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Old 12-25-2012, 09:50 PM   #1
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2012 Jayco Seneca Questions - Freightliner M2 Chassis

Hello everyone -

I am about to purchase a 2012 Jayco Seneca 37FS (used from an out of town private seller) and have a few questions that I can't seem to find very good answers for. I have rented several RV's before (mostly diesel pushers) but have never owned so this will be my first RV. Just so you know my situation, I will mostly be traveling with the wife and three kids (4, 2 and infant - thus the bunkbed floorplan). We believe we will eventually tow a vehicle and spend lots of time in the mountains so that is why we want the diesel Super C instead of a Ford V10 model.

Here are some questions I'd love to know the answers to...

1. How many seat belts are there? We need to buckle in three car seats and would like to have room for at least another three or four adults.

2. It appears that the little barrell chair behind the passenger seat has a seat belt. Does that chair swivel and is it bolted to the chassis? Is it possible to remove that chair to instead have a euro recliner that can be easily moved to a better position to see the television in the evenings?

3. It looks like there is a fuel fill cap on each side of the coach. Can I fill from either side or do I have to fill both tanks seperately? If both tanks fill seperately, is there a tank selector switch somewhere in the cab? How about a fuel guage for each tank? Also, this has the Diesel Exhaust Fluid reservoir on the driver's side. Does anyone have any real world experience with this fluid and it's availability at camp grounds and fuel stations? The literature says it helps the engine be 5% more efficient, but then you have to add 2% of this fluid to every gallon of gas you burn and it is about three times the cost of a gallon of fuel. It doesn't seem like it will save me any money but I would love to hear real world MPG reports from owners. (I've read that the Kodiak chassis averaged ~9 mpg, but can't find good data on the new freightliner chassis).

4. The 37FS has the main television in the cabover bunk and includes the minimax in-motion satellite. However, it appears as though that TV will be disabled during vehicle operation even though it would not be in the driver's view. Is this correct? The in-motion satellite with DirectTV was a huge reason for picking this coach as our kids will pass the time much better with DVR content and live TV to watch. Can someone clarify how this system works and advise if there is an easy way to defeat the lock-out so that we can watch TV while traveling? Also, will the satellite feed the bunk bed screens? Finally, do I just install the receiver somewhere centrally and select that output on whatever TV we are watching?

5. The wheels on the 2012 are 19.5" and look really small for the chassis. I noticed that on the 2013 model they have been upgraded to 22.5" which look much nicer. Does anyone know why there was a change? Is there any safety issue while running the smaller wheels? If I choose to later, could I upgrade to the larger wheels without affecting the speedometer?

6. I was surprised that there is no air suspension or air brakes. I would have expected both and noticed that the 2013 model at least has air brakes. It seems like air would be a more comfortable ride and be a safer braking system and since they put it on the next model year, I'm wondering if there are safety concerns for the 2012's running hydraulic brakes?

7. Finally, what transmission is in the unit? I've seen posts that it is the Allison 2500MH but can find nothing on the Jayco website or brochure confirming that. With the engine brake engaged, is there plenty of resistance to keep the motorhome under control?

Thanks so much! We are looking forward to a great experience and lots of miles in the rig. I just want to confirm these few things before proceeding with the transaction.
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Old 12-26-2012, 07:08 AM   #2
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Hello, Brian.

The link below, to the 2012 Seneca Owners Manual, may help answer some of your question.

https://rapidshare.com/files/3842328...ers_Manual.pdf
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Old 12-26-2012, 07:32 AM   #3
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In "my humble opinion", if you are buying this unit out of town without first seeing and driving it or one similar you are making a mistake not because of quality but because of it's size, unless you have driven larger vehicles.

I can answer a couple of your questions however:

The chair you want to remove does swivel and also has one of the seatbelts you want for passengers. if you replace it with a Euro you loose the seat belt.

The TV can be fixed to function while in motion, if you buy it contact me by PM.

I think you may have mis read the info for the 2013, it has air suspension, but unless they just changed, it still uses hydraulic brakes.

DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) is readily available in bulk (pump) at most of the truck stops, but just about all now have it in gallon bottles.

I'm sure the SAT can be fixed to feed both TV's, it was easy to do on our 2008 SENECA.

The engine brake should do an outstanding job, on our Duramax (1000 trans) somtimes it seems to be too aggressive because as the engine slows it will also downshift.

I think the tire switch was probably due to the fact that JAYCO dropped the EMBARK and the SENECA now resembles that coach much closer with the larger tires.

If you buy it "HAPPY MOTORHOMING".
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Old 12-27-2012, 09:04 PM   #4
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Thank you for the replies!

Grumpy - thanks for the words of caution. I do have plenty of experience with large vehicles and am fine with the size. PM is forthcoming...

Even after reviewing the appropriate sections of the manual, some of my questions above are still unanswered. However, I decided that none of them were deal breakers anyway (except the seat belts which I verified at 9 - four in the dinette, two on the couch, one in the barrell chair and two up front). So, I purchased the unit and will pick it up in a couple of weeks!

I'm very excited and have a 2500 mile trip just to get it home so I hope to have everything figured out by then!
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Old 12-28-2012, 01:29 AM   #5
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Welcome to the forum, brianmac. I cannot answer your questions but I can wish you good luck with your new unit.
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Old 01-10-2013, 08:49 PM   #6
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Brianmac,
We are also considering the 2012/13 Seneca and have (still have some of the same questions as you). The local dealer here in Indianapolis said the 2012 models stopped using the 19.5" wheels half-way through the model year and moved to 22.5" and air suspension.

We are open to used, but may consider new too.

Did you figure out the SAT hook up and how to enable the TV while in motion?
Couple other questions:
1. is there a propane hook-up on the drivers (door) side of the coach? We want to create an outdoor camping kitchen area, and this would be nice.
2. Do the auto steps stay out when you are parked? Is there a switch for this?

Thanks! It is nice to find an area where we can exchange information.

-scott
p.s. we are looking at the 36FK model and have wife, and 16 and 13 year old. Looking to take friends on longer trips with us, so we are upgrading from an outback 301BQ to a class C.
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Old 01-12-2013, 12:33 AM   #7
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Hi Scott -

I'd love to answer your questions but I have not picked up my coach yet. I am headed across the country next week to pick it up and enjoy a 2500 mile trip home. Once I get back, I will gladly give you all the details! By the way, the DW and I are both from Central Indiana and miss our Hoosier friends. Good luck in your purchase!

I would like to know if anyone else has upgraded from the 19.5" wheels to the 22.5" wheels. It looks like the 19's only have eight lugs vs. the ten found on 22's so I'm not sure how easy an upgrade it will be.

Brian
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Old 01-12-2013, 09:37 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flexdog1 View Post
Brianmac,
We are also considering the 2012/13 Seneca and have (still have some of the same questions as you). The local dealer here in Indianapolis said the 2012 models stopped using the 19.5" wheels half-way through the model year and moved to 22.5" and air suspension.

We are open to used, but may consider new too.

Did you figure out the SAT hook up and how to enable the TV while in motion?

you have to clip the power off wire to the power outlet and use a dvd player connected directly to the tv

Couple other questions:
1. is there a propane hook-up on the drivers (door) side of the coach? We want to create an outdoor camping kitchen area, and this would be nice.

propane on passenger side on my 2012 FS

2. Do the auto steps stay out when you are parked? Is there a switch for this? yes yes

Thanks! It is nice to find an area where we can exchange information.

-scott
p.s. we are looking at the 36FK model and have wife, and 16 and 13 year old. Looking to take friends on longer trips with us, so we are upgrading from an outback 301BQ to a class C.
answered above
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Old 01-16-2015, 08:52 AM   #9
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We have the 2014 Seneca 37 TS. It has at least two seat belts on each couch and if the one your looking at has the booth style dinning table it too should have two seat belts on each seat. The TV in our 14 can be watched while in motion.
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