Going big and then going home

[Rocinante]

Per MB owner manual, for our Sprinter we will only purchase biodiesel if there's no other option and we absolutely must have fuel.

I am not personally opposed to biodiesel. I'd love to use it. Sadly, our fancy BlueTec Sprinter motors don't like it.

[Heckler56]

Grab two sets of gloves when you get the rig. One for sewage dumping and the other keep by the driver’s seat for handling the diesel pumps. Allot of those pump handles have fuel on them.
Bio diesel is like ethanol, it has impurities. It also can purge/cleanse/clog the fuel system. The biggest thing is to choose high fuel turnover locations versus somewhere that does not. If you leave the interstate consider topping off. I know of more horror stories of small local station bad diesel than bio diesel mishaps.
Expect to be overwhelmed and frustrated. Eventually you will absorb all of the systems. Enjoy the adventure and the memories you two will make!

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Sawmiller

Wow! Blessed to have so many great suggestions and posts! I downloaded Gas Buddy on the Iphone, so looking forward to that. Staying In Tucson for two nights at LazyDays so we will be close if something is wrong. Wanted to make sure we could run the AC without the Generator while in the Desert Climes so we will be hooked up to shore power the first couple of nights. Mostly have run Gas vehicles my whole life, but have some experience with diesel units, albeit much larger than this one. Not sure about bio-biodiesel alternatives, winter blends etc. messing with this engine, or suggested additives for cleaning injectors, etc? I typically have the luxury of sourcing all my diesel from a single site (my business) so I have limited experience purchasing it on the open road. I was planning on hitting some of the larger stations that get more traffic, but if there are some you recommend staying away from I'm all ears!

Great recent update . . . is your flight to Tucson today?

Have fun!

Cheers,

Peter

[Greg1960]

Greetings fellow Mainah! Here’s a few thoughts about x country camping travel gained from several cross continental journeys:

1. With new gear such as your RV, plan on staying overnight at the dealer to learn about your rig and get questions answered about many little things and iron out any malfunctioning items. Budget an extra day there if they need to do any work.

2. Plan a short travel day to an RV park near a populated area so you can acquire things you didn’t know you needed, or just plain forgot.

3. Once you and your rig are better acquainted, get off the interstates if you have the time. Most US Highways in the Midwest are 4 lanes, and go through areas that are far more interesting (Think Disney’s “Cars” movie).

4. State parks are usually a good bet. Many were established because of some interesting or unique features worth spending time exploring.

5. Get a travel app such as overlander that indicate places to camp / boondock using map functions & have fun exploring our amazingly beautiful continent!

[Sawmiller]

Hey All,
Flight leaving from Portland tomorrow at 6AM, so a 3AM departure from the House. Getting into Phoenix around 11AM. Dealer picking me up at the Airport (nice) hoping for a couple of hours walkthrough, and then off to a campground in Tucson for a couple of days. Winds are supposed to be 20 MPH sustained Wednesday PM, so it could be an interesting drive to Tucson, as that road can be windy to begin with. I know these rigs have some sort of Wind Assist system, we will see. I will take it easy and watch the Truckers. Looking forward to it! Thanks again for all the advice and offers for assistance! Quite a group on this forum!

[PC Conner]

Originally Posted by Sawmiller

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I had thought about asking the dealer to do some prep, and I think that is a great idea. Wally World is a must. We do have Therma rests we can bring, but not sure about the Privacy, she can sleep in the lounge seat if she wants to! As far as Def, lightly used is 4400 miles, so I shouldn't have to worry too much, and I hope the dealer would fill the DEF for me! It will be an adventure for sure! Looking forward to discovering the new rig.

Sawmiller,
RE: DEF As a Flying Cloud owner with a Chevy 2500 Duramax HD, I found that the Chevy dealer DID NOT fill the DEF. Hopefully, unlike the Chevy, your AI will have a DEF gauge. Chevy only tells me when its low (pretty dumb system). With that said, it is a good idea to have DEF on hand in case you need it. Watch AutoZone and the like--I have found good sales there. You may specify with the dealer if the DEF is full.

[Sawmiller]

First Day was a long one. Travelled all day, got to the dealer about noon AZ. Went over all the systems, which were quite complex. I worked all of them. Got to the hydraulic leveling system. We could t get it to work. Come to find out, the previous owner must have driven with the parking brake engaged, so now the parking Parke won’t work. Without the parking brake the levelers won’t work. They got me right in the shop, but it’s not that simple. They don’t have all the parts they will need. And we are looking at days here. We agreed I would drive home the way it is, and they would pay to have it fixed at a Sprinter dealer in Maine. So we left later than we wanted. And had a white knuckle drive all the way to Tucson. 50MPH gusts. Dust devils, cars in the median, crazy! What a way to break us in to the rig. Took my time, we made it safe, and spent the night at Lazydays to rest and destress. Off to the college tomorrow. Overall Tom at the dealer felt bad, but his people missed it, just glad we caught it before I left. It would have been on me if not. First impressions, drives very well, sound system is terrible. Love having a bathroom, still getting used to everything!

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update . . . that is a big "miss" for sure . . . hopefully you can leave it behind in the rear-view mirror.

Happy trails,

Peter

[Lily&Me]

Another experience emphasizing the need to go over everything at the dealership, and spend the night there if possible.

