Tiffin 32SA Problems & Praises

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A short history.  We bought a Forest River Ultra Lite Trailer back in 2016.  We became intimately aware of the design and construction failures.  My daughter and husband bought a Rockwood shortly thereafter (built in the same factory), which added a whole host of additional (and some of the same) problems to our list.  I wrote a book, detailing this list as well as fixes and some education on how to be prepared to own an RV. See it here on Amazon. After putting 10K+ miles on the trailer, we moved up to another Forest River – this time a class C Sunseeker.  And while the more expensive RV was better in some ways, it too, had its share of design and construction problems.  We put another 10K+ miles on the C – and decided to upgrade once again; this time to a Tiffin gas Class A.  I really, REALLY wish I could say that this rig didn’t suffer from some of the same issues. The quality of most of the construction materials is MUCH better.  There are some design issues that could be better and there were MANY, but mostly minor, construction issues we came across.  Don’t get me wrong; we love this RV. We would buy another in a minute! We just wish manufacturers would take just a little more care in constructing them.  In a way, the fact that we love this RV makes the unnecessary annoyances all the more annoying.

We love that the main slide is hydraulic and built like a tank. We love all the storage, the solid countertops, and the solid wood cabinetry. Most of the outlets are well thought out. We love the shades, the floor, the fireplace, the built-in vacuum – even the over-the-cab-bunk is easy to use. The 7k generator has lots of quiet power and the V10 has been plenty of power for everywhere we’ve driven it (towing a full-size F150). We really love the big front window (all the windows) and riding above the traffic. The overall layout and design is great and suits our needs well. We love the quick setup and tear-down compared to our previous rigs.

We first made this post private and sent it to Tiffin. I heard NOTHING back from them. Not a “thank you, we’ll look into these suggestions”; nothing.

but…..

The following is a list of the problems we found on our new 2019 motorhome. We picked it up from the dealer about the second week in December 2018. We hit the road the 29th of December and headed straight to Red Bay Service Center. We only spent a day in the shop getting a few things worked on because it was Friday and we had to hit the road to meet up with our full-time RVing daughter and family. Most of these issues are minor enough we will address them ourselves.

Life/Safety/Major design issues first.

The stove gas line was not supported nor was it run clear of the top drawer. Three feet of copper line was connected to the stove regulator via a compression fitting.  That copper line runs right toward the outer wall, then turns 90-degrees forward where it connects to a heavy rubber line.  NONE of that span, including the rubber hose, is supported in any way.  Thus all that weight is pulling and twisting on the copper line and compression fitting.  I noticed it because my top drawer was so misaligned (it would close on its own) that when I leveled the drawer slides, the drawer was dragging on that gas line as it opened and closed.  In the first image you can see how down-angled the slide was and how far down the copper gas line had sagged only a couple of weeks after construction.  Part of the reason the gas line heads downward is that it runs UNDER the stove base. For a fix, I added a different elbow and a couple of inch-long brass pipe to extend the line forward so it could run along the side of the stove.  Then I added supports from the underside of the cabinet next to the stove and back where the rubber line connected.  These supports are temporary (tie-wraps) until I figure a better way.

The inverter ground to chassis wire was not connected.  It was connected to the inverter, but just sticking up in the air toward the corner of the storage space.  As the wire went up above the door opening, that it was not connected was not obvious. It was only after I touched the wire while looking at the gauge of the battery connection wire that I noticed it was totally unattached (nor was there any anchor point for it to attach to). While the Inverter was probably somewhat grounded in its mounting to the storage bin wall – I’m sure it was supposed to be grounded with the provided wire directly to the frame, which I did.

The next item might not have been an actual life safety issue, but when it was discovered, it certainly seemed like one.  We were loading the RV for our first trip out when my wife called me back to look “at the light coming in”.  It was late afternoon and the sun was shining on the backside of the rig.  I looked and sure enough, sunlight was coming in between the back wall and the floor!!!  Questions like “Was the back wall even bolted to the floor?” came to mind.  We made a phone call and Tiffin agreed that a trip to the Red Bay Service Facility was in order.  This was just before Christmas and they were closed till the New Year. We pushed up our plans to leave home so we could be there Jan 1^stto get in line.  It still took a couple of days to get seen and another to get into the shop. The workers were great – took care of the wall and some of our other issues.  As for the wall, they decided it was bolted in properly and structurally sound (just a bit misaligned).  They did put an impact wrench on the bolts to make sure they were tight and then foamed the area to seal it up. It still concerns me that it was crooked – only a gap on one side and thus the entire alignment of the rear house frame is a bit “off”. Functionally not a problem, but another bit of slop in the construction.

