Seneca owners, Please help

[Midwest Jeffk]

After a bit of a rough start with our 2016 Greyhawk 31FS, we have grown to love it and motorhome traveling. But, we have outgrown it. Just got back from a 2400 mile round trip to Gulf Shores and the Greyhawk performed flawlessly. With around 16000 miles, the engine and transmission seem to get better with every mile. However the bunks are now too small for our teenage boys. The fridge and bathroom are also too small. Outside storage has always been a problem. Lastly, poor ride quality. So now we are ready to move up, I guess. Didn't think this would happen so fast. My question is to Seneca owners. Is the ride quality and engine noise tolerable? I really like the new 37HJ, and the higher towing capacity means I could use my cargo trailer. I like C class motorhomes for the overhead sleeping, but I really would like to have a quieter, softer ride. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks

[Arizona]

I went from a V10 C Class to a Seneca (I have a 2016 37FS) and I have found the ride and stability of the Seneca is far superior. The Seneca is more of a highway vehicle and has a ton of power and easy to drive.

The holes in the mirrors do whistle, but that can be fixed by plugging the holes. It does have the same C Class wind noise and you do have engine noise, but I believe it is better than my V10 C Class I had.

Tod

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by Arizona

I went from a V10 C Class to a Seneca (I have a 2016 37FS) and I have found the ride and stability of the Seneca is far superior. The Seneca is more of a highway vehicle and has a ton of power and easy to drive.

The holes in the mirrors do whistle, but that can be fixed by plugging the holes. It does have the same C Class wind noise and you do have engine noise, but I believe it is better than my V10 C Class I had.

Tod

I echo what Tod says, I have a 2014 TS and love it. The mirror wind whistle is an easy fix. And my opinion is that the engine noise is less in the Seneca, and in a whole other range that is less objectionable. The places I frequently travel involve lots of hills and my (former) Ford E-450/V-10 unit would just scream climbing the hills. My Seneca is much quieter and has more power (losing less speed) going up those same hills towing a heavier toad than I did in my last Ford MH.

Also you have far more cab room in Seneca, especially in the foot area. And no noticeable engine heat permeating the cab like the E-450 had. The Fords I owned previously had little foot room and roasted your feet whether you wanted it to or not!

Forward visibility is better due to higher seating position, helps to "anticipate" upcoming road conditions. Also far less susceptible to being pushed by passing vehicles and I suspect now I am pushing smaller units when I pass! Rear air suspension rides better than my former Ford units, and engine service is easy since the whole hood tips up and away. It is a diesel and services cost more, but Cummins recommends oil/oil filter/fuel filter changes at 15,000 miles or annually if you don't hit 15,000.

If someone else is servicing your unit on the road it can sometimes be challenging to find a place that will take an RV. But with a Seneca you open doors to a whole other world of truck centers where getting a Freightliner chassis in is no problem. They just need to understand when you make an appointment that it is not a diesel pusher, it is just a truck chassis.

[Mountain Cajun]

Everything RobbyR said! I moved up from a Ford V10 that was screaming like yours. Now just set the cruise and forget it! Also went from 5.5-6 mpg pulling a Jeep Wrangler to 9-10.

[SloPoke]

It might be a stretch to say that the Seneca is softer and quieter... but I am confident to say that it is solid, stable and comfortable. Yes, the Mirror whistle is easily dealt with and the overall sound level is not an issue for us. We really enjoy the capability and capacity the Seneca brings... we just finished 4.5 months on the road and did not feel too cramped, even with three big dogs with us.

[Mwade]

We also traded our v10 for a Seneca. Our 2015 is smooth riding, and will stay up with most anything on the road. Much, much more room inside, and out.

[Midwest Jeffk]

Thank you for the replies. Decision is now getting clearer, especially now that the 2018 Seneca has been upgraded to the brand new Freightliner S2RV chassis. 360 HP, 100 gal. single fuel tank, rear air suspension, and Allison 3000 tranny. Time to call dealer and take one for a test drive. Thanks again.

[McGintys924]

I was initially concerned about how my Seneca drove home from Florida as I felt like BA from A-Team driving the van (back and forth motion with wheel). However it was this forum that made recommendations which has now resulted in an enjoyable drive. Seat was already very comfortable, although I did test drive a 2016 and those air rides did take up a lot of the bumps. Many members suggested decreasing tire air pressure and I am at 85 psi. At that point I still noticed a lot of sway. After some other members noticed that their sway bars had prematurely worn out, mine had also been destroyed in 2000 miles. I recently had this replaced with the new upgraded sway bar (under warranty) and at the same time, the technician added some air pressure to the rear air bags. The transmission reprogram that MarkS researched for all of us was also done on my way from NC to IL. This truck rides and performs really nice! That being said, it is a truck and unlike a class A does not have air ride front shocks, so there is going to be more of the road felt by the driver.

The trade off is that I don’t have to wait for the RV technician, I just follow in line with the rest of the trucks, and service is faster IMHO.

The one thing you are going to gain, that you don’t have now, is the exhaust break which works very well. Good luck!

[Dinnhouston]

Drives well with diesel power on the hills ... truck front much easier for wife to drive than our previous Class A.

Some issues with fit and finish details that have taken some effort to clean up. E.g., Lack of insulation, furnace hoses and water manifold not properly connected.

On recent trip, hydraulic jack pump (which was surprisingly attached to a cantilevered steel bar by only a spot weld to the frame) broke loose. When we reached RV park there was no power to the panel to lower jacks. After call to jack manufacturer, found pump and hydraulic reservoir hanging (leaking hydraulic fluid) by the hoses. Fortunately, power wires disconnected or we may never have found the broken weld and hanging pump.

Drilled hole through support bar and frame and secured with a 3/8" bolt (borrowed from the golf cart in our towed pickup) ... later added 1/4" bolt to prevent any rotation around the 3/8" bolt.

Now better connection than when new ... others may want to check on this.

[Crossingover]

Seneca ride quality and trip experience is always relaxing because you're not fighting winds and passing trucks rocking and rolling you. This Freightliner chassis, both the older M2 and newer RV chassis, are stout and deliver. It is noisy when the engine cooling fan clutch kicks in to cool the massive radiator, but that's over fairly quickly. Also noisy if you don't have the air dryer kit or check valve installed in the compressed air system. I gather most folks would prefer the newer chassis with all the interior and exterior storage upgrades and single point refueling (no saddle tanks). Just find your price point and shop accordingly (nothing wrong shopping older used as long as it has some miles on it which shows the kinks have been worked out). Next year's model will always be 'better' so don't chase that concept too hard. Just settle in and enjoy. We have.

[Click_here]

Oh man, reading this is killing me. We have been happy owners of a Greyhawk since late December, 2017. Love the layout and the basement storage. But I have been looking at Senecas recently. And yeah, we have the same issues with hill climbing in the V10, though we get relatively good mileage or at least average, 9+ mg usually.

But I would really love to not feel like I was going to be pushed into another lane when an SUV passes me, not to mention when a Class A or a big rig does!

My problem is, the Senecas I have looked at, are all priced at about twice what I paid for my new Greyhawk. I've looked at used too, though not willing to go too far back in time since the floorplans from about 2014 to present are what we prefer.

Guess we will keep saving up!

[jeffro01]

Love our new Seneca, came from a Greyhawk 30X...

Thanks,
Jeff

[Click_here]

Originally Posted by jeffro01

Love our new Seneca, came from a Greyhawk 30X...

Thanks,
Jeff

The 37K is the floor plan we really like. Congratulations!