To upgrade.. to a Seneca or not to upgrade...

[TLB730]

Hi All!

My wife and I currently have a 2017 Greyhawk 31fs and have had it for about a year and really enjoy it.

Wondering for those that have a Jayco Seneca, did you upgrade from another make/model? What are some of the things that you like/dislike about the Seneca? How does the Seneca drive compared to other make/models? I've been told that driving the Seneca is like driving a sailboat and that it would be a night and day difference to my Greyhawk and not in a good way.

Appreciate the feedback!

[katiedog]

we Have had our 31DS for 2 years and Like it also.
TheSuper Cs drive good and tow very well but
Repairs and maintenance on the diesel drivetrain
have sent us back to a Gas C .
If you use your coach for 30,000 miles per year it
may be a good choice. for you.

[MD3]

What do you not like about your coach and what would you hope the Seneca would do better ?
This is what I asked myself before going to the Seneca from our Class A.
We came from a 2007 Coachman CrossCountry (very low entry level RV pusher)
I stayed diesel due to towing heavy with it.

After having it for a short time my initial thoughts are below.

What I like about the Seneca :
Seneca gets the kiddo into a bed and off a couch.
I liked the added tank capacity of the Seneca (all tanks)
I like that the Seneca can be worked on by anyone that knows how to spin a wrench and doesn’t require a RV only type of service area, just pop the hood.
Seneca drives better and doesn’t float around the road as much.
8000k watt generator is a big jump from what we had.
A lot more storage.
More height/head room inside.

I do NOT like :
Fit and finish is over all lacking. Very poor attention to detail everywhere on this.
Power climbing hills is poor.
Water heater is lacking in gas only operation and the on demand hot water fluctuates and wastes water.


-

[TLB730]

Thanks for the replies so far.

So in the time that we've had our Greyhawk, we've put 15k miles on it and the majority of the time we are towing a 20ft enclosed trailer. Our son races motorcycles and the combination of the Greyhawk and the enclosed trailer has been wonderful in our trips to Florida and Illinois.

Some of the things below could be classified as a dislike but are all very minor in the grand scheme of things.
1. Cab of the Greyhawk is pretty tight. I'm only 6'1" and I feel like I'm wearing the front drivers side like a cheap suit.
2. Storage - could always use a bit more
3. Queen bed - our 50lbs pitbull insists on sleeping on the bed with us so a bigger bed be nice
4. Another annoyance that is common with other users experience with the generator being finicky at times.

All in all, I feel these are minor in comparison and we've dry camped in hot weather (>80 degrees) and very cold weather (<20 degrees) so overall we've put the Greyhawk through it's paces and we feel it's delivered.

[Jopopsy]

Your diesel motor maintenance expenses are going to dwarf the V10's. Just another consideration for you.

I actually ended up going DOWN in size - 27' from 32'. I'm more manueverable, have more CCC, and even though the coach is smaller the space it does have is space we would actually use more frequently b/c of the floorplan. That's just us though.

[Wertles]

I just made the move from V-10 gas to diesel. For ME, I could not be happier. I too pull a trailer and the V-10 would get the job done but I hated hearing 4500 rpm every 3 minutes as it would constantly be downshifting. That being said, the cost associated with upgrading is substantial. I just did a full fluid/filter swap myself and spent $1200 just in maintenance stuff. Again, worth it to ME, but not everyone.

[bdreinv]

What motor do you have? With all that oil look like 18 wheeler engine lol!

[TLB730]

Wertles - thank you the feedback and you did touch on something that bothers me as well when towing. I also hate hearing the engine rev up to 4500rpms when driving.

I'm changing the oil on the Greyhawk like a regular automobile, so about every 4-5k miles. How often are you having to do the maintenance on the Seneca? How many miles between oil changes and such?

[Wertles]

I don’t have a Seneca, I have a 400 hp 8.9l Cummins in a class A. I don’t know about the service schedule in a Seneca, but here’s what my schedule is. Many things will be close across other types of RV’s. I use only Amsoil products (unless it’s not appropriate of course) so I know I am getting a high quality synthetic oil. My motor takes 27 quarts with a 20,000 mile or 1 year service interval. Transmission is 19 quarts with a 5 year or 100,000 mile interval (I might be wrong on mileage but I know I won’t reach whatever it is). Rear diff is 22 quarts with a yearly change with Dino oil or 3-5 years with synthetic. Hydraulic system (power steering) is filter changes yearly, oil changes every 3. Coolant is flush/fill every 6. Fuel filters (2) yearly. Air filter every 2 years or when the indicator says to. Air brake dryer gets changed every 3 years.

The generator holds 3 quarts of oil and gets changed yearly. The coolant is supposed to be changed every two years along with the thermostat and cap. The water pump belt every 7-10 years or 1000 hours.

None of these jobs so far has proven to be difficult. Opening an oil plug and spinning off a filter is the same on the class A as it is a pick up truck. The only thing different is the size of everything and the associated cost of the additional fluids. My bench looks overwhelming but my class A is new to me and although I have most every service record, there were a few I didn’t know about so everything just gets changed. I do my own work so labor is free. If you are not that handy, places like Speedco do a great job at a very reasonable cost. If you are a dealer type of person, this gets real expensive real quick.