UPDATE: It turns out this was a problem. When they cut the hole for the bedroom slide they used the back wall as a guide – thus the hole was larger at the bottom rear and the Schintek slide mechanism was misaligned, eventually leading to failure – more here.

Major issues

The main door is warped. When shut, the top rear is sticking out about half an inch.  The door is still hard to latch. The hinges seem straight, which leads me to believe the door itself is warped.  This is the second RV I’ve owned with this problem.   Also, THERE IS NO INSIDE SCREEN DOOR HANDLE!  What a pain!  Another trip to Red Bay is in order, plus scrounging for a different screen handle. Below, right is a picture of a screen latch on my class C. Would it have been so expensive to add this plastic latch to my class A?

Update: we found a little latch at Red Bay that would allow us to open the screen door when the “fly window” was closed. As for the door – they adjusted it somewhat and I’ve done some adjusting on the latch to make the “Tiffin slam” a bit less slammy.

Power……

While this unit came with four GC2 lead-acid batteries, it also came with a large residential refrigerator, four AC-powered TV’s, and a host of other AC accessories that would likely never let the Inverter go into sleep mode.  Given what I felt was our average use of power, we needed to run the generator nearly 4 hours a day to keep up.  We’d go to bed at night with the battery at 100% (Victron monitor) and charger in float mode, then turn the generator off but wake up in the morning to 50% or 60% and have the low voltage alarm go off when trying to make a pot of coffee.  We managed to get a good price of four GC2 format Lithium batteries at the Quartzsite show and sold our “old” batteries on the Internet.   We couldn’t be happier with the lithium – except perhaps when we get our solar installed. (side note – Power Problem 2 below probably contributed to the low voltage problem as it never made sense, even with lead acid batteries).

Power version 2

First a general complaint. Tiffin supplies a huge book with papers about the RV and the appliances. Even after we split them into three books – it is a lot of data – that is good. But there is still so much that is never shared. Like the 7kw generator has two 30 amp (breaker) sources. The coach has a 50 amp plug (two 50 amp). There are lots of appliances, outlets and so on – how are they distributed on the A/C grid. And a 2kw inverter – how does that fit in? Most people don’t understand that the A/C breaker panel is actually split three ways.

Well, eventually we learn that we can run pretty much whatever we want, whenever we want when we are on 50 amp shore power. That’s great. But on the generator – run too many appliances (wired or into plugs) and one breaker on the generator pops. Why? Because every appliance and every plug are wired to one side of the generator. But wait – it’s not that simple. They are wired THROUGH the inverter. This is so that when there is no other power, the inverter can attempt to run all these appliances.

Being a 7kw generator, one assumes each leg can supply roughly 3500 watts. The problem arises when you are fooled into thinking the inverter can run whatever the generator can run. And it gets really bad when the generator pops a breaker and the inverter attempts to catch the load. Which sometimes it can’t. If you set your inverter to not automatically start – then any appliances that have memories – lose out. But perhaps that is better than abusing the inverter. If in the voluminous documentation, there is a simple diagram of power flow – I didn’t see it.

So to get around to our story. We popped the breaker on the generator a couple of times in the first couple of months. Then one day, we ran the generator for an hour or so, charging the batteries. We shut off the generator and left for a beach trip. When we got back a couple of hours later – the fridge wasn’t running. No A/C power. I started debugging, which went on into the evening because we had a fridge full of food. I discovered the inverter had no DC power to it. But there was still no A/C when the generator was running. What? A call to tech support (thank you Tiffin!) and a few debugging checks – and I learned that all the A/C power I care about ran through the inverter, which was unhappy as it had no power. After a little more digging I found this:

