Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Post-Purchase Inspection / Review

As expected, there would likely be a few squalk items that I would need to fix or tidy up.  Some of which I new from the purchase walkthru, others I found in our "Camp Driveway" sessions.  Overall, I am VERY pleased with the purchase, construction, and attention to detail on the camper.  Everything has been tested again and again by us and I've gone over just about everything from end to end.  Here are the few things that I have come up with, and as you can see, they are pretty minor.  We had a lot more issues on our popup!
  1. Fresh water tank sensor wires -- Very Tight from the factory, with loose water lines above that could vibrate these sensor wire connections.  Took just a few minutes and a few wire ties to loosen them up a little and organize to a more stable point for traveling.
  2. Fresh water lines -- Surprisingly, these draped over a piece of angle on the frame where you could already see some rub marks.  I took a piece of the kids pool noodle to wrap over the leg of the steel angle to protect these lines.  Two large zip ties to secure the pool noodle in place, and then a few on the water line to help keep it in place along its run, and we are in much better shape with less risk of a problem down the road.
  3. Wire Looms -- I added some additional wire loom around the wires, but most was in good shape.  I do have to add a dap of caulk where the wires go up holes in the under body.  If I don't, that is a good place for spiders and bees to find access into the camper body. 
  4. Gas Line -- One of the clip supports was on the line, but not fastened to the frame.  Simple self tapping auto screw to secure.
  5. Front Panel Attachment and Insulation -- At the front, right behind the battery box, I found some insulation sticking out between the frame and the front panel.  Not much, but upon review, the front panel was not attached here for about a 2 foot width.  The staples were shot in thru the panel but glanced off the frame and never secured to anything.  A flat blade screw driver was used to push the insulation back up into the cavity above the frame and then the front panel could be pushed back into the proper position.  6 self tapping screws thru the front panel and diamond plate, evenly spaced across the front, and it is secured properly.
  6. Set Screw on TV Antenna Handle -- Set screw wasn't tight and the assembly fell from the ceiling.  A few minute fix, and a tightening of the set screw and we are fine.
  7. Screen Door Latch Adjustment -- Poor. Design.  Simple as that.  Yes it works, but barely any catch on the door frame.  We even had them adjust it before we left the dealership.  To fix it right, I think I need to dremel a little slot in the main screen door where the latch goes and get about 1/8" more slide travel to get the door to catch properly.

There are also some new things we found out.

  1. Ends of bunks are all EXITs.  The screen can also unzip to be an exit out the bunk ends in case of an emergency.
  2. There is front storage.  In front of the bed, full width of the camper, there is about a 12 inch wide by 2 foot deep storage area that is only accessible from the inside.  This is where the passthru is noted on the brochure, but there is no outside door to access it.
  3. Hopkins Levels we installed on the side and rear are VERY nice and make it easy to level the camper.
  4. Amp Draw - Using our Progressive Industries Voltage/Surge protector, we monitored our use for each item and recorded our Amp draw for them.  (Microwave, Fridge, Water Heater Element, AC on Hi, Med, Lo)
  5. There is a 12V socket up behind the TV.  This allows you to use a car charger to plug in your phone or ipod next to the TV on the shelf.  Has a little switch too next to it.  That will be helpful when drycamping in at the beach.

More to come shortly on our first trip out with it (shown above) as well as our improvements and modifications!

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