The first time I went through the PA mountains with the RV, it was glorious. The transmission never left 6 gear and I maybe lost 5 MPH on the steepest one. I expect with my trailer it might go to 5th once in a while but I’m sure I can live with 1700 rpm for a few minutes.

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by TLB730

How often are you having to do the maintenance on the Seneca? How many miles between oil changes and such?

Cummins says to change the oil at 15,000 miles OR at least annually. I will try to never let mine go over 7,500 if I am going further than that in a given year. Fuel filters (yes 2) get changed at every oil change. My Seneca holds about 19 quarts of oil (including filter), I now use Shell Rotella T6 full synthetic. I do all my own servicing (so far) including chassis and driveline greasing.

Air filter has an obstruction indicator, but I plan to change it out regardless this Fall when I put it away. Likely will also flush my brake fluid since pre-2016 Senecas have 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Also will flush and refill my cooling system to prevent corrosion damage.

Some of these same services are needed on a gas engine unit, it is just bigger quantities on a diesel unit.

I love my unit and am really glad we upgraded from our previous gas Class C. More power, better handling, more fuel range, more interior and exterior room, 2 AC units, bigger tanks, and so on. I stuff my unit with lots of everything and I still have lots of reserve cargo carrying capacity. I was careful packing on my last unit and I know I was over the GVWR when our grandsons were with us.

[Robbbyr]

Here is the Cummins ISB maintenance guidelines for the engine in my Seneca.

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by TLB730

Thanks for the replies so far.

So in the time that we've had our Greyhawk, we've put 15k miles on it and the majority of the time we are towing a 20ft enclosed trailer. Our son races motorcycles and the combination of the Greyhawk and the enclosed trailer has been wonderful in our trips to Florida and Illinois.

Some of the things below could be classified as a dislike but are all very minor in the grand scheme of things.
1. Cab of the Greyhawk is pretty tight. I'm only 6'1" and I feel like I'm wearing the front drivers side like a cheap suit.
2. Storage - could always use a bit more
3. Queen bed - our 50lbs pitbull insists on sleeping on the bed with us so a bigger bed be nice
4. Another annoyance that is common with other users experience with the generator being finicky at times.

All in all, I feel these are minor in comparison and we've dry camped in hot weather (>80 degrees) and very cold weather (<20 degrees) so overall we've put the Greyhawk through it's paces and we feel it's delivered.

1. Cab of Seneca far more comfortable than my previous E-450-based Class C, and your feet will not get roasted by the engine doghouse in hot weather. Plenty of foot room in both seats. Much easier to get up from cab to go to the back without contorting yourself or vice versa to enter the cab.
2. I have a couple exterior compartments that don't have much in them, and this year I am going to open up the thru storage like the newest Senecas have. Mine now are blocked with 3/16" paneling. I will need to bundle up some wires but it should be an easy job. Then I will have even more unused space!
3. Senecas come with a 72" wide by 80" long "RV King rear bed in all the floorplans I have seen. I actually shrunk my bed to a residential Queen (60"W X 80"L) to provide more walkaround room. But I don't have a third bed occupant!
4. Senecas have Cummins Onan 8,000 watt diesel generators, mine has been absolutely reliable.

[Crossingover]

Originally Posted by Robbbyr

I actually shrunk my bed to a residential Queen (60"W X 80"L) to provide more walkaround room.

Did you chop off the plywood platform to suit the smaller queen mattress?

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by Crossingover

Did you chop off the plywood platform to suit the smaller queen mattress?

I actually "shrunk" the base and the also cut down the platform. Gave us 6" more room on each side which doesn't sound like much but it makes it much easier to maneuver around. Much better access to the washer/dryer too. I also added my system to allow for easy mattress platform lifting.

You can get quality sheets that fit a queen easily, harder to find the RV king sets and residential king sheets are a bit too wide.

Some pics below and a link to my lift system for sliding platforms.
https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/m...lbums1248.html

[Crossingover]

Originally Posted by Robbbyr

I actually "shrunk" the base and the also cut down the platform. Gave us 6" more room on each side which doesn't sound like much but it makes it much easier to maneuver around.

Great mods you have there! We actually stuffed the residential king mattress from our previous Class A moho into the Seneca and it was exceeding tight on the sides. We loved that mattress and did this knowing we'd eventually have to get an RV king or smaller. We now have a Tulo firm queen in it's place and like it a lot despite the loss of 16 inches in width (but keeping the 3 small pups who join us there). I will be taking a saw to the platform soon though.

[Arizona]

I had a V10 gas class C motorhome that I upgrade from. That motorhome was terrifying in any type of wind. I always felt I was on the verge of disaster and it was exhausting to drive. Driving my 2016 Seneca 37 FS is great! It has tons of power to pull hills and in the wind it is great. I just went down to the river the other weekend and it was blowing pretty good. I didn't have any problems.

I have made peace with the tankless water heater and figured out how to operate it. I am not suffering from problems some of the other owners are having so maybe I am just lucky. But, I am still fighting with the dealer to fix some of the crappy Jayco work. The dealer I bought my Seneca from is probably the biggest complaint. If they would just finish the work.

Tod