In case you don’t recognize it (and I’ve never seen one before), it is a 400 amp fuse. On the right, is the aluminum bar that carries current from the fuse to the inverter switch. The nut that holds this fuse in was not tight. One of these fuses is on the batteries as the main fuse and this one was on the panel next to the batteries where the battery cut-off and Inverter switches are. This one had been cooked: very hot, for a long time. And no – it wasn’t blown. But it was ruined. It was Friday night, 25 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas – so we went to bed with no a/c power (after borrowing a generator to plug the fridge into). The next day we hit every RV store open in Corpus Christi, a truck shop, and called half a dozen other places – no one had ever seen one of these fuses. (there are at least four in your Tiffin RV). At West Marine of all places, I bought an in-line fuse holder and fuse to replace this – and ended up also buying a new Inverter power switch because this fuse connects to the switch via an aluminum bracket – which transferred so much heat to the switch, the terminal melted the plastic that was holding it in place and the switch failed. I consider the switch that failed to be quite inferior to the one I purchased to replace it.

So, why was this fuse getting so hot? It had to be it wasn’t fastened tight in the first place, or there was a resistive connection. The inverter switch was rated 300 amps (500 intermittent) – but the fuse is rated 400. Why? The Magnum Inverter manual specs 250 amp fuse. Why use a fuse style no one carries? (except perhaps the nearest Tiffin dealer 200+ miles away. Why use a fuse style that doesn’t have a rigid contact method? Am I the only one that has had this failure? (No, I wasn’t – there is an NHTSA recall on this.) The holder for this fuse is part of the panel that mounts behind the inverter and battery switches. It is ruined: the entire panel will have to be replaced. I installed an inline fuse with 2/0 cables to replace it because the fuse holder insulation was literally toast. Even the plastic under the bus bar was partially melted. I’m pretty sure this entire panel comes pre-assembled from a supplier. The fuses are probably installed by them. It would probably be a good thing if EVERY electrical connection made by a supplier was quickly checked for tightness by the Tiffin installer. It would add maybe 30 seconds to make sure each of the three fuses on this panel was actually tight.

Finally – no gauges, no useful gauges of power usage. Voltage is a poor way to measure the state of charge on any battery. Nowhere is there any measure of A/C current or voltage on either leg, from the generator, pedestal, or inverter – nothing. Not everyone will understand how to use them, but they can be educated and those who will understand will surely appreciate some measurement tools. I will be installing A/C current gauges on my RV.

An update on this problem and MY solution can be found here.

Common problems

While the cabinetry is made from much higher quality materials, the final assembly could stand to have made use of a ruler and square.   Throughout the unit there were drawer faces not centered and not square (rotated) with respect to the drawers.  The drawer slides were miss-aligned on almost every drawer.  Examples:

When the slide supports start out that crooked, how can we expect the slides and drawers to end up any better? And how hard is it to place a drawer front square and centered on the drawer?

On one of the drawers in the bedroom, the slides are not square with cabinet front – one drawer side would contact the cabinet front while the other was still out.  Drawers in the bedroom don’t line up with each other either.  UPDATE: The main drawers in the bedroom were neither very tall nor anywhere near as deep as they could be. We pulled them out, bought good cabinet plywood, and built boxes that were nearly as tall as the opening and as deep as possible without running into the wiring/equipment mounted behind them. We ended up with 50% more space in the drawers.

The clothes hamper drawer in the bedroom was maybe 2/3rds the size it could have; should have been. There was no reason to make it so small. Our small portable clothes hamper would not fit inside – so it stores a few rolls of toilet paper and paper towels and the hamper lives in the shower most of the time.  

The pantry pullout was too stiff and made inefficient use of space.  I liked that they put three slides on it for support, but after trying to adjust it to work smoothly – we gave up and decided to just remove it.  I saved the drawer face, installed shelving and hidden hinges, and reinstalled the face as a door.  We now have almost twice the usable space

The refrigerator is installed crooked. The bottom left gap is 1”.  The top left gap is minimal.  This is a residential style refrigerator – can’t think of any reason they would do this on purpose.  Can you?  Well, I figured it out.  For a really odd reason, Tiffin was going to install the refrigerator with the hinges on the left side.  But the kitchen is to the left – which meant walking around the door to access the inside – total nonsense.  We asked (at the factory) for them to swap the hinges to the right side.  There is a metal grill at the bottom of the fridge to let in air and a piece of wood at the top.  Both have a notch to make room for the hinges.  In theory….  They never moved the metal grill – so the right hinge is resting on top of the metal grill. They made/switched the wood for the top so it fits around the hinge.  But the result is the refrigerator is tilted forward/left at the top. And now I wonder about airflow since the top is so tightly closed off at the top by the piece of wood.  We’d never install a refrigerator at home with so little ventilation. How much harder is it having to work?

