powerful than I expected
* The new tail lights are WAY BETTER than the 2020. These look good.
* The A/C doesn't cool very well in Texas in August ... but nothing does really. Even while driving and A/C on max, it's not that cool. I need to figure out how to cool it down.

>>>>>> Set the temperature to a moderate temperature, cool, but don't turn the dial all the way to the coldest setting, or you'll freeze up the cooling hardware inside the dash. Mercedes HVAC operates in incremental moderation, unlike North American vehicles. So set it near the middle, and slowly rotate the temp dial to a cooler setting.

* The gas mileage seems to be much lower than advert

>>>>>>> Fuel economy is directly proportional to how much lead is in your foot. Back off on your speed, and fuel economy will improve. The 3.0L V6 diesel engine has 188 HP and 325 ft/lb of torque, pulling a 10,000lb vehicle that's not exactly areodynamic (but it's better than most).

* The fit and finish has something to be desired. Many things just don't fit well
* Sadly the solar controller AND inverter/charger had incorrect battery types. I had to manually change them myself to LiFeO4.

>>>>> I believe the factory defaults are AGM for the solar CC. I just have the Sensata/Magnum inverter. Not the Xantrex I/C.

* The fridge uses a lot of power.

>>>>> Yes, it does.

* I went with the standard seats, because the upgraded front seats were too expensive and I didn't like the feel of them. I need to find someway to make these comfortable too. The Artico man-made leather feels like vinyl. I didn't expect that in a Mercedes.
* I'm unable to turn on the A/C with just the house batteries (inverter turned on...I can hear a click for the A/C calling for power...nothing)

>>>>>> As others have said, that's normal. There isn't enough power in the inverter/coach battery combo to do it, so your options are, run the generator, or plug into shore power to run the roof A/C.

* The power awning is cool!! It retracts if the wind is too high. bravo. It also has an app for it. fun.
* The rubber gap on the bottom of the slide out is not playing nice. Even when I picked it up, it doesn't stay like it should. It bunches in places. No bueno. I pull it out by hand

>>>>>> Slides are often problematic, and long slides are moreso.

* I find the TV is adequate. It's not 4K, but who cares. I hooked up a Apple TV to it and that has all the streaming. The JBL sound bar is super loud. I give the package a B rating. I'm going to see if I can live with it.
* LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the auto-levelers. OMG...so nice. How can you do without them?!?!? Apple App which allows you to control it. cool.

>>>>>> Wish I had them, wasn't an option on my year.

* Diesel generator is louder than I thought it would be. I measured 79db about 20' away on my phone. Easy to operate though.

>>>>>> It's a monster. Ours runs everything we throw at it, and never so much as a sputter.

* The cab only has ONE radio speaker ... and it's near the windshield...and it's lame. My 1974 Datsun B210 had better STOCK speakers. Uh...no. Can we fire the person who designed that?
* Dealer demo was not good. Guy seemed disinterested.
* The front window shades work better than you expect. I was disappointed that we don't have the slide-rail version anymore, but these do a better job than you think. They are held in with magnets too.

Overall ratings:
Driving: A- (Would have been an A with comfortable seats that cool)
Amenities: B+ (Nice, but generally near the mid to bottom of the market)
Fit and Finish: C (They didn't really care. There is wire splices on the floor. dents on some parts.

A few questions ...random order
* I'd like to cover the table holders "hole" near the Murphy bed and by the driver. Is there a rubber "thingy" that drops down in there. we don't want to use them.
* Anyway I can block the heat coming into the coach from the skylight in the shower and the vent near the door. They are big areas and I can feel the heat.
* Should the A/C turn on under battery (I have LiFeO2) with the inverter turned on and battery selected?

>>>>>> NO.

* I would like to hardwire my surge protection. Is this OK? Will it void a warranty? Looks like I'll have to slice some wires.

See comments demarked by >>>>> above.

 

[Widebody]

Congrats on your 2021. I'm glad they changed the ugly tail light from the 2020. That didnt take long. Other poster have already mentioned some great advice and I dont have much to add onto that except my experience from my 2020 24D.

