Rewillia

No. The JGC Owner's manual advises for those equipped with the Quadro-II Drive the vehicle should be raised (from the entry/aero setting which is default when the car is turned off and parked) to the normal ride height when preparing to Recreational Tow. Hence, to answer your question the air suspension is always raised (to normal setting) in part with the steps to prepare it for towing. I ensure this step is performed each and every time before depressing the small button which disengages the transfer case. The issue I am experiencing (i.e. death wobble) is not the result of my having not followed Jeeps explicit instructions for setting the car up to tow. In fact, we likely towed it >7,000 miles before the 1st incident occurred. Now having happened twice to date, and always it seems when pulling away from a full stop and making a soft left turn out, i.e from 0-15 MPH the wobble has occurred (and does not occur everytime). The issue I am reporting is not due to "operator" error or the owner' not following the instructions provided in the owner's manual.

Latest Update & Continuing Saga; Below is latest response received from FCA today following communication that the proposed Mopar Accessory Kit (68321424AB) is not applicable to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. FCA's latest communication advises to tow the vehicle on a trailer (all four wheels up)!

Having filed a case with FCA, the response (inserted below) I received from them pertaining to the death wobble we have thus far experienced flat towing our 2016 Grand Cherokee Summit. Still not convinced that the proposed solution is true for the Grand Cherokee, I have since written FCA back and asked them to reconfirm. Awaiting a 2nd response. Update: my skepticism proved correct. After being advised to purchase the recommended Mopar Accessory Kit (see FCA correspondence below), my retail Jeep Dealer called me this morning to advise that they had in fact received the part overnight and upon opening it found per the instructions provided that the kit is only applicable to the Cherokee model (and not the Grand Cherokee). I had asked their Jeep service manager to review the part and installation instructions with one of their senior Jeep techs to determine what amount of time/labor and the cost would be to have the part installed once the part came in and call me to schedule an appointment for its installation. Learning today that the part will not work lead me to call FCA back wherein I was told that 1) I had been given the wrong info in their original reply (below) and 2) that I would need to take the car into a Jeep dealer and have a diagnostic check performed while notifying FCA in advance of such appointment so that they can work with the dealership on the problem (i.e. call them back a day or two before my appointment). As we're traveling at this time (with JGC in tow) it will be another 3-4 weeks before we're back at our home base to get this done. FCA stated that a minimum of 4-5 business days will be needed to 1) have the diagnostic check performed by a auth. Jeep dealership service dept, and at the same time all 2) for FCA's case management to further investigate the problem based upon the results of the diagnostic check. Scenario - 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 SUV with Quadro II drive and air suspension. Vehicle has been flat towed (following Jeep Owner's manual instructions for recreational towing) for more than ~ 9,000 miles with no incident albeit within the last 2-months (last 1,500 miles) the "death wobble" has been experienced twice. In both incidents, the loss of control occurred when making low speed left turns through intersections following a complete stop on/under routine road conditions, i.e. paved roads, no potholes, etc.

It's not bad (hooking up or disconnecting) but as you rightly point out, it does takes some additional effort. i.e. ~ 20 mins.

The lift has a 18" extension for the receiver hitch which employs additional strengthening. No wiggle whatsoever and the Jeep tows just fine.

Displaying one of our plates.

Just so they know!

Just showing a little membership pride by means of our plate mounting. Happy to be new members of such a great Association and looking forward to meeting fellow members along the way!

Ditto, the wobble as I've read was with the Cherokee and not the Grand Cherokee. We have and flat tow a '16 Grand Cherokee Summit coupled by the Roadmaster Blackhawk II and SMI Air Force I aux. brake controller. With >5k miles in tow thus far, we've not had any issue whatsoever, i.e. flawless. We also purchased the GC as a pre-owned vehicle with 4,900 miles on it, saved $16k vs. the cost of the same exact car brand new, then spent ~$3k having it outfitted with the Blackhawk II, AFI and Guardian Shield. Note: during the processes of installation, we had previously planned to purchase/install and use the Invisibrake but learned from our installation techs at NIRVC that there is/can be an interface problem with the Invisibrake system and the late model Grand Cherokees' wiring hence their recommendation was to go with the SMI Air Force I which we did and have been very pleased with. We also like the small LED lights that come with the AF1 and attaches to the backside of the tow vehicle rear view mirror whereby we can confirm the lights/brake system is activated by simply applying our coach brakes and looking in our rear view camera (thus avoiding the need to run a separate wire from the tow vehicle to the dash of the coach and install an indicator light) Preparing the Grand Cherokee for flat towing is a simple procedure and clearly outlined in the vehicle's owners manual. Takes all of 3-5 mins. and your set to go.

Correct. That was the golf cart version (steel frame/substructure) while the LSV emerged later and is an all aluminum frames/sub-structure with front/rear wishbone suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, etc. etc. and somewhat more costly than the golf cart.

You just can't see them in all of the photos, but It does have OE rear passenger lap/2-point restraints (seat belts). That's all that's required by US DOT (49 CFR 571) so its is compliant for 4-passengers. Take another look at the photo from the rear of the LSV and you'll see the latches. The belts themselves retract into the seat bottom when not in use.