One outside storage door not was adjusted correctly.  The door would move out half an inch when it was closed and locked.  The Red Bay Service guys adjusted this.

The Dash not supported sufficiently.  When we drove, the center of the front part of the dash flexed up and down way more than anyone would expect.  While I had the dash open, I inserted a piece of wood to provide some support (it still needs more!).   Why did I have the dash open?  We wanted to install our GPS and perhaps other options. I needed a better platform than the textured dash.  I decided to remove the flexible plastic panel at the top of the dash and replace it with a nice piece of wood.  That gave us a more rigid platform to attach plates for suction mounts and I could make a hole in it for running wires without making permanent holes in the dash.  After we get all our customizing done – if we don’t like the layout – I can simply make a new board and rearrange.

As many Open Roaders know, the front part of the dash is connected to the fiberglass below the front window with four long sheet metal screws. Into fiberglass. With all the bouncing and buffeting from wind pressure in the engine compartment – those screws pull out of the fiberglass and the dash “flaps”. Bugs blow in along with dirt. The only permanent fix is to replace the screws with long bolts with washers and nuts on the bottom. If you get the right size bolt, you can still use the snap-on bolt covers.

Though we paid to “prewire” for CB, there was no power to CB that I could find when I installed it.  I did eventually find a hot wire and ground that might have been intended for the CB, but I think there should be an ignition/accessory power wire provided instead.  I tapped into the wire provided for the radio for my additional accessories. The CB, once installed, did not work.  A quick check of the SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) showed the antenna was non-functional.  The excess cable had been “folded” pretty tightly and zip-tied up under the dash.  There were plier marks on the insulation probably from pulling the cable.  (Hey guys, this is no way to treat COAX!!!)  I cut off about 3 feet of cable, including the plier-damaged portion, and installed a new connector.  The radio now works, sort of.  Still not a good SWR but at least it gets out.  A completely new cable is probably necessary.   UPDATE: We were never happy with the CB and eventually added a mobile GMRS radio with a short high-gain antenna. We have quality handheld GMRS and mobile in our truck as well – works sooo much better.

Since we hit the road when it was just barely above freezing – it was really obvious that there was some sort of “hole” in the firewall under the dash, straight forward of the brake pedal.  It’s somewhere I can’t see – but there is a blast of cold air that ends up right on the driver’s legs.  Further examination showed against the firewall, beneath the carpet, a gap under the floorboards which could have been the source.  I foamed the area which seemed to have remedied the situation. There is still some concern about the plastic trim on the left side and whether there is still a path for air. Either way, I’m sure the design documents don’t intend for these parts to fit like this.

TV antenna “frisbee” was quite loose.  At 60 mph, it would have eventually shaken itself to pieces.

One Air conditioner cover had a cross-threaded screw sticking out on the cover. No, this isn’t a big deal – the cover wasn’t going to blow off because of it, but it’s another sign of a rushed or careless job.

Some holes where wire or hoses went from inside to outside could have been foamed better.  I’ve seen much worse though.

The doggie window was loose in the wall.  Our dealer caught this during pre-delivery and mounted and sealed the window properly.   I have no idea how this got past the paint people or any other inspection.

Rear closet (back wall) shelf board brackets were not at same height so shelf rocked, a lot. (fixed at service center).

Wood grill above fireplace was installed crooked. (still on my list to fix) 

The Microwave fan appears to have two settings, but really doesn’t.  When you switch, you hear a momentary change but then it just sounds the same.  

The stove burners don’t have a low enough setting for “simmering”.  This seems to be a common problem with this model stove as I found several other identical complaints about this specific Lippert model – perhaps it has something to do with the automatic shutoff hardware and/or just poor design.  The end result is that when even a large pot is left on a burner turned all the way down, it boils too vigorously. UPDATE: we bought an induction burner which we use on the countertop for most cooking.

The bottom shelf in the cabinet over the kitchen sink – was not level.  It was high in back, right corner.  I pulled the shelf board out and the split tubing over the AC wire was above where it should be, plus the back shelf support was split by a screw.  Both were holding the shelf up in one corner.  I repositioned the wiring and reinstalled the shelf support screw (drilled pilot hole) so the shelf had flat-level support and reinstalled the shelf.

