Accolade Factory Service is underway

[EA37TS]

This past weekend we took the Accolade 37TS to Middlebury, IN for a Jayco/Entegra Factory Service Appointment that had been rescheduled due to COVID-19. The trip was 810 miles (one way) with a good portion of the trip through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. We took three days for the travel and stayed at KOAs in Flatwoods, WV and Wapakoneta, OH along the way.

Items on the repair list are:

Adjust the dinette slide and repaint the slide graphics after raising
Water heater does not work on electric
LED Light lens over couch will not stay on
Check kitchen slide wipe seal. Does not remove water when slide is retracted
One kitchen drawer does not remain locked when traveling
Refrigerator door lock keeps coming loose

Today I received an update and they have fixed the slide issue and the coach will go to paint when everything else is complete. They are currently in the process of replacing the hot water heater.

My appointment was scheduled for Aug10 - Aug 21 so we'll have to see how the schedule holds. According to the Service Advisor and Tech they are swamped and paint may be the driving factor on the schedule.

As a note, we were the only Accolade checking in on Monday. There were between 10 and 12 Entegra Cornerstones, Anthems, Aspires and one Realtta XL checking in as well. The Entegra parking area was full with additional rigs in the not so fancy parking area.

I will tell you that when they say be ready at 6:30 am be ready. I was checked in and out of there by 6:50 and I spent a good 20 minutes going over everything with the Advisor and Tech.

More to follow as updates come in.

[SloPoke]

I hope the best for you...

[Rice1951]

Take advantage of the opportunity you have to ask anything about your RV that you either don’t know or would like to learn more about. You will never get a better chance. The Jayco/Entegra Motorized CS techs are very friendly and accommodating.
You made a prudent decision to take your coach to Middlebury for your warranty issues and you will leave there with the RV you thought you had purchased in the first place. Good luck and enjoy.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Rice1951

....
You made a prudent decision to take your coach to Middlebury for your warranty issues and you will leave there with the RV you thought you had purchased in the first place. Good luck and enjoy.

Yes we made the decision to take the coach to Middlebury for some warranty work but the primary reason for doing so was because my selling dealer who is relatively competent does not have the capability to repaint the slide because they have no body shop.

We purchased exactly what we purchased and knew what we purchased when we did. As to the slide issue we had a teleconference with Entegra/Jayco the dealer and us to discuss this issue and a plan of attack before we signed the purchase agreement. We did not go into this purchase blind and we do not believe we got something less than what we expected.

[jeffro01]

So what was wrong with the slide that necessitated repainting?

Thanks,
Jeff

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by jeffro01

So what was wrong with the slide that necessitated repainting?

Thanks,
Jeff

The driver's side (dinette) slide was too low causing the slide picture frame to hit the body trim moulding. The slide had to be raised and that caused the graphics to no longer align thereby requiring the repainting of the slide. In the pic you can see the picture frame riding about 1/2 to 3/4 inch on the body trim moulding. The way I understand it this is a relatively common problem on the Senecas as well. The was no water leaking in or any related seal or slide operation issues, it just wasn't right.

We knew this when we bought the coach and since our dealer does not have a body shop we were able to negotiate an additional 7K off the purchase price to cover the cost of our 750.00 trip to Middlebury for repair.

[jeffro01]

Ah.... Mine goes into the dealer tomorrow and my two biggest concerns are the fiberglass crack in the roof and the wobbly half bath toilet which is due to a bad install. I'm worried the dealer is going to give me grief for patching the crack temporarily with dicor (which is amazing) and the floor looks like the entire flange needs to be redone and both repairs make me nervous. The dining room window that won't open also concerns me but I figure they'll just order a new window assembly... We'll find out tomorrow. I'm too far away to do any sort of factory service.

Thanks,
Jeff

[EA37TS]

I just got an email saying the coach is going to paint today. They hope it is complete by Tuesday afternoon.

[Rice1951]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

We purchased exactly what we purchased and knew what we purchased when we did.......We did not go into this purchase blind and we do not believe we got something less than what we expected.

Sorry if I implied you got something you didn’t bargain for. I was only trying to point out that you drove off the dealers lot with a coach that wasn’t perfect and when you leave Middlebury it will be as close to perfect as it can get.

[EA37TS]

I received a phone call from Jayco/Entegra Factory Service this morning and the Accolade's service is complete.

1. They adjusted the slide and repainted as necessary. The slide adjustment straightened the issue with the bow in the wall after correction.
2. Replaced the catch for the bed prop
3. Replaced the water heater. The original water heater was damaged during removal so it had to be replaced.
4. Replaced the LED lights over the TV
5. Adjusted the latches on the kitchen drawers
6. Reinstalled the refrigerator door lock with larger screws
7. Installed a larger wipe seal over the kitchen slide

We are going to take a nice leisurely trip this weekend to go pick it up and return home the middle of next week.

So far so good. Let's see how the pickup goes.

[EA37TS]

Well we got to Middlebury to pick up the coach yesterday afternoon and I will say they did a remarkable job. They addressed everything on the list and a couple of other items as well.

I will also say that dealers need to send their prep folks here for training on how to sanitize a coach. The COVID team cleaned the inside after the techs got finished and there isn’t a spec of dust or a spot of dirt to be seen. Now I need to get it home and get the road grime off the outside.

The only complaint I have is they left all my storage compartments unlocked. Nothing missing but don’t know why they didn’t lock them when they parked the coach.

We decided to go full hookup for the night so we stayed at the Middlebury KOA rather than the Entegra parking area. Should head back East today or tomorrow and we are taking It easy along the way. Might say the heck with it and stay another day and check out the RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart.

[wiscampsin]

Glad to hear everything worked out for you.

[norty1]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Might say the heck with it and stay another day and check out the RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart.

It's worth staying an extra day!

[pconroy]

Glad it worked out so well!


Can I ask - was the unit still under warranty?


Since our coach isn't under warranty, I'm wondering what the shop rate would be if I took ours to Middlebury?

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by norty1

It's worth staying an extra day!

X-2.. Go to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend if you can add another day.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

X-2.. Go to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend if you can add another day.

I'm a huge Avanti fan!

[EA37TS]

Turns out the factory service visit wasn't as remarkable as originally thought. 2 days into the trip back home and issues they supposedly fixed are resurfacing. The things I took it to them for are resurfacing and the smaller items are doing okay.

Also, on the road yesterday the headboard started coming away from the slide wall.

On the bright side the DW and I go out of the house and on the road for a week there and a week back.

[Wandrews530]

We have a '20 HJ and the one thing I've noticed is they do not use any type of wall anchor. They just screw into the very thin plywood, which is very easily pulled out. I've been putting in anchors as I've been fixing the little minor things that have popped up.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by Wandrews530

We have a '20 HJ and the one thing I've noticed is they do not use any type of wall anchor. They just screw into the very thin plywood, which is very easily pulled out. I've been putting in anchors as I've been fixing the little minor things that have popped up.

Actually... Jayco puts a sheet of 28ga Sheet metal behind the thin plywood for the screws to have additional holding power. They are strategically placed in the locations were cabinets, appliances, valences and such are attached to the wall.

Here is an example of the sidewall of our kitchen slide where they are identifed.

[Wandrews530]

That may be for heavy stuff, but doesnt help with with all the other stuff they screw into the walls.