How to Improve Jayco Precepts

[sjarr]

All wanted to share some thoughts on what Jayco could do to improve the Jayco Precepts. Please share your thoughts for improving the Precepts.

MUST HAVES
* Provide easy/quick access to slide motors to enable manually extend/retract (i.e. do not hide behind sidewall, under furniture or inhibit access to exterior access panels)
* Sound insulation around engine bay/doghouse
* ½” carpet padding in cockpit
* Redesign rear cabinet so it can be accessed/opened when rear slide is in (e.g. raise cabinets/shorten doors so they are just above read mattress)



NICE TO HAVE
* Move remote control for on demand hot water heater to inside the bathroom, instead of the rear bedroom
* Move the tank heater switch to the main control panel in hallway
* Use same solid surface counter top from kitchen in the bathroom and bedroom
* LP quick connect for external grill
* Large LP tank – 25 gal. (16g is too small)
* Sound bars for TVs – or tie into JBL speakers
* Insulate all exterior water lines & tanks
* Low profile AC units
* Dead bolt – no way to lock coach from inside that cannot be overridden by single bolt electronic lock

[mowdoc]

This is gonna get good - - -

I have a 2015 35UN Precept so I will be speaking of it only, not sure about yours and other models.

My water heater remote IS in the bathroom right below the light switch.
My bath does have the same counter top as kitchen.
I do not have quick connect for BBQ but 2016 do have and Jayco will send, sell you the kit for older units.
I will agree a larger LP tank would be nice.
My TV will play thru the overhead speakers and sounds great. You do have to learn how to make this happen but then it is very easy to do.
Why insulate water lines? They would freeze anyway unless you winterize and then insulation is not necessary. Insulated water lines would be much more difficult to work on so I think bare lines are best IMHO.
Even with the Coleman Mach 3 A/C units, my rig is a foot lower than my toy hauler was and I never had clearance issues with it.
My door does have a dead bolt lock that works great.
Padded carpet does not work in vehicles. It would only cause the carpet to wrinkle up with use.
The doors on my rear wardrobe will open fine and clear the bed, even when slides are in.

I do fully agree that sound suppression in the dog house could be better - much better. Jayco NEEDS to take a look at that problem for sure.

I don't want to come off as a smarty pants but are you sure your rig does not say ACE on it?? My Jayco does not sound anything like your RV does???

[sjarr]

Definitely did not buy an ACE. Wish we had bought a Newmar - much better build quality.

Insulating the water lines, especially those outside the coach (which is a mistake in and of itself), is so the coach can be used in colder weather. This is definitely not a 4 season coach, but it could be.

We ran into several occasions on our trip outwest where another couple inches of clearance would have been greatly appreciated.

Padded carpet is to help reduce the road/engine noise. It can be stapled and glued down, just like the current small/thin pad, to avoid bunching up.

You are correct the 2015 does use the same countertop throughout the coach. In 2016 Jayco took a step backward and used cheap counter materials for the bedroom, bathroom and event the table. Not a good design choice.

You are correct the 2015 and 2014 do have a nice lock. The 2016 now has a keyless entry pad (cool) but the deadbolt which can only be locked/unlocked from the inside is gone. Now there is just one lock with a rather small/thin bolt. Not a good design choice.

You are correct the 2015 model wardrobe door do clear the bed even when the slide are in. In the 2016 29UR they no longer clear the bed. Not a good design decision.

Agreed Jayco's choice to go cheap on these items make it sound and feel more like an ACE - all to presumably save a couple of dollars....

[Rider99]

Good points. Sad to hear my '16 got cheap on the bathroom counter. I will add a few more improvements. Mark the location of the satellite prewire on the roof and install a solar prewire. Every class a Jayco that rolls off the assembly line should have a front and rear trac bar and quality steering stabilizer. Centramatics would be a nice option. The driver should have the ability to manually select gears with a rocker switch such as pick up trucks. The transmission should use every gear when downshifting. Or scrap the entire chassis and create one that makes owners safer and actually happy that can be called a motorhome chassis. Then throw away the JRide sticker. As for as I can determine JRide consists of a extra rear sway bar. The front bumpers and shocks Ford installs on all chassis. Then discontinue the practice of printing brochures that do not reflect the year model because some are built on older chassis. Make all customers aware of exactly what they are buying. Stop the buyer beware mentality. But I must add I am satisfied with Jayco products overall and their customer service shines brightly.

[Malu]

Tomorrow our 31UL heads to the dealer to remove the awful on demand water heater replacing it with a 6 gal tank (no room for a 10 gal). Not cheap, but I am soooo tired of heating water in the tea kettle mixing it in a bucket with ice water from the on the demand failure to wash my hair and such while standing in a shower that otherwise delivers a brief scalding but mostly ice water. A shower with a constant temp should be the standard not a hope in a 90k plus motorhome!
Unfortunately this money was originally set aside to improve the nightmarish white knuckle drive the nasty FORD chassis delivers. Just what does a J ride do? Certainly nothing to tame the bob, weave, and wander!
Sorry, but steady warm water for a shower and basic road manners should be standard.

[sjarr]

Our friends have the same/similar problem with the older on demand water heater (Girad). Their trick was that it only really worked when connected to city water, i.e. the water pump just does not create enough water flow to allow the girard on demand water heater to work properly.

The 2016 Precept switched to at Atwood on demand water heater. Only tried it once with the water pump and it seemed to keep a steady and constant flow of hot water.

[Tunce the traveler]

For the dog house and the floor you can reduce the noise transmission by installing a product called "Dynamat sound deadening ". Just Google it and it comes right up.