There was a long screw started into the underside of the kitchen cabinet – that was never screwed in. Also, note the screw that comes in from the refrigerator area that is a near miss in the support bracket..

There was a six-inch wide, odd-shaped, dead space at the end of the couch.  One could slide in countertops and such, but as far as using the couch – it was a design deficiency.  The couch arms are not flat – so we couldn’t even place a remote control there let alone a cup of coffee.  I measured, designed, built, and installed a small shelf table. Part of the reason for the odd size (wider in front than back) could be the shape of the slide or the fact the couch was bolted down nearly an inch farther out on the left than the right.

The Winegard electronic unit in the overhead cabinet was loose.  Not a big deal, just 30 more seconds by an installer and I wouldn’t have had to bother with it. The overhead cabinets in the driving area have no ventilation. I installed my hotspot next to the Windgard and it got too hot.

The solar pre-install we paid for is almost useless.  The wire is too small for anything except a minimal installation.  It is run to a cabinet (above the driver area) too small for a proper solar controller (and no heat dissipation) and literally as far from the battery as possible. This is nuts.  After having paid for a solar pre-install I won’t be able to use any of it for an actual solar install.  IF, a person just wanted just a solar panel or two, with a small controller and wasn’t worried about efficiency or maximum charging, or overheating controller – it could be used, but that isn’t me.  This coach sucks power and needs 400 or more watts of solar just to keep generator time reasonable.  We intend to boondock as much as possible, so we need a large solar installation.

No DC power was installed to the right overhead cabinet.  It really needs ignition switched AND always on DC power for various accessories – like Dashcam and cellular hotspot (if there was enough ventilation).  Let’s not run everything on 120VAC while we are at it.

Front shade clicked incessantly on highway driving.   The “reset?” switch for shade control was hanging down between the shade and plastic.  I tucked it up out of the way.

Both of the front side shades are installed a couple of inches too far back.  They not only don’t fully cover the side windows, but they do slide down right into the seat belt mechanisms.  This is a hassle when closing and will eventually damage the shades.  We moved both shades forward 2+ inches. Because of how close they then came to the corner plastic, we removed one of the plastic wheels which do not need to be there for daily use. The shades now open and close without interference and lay flat against the windows. I think a little more careful design of this area could make room for the shades to be installed without the wheels dragging and without clashing with the seat belt.

  The Vacuum cleaner hose was disconnected behind the vacuum outlet.  Apparently, the vacuum was tested by opening the door, plugging in the hose, and listening for the motor to come on – not by checking for actual suction.

The rear view camera was aimed too low.  Great for hooking up to tow or backing into a campsite – useless for not pulling over into a semi-trailer truck on the highway.  The bracket was NOT adjustable – no easy way to adjust.  No night vision or infrared LEDs.  This is a terrible camera.  It will be replaced soon.  The monitor isn’t much better – and will also be replaced.  Oh, and all four screws holding the rear camera cover in place were stripped.  You can’t just drive screws into a fiberglass body and hope they hold.  Larger holes with push-in plastic inserts should have been used. UPDATE: We installed a second rear view camera with its own monitor. So the original points down to watch the rear, the second, a much better quality camera) looks out over the towed vehicle. It provides a MUCH better view of traffic for changing lanes. It came with extra cameras – one of which is mounted on the front air conditioner housing, matching the highest point on the RV so we can check obstructions like tree branches on the road.

The wiper blade motor was loose – all four bolts were at least two full turns out.  The day we left, we moved the rig from storage to home to finish loading (it was raining) and the wipers made a terrible noise. The wiper arm also hits the hood bracket if the hood is open when it is operated.  There is one arm that has a bend in it that would have avoided the hood bracket, but it was installed on the opposite (right) side. I tightened the motor, standing in the cold rain, the day we left home. And the right washer hose was also rubbing on the right arm inside. All it needed was a small tie-wrap to keep it out of the way.

So, if your new BMW or Ford F150 came with wiper arms held on by rusty bolts, would you be OK with it? Nope…..

The Generator gas line is loose, has no protective covering, and rubs on metal in various places.  Needed to be protected/restrained/supported properly. 

The generator run time meter on the dash and the runtime meter in the Spyder panel were different by over 100 hours.  They replaced the meter on the dash, so now they still differ, only differently than before…….yep. Apparently, there is no way to set one to match the other.

