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Posts
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10
Posts posted by Steph and Dud B
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58 minutes ago, Ralph Mawyer said:
I think losing Q&A voice and email service support will be the biggest impact.
3 hours ago, JEssary said:Of course, my team is still here to help support you as we always have with any technical and service questions
Sounds like they'll still be there for us.
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The way I see it, there are 2 reasons to buy a "luxury" RV: the product and the experience.
Oliver makes a fine product, one of the best, but there have been some compromises over the years. Early Oliver trailers were custom built units with almost unlimited options available for the customer. As sales rose, OTT scaled up production. To do this they needed to streamline manufacturing. The days of having the factory add an extra outlet to your trailer are over. I'm not saying the newer units are worse, in fact they've continued to upgrade many of the systems over the years, but the product has become less personalized. Oliver trailers are still above the average, but there are others in the market with products of equal, or perhaps better, quality. Bowlus and Pebble come to mind.
However, it's not just the product. Oliver also offered a top-tier buying/ownership experience, as good or better than any other manufacturer. Being part of the "Oliver family." Impressive access to the factory and it's experts. I would say, on balance, the value of an Oliver became more in the experience than in the product. There may be "better" trailers to be had, but no better customer experience than we were used to.
OTT is now making changes that could diminish that experience: a dealer sales and service network. This has proven to be a more efficient and profitable model for many RV manufacturers. However, for many of those manufacturers, the system tends to be less responsive to individual customer needs. As an owner, I hope Oliver has a handle on this and can make it work better than other manufacturers have. I fear they're drifting into dangerous waters if the experience no longer warrants the price.
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5 minutes ago, HDRider said:
I also question how responsive a dealer will be to me since I did not buy my trailer from them. Dealers care more about selling than they do service.
This could be a concern. Stories about SOB poor dealer service experiences are legion. No sale/no service, wait times measured in months, etc. For now, I'll hope that the dealers that OTT chose (or the other way around) will be better.
On the larger picture, Oliver trailers are arguably one of the most expensive per square foot on the market. To us, direct factory sales and available factory service were part of the justification for the pricing.
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Found the list of dealers here, under the sales area of the site:
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10 minutes ago, aaronorange said:
Is there a list of authorized service centers?
I think I saw one but I wasn't able to find it quickly on the main website. OTT should update that quickly with a "Find A Service Center Near You" tool on the Service tab of the website. Not just for current owners, but also to assure prospective buyers that there are multiple options.
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Just received from OTT in email (partial text):
"As our service team will be working with the dealer's service departments on location, we feel it is prudent to discontinue most service work here at our location in Tennessee. However, we will continue doing major repairs, including fiberglass and aluminum, at our Plant Facility."
Having needed to have a Forest River trailer serviced at the their factory once because of the inability/unwillingness of the selling dealer to address the issue, and knowing the willingness of other top brands like Grand Design and Airstream to do factory service on a wide range of issues, this makes me uncomfortable. Yes, we would probably go to the local service center anyway, but it was nice to have the factory service as a backup.
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We have our first grandchild and his name is... Wait for it...
Oliver!
(He's going to love our trailer when he's old enough to read!)
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7 hours ago, jd1923 said:
The picture shows an accordion style roll-up shade, clear glass behind.
That window with integrated shade is aftermarket and uses the original door. You can find them online and install it yourself. Not too difficult. However, if they do replace the entire door, they can buy one with that option already installed.
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Definitely not normal. I've never seen anything like that before. The doors are basically hollow - fiberglass exterior and that plastic (fiberglass?) on the inside. Our Oliver door has foam insulation inside.
I assume you bought this trailer used? Can't tell from the photos, are the cracks pushed in, or pushed outward? Any damage to the outside of the door? The window with shade is aftermarket. Maybe the damage was caused by that installation?
The door can be replaced if you wish. I probably would.
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We have a thermometer with 2 extra sensors. One goes in the fridge, the other either outside or in between the hulls.
For remote monitoring we also have a Govee WiFi sensor that we can check from anywhere through our hotspot.
