21 Greyhawk Prestige 29MVP GONE!

[Keith955]

So after a year of camping and 10k miles I've traded my 2021 Greyhawk Prestige 29MVP Covid Edition. While it's been a good motorhome in a lot of ways (the Godzilla V8/6speed has been flawless and much better than the V10) I thought I would share some of what I see as design flaws and things I just didn't like before I unsubscribe from the forum. You may or may not agree but it might help someone that's considering purchasing this motorhome. I've been RVing for 25 years and the Jayco was my 7th RV.

The power management system constantly turns off the refrigerator in the summer when you run both air conditioners and also burned up a shore power surge protector plug. You still can't run both air conditioners and any other device. It turns off the refrigerator instead of one of the air conditioners. One 11k air conditioner can't cool the coach because the coach is so poorly sealed from the outside. The single 15k air conditioner that comes on the standard Greyhawk would be a much better option.

The defective hydraulic leveler system bracket underneath the motorhome has been replaced on recall for literally years. I found out it was defective and about to fail 1000 miles from home. It was flexing enough to break the ground wire. After the recall was complete a loose bolt worked it's way up through the linoleum.

The hydraulic leveler system fluid check and fill are underneath the motorhome. You literally have to crawl under the motorhome to service the system and it's not protected in any way from road grime.

The rear storage compartment doors are not restrained and swing into body.

The outside TV compartment door interferes with the kitchen window. Both can't be open at the same time.

The entry door glass hits awning arm when awning is out. I had to protect the glass with a section of swim noodle on the awning.

The entry door privacy shade requires opening the door and unlatching the screen to access.

The entry door restraint is just a small cheap hydraulic assist cylinder. It's connected to the motorhome with one small bolt.

The rain gutters dump the water right on the cab access.

The plastic exterior storage compartment bottoms permanently sag/deform with minimal weight.

The outside compartments weather seal is cheap self adhesive DYI foam strips.

There are oversized holes in rear driver's side storage compartment for the low point drain handles located directly behind the rear tires. Spray from wet roads goes straight into the compartment.

The large rear bedroom window can't be used for ventilation. It's an escape hatch only. The window manufacturer refused to sell me the parts to convert it to a functioning window.

There is no bedroom ventilation with the slide in. There are just two tiny windows when the slide is out. The second air conditioner that came with the Prestige package eliminates the bedroom ceiling vent.

Access to the water heater bypass valve handles is behind a metal grill screwed into the partical board cabinet facia. The size of the hole and the grill limit your options for relocating the screws when they inevitably strip out.

The heater duct just inside shower drain access panel obstructs access to the shower drain.

There is no floor in the under-bed storage. It opens directly into rear exterior storage compartment.

The storage under the dinette seats is obstructed by flex conduit and the seat belts and brackets on the floor.

The bed slide design is a joke. 1x2 wood stiffeners slide on plastic strips. Screws in the plastic strips shave the wood every time the slide is operated.

I found and relocated two 110v wires in the bed hinge pinch point. They were pinched by raising the bed and nearly broken when discovered.

The bed plywood base isn't centered in the slideout and is smaller than the mattress causing unsupported side to sag.

The dinette table is too wide for adults to sit comfortably. I had to have a much narrower table top made.

The dinette 110v and USB plug-ins are under the table in the leg space.

The dinette booth cushion foam is I way too soft and quickly deforms.

The theater seat platform is too short and doesn't support recliner front legs.

The glue used under the floor bleeds through and spots the linoleum. The linoleum had to be replaced under warranty.

The sewage discharge connection is at odd angle and too low. It requires a 45° adapter to use. A 90° adapter has the hose pointing up and it's too low for no adapter.

The inside entry steps/battery compartment has gaps to outside. You can see daylight.

The slide bottom seals don't seal. You can see daylight.

There are large bundles of extra wire taped and rolled up under the motorhome. Jayco must waste thousands of dollars on miles of unnecessary wires.

The leveler software/logic makes no sense. The system is completely calibrated to a carpenter's level placed on the motorhome floor. The process begins, just after grounding the pads, before any leveling occurs, by raising the rear. Then it goes through its sensing and leveling and depending on the campsite, massively raising the front wheels. Often times the fronts are off the ground only because it initially raised the rear. When this occurs you have to retract the struts and drive up on boards then restart the process. If the system didn't raise the rears to begin with, raising the front so much wouldn't be required.

The E450 trim level is work truck and not Prestige. The Jayco add ons to the cab interior are disappointing.