The bathroom backsplash had a gap under it behind the sink and no caulking.  Customer service guys reset this piece – moving the gap back to the far end where it was much less noticeable and fully caulked the piece.  Which part wasn’t straight? Countertop or backsplash? Don’t yet know.

Some window screens have significant gaps around them.  Still figuring out how to seal them off.  Especially bad are the end windows on the main slide.

The corian counter around stove wasn’t cut all the way through – leaving sharp, jagged edges around the stove opening.  Anyone wiping up around the stove could be cut.

The provided dump hose had a connector only one end; the other was just bare hose end.  (eventually, I found the other end in a different storage bay.) Fortunately, I had purchased a full dump hose set (two hoses, 90-degree end) before I first needed to dump.  It wasn’t until I hit a camp with a fairly distant connection and was considering using both hoses that I discovered the Tiffin-provided hose was useless (no, I won’t duct tape sewer connections).    

The Dinette drawers are impossible to operate when someone sitting in the dinette.  The vinyl is pulled around the curved seat side and stapled underneath. The excess vinyl cloth is allowed to “pleat” and the pleats drag on the drawer – which is amplified when someone is sitting on the dinette.  I’ll have to cut the pleats out and maybe lower the slides a bit.  Also – the drawer “handle” is an opening on the bottom of the drawer at the floor. As most of these class A’s are probably purchased by the “retired crowd”, like us, bending over all the way to the floor, reaching under the drawer, and having to pull sideways on a resisting drawer – is no fun! How about a recessed handle higher up and no drag?

I found two loose wire crimps. One in the engine compartment (left turn camera signal) and one on the HDMI box in the closet.  Considering the multitude of wiring problems I’ve seen with Forest River, the Tiffin has been a dream.  Neither fell apart, but both came apart with the slightest tug.

Microwave has two wimpy 20-watt incandescent bulbs for counter light.  Due to the placement of task lights, having more light directly under the microwave is important.  These we replaced with two 35W equivalent LED bulbs that made a significant improvement.  I also replaced the microwave inside light.  It was also a 20-watt incandescent but the cover said to replace it with a 30-watt bulb – another cheap-out by appliance manufacturers.  It too was replaced by an equivalent LED which is much brighter and uses less power. UPDATE: we command-stripped a small light panel under the microwave that supplies way more light to the cooking area.

The rear side of the bedroom slide had screws that were not fully tightened or sealed.  This was corrected at the Red Bay service facility.  As has every slide on any RV I’ve seen or worked on – the slide corner rubber seals could be better sealed against invading insects.  

There are several places where hard surfaces were screwed into cabinets with counter-sunk screws – but the surface was not countersunk – leaving the screw heads to extend out more than they should have.  The panel on the front of the raised platform under the toilet, and the screws holding the frame on which the over-cab bed sits is another example. Several of those screws had not been driven all the way in either.  

The toilet is held on by two bolts into the toilet mount.  On both of the bolts – some sort of washer or spacer had been left out. The nuts jam down unevenly into plastic pieces designed to hold a spacer, not have a nut land crookedly on them.  This is sloppy and will eventually come loose if not corrected.

There was no 12V DC installed in the bedroom.  Only AC and USB.  CPAP operates much more efficiently turning 12V into 24, than running an inverter to take 12 volts, turn it into 120, then turn it back into 24V.  (and there are those nights when your inverter is broken). So I prefer 12V for my CPAP. People may have other chargers/adapters that run off 12V they want to keep by their bed as well.

The cup holders in the center console are useless.  They do not have the clearance most travel cups require and are simply too long a reach to be comfortable.  I’ve seen plans for a Tiffin-specific cabinet/drawer in the Tiffin Facebook group, with cup holders I’m seriously thinking about building.  On the same tact, USB ports on either side of the cockpit (where we have phone holders installed) instead of just in the middle make for much easier charging of phones.  That is on my “to-do list” as well. Update: We did remove the doghouse, added some sound insulation, and built a wood cabinet with drawer and cup holders.

We have two “bumps” under our floor tile. Just annoying so long as something doesn’t work its way up through the tile.

The wallpaper in the bathroom has started to peel.  We can press it back down but I expect it will eventually have to be glued down.  

