2018 Holiday Rambler 3 month / 6K Mile Review

[billkish]

We purchased our new Holiday Rambler 44B in April of 2018.  We were able to get the unit for about 30% under sticker.  Of course three days after we bought it, the dealer had a big sale and I could have saved even more if we had known of the big sale.  However, I am happy with the price that we paid and we plan on keeping this Coach unlike the Jayco that came before it and the Forrest River that came before before.  LOL

During the first three months we have traveled approximately 6K miles. 

Issue #1

We had one major issue at 2500K miles.  When stopping to check the toad at a rest stop, I noticed the smell of Antifreeze and sure enough there was a leak under the front of the coach.  Of course it was a Saturday and REV Group was closed.  We have coach net and a phone call to them was placed and they said they would suggest a tow to a qualified repair center.  I agreed and hung up waiting for them to call me back.  In the mean time, I called Freightliner Custom Chassis(FCC) RV hotline.  Man, the guy at Freightliner was the most professional person I have ever spoke to.  I explained the issue to him and he informed me that the issue would not be with FCC but with the coach builder. However, he said do you really need heat in the dashboard at this time of year?  I replied no and he said well then lets get you back on your vacation.  He carefully walked me thru how to close the shut off valves that fed the front on the coach so as to stop the leak.  Once this was done, he walked me through adding distilled water to the engine coolant and waited on the phone while I restarted the engine and checked for leaks.  The leak was gone and I was back on the road.  This man from FCC was an awesome help to me and if that is how I will be treated in the future, I am very exited to own a Freightliner.

Issue #2

I had a question about the operation of the Tag Axle Dump button on the dash, so I called REV Group.  They were unable to answer my question which was this :  The button has three settings.  Manual , automatic and disabled.  What does this disabled setting actually do.  The man said he would need to talk to engineering but they would most likely be closed as it was late on a Friday afternoon and he would call me back when he had more information.  I said ok sure and hung up knowing I would never hear back from them.  10am Monday morning i got a call back and was given a full explanation on the use of the Tag Axel three way switch.

Issue #3

Lack of hot water pressure at kitchen sink.  This turned out to be a kinked water hose, which I was able to fix myself.

Issue #4

Paint peeling behind slide out on drives side.

Issue #5

Leaking hydrlic fluid from front drivers side leveler jack.

I called Rev Group and made an appointment at their East Coast Repair facility.  They were booked out until end of August.

These are all of the issues that we have with the coach after 6K miles.  Everything works perfectly and I am very impressed with the build quality of this rig.  The actual build quality if leaps and bounds above that of our 2018 Jayco Precept that we traded in for the new Holiday Rambler.

I am very very pleased with my purchase and I hope things continue to work without issues.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope to give update after my warranty visit in late August.

 

 

[dickandlois]

Bill, Nice coach, so glad that your experience has been positive for the most part.

Regarding issue number 5,  By chance are the leveling jacks made by Power Gear? If so there might be a fix for the fluid leak and no need to go in for service if you are interested.

Let me know and safe and happy travels.

Rich.

[billkish]

17 hours ago, DickandLois said:

Bill, Nice coach, so glad that your experience has been positive for the most part.

Regarding issue number 5,  By chance are the leveling jacks made by Power Gear? If so there might be a fix for the fluid leak and no need to go in for service if you are interested.

Let me know and safe and happy travels.

Rich.

Rich,

 

Thank you and yes please I would love to fix the leak on the levelers.  They are in fact Power Gear!

[five]

The Freightliner tech line is very good.  For one thing it a 24/7 operation, not business hours only.  I called them yesterday with a question.  He didn't know the answer but said he'd research it call me back...and he did.

[dickandlois]

3 hours ago, billkish said:

Rich,

 

Thank you and yes please I would love to fix the leak on the levelers.  They are in fact Power Gear!

OK ! It's one of the simple ones and all you need is a SMALL grease gun specific to the job ! 

There are small grease fittings at the bottom of the hydraulic cylinders and they are kind-of hidden by the ground plates, but right at the bottom of the cylinder there is a small grease fitting.                                 (The new cylinder often have them pressed in / instead of screwed in, from what I have gotten feedback on) 

Anyway - buy a small gun with a tube of White Lithium grease,    Each fitting gets 2 shots (More is not always better) of the grease and that keeps the bottom seals expanded enough to keep the hydraulic fluid in. The issue with you New coach is that someone forgot to grease them. LOL and by doing that it very well could stop the small leak.

         There is a note in the older Power Gear manuals that mentions greasing them ever 30 cycles(jacks down / jacks up) is a cycle.  That grease also keeps the jack rams in good condition and relatively clean. 

There is not one sales person that will say -I knew that !!!!!

Good luck and let me know if greasing the leaky one fixes the problem and if it does, put a shot of grease in the other 3. keep an eye no them for leaks.

Rich. 

Let me know, Thanks.

Freightliner does not install the jacks - Coach builder does !!!!

                 Found the Service information related to the jacks. 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  WARNING:
Your coach should be supported at both front and rear axles with jack stands before working underneath, failure to do so may result in personal injury or death.
1. Check the fluid level every month. Fill the reservoir with the jacks in the fully retracted position. On vertical pump assemblies, the fluid should be within 1/4 inch of the fill port lip and checked only with all jacks retracted. On horizontal pump assemblies, the fluid level should be up to the weep hole on the side of the reservoir tank and checked only with all jacks retracted.
2. Change fluid every 24 months. I have extended this suggested fluid cycle, but the coach has not been in a hearse or saltwater environment over extended period. 
3. Inspect and clean all hydraulic pump electrical connections every 12 months.
4. Remove dirt and road debris from jacks as needed.
5. If jacks are down for extended periods, it is recommended to spray exposed chrome rods with a silicone lubricant every seven days for protection. If your coach is located in a salty environment (within 60 miles of coastal areas), it is recommended to spray the rods every 2 to 3 days.
6. Jacks equipped with grease fittings at the bottom of the cylinder should be greased with light weight lithium grease using a hand pump style grease gun only. 2 or 3 pumps should be sufficient for every 20-30 uses.
7. Do not use a high pressured was/rinse system on any of the components associated with the leveling system. This includes the pump, pump motor, wiring harness, control and touchpad. THE USE OF A HIGH PRESSURE WASH/RINSE SYSTEM WILL VOID THE WARRANTY.

[billkish]

Rich,

Thank you for the tip!  I am slightly embarrassed to say, but I do not own a grease gun.  A quick trip to Amazon and the new gun and grease should be here tomorrow.  I will update once I have made put the grease gun to work!

Thank you again!

[billkish]

I will be applying the grease to all the jacks once it stops raining!

Updates will follow along with some photos to make it easy for the next guy!

[manholt]

Don't forget to check hydraulic fluid level, when it stop's raining!