1. I agree on fit and finish. I give mine a c in that category.

2. Side entry door is terrible and I just got a recall letter on the weak shock. Hope they put the new stronger shock on your 2021. The door will fling open if you don't hold it the entire time opening.

3. At first I thought the drive/handling was pretty good but after a while I learned it handles terribly in wind and passing vehicles. The only thing it has going for it is the tight new steering components. I've added sumo springs front and back as well as the fox 2.5 shocks to hopefully help with that. This is comparing to 2 other motorhomes I've had already. The View falls last in the handling category in stock form but the small size does make it easier to manouver overall.

4. Agree on seats. I wanted the mercedes stock seat cover for durability as I've seen the winnebago primera option wear a little premature. Unfortunately, either though its durable, it doesnt breath at all like a synthetic ultra leather. I'm looking for some decent seat covers.

5. There are much better front window covers than stock. I opted to go with covers from quest overland. They are much better quality but have a high price tag. I also got vent shade covers for the front and bathroom. Wish they had one for the bathroom skylight.

6. The diesel generator is loud. I was quite shocked considering I had quiet diesel generators in my other coach. In thinking of putting an onan resonator at the tailpipe. On my class B I out a resonator on, and it definitely helps with the sound.

7. The pantry drawers will bang against the pantry door while in motion. At one time the view had soft close hardware on the pantry drawers but my 2020 doesn't have them and there is no lock on the drawers. I didnt notice the problem until about the 3rd week of owning it as my pantry door hardware flew open and it took me a while to figure out how the pantry door lock broke. The drawers were slamming against the door while in motion.

8. My self leveling Jack's one day started leaning to one side like it was bent at the front drivers side. Upon inspection, in noticed that the bolt that holds it in place was loose. The factory had torque lines/witness lines on the head of the bolt, that showed it did not loosen up. My guess is that the Jack's were installed and torqued, but the method of installation was not proper as the Jack's get clamped on over dried chassis sealant and the bolt tightened. I'm guessing the sealant gave way as time went by and eventyammy the entire jack was loose. Lucky I caught it before it ended up bending the jack or worse yet, the chassis framing.

9. I've had little bit of fit and finish repairs as expected and none of them bothered me much. The only big one I have is that all my sealant/caulking on the outside of the coach is turning slightly yellow, and now the lates is that the sealant is starting to separate and I have large gaps. I am taking pictures and documenting and will address with winnebago warranty. This includes the black roof sealant at the back cap as well.

10. Overall I enjoy the coach and wished winnebago would have done better quality control. There are many repairs I didnt mention that could have been caught at winnebago.

Enjoy your coach

 

[Winterbagoal]

Just noticed your signature has LiFeO2 in it? I believe that reference might be to the battery cathode material?
I checked Xantrex's website and their 125Ah 12V battery datasheet says the battery storage component composition is LiFePO4 (lithium ion iron phosphate).

 

[BigTexEd]

Wow. This is some of the best advice I have received on any platform I’ve owned. Thank you for the detailed posts and confirmation.

Tonight, I drove 2 hours to see my son off at college. I can now see the driving and handling issues mentioned above. I’m going to put a few more miles on it before I update it. Yeah right. It pulls really nicely. I love the adaptive cruise. Way better than my Tahoe version.

The auto leveling and automatic transfer switch is so fine. The locking of the outside panels and coach seems solid.

I couldn’t figure out the high beam lights. I used the Apple car play. More stable than my Panamera. I did notice the other two speakers in the door, but I can’t independently raise the volume of those. I actually drove with my headsets on to enjoy music.

I did have the Winegard 2.0 installed. It works very nicely. I had it up and running in about an hour. I had it connect to my phones hot spot. Then, my Apple TV and devices would connect to the Winegard WiFi. Worked beautifully. Stable. No glitching. I watched Netflix tonight.

Shower was actually pretty good. I’m going to need to install more towel holders on the panel for the bath closet.

Our dog likes the extra room over the Tahoe. He’s a great passenger.

