studebrucer

Thanks much, seems simple enough. How strong is the spring tension? one person job?

I have a 2014 Venatna LE, with Dometic slide toppers. the topper on my widest slide has loosened . it is noisy in the wind and I am worried about it tearing. I have contacted Dometc and they were no help.I have viewed videos on You Tube, but they cover replacement. Seems it should be easy enough to adjust the tension. Can anyone offer a "How To"

my widest slide has slack in the topper, very annoying when windy. I have a Newmar Ventana with Dometic slide toppers. I want to adjust the tension to take out the slack. I have seen many videos on replacing the fabric, but none of them are adjusting the tension. Would love some guidance.

We have a 2014 Newmar Ventana LE. the washer drips randomly when off. I checked the valves and hoses. Removed, cleaned and reinstalled.No sign of leakage at these points. last time we used it n the evening, i heard it begin dripping at 4:00 AM. the problem seems to be only on the cold water, side. Aside from the dripping sound. We have water in the catch pan, but no sign of leak. if I turn off the cold water valve, the leak stops. Before I remove the machine and begin to disassemble ,then hopefully find the problem. I thought I would check to see if anyone has had a similar problem.

So, we just read the content previously posted on the question of caravan or not. Alaska is on my wife's bucket list, so we are going. We called fantasy tours yesterday, and was surprised by the $9800 00 price tag .Just this past March at the Perry convention it was offered for $6000.00. We are full timing, but only since this past October. We have heard of the challenges the terrain can put on your coach. So we thought the caravan would be best. We cannot discern a clear answer from the previous post. At $9800.00 do those who have made the trip, caravan or not ,believe it s worth the cost, or at that price , better to take the risk of going on your own?

We purchased a Garmin 770 , to keep us out of trouble when traveling. Thus far we have not hit an overpass we could not pass under, and have not had to disconnect the toad, for the dreaded unexpected back up. However it is not perfect. we have a class A 12 ‘ 6 “ high, 35 long not including the toad. We are planning a trip from Athens Tennessee to Wilmington NC. The Garmin is taking us down to Columbia SC , then up to Wilmington. Seems like there should be a more direct route. Any suggestions?

We have been on the road for two moths, 6 more to go. The coach is filthy on the outside. We have not stayed anywhere that will allow us to wash the coach. Has anyone fond a nationally based Truck or RV wash they re satisfied with? Any ideas on a reasonable cost? Is this a service you can pulling off the road, and have the coach cleaned while you wait? Thanks

We bought our 2014 coach in April. We took several small trips , to test everything and begin to get our coach legs under us. All worked well. Beginning the first week of October, we started extended travels. We spent the entire month in the coach traveling New England. Sometime during these travels the drivers side bedroom slide, began not completely extending. The trouble seems to be the right top corner as your facing the slide. I watched as my wife extended the slide. The mechanism is all at the base of the slide, so I was not surprised to see the top of the slide at an angle as the slide extended. However the top right falls behind, by about 2 inches. I can push it out easily from the inside,once the slide is extended, to seal against the coach wall. I called Newmar, they tell me it is just an adjustment, but must be done by a dealer. If it is just an adjustment, I would prefer to do it myself. We are living in the coach now, and I do not want to be at a dealer for an extended time. Any solutions?

We purchased a 2014 Honda CRV, because it is the last year before the CVT trans, which means it is the last year you can flat tow. Our first trip was about 6 hours, car started with out a problem. Next tow was about 5 hours and the battery was dead. The battery is the original. I believe the problem is the battery. I'm hoping replacing with a deep cycle will do the trick. Before I spend the extra for a deep cycle, I wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience, and what their solution was.

Thanks, but I am lead to believe the interstates restops have them for no fee.

We recently learned that some of the rest stops on major highways have dump stations. After having googled and looking at several links, I cannot tell how to identify those stops that have them. Does anybody know how to readily identify these locations?

Thank you all for your replies. My decision was actually made by happenstance. A friend, now of a widow, who had sold her coach, after her husband had passed. For some reason she had kept the towing package. I was able to buy the Roadmaster tow bar, even brake, and wireless lights for roughly half price. May have been used once or twice. I am having the base-plates installed on our Honda CRV this week. Then we are ready to tow. Before we head off into the sunset, I still need a Kayak and bike carrier. My preference would be a combo roof system to mount to the CRV. Has anyone had any experience in this area?

Still rookies, so continue to forgive the ignorance. We are going to purchase a 2014 Honda CRV to flat tow. Last year before the CVT trans. We own a 3433 Ventana LE. I have narrowed down our choices to Blue OX or Road Master. Looking at the choices, you can pick either RV mount bars or car mount. RV bars are significantly more expensive. Can anyone explain the practical differences? Any recommendations on which style to go with and why?

Thanks for all the feedback. I ran into another Ventana owner. Their hose was significantly more flexible than mine. I ordered a Camco flex hose extension, that did the trick.

