Jayco Precept (or Alante) - Would you buy it again?

[Jopopsy]

Hey Gang,

An opportunity has come up that I am entertaining; how serious remains to be seen.

Simple question for you: Would you buy another Jayco Class 'A' given your experiences with what you currently have? Or would you move on to another manufacturer?

I've been on this forum a long time; I've read some people get gems and some people get rolling problem boxes. I've had multiple Class 'C' units; I did feel the quality pre-Thor was better.

What say you guys?

[Big1]

I just bought the Precept 36C class A but I haven't had it long enough to comment on it but I will be keeping the watch on this thread.

[Jopopsy]

I expected more feedback here. Is the Class 'A' community tiny on the JOF?

[MRichaud]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

I expected more feedback here. Is the Class 'A' community tiny on the JOF?

Well, while we've had some issues with our '20 Precept, we came from owning a Thor ACE, so it was a bit of a move up. Even with the issues we've had, Jayco and Equalizer were very responsive and helpful with resolving. Given our budget and expectations, we're satisfied. For the price point, the Jayco seems to be at least equal to other makes. Would we like a nicer one? Sure! But are we willing to put out the money to acquire it? Not really, considering how much we'll be using it and for how long.

[Foretm]

I have the Entegra Vision (Jayco Alante) 31V, bought it new in December of 2018. I had a couple minor issues handled by the dealer and Jayco has been fair with me when needing support/warranty work. I have not had any major problems, and what problems I have had i've dealt with myself. I love my unit, i wish the suspension was a bit better from the factory, but i just dealt with it after the sale. I personally like the 30amp coach with the energy management system, but some prefer the 50amp. I would buy another one if need be...

[Boiler01]

I have an entegra vision 29f (alante) and like 95% of it. I too added several suspension updates to get it where I was comfortable driving 60- 65mph with traffic around. That said, I have been having generator shut off issues that over the past year and a half of doing various possible fixes it has improved but I still can't run the generator for long while the engine is idling in 90+ degree heat (which is when I use mine most). It quickly becomes very uncomfortable for passengers at that point. I personally think it is due to the location of the genny to the engine compartment. It doesn't help that my dealer doesn't care about anything and I have to drive 3.5 hours to get to the next closest one (haven't done it yet). All else is not bad...minor things I take care of myself.

[Foretm]

Originally Posted by Boiler01

That said, I have been having generator shut off issues that over the past year and a half of doing various possible fixes it has improved but I still can't run the generator for long while the engine is idling in 90+ degree heat (which is when I use mine most).

I had the same problem with my 31v. I had it in to Onan and they completely redid the exhaust and some other stuff, but said they never could get it to fail. Mine would run no issue when going down the road, but if I stop in traffic it would shutdown. I also think it has to do with the proximity to the engine and the hot air coming off of it. I put in a vent to allow the generator to pull cool air from outside and haven't had the issue since.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ml#post1031223

[Boiler01]

Yeah, I appreciate your posts on the topic (have seen them over the past year or so since I have been trying to resolve this for my rig). Mine is the 5500 which draws from underneath. Entegra won't send me (or even sell) the plenum they have to pull air from the side and I have been told to take the rig in so the dealer can confirm before they will put it on and also won't sell it to me (my local dealer had the rig for 6 months and wouldn't do anything even after I insisted and the next dealer which told me the same thing over the phone is 3.5hrs away). My local dealer didn't even fix the minor butt list items I had from warranty in that time either, so I did them myself. Aside from the poor design of generator placement, dealer issues for warranty and the chassis improvements I did after driving it home (for my own peace of mind), I haven't had any other significant complaints about the rig. So, no issues buying another jayco but rig, however I have added a few more items to my checklist for ensuring I get the right rig.

[Ryan B]

Originally Posted by Boiler01

I have an entegra vision 29f (alante) and like 95% of it. I too added several suspension updates to get it where I was comfortable driving 60- 65mph with traffic around. That said, I have been having generator shut off issues that over the past year and a half of doing various possible fixes it has improved but I still can't run the generator for long while the engine is idling in 90+ degree heat (which is when I use mine most). It quickly becomes very uncomfortable for passengers at that point. I personally think it is due to the location of the genny to the engine compartment. It doesn't help that my dealer doesn't care about anything and I have to drive 3.5 hours to get to the next closest one (haven't done it yet). All else is not bad...minor things I take care of myself.

I have the same problem with my generator on my Alante 29F. It is a great rig, but do have issues with keeping the generator running while on the road. Which is essential in Southern California during the summer. Other than the generator issues, I think it is a great motorhome.

[Alante31V]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

Hey Gang,

An opportunity has come up that I am entertaining; how serious remains to be seen.

Simple question for you: Would you buy another Jayco Class 'A' given your experiences with what you currently have? Or would you move on to another manufacturer?

I've been on this forum a long time; I've read some people get gems and some people get rolling problem boxes. I've had multiple Class 'C' units; I did feel the quality pre-Thor was better.

What say you guys?

Well, maybe would have looked at a Super C or DP Class A but would have delayed purchasing until we retired. $$$.

We bought our 2021 31V and have put over 6,000 miles on so far just part timing. We like the layout.

[Onyrlef]

I'd just make a list of the problems which seem to be chronic with Jayco class A's (upholstery, suspension, gen. overheating and shutdown issues, etc.) and know that it's likely going to require another 10k or so to remediate those problems either now or down the road and shop. Compare apples to apples and know you're not going to pay 165k for a gas burner Class A and it perform like a 350k DP.

[Jopopsy]

I decided to forgo the Precept for a variety of reasons. I appreciate the participation in this thread, thank you all for your comments.

[Captain Chance]

Yes. We had a 2021 Alante and loved it but wanted more so we just upgraded to the 2022 Precept 31UL. Here's a video showing our experience:

https://youtu.be/OjyTqqQfJDU