A glass of scotch was in order for as cold as I could get it tonight at 77. Cheers! I think this is going to work.

 

[BigTexEd]

Just noticed your signature has LiFeO2 in it? I believe that reference might be to the battery cathode material?
I checked Xantrex's website and their 125Ah 12V battery datasheet says the battery storage component composition is LiFePO4 (lithium ion iron phosphate).

Wow, you are right sir. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Widebody]

If you look at some of my posts, I've done some AC mods that will help your coach cool better. Not a miracle but helps drop it a few degrees.

 

[BigTexEd]

5. There are much better front window covers than stock. I opted to go with covers from quest overland. They are much better quality but have a high price tag. I also got vent shade covers for the front and bathroom. Wish they had one for the bathroom skylight.


7. The pantry drawers will bang against the pantry door while in motion. At one time the view had soft close hardware on the pantry drawers but my 2020 doesn't have them and there is no lock on the drawers. I didnt notice the problem until about the 3rd week of owning it as my pantry door hardware flew open and it took me a while to figure out how the pantry door lock broke. The drawers were slamming against the door while in motion.

The pantry doors on all the drawers lock in now. You push in, and it locks. It is not fool-proof, but it is an improvement it sounds like.

I’m going to look at those window covers.

I’m not sure the water heater is working. The gas line is on. The button is turned on on the WH. Full LP. No breakers popped. Set on full heat. Not eco. No hot water.

 

[Winterbagoal]

The pantry doors on all the drawers lock in now. You push in, and it locks. It is not fool-proof, but it is an improvement it sounds like.

I’m going to look at those window covers.

I’m not sure the water heater is working. The gas line is on. The button is turned on on the WH. Full LP. No breakers popped. Set on full heat. Not eco. No hot water.

I assume the water pump is on?
Does your propane valve open/close by solenoid at the main valve? Check that all propane switches are enabled. The one on rhe OnePlace panel and the one near the fill? Or does your model have 2 switches?
Are you getting (cold) water everywhere else?

 

[Widebody]

Your Truma has an on and off switch at the outside compartment. There are two on positions and either can be used. If that is not it, check for your propane to be on. I'm assuming your propane is on and you checked at your stove? If not, you need to turn the manual valve on down by the propane tank at the first compartment behind the drivers seat.

 

[Winterbagoal]

Wow, you are right sir. Thanks for the correction.

No big deal.
I just noticed it.
It's LiFePO4 (PO for phosphate)

 

[Superboiler]

Thanks for sharing. We are considering a view 24V. I am curious about the auto leveling system. Assume this was a dealer installed system? What brand is it?

 

[Widebody]

Mine was factory installed, and not dealer. I have the equalizer auto leveling.

 

[rprochnow]

When we purchased our 21VD from Lichtsinn in June, we included adding the HWH levelers and drove to the HWH factory from Forest City to get those added before we drove home.

We then had the stock hydraulic stabilizers removed from the rear to gain back some of the weight we lost with the levelers.

 

[BigTexEd]

Thanks for sharing. We are considering a view 24V. I am curious about the auto leveling system. Assume this was a dealer installed system? What brand is it?

So, it is the leveling system installed from the factory. Dealer did not install it afterwards. The only thing the dealer installed for me is the Winegard and additional 170 Watt solar panel. Everything else was from the factory. So far, I love them. A few minutes and it’s level. Easy peasy. So happy about them.

Lichtsinn RV. I tried to buy my RV from them, but changed my mind. The leveling system they want you to have is very expensive. The weight difference is appreciable, but not worth the $5000+ Extra number they wanted. They also wanted me to use their finance, insurance, warranty, plus the salesperson. Everyone was calling me, emailing me, and in the end, the price was higher than I got local by ordering and wait. I would have had to waited for Litchsinn too, plus I gotta fly down there, stay at a hotel, drive back 1000+ miles. All of it summed up to NO. I wanted to support my local dealer in spite of the lackluster demo guy. Sales guy answered all questions. Top notch. Litchtsin was bombarding me with people and the price didn’t make sense. Knowledgeable, but I didn’t like the sales part of it.