We are new owners of a 2014, 3433 Newmar Ventana LE. We cannot connect the stinky slinky, through the whole in the bottom of the bay to the coach connection. I have tried a 45, and 90 degree elbow, but they do not solve the problem. Not an earth shattering issue, we can always connect before we dump, but I would like to be able to connect and close the bay door. Nothing special or modified about our coach, so we cannot be the only coach with this challenge. Hoping for a solution.

So ,we are new to the RV scene. We have just purchased a 3433 Newmar Ventana LE. I have learned from research that the brakes on our all but 35 footer are the same up to 40 feet. We are going to tow a Prius, on a tow dolly. I thought I would get a dolly with out brakes. Less expensive and less to maintenance and repair. My logic, if the brakes are good for a 40 footer, they should be good for our 35 and Prius. When I was speaking with a salesperson, he told me that many states require brakes on tow dolly's. So question 1- What do you think of my logic? Question 2- Is it true that many states require brakes? The answer to 2 may dictate my choice.

We recently purchased a 2015 Newmar Ventana LE. I was dissappointed the in dash stereo, does not have GPS or Bluetooth. I have read the forum, and do not see anyone identifying a good solution for all three. We would like the GPS to be able to input our size and weight to avoid those frustrating turnarounds at low crossings. Is there such a unit? I would prefer not to add an additional screen to the dash or a sit on top of dash, if possible.

Thanks for the link

Bill, Thanks for the link.

We are now first time coach owners. We made our purchase while in Perry. We will be picking up our coach next week, 2014 Newmar Ventana LE. Perry was quite an education for us. I left Perry believing there are a few must have accessories. Surge Protectors is one. We looked at a few in the vendor's area. One that stood out for me was Techno RV Surge Guard 34950. Has anybody had any experience with their products? They also have a Tire monitoring System, TST TPMS. Same question, any experience? Another Tire Monitoring system which seemed good was from Tire Minder, any experience with this one? RVI had a nice Tire monitoring system , it creates it's own WiFi, so you do not need to mount a remote booster. It seemed, simple straight forward. Two possible down sides. You have to send the screw on sensors back to RVI to replace the batteries, every 2 to 3 years. The monitoring screen is actually a mini IPad device. Clearly identifies the tires and can be used to create a checklist. however, do I want a screen of this size in the cockpit? Unfortunately , it cannot function as GPS. Lastly, I attended a couple of seminar's by the RV Doctor. He strongly recommended , replacing the stinky slinky with the Waste Master Sewer Hose by Lippert. I checked Amazon, it is around $130. Looking at reviews on Amazon, it gets mixed reviews. Seems as tough it might be more easily installed in a fiver or trailer than in the bay of a class A. Thoughts, Experience?

So while in Perry , I went to a seminar on extended warranty. The presenter thought an "exclusion policy" was a better policy. Any body have any experience with this type of warranty? When I think about slide issues and leveling jacks on an a class a, I would think the warranty could pay for itself quickly. We are about to pick up our first coach first week of April , 2014 Newmar Ventana LE. they of course want to speak with us about an extended warranty , as we finalize the paperwork.

I had not hard of Jeanie before, my wife had. she was most enjoyable. we are in the midst of getting our home ready to sell, te transition to full time, is intense. we will probably not begin RV life until August. we will take at least a couple get to know the coach weekend trips. look forward to meeting you.

Well, we just completed our first rally in Perry. We are so incredibly glad we went! My wife and I split up to cover as many of the seminars as possible. We learned things about RVs that we would never have thought to ask.We feel this experience has better prepared us for our first coach. The week before the event we went shopping at the majors in Florida. I am pleased to say we put a deposit on a coach. There was definitely comprising involved. I got to buy a newer budget busting coach, and my wife got a smaller coach. We bought a 2014 Newmar Ventana LE, 3433. It only has 17000 miles on it. We spoke with the former owners, they full timed in the coach for 2 years. We are heading back to FT Meyer FL first week of April to pick it up. While at a rest stop on the way to Perry we ran into a couple who have been full timing for 7 years, they have a 3412 Ventana. Between the former owners and this couple, plus our comfort level with the size and floor plan, we feel we made the right choice for us. We joined FMCA because many of the coach owners we spoke with recommended FMCA as a good resource for our learning curve. Prior to Perry, I agreed, now having been at Perry, I am a believer!

Thanks for the follow up to all. This info has been very helpful. My wife is now open to larger coaches. We are very excited about Perry . I'm hoping after Perry we can make our purchase. All depends on what is in stock. I have seen attractive coaches and pricing in Texas and Arizona. Have any of you traveled that far to make a purchase? ( we live in Maryland) I do not mind the travel, I worry that once seeing the coach in person, it may not be in the kind of condition as represented. Even a Big Mac looks good in commercials

Can you share how long this process takes, and what this research reveals? Thanks B