Have a wonderful and safe trip home.

Many adventures await.

Maggie

[Hawk-ination]

There’s some updates but most people are unplugging their center speaker to fix the sound problem in your newer model.

Sorry to hear of your luck with the levelers and parking brake. Hope the rest of your trip is uneventful.

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by Sawmiller

...........Took my time, we made it safe, and spent the night at Lazydays to rest and destress...........

We need a Thumbs-Up emoji. Oh wait, I found one! Safe travels. You're going to be fine. Two big hurdles cleared already. Enjoy the journey.


Jim

[Sawmiller]

Had a great time in Tucson, hiked Bear Canyon, then to U of A and then drove up Mt Lemmon, daughter had a blast, weather was terrific, van did great. Drove to White Sands the next day, pretty much a one trick pony, but stunning none the less!

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update . . . glad things are working out!

[Hawk-ination]

If it makes you at all feel better, I talked with an owner of a brand new Leisure Travel Van Unity yesterday. They were even nice enough to give me a tour. They then pulled in beside us, deployed their levelers, and couldn’t get level. Four camping spots and tries later, they finally found a level spot to park on.

Hope not to put down your leveling system, but maybe the old fashioned way will come in easier at times too. Not sure that story isn’t bittersweet though with yours needing to be fixed. Hope they work better than the LTV once you have them functioning again!

[OTRA15]

Often helpful to bring along scraps of 1x8 cedar [lightweight] to drive onto for leveling, or to use as cross-stacked pads for jacking, or kindling for a campfire.

[Sawmiller]

Thoughts on the Van after the Journey

The good

Drives extremely well. Like better than most cars.

Turning radius is impressive!

Seats are the most comfortable I have ever sat in.

Systems all seemed to work (except E Brake and Levelers)

I like the safety features

Bed is fine for me to sleep on

Love the lighting

The leveling will be nice once that’s working

Nice and dark inside, great for sleeping.

Headlights on high beam, sooo bright! Awesome!

Fuel Mileage. We got 19 MPG coming across the Country!!!

Looks great.


The “ could be improved"

Headlights on low, seem angled too low? Hard to see far enough in front of you, and the auto feature turns the high beam off for any reason. Would be nice to be able to adjust low beam angle.

There is a squeak I can’t seem to get out. I fixed one under the lounge seat with some WD40, haven’t been able to fix one right above the sliding door. I realize all motor homes squeak, but it gives me something to chase going down the road. Of course, with good road, no squeak!

Biodiesel. It says not to run it, and in some places, it’s everywhere! We searched around a bunch trying not to find it.

I find the airstream manual is pretty weak on Information, it refers to all their suppliers manuals.

Toilet seems a little flimsy, I hear many people switch theirs out to a porcelain one.

Generator, super loud! Great while going down the road. But I can’t see us running it in a campground. I know Onan has come up with a drop in which is an inverter model, so I may have to do that in the future.

Last thing rear sofa in seating position feels like you are reclined back fairly far. It won’t come up any further with the button. Is that how it just is? I don’t know because it’s the first one I have ever sat in. Feels like there is an inch or two of play left in it to come up.

All in all, it’s a great rig. Had a fun trip, excited to use it with the whole family!

[Lily&Me]

Glad you have made it safely home.

Now, the planning for the next great adventure.

You’re going to have a wonderful time.

Maggie

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by Sawmiller

First Day was a long one. Got to the hydraulic leveling system. We could t get it to work.

Overall Tom at the dealer felt bad, but his people missed it, just glad we caught it before I left.

Hey - Not at all a surprise.

It's remarkable how this happens. Which is why i require the sales staff Face Time me and demonstrate all functional systems before I show up for delivery. Happens all the time, unfortunately. And Penske Scottsdale are pretty good. But, well, now you know for any future work.

White Sands - Just missed your loop through here ... We are in Las Cruces now ... close by ...

Enjoy your getaway, Family Adventure Van

[OTRA15]

April thirteenth:

Originally Posted by Sawmiller

Closing with the bank tomorrow on purchasing a 2021 Interstate Lounge EXT, lightly used. Flying to Phoenix next week with my 17 year old daughter to look at a college and drive it back to Maine.

Quite a two weeks you have had!

Welcome home and thanks for the update.

[1919]

We are on our third van, each one bought a distance away.
One suggestion is to UPS stuff to do dealer.
We keep telling ourselves that we are not on space ship.
Targets, Walmarts, etc. are everywhere.
Sleeping bags work great, and we use the gallon bottles of water for drinking, coffee, etc.
Use the van tank for toilet, shower and sink only.
We use plastic utensils and rewash them till they break. Paper plates.
I do carry minimal tools, and remember your insurance most likely has road side assistance for flats etc.
Take old clothes and t shirts. Laundry? nah. just wear and throw away that old Disneyland shirt you never wore anyway. Same for underwear, take your raggedy old ones and toss them.
Stay at Love's truck stops for free. We boondock there all the time, just let them know, and they usually have well lit, safe spot in front. Not by the trucks. The FedEx Critical trucks are sometimes parked there. Most Love's have dumps and water, too.
Anyway, just some ideas. Remember, you are not in a space ship with limited space. Just buy what you need along the way, no need to stock up or bring alot with you.
UPS your clothes, sleeping bags, tools to the dealer.