A month and a half out – we were parked for a week with water hookups.  I noticed on a couple of days, a bit of a wet spot under the water bay. It was the same place my two hoses connected, so I figured the water hose connections were weeping. I tightened everything and figured that was the end of it.  BUT, when we went to leave and I disconnected the water feed and the pump was turned on – it went tick, tick, tick – every 10 seconds or so.  It turns out there are four connections that could be hand-tightened on the water pump and ALL FOUR were loose. One was leaking into the water bay where it would eventually drip onto the ground

No electronic door lock was an option.  We’ve looked.  And looked. We loved keypad locks on our other rigs.  One of the first things we did with the 32SA was purchase an extra set of keys and hide them in our tow vehicle. On the other hand, at a campsite, we were approached by a couple with a different brand Class A, that had locked themselves out. They wanted to try our keys to see if they would open their door – and they did. I truly do NOT understand selling $100k+ homes to people with trivial locking systems. Is there at least an option for a unique lock replacement? UPDATE: RVIlock FINALLY came out with an electronic door lock that works with Tiffin Open Road gas models. It is a little touchy to get installed right, but works great. UPDATE UPDATE – the first lock they sent me went bad. So did the second lock they sent me. The third lock had been completely re-designed and now has worked for nearly a year.

The screen door does not have an inside handle for opening the door.  Having to push the slide over, open the door, and then push the slide back is a pain.  From what I’ve seen, this is a trend in the industry. Another one that Tiffin shouldn’t be following.

Random fuses hanging everywhere.  I like that Tiffin labels most of their wires but finding and figuring out all the random fuses could someday be a real problem.  

We were constantly told we would not need a steering stabilizer.  Yes, we did.

In the engine compartment there are 2-inch flexible hoses that leave the heating/air conditioning box on the right – go near the defrost ducts where they hit a Y-connector.  One side of the Y goes to the defroster duct (there are two).  And the other side of the Y goes BACK to the heater/air conditioner box.  WHY?  These hoses are much too long and by the way, un-insulated as far as I can tell.  It is a huge front window; it probably needs all the defrosting heat it can get. Shorter, insulated hoses are in order and figure out why the “Y” at the defrost ducts…..

The furnace duct that comes out under the fireplace isn’t connected.  It just sits behind the wood grill.

This is one of the screws that hold the furnace return air grill that mounts under the refrigerator. Normally there are nice little wooden plugs that go into these holes that sometimes stay in. When they come out – they pull bits of wood with them, making for a mess on the cabinet face. Wood plugs are really designed to hide screws that almost never need to come out. Some nice brass screws with beveled brass washers would look so much better. This panel has to come off at times so it’s not like it can be installed and left forever.

Ok, so yes this is picky. The toilet seat is installed way crooked. How hard can it be? Well, we usually (and did this time too) install a new padded seat anyway – are a real pain by the way, with the minimal clearance behind the toilet.

Also in the bathroom – the mirror opposite the toilet is “in the wrong place”. Hair drying is much better handled with the mirror between the medicine cabinet and the window (where mine is now installed). When we pulled the mirror off the wall, there was a VERY HARD epoxy-like glue, but also a very gooey, white substance that never hardened. I’m not sure what you are using to install mirrors, but half of it is overkill and the other half is just a gooey mess. We used four brass screws with washers to re-install the mirror – which could have been used on the original installation.

So, we love the countertops and back splashes. But this is right by the door behind the counter. It’s just one example of many where these pieces were left really crooked. Note the bottom is nice and straight. This isn’t just us, several people who have toured our RV noticed this. Nice materials, sloppy work. UPDATE: We tossed the backsplash – all 60 or 70 pounds of it. Not because of some crooked tiles, but because the opening was so small, that much of the window couldn’t be seen through. I built a lightweight wooden frame with a much larger opening to replace it.

And the shower leaks in the forward corner. Just a little. It took us a while to notice. There looks to be caulking there, but it isn’t totally sealing. Simple fix of course.

To sum it all up. We still love our Tiffin. We plan to keep it for a long, long time. That also means that we want it to work for us and most of these little things will get corrected with time. We are not back home and will start the process of seeing what we can get done by our dealer under warranty before we leave on the next trip.

gryphon1123@comcast.net, rendrag007@gmail.com, johnrgardner@gmail.com, MaryKGardner@protonmail.com, HoosierGardner@Gmail.com, gardnermtn@gmail.com