The E450 turning radius is huge and complicates low speed maneuvers.

And finally, the outside rear view mirrors wiggle and shake going down the road. When I called the mirror manufacturer to inquire about tightening them their technician was extremely rude and unhelpful.

Cheers and adios Jayco and the Jayco Forum.

[mini4mw]

Good points and agree with most. The roof drains pouring out over the cab doors makes for a good shower if you get out while its raining.

In this price range, isn't most of this common though?

[Jopopsy]

Common depends on the manufacturer. Common to Jayco - yes. Forest River has their own quirks as does Winnebago. Though admittedly my Winnie gripes are more choice of materials rather than execution of design.

I’ve had 2 MVs over years - his observations are very similar to my own.

[Keith955]

The items I listed in the original post are only my observations from using this particular class c motorhome for one year.

Your results may vary.

Some are common for the price point maybe, and some aren't. None of them should be IMHO.

I hoped my observations might help someone browsing the forum interested in buying a 21 Greyhawk 29MVP. Most are things someone wouldn't notice walking around a dealer's lot. That's all.

Would I buy a 2021 Greyhawk Prestige 29MVP again? I would not. Would I buy another Jayco product? (This was my second Jayco) I highly doubt that I will.

Happy camping.

[Travel]

Keith,

We have a 2021 30Z which does experience most of the issues you mention here. I have spent the better part of a year doing a lot of repairs to most of these items. We’re finally starting to have a descent motor home we can enjoy.

Back in the mid 70’s I was a Rv mechanic. As I remember they were built a lot better than they are now, both in workmanship and materials. We didn’t have very many units returned for warranty issues. At our local dealership now half of the lot is full of rvs waiting for service or parts.

[RetiredAndFree]

I've got a 2020 Greyhawk Prestige 30XP and I can feel your pain. Almost all of the same issues. Just seems like Jayco throws the same crap together model after model and year after year. Guess you can do that when people like us are lining up to buy their junk. And I think it needs to be said that we all understand these RV's take a beating going down the road and will need repairs and maintenance. These are all poor design, engineering, and assembly. Nope, I won't buy another one again.

[Jab55]

I agree that in general RV's should be built better from the factory. I own a 2019 30XP and while it suffers or suffered from many of the problems you listed....none of them are deal breakers for me. We have 19K miles on the Ford V-10 and its been flawless, and have spent approximately 150 days in it. We boondock alot....so some of my observations will be different than people that spend most times with full hookups. I run my fridge on propane....so if I need to run both AC units I can. I upgraded my inverter to 2K watts and connected it to the kitchen outlets so I can run the coffee pot, toaster, and even the microwave without firing up the generator as well as have power available all over the RV all the time. Many of the points you addressed don't affect my overall enjoyment I get from the Motorhome. So what if the underbed storage is has no flooring, I maybe access it once or twice a trip....how often are you adding fluid or working on the hydraulic leveling system, It's a sealed system. I can't open the window when the outside TV door is open.....again not a big deal for me because i'm outside watching TV. Rear storage door....I restrain it myself from swinging open and hitting the side of the MH. Honestly 1/2 of the problems you listed never even came up on my radar of things that I wanted to change. I will say the sewer drain is too low and it is a hassle most of the time. I installed threaded barrels on the cabinet in front of water heater bypass screen....so they won't strip out. I also found I can reach the bypass valves from the drawer that is located next to it and not have to remove the screen cover at all. I replaced the soundstream stereo (probably improved with 2021 model)...it was an absolute piece of junk. I guess I had somewhat low expectations from the start....and I have been pleasantly surprised how well everything has held up. Jayco is not perfect....but in my opinion all RV's have some issues. We can choose to focus on little things that are not perfect, and could be improved, or don't sweat the small stuff and just enjoy the places and experiences that it allows me and my family to go.

[bucko]

I read through the OP and counterpoints listed here. IMO, there are many RV manufacturers to choose from, so if there are design flaws as stated, why does a manufacturer continue keep doing it?

The pandemic is a poor excuse for a manufacturer to blame these issues on. People are tired of it, so lets hope Jayco and others pay attention.

[Ttlanders]

Question, If both air conditioners cut of refrigerator, does it not switch to propane???