The propane heater. I just got through driving another 2 hours today.

- propane valve turn on at the tank. It’s full
- water pump on
- heater knob turned to max
- water in tank
- switched turned on at the heater itself.
- took two showers and it never got hot.
- no breakers or fuses blown

I’m back home. I’m going to fill the water tank back up and see if I can hear it lighting up at the water heater.

Other feedback after first night in an RV:
Bed needs memory foam
A/C is loud, can hear it cycling on and off while sleeping.
We forgot our outside chairs. Duh...
Coffee tasted good.
Partial boondock. Power only.
Wife and daughter loved it. I did too.
Here we come mountains...

 

[BigTexEd]

3. At first I thought the drive/handling was pretty good but after a while I learned it handles terribly in wind and passing vehicles. The only thing it has going for it is the tight new steering components. I've added sumo springs front and back as well as the fox 2.5 shocks to hopefully help with that. This is comparing to 2 other motorhomes I've had already. The View falls last in the handling category in stock form but the small size does make it easier to manouver overall.

5. There are much better front window covers than stock. I opted to go with covers from quest overland. They are much better quality but have a high price tag. I also got vent shade covers for the front and bathroom. Wish they had one for the bathroom skylight.

After driving the coach 5 hours, I can really see the excessive sway and boat-like porpoising.

I’d like to install the Fox 2.5s, Sumo springs, and Helwig rear sway bar. Did you do this yourself? How long did it take? How much better is it?

Will the generator resonator impede the performance of the generator?

What is the part numbers for the vent shade covers for the front and bathroom?

I’d like to remove/obscure the skylight in the shower. Did you paint it white? Ideas here?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Widebody]

After driving the coach 5 hours, I can really see the excessive sway and boat-like porpoising.

I’d like to install the Fox 2.5s, Sumo springs, and Helwig rear sway bar. Did you do this yourself? How long did it take? How much better is it?

Will the generator resonator impede the performance of the generator?

What is the part numbers for the vent shade covers for the front and bathroom?

I’d like to remove/obscure the skylight in the shower. Did you paint it white? Ideas here?

Thanks in advance.

I installed yellow sumos in the rear and black sumos for the front and fox 2.5 in the rear. Yes I did them all in my driveway. I have not replaced the sway bar. The new sprinter chassis (2019+) which started on the 2020 View came with thicker sway bars from the factory than the previous generation sprinters. They are 1-5/16 inch thick. The hellwig is only 3/16 inch thicker. Not sure if that would make any difference or not. Because you have the leveling Jack's, installation of your sumo springs and shocks will be a lot easier. The sumos made a decent difference and I would suggest putting them in. You can get them right away. I didn't feel much improvement with the fox shocks but many swear by them but most reviews are from previous generation sprinter Van's. The Fix shocks are 6-8 weeks back ordered right now so I would start with the sumo springs first. For the shades, quest overland only had 1 model for the 2019+ sprinter chassis. You want the windshield and the 2 cab windows as well as the vent covers. They only have 1 type. I haven't done anything for the shower yet. I will likely copy something similar to the shade from quest overland. For your AC, there is a 2 part noise that is bothersome. 1st the wind noise, not much you can do on that. I added another grill at the ceiling assembly for more airflow so I get a little more noise. The 2nd is the compressor coming on which makes loud boom noise at the roof. I added the soft start rv to the ac unit to get rid of the booming noise. I haven't installed the resonator yet. Only my class b in my driveway has it. It's a true onan part so not sure if it restricts the exhaust or not. Based on the design of it, it doesnt concern me.

Hopefully I dont have to use the AC or generator much as both are annoying but they are must have during this heat. I changed the crappy bathroom exhaust fan to the maxxfan deluxe with remote and added parts for the front fan so the reverse function works. During cool times, I have the front fan sucking in air and the bathroom exhausting air.

The front fan has a reverse button on the remote but it doesnt work. Winnebago installed the cheaper maxxair deluxe fan that has the option on the remote but not the fan.