[mowdoc]

Yep, I know all about Dynamat. Please tell us how to remove dog house so Dynamat can be applied!!

Sure, the carpet could be taken up and floor - dog house covered and then install carpet back but you still can't get the top of dog house covered unless dash is removed too.

That's why I mentioned Jayco should be lining the dog house at factory with both an insulation and sound suppression covering.

[sjarr]

Thanks there are several products research seems to indicate one can use to quiet the road and engine noise. Best I can tell the no holds bar approach is to do the following...

Undercarriage
* Spray wheel wells and any metal surface under the coach with Lizard Skin Sound Control or similar sound deadening undercoating (spectrum, etc.)

* Cockpit soundproofing
- Pull up factory isntalled carpet & carpet pad in cockpit area
- Install a mass loaded vinyl/rubber damper (dynamat, hushmat, quiet barrier, damplifier pro, roadkill, etc.) - this reduces vibrations and engine noise - basically structural noise, low frequencies
- Install a sound absorber for airborne noises (dynapad, luxury liner pro, h-liner, vcomp, etc.)
- Install new thicker carpet - stainmaster, etc.


Links
Affordable Auto Sound Deadening Materials | Order Online – B-Quiet
Acoustic Panels, Sound Deadening, Soundproofing Materials for Home and Work - Soundproof Cow
Dynamat.com | Dynamat Sound Damping | Thermal Solutions
Vehicle Sound Deadening Materials for Noise Reduction, and Thermal Insulation. Call 800 679-8511. | Second Skin Audio, Made in the USA.


Costs are $500-$1000 for this approach. Would love to hear from someone who has actually done it. How many dbs did you reduce the sound by?

Currently our 2016 precept has around 72-74dbs going down a smooth highway at 60mph. A newmar has a sound level of around 60-62db - very much quieter.

[mowdoc]

Yes but explain how to pull up and replace carpet just across the top of dog house much less the rest of the cockpit. Once you have done this tell us how you will spray the underside of the dog house and engine compartment with undercoating.

This is my point, there are many ways to get the sound/heat controlled IF, and that is a capital IF, you can access the parts. Getting to these items is the challenge, not the actual work. Something that would be simple at factory during construction becomes almost impossible once the rig is built.

Prolly should have got the Newmar huh? 10 db is huge.

Now here is one thing I have done that did make a big difference in cabin sound. I braced the dash to stop it from bouncing around and that really helped by volumes! My 35UN had noise in window over door. The door itself was not tight either. The dealer replaced window seal and door hinge then I braced the dash and my rig is much, much quieter now. Just cruising, it is as quiet as the wife's 2014 Mustang or quieter. Climbing hills in 3rd gear is still very loud however. Not worth the price of a Newmar to me though for a 10 db reduction.

[sjarr]

No argument hear, 100% this all should be done by Jayco.

Will send pictures when I complete the job. The carpet is simply stapled down and glued in a couple of places.

Spraying the underside of the doghouse is nearly impossible, so next best option is to apply the 2 layers discussed above directly above the doghouse attaching them to the wood subfloor of the coach. The 'experts' say this will make a huge difference.

We will see - all worth trying.

PS> Yes given another shot would have purchased a newmar all day long. Live and learn.

[cathy.welles]

hi..what does it mean to brace the dash and how do you do this?
thanks
cathy

[mowdoc]

Cathy,

Remove wood looking center dash piece the radio is in. Only 4 screws hold it in place. Gently pull this part back out of the dash while watching A/C hoses and wires. Once you can get your arm inside this space look with flashlight to see a wood brace running about 2 inches under plastic dash top.

Go to Lowes and buy two LARGE rubber door stop wedges and some Gorilla glue gel.

Spread the glue all ove top of a wedge and jam it between dash and wood brace. Hold until the glue sets. Do this two places as far apart as you can reach.

You will amazed how much quieter your RV rides without the dash bouncing around!

[norty1]

Genius solution! Thanks for asking Cathy.

[House of Harview]

Originally Posted by norty1

Genius solution! Thanks for asking Cathy.

You bet, talk about thinking outside the box. I'm impressed!

[Vicr]

Don't forget a hardwired surge suppressor!

[Jeff k]

I have that annoying creaking in the window over the main door also - drives me nuts. Happens intermittantly. I removed the window and added a rubber gasket around the edge and made sure i thought that there was no rubbing point around the frame - but still i get that creaking noise sometimes.

How did you finally fix this creaking from the window over the door?

And more specifically how did you brace the dashboard to keep it from moving and making noise?

[mowdoc]

My dealer removed the high window and put something in the gasket. I do no know what this substance was but it worked. I believe Jayco has given dealers the solution they use for this window so you could ask your dealer or just call Jayco yourself to find out what is being used.

As far as the dash fix - - why don't you look 5 posts above this one??

[sjarr]

Morning all, I have not had the squeaky window problem - but I did/do have the squeaky door problem. The door jam/lock plate typically rubs against the door bolts (metal barrells that extend from locking mechanism). Usually every trip I have to adjust the lock plate up/down so they do not rub.

Have not fixed the shaky dashboard yet - see fix posted above.

Good luck.

[cathy.welles]

I need some input
Signed papers on May 31 to purchase
set up pick up day June 16
Walk thru at 10am revealed Ford cab a.c. not working. ..refrigerator not cold...generator needed a new starter
Today is June 22nd am and still no word on progress
called once
wrote an email to rv Albany
no response
I'm very annoyed
my husband says this can happen and is not upset
what are your reactions and what steps should we take now?
Feedback is very welcome