[hoppers4]

Originally Posted by Jab55

I agree that in general RV's should be built better from the factory. I own a 2019 30XP and while it suffers or suffered from many of the problems you listed....none of them are deal breakers for me. I guess I had somewhat low expectations from the start....and I have been pleasantly surprised how well everything has held up. Jayco is not perfect....but in my opinion all RV's have some issues. We can choose to focus on little things that are not perfect, and could be improved, or don't sweat the small stuff and just enjoy the places and experiences that it allows me and my family to go.

Well said!

[Keith955]

I guess you just don't understand my post. I never said the items I noted couldn't be corrected. I never said these things will bother everyone. I listed what I perceive to be design flaws and things I didn't like after a year of ownership. Get a grip jab55.

[RetiredAndFree]

Well said, again. Some don't want read what you wrote and want see what they think you wrote to make it fit their narrative.

[pconroy]

I see posts like this as Mandatory Education for any one just joining into the RV fray. With our first one, I had no idea - zero, nada - what I was signing up for. I'm glad it was a 2008, well maintained and relatively problem free. It was a training ground.


The 2016 has had a number of failures, but by starting with one, I was more prepared to deal with RV #2.

[Funengineer]

I noticed that about half of your issues should have been obvious to you when you were considering buying the Greyhawk 29MVP, at least they were when we decided to buy our 29MVP. Every coach has its quirks, you just need to figure out how things work and improve them if you can, live with them or as you have, move on.
Many other issues are pretty standard in the industry. Every now and then there are going to be supplier component issues that are, what they are. Lucky for you that most mechanical issues can eventually be resolved.

Good luck finding a manufacturer or brand that won’t have similar issues. Jayco and Entegra are, IMHO the best quality coach in their price group.

Thanks Jabb55 for a realistic evaluation.

[Keith955]

Funengineer. Well good thing I didn't write the post for RV geniuses like you. I wrote it for someone who might not know everything or may not have the experience. My posts were my observations. Should I have excluded the things I knew would be annoying when I bought the motorhome? Should I only include the things that aren't on every RV? I'm sorry the reason behind posting this list has been so hard to understand. It's people like you that suck the fun out of forums like this.

[Funengineer]

Keith955
You have been camping for 25 years and this is your 7th RV. With that much experience you should not be surprised at the quality, workmanship, design quirks or issues that arise from owning an RV. Yes I do disagree with much of your evaluation which you acknowledged might happen but that’s what’s helpful on these forums.

Of course it’s important for new Rv owners to be well informed but it’s also important that they be presented reasonable expectations and a well rounded view of what to expect. Your post and resulting comments give them an opportunity to be objective in their evaluation of units. Without the other responses this is just a negative, biased evaluation.

I appreciate your post. I just think there needs to be more balanced information provided.
“Fun”engineer

[Keith955]

I never said I was surprised about anything. I said these are my observations. They are just what I didn't like about MY motorhome. For crying out loud. Are you the information sheriff? My opinions don't have to meet your balanced information requirement. Why don't you move on and misunderstand someone else's post now.

[dvspl]

Originally Posted by pconroy

I see posts like this as Mandatory Education for any one just joining into the RV fray. With our first one, I had no idea - zero, nada - what I was signing up for. I'm glad it was a 2008, well maintained and relatively problem free. It was a training ground.


The 2016 has had a number of failures, but by starting with one, I was more prepared to deal with RV #2.

Good perspective. We bought our first TT in 2000. Though I had camped in various RVs with my family since childhood, I was also unprepared for the many systems issues that came with it. But it prepared me well to deal with the more complicated (and sometimes less reliable) systems in our motorhome. This thread shows both sides of that complexity. There will be issues with any RV. Most can be fixed, some can be improved and some can be ignored, but all will be at least annoying. New RV owners should be aware of that.

[t18skyguy]

I agree with your observations. One thing you forgot is the cheap shower pan that's supported by one 2x2 upright in the bottom of the pan. Some guys have actually cracked this pan while showering. Mine was a 2017 FS. From your description, I see they have not improved the junk foam that's in the dinette and the other furniture including the driver and passenger seat. I replaced that at my expense. So you will always get "but the others are the same blah blah" and many excuses for Jayco's ever evolving junk. I had a 96 Jayco and my a$$ did not bottom out on the dinette like my 2017. What you have discovered, as did I, that if you want quality you gotta pay for it big time.

[Florida Ranger]

If you own any type RV you have to be a good handyman. Plus there are some people who should never own an RV , because an RV is just a box going down the road trying to shake itself apart…And they can never understand this . Even if the RV is a Prevost and cost $ 3 Million dollars… It will have problems…