Recent installation of a special build Hydralift for transporting our companion 1200 lb. Garia 2+2 VIA 4-passenger street legal Low Speed Vehicle (LSV). Now we can tote it along with us while still flat towing our Jeep GC when desired. Installation performed by NIRVC-Lewisville, TX, our Newmar Platinum Dealership. While at it, we also had a 4-litre auto-deploy high pressure fire suppression system from Fire Fight Products (.com) installed in the engine bay as an additional safety feature. For those interested in knowing, The Garia 2+2 VIA is a 4-passenger street legal all electric Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) manufactured in Denmark and new to the US market. The Garia LSV comes OEM equipped with all required US safety devices as prescribed by the NHTSB, DOT and fully meets all CFR 49.500 requirements. As shown, our LSV has been duly registered and issued license plates for our home state. The LSV can be legally driven on public roads where posted speed limits do not exceed 35 MPH and can also cross roads where the speed limits are greater (up to 50 MPH). It is also permissible to traverse roads where the speed limit is >35 MPH (up to 50 mph) for a distance of 1/4-mile when connecting to another street where posted speed limits are 35 MPH. The Garia has both ECO and Sport mode settings whereby in Sport, it can achieve a maximum speed of 25 mph in it's stock configuration (adjustment to the power controller will allow the LSV to reach speeds of 35 MPH if desired). To mitigate the outcome of being stopped by lessor informed Police Officers (and we' know that's going to happen on occasion), just like an automobile, we must carry with us (in the LSV), copies of our Registration, Proof of Insurance, and display a valid State Inspection, etc. We also have written documentation from the US DOT (CFR 49.500) and the National Insurance Association which details the laws governing the permissable use of LSV(s) on public roads in each of the 50 contiguous States. And while we are not "golfers", we wanted the LSV to use for our recreation when traveling the USA in our coach while we can continue to flat tow our Jeep Grand Cherokee along with us when we want to. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Update; having previously enjoyed access and use of the forum as guests we're now official members having paid our subscription and formally joined FMCA. We look forward to enjoying the benefits of membership and meeting other members as we travel about. Rick & Lydia Williams + our traveling companion, Nike (Miniature Schnauzer)

I spoke with Roadmaster's head of R&D yesterday and they have approved the development and marketing of a base plate and attachments for the 2016 MINI Clubman S w/MT. According to their representative we spoke with Production is commencing as I write this and the baseplate will be available in the coming weeks.. I mention this as we really want to purchase a Clubman to flat tow behind our MH. That said, we are seeking advice/recommendations on the absolute best brake systems we should consider purchasing & having installed on the Clubman (hopefully a type that can be semi-permanently installed such that it will not require removal each time we want to drive the car). Appreciate any advice we can get from fellow members.

Solely recreational, 6-mos per year on the road. Not going to buy new.

I appreciate all the members' input here to my question on obtaining financing in absence of a steady-state income, i.e paycheck. I suppose I could have provided more info on the principle of the matter. Working with our FSP, we will be; 1- paying down 50% of the total cost of the DP when we purchase it 2 -securing a loan for the balance that has a maximum term of 10-years 3- establishing a special financial account that the monthly payments will be made from, i.e. ACH direct draft 4- ensuring the loan we get will allow additional annual principle (only) payments as well as early payoff without penalty We were just wondering what others here who are retired and have obtained financing in absence of monthly paycheck had encountered when seeking to find their loan. We're planing on purchasing a one owner, slightly used low mileage 13'-14' Newmar King Aire 4593, Essex or American Coach - Heritage 45T and want to do so from a private seller/owner if possible. We will not be purchasing a new coach.

Seeking advice/input from fellow retirees; My wife & I are retiring next month and plan to purchase a late model diesel pusher. We are fortunate that we have the money to pay cash for the DP but our FSP is recommending we finance it in order to keep our own money invested and given that we can write off the loan interest as a 2nd home tax deduction. Why we want advice - Some people we have spoken with tell me us it may be "challenging" to get financing in absence of having a steady income stream, i.e no paycheck coming in and irrespective of our financial status (We have credit scores in the high 790's-low 800's and our savings and investments are substantially greater than the amount we plan to borrow.) Can you share your experience - Wondering if others here have experienced any problem getting financing in absence of having a steady income stream (no employment/paycheck)? If yes, please explain what you had to do in order to get approved for your loan. Hope this was clear enough... meanwhile thanks. Rick

Rich, New to the forum, I'm reading up intensely trying to get smart on a purchase of a motor coach and learning so much every day from the FMCA forum. Found this link you provided on chassis maintenance and read through it, including the embedded links. Thanks for posting this. Wife and I are still deciding on the make/model DP w/tag that we want or desire (desire better the better term given what we're willing to spend) in terms of a good slightly used 2-4 y/old 42-45' motor coach but something has already told me that the Freightliner chassis might be a big + (plus) to own. Thanks again. Richard E (Rick) & Lydia S Williams Lake Charles, LA

Well Hello All, I'm here representing myself and my wife as new FMCA members. Retiring in April 2016, we've commenced our research/search for a motor coach and plan to commence RV traveling/touring the wider continental US as well as Canada. Expatriates for most of our (my) 35 year career, we've enjoyed seeing the world and in some case, twice over, but have not seen the USA to the extent we want and plan to. So joining FMCA seems to have been a smart choice as we've began reading the various articles/threads and many post of members some of which clearly have decades of experience as full timers. New to us, we owned pull campers years ago but now look to moving into the more formal DP class A motor coach and have commenced our search for the manufacturer & model we think we want. We have also rented Class A's a few times for short haul trips to see if the bigger rigs were of our liking - and they are. Planning to buy used in the 2011-2014 range of 40-42 ft'r, we've come here to learn from so many and look forward to reading through the wide array of topics and sharing from other members. Rick & Lydia Williams Lake Charles, LA