How Is the Seneca

[tallcott]

We also purchased a brand new 2018 Seneca TS,we are very disappointed in the LACK of build craftsmanship. Where are the people when quality check is needed, no one is held accountable, lousy work force. If this was built like a Newmar assembled this Super C would be great ,it has all the right design and engineering. If it was assembled correctly we would love it

[Wandrews530]

How long have you had your HJ and do you have any pointers? When traveling with more than you and your wife, how did the shower/bath area work for you. We wouldn't travel with more than one other couple.

[RanWal]

Wife and I have a 2019 Seneca 37HJ. This is our 3rd MH. We have had a Class A, B, and now C. Like this the most. We have had some minor issues with vendor supplied products. Unit drives well and the issues have been taken care of by the Dealer. My perspective is to buy local, I believe having a local dealer makes a big difference. Overall satisfaction is a 9.5 out of a ten.

[Gunfighter]

We have a 2018.5 37K and love it. Have we had problems, yes. Would I do it all over again. Yes. You are not buying a car. You are buying a conglomeration of products assembled by a company. In reading this thread I wonder why people hold JAYCO responsible for a defective Inverter or a problem with the DEF system manufactured by Cummins and Freightliner? We were stranded in Colorado for a couple days when a DEF sensor failed, and a nationwide search finally found the part. Had a nice time exploring Grand Junction Colorado. This was not JAYCO’s fault and it would have been the same had we been in a $350,000 Newmar Super C which is built on the S2RV Freightliner chassis.
We have had some issues with JAYCO’s build of the unit. Mud flaps not properly secured, repaired by the Dealer. Other little adjustments. A shade on window in upper berth fell off. I reinstalled. Bolt head working its way up through the floor in bedroom handled by dealer and JAYCO. Maybe I am not picky enough, but overall, we believe that for its “price-point” the Seneca is a good buy and value.
There are always caveats to any lifestyle. If you don’t like to “putz” a little and work on things then don’t buy one. Travel in your car and stay in nice hotels. You need to be a little handy to not be frustrated with RV ownership. Maybe if you spend over $500K and want a dealer to deal with everything you can avoid the “fix-its.” One thing you find if you buy a Seneca that this site has some of the most helpful people anywhere who will jump in to help you. SLOPOKE is an electrical wiz who bailed me out. ROBBBYR and RVERMONT are always helpful. RUSTYNUTS has made so many modifications I wouldn’t know where to start in describing them. He has been good enough to shared them with the rest of us.
Why we bought a Seneca and not a Class A or C. The Freightliner Chassis with the Cummins ISB drives and handles like a dream and it pulls like a truck , since it is. Had a Class C on the Ford E450 chassis and it was like a hog on roller skates. Did major suspension upgrades with Koni shocks and Helwig anti-sway bars which helped but still dicey in a cross wind or at 70 mph. Hated the bow wave, now I make one!
We like the 37K set up with front bathroom. Great for when company over. We don't have kids so no need for bunk beds. We have the 1/2 horseshoe couch very comfortable.

[Crossingover]

We are happy with our 2016 HJ that we bought barely used almost 2 years ago. I think 2016 was the last year that Jayco went the extra mile with exterior paint (the graphics carry over on the slide walls). No major problems experienced. We think the Seneca is a good mid-class unit but can't speak to how things are today. Whatever you do, strongly recommend buying used.

[tallcott]

never hold a company responsible for what they build and blame the consumer for expecting quality

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by tallcott

never hold a company responsible for what they build and blame the consumer for expecting quality

I agree in many ways... but the DEALER who is selling the RV to you is mostly responsible for checking and correcting these issues BEFORE delivering the RV to you.

For the best example I can make here: The RV leaves the factory without any batteries or Propane. The Dealer is responsible for installing the batteries AND performing a "Dealer Inspection" before the buyer is given their delivery (what many call the Pre-Delivery Inspection(PDI) ). It goes a long way to understand that without any batteries or propane in the RV, the only inspection that is reasonably capable of discovering an issue is the DEALER Inspection. All of the items they are Supposed to be finding are covered in the Jayco warranty for the first 2years (3 for some items) but if the dealer does a lousy job of inspecting it - The Dealer is really the one selling a sub-standard product.

When we first went shopping for our Seneca - we were under the wrong assumptions that we would get service like a Ford / Chevrolet dealership. RV Dealers should really be classified in the Used Car Salesman category - where they only want to sell you an overpriced RV that should have had the issues fixed on the Dealer Inspection.

If you think about the Dealership... if they perform the Dealer Inspection and ignore what needs to be fixed (at the dealers cost as part of selling the new RV) and leave it for the customer to discover, The customer has to bring the RV back to that dealer to get it fixed (that should have been fixed long before that time) and now the Dealer Service department gets paid more $$$$$ for fixing it under warranty from Jayco.

Not always is this Jayco's fault... A lot of this is because the Dealer is not anywhere as reputable as they want you to think. If the Dealer wanted to deliver a good quality product, they could!

[VTseneca]

Rob,
I cant find your modifications thread? But we just bought a beautiful 2016 Seneca TS and we need to modify the cabover for full sleeping area. Is this possible to do as a hand person or should the dealer do it? Electrical etc?

[curbhugger]

We very much enjoy our 2017 FS. Had a couple issue early on, but have been very satisfied with the purchase overall. Would do it again.