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Couple of questions for y`all. Did anyone countersink the drill holes? Think I read somewhere using a countersink bit helps prevent gelcoat cracking. Also, how much lower does the light bezel hang than the original? I'm pretty close to the ceiling in there as it is. Thanks.
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54 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:On 7/17/2022 at 8:39 PM, Steph and Dud B said:
Then I added some EZ gutter over the window, leaving a 1/4" gap around the frame for future recaulking. Hoping this will allow us to leave that window open in light to moderate rain now.
How long did it take you to install the EZ gutters?
I just did the one window. Probably 30 minutes.
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No problem with lithium batteries. They don't need to be vented like lead-acid batteries do. Just be careful with the Reflectix around the batteries. It will conduct electricity if it comes in contact with the battery contacts/cables. I have some pink foam insulation inside the hatch for the winter.
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As an aside, you can get the TV audio to come out of your stereo speakers by selecting the ARC (audio return channel) input on your Furrion stereo.
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If you have an Android phone on the same WiFi network as the TV you can often screencast videos directly to the TV. Look for the symbol at the top of the video on your phone. It'll bring up a list of available TVs on the network. (This will require a decent Wi-Fi connection. We use a hotspot.)
Some brands of Android phones will also let you use a USB-C to HDMI cable, which you could plug into the Furrion's HDMI input (Pixel phones do not.)
I have seen the ApplePlay option in the Vizio menus for those with iPhones but I've never tried it.
I have also connected a laptop to the Furrion head unit with an HDMI cable and sent videos to the TV that way.
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3 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:
I've moved the valve to the middle and stared at the little display on the regulator for 20 min and can't decide what in the world it is telling me.
Don't put it in the middle. Point it at the tank you're using. If you see red in the display, the tank the lever is pointing at is empty.
If you don't want auto changeover, leave the other tank (the full one) turned off. When you see red and your appliances stop working, close the empty tank, flip the pointer to the full tank, and slowly turn that tank on.
If you do want auto changeover leave both tanks open. With both tanks open, a red indicator tells you that the first tank has emptied and you are now running on the second tank. Flip the pointer to the second tank, it'll turn green, then shut off the first tank and get it refilled. Repeat the process when the second tank empties.
1 hour ago, Jason Foster said:When I know my tank is running low, I check it every day then get it filled when the display turns red
Same. I've used auto changeover for 24 years and never run out of propane (knocking on wood). I check the indicator and put a reminder in my phone to get the empty tank filled at the next opportunity.
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On 3/20/2024 at 4:08 PM, Dennis and Melissa said:
Does the TV in the Ollie support Apple Airplay?
The Vizio that came with our 2022 does, after a software update.
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I had an good chat with a Bulldog technical service rep yesterday (after a 20 minute wait for someone to pick up). I had called to ask about my gusset welds. He confirmed that my welds looked OK (one was a bit wider than spec). He also told me that all BD couplers are designed to be welded to a steel trailer frame, but said it was fine that OTT modified it to bolt on. I also told him a bit about what I was reading in this thread. He said he hadn't heard about this incident or anything like this happening before. Overall, I got the sense that he was very competent and knowledgeable. The 20 minute wait was unfortunate, though.
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Sounds like typical RV dealer service. Unfortunately. Maybe a bit faster than the average. We use a local service center/mobile tech that isn't a dealer.
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14 minutes ago, JWalmsley said:
Here is the full definition.
Based on that definition, I would say that our Oliver is a luxury, but isn't luxurious. And that's what we wanted.
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We use magnesium. Used aluminum once and got a buildup of aluminum hydroxide in the tank. It looks like clear slime and is caused by a reaction between the aluminum rod and certain types of water.
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@Geronimo John, that's the one we use on our 2022 as well. It also fit the Suburban on our previous fifth wheel.
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29 minutes ago, HDRider said:
Did you guys not get the optional Jacuzzi tub, the crystal chandelier and the other items in the "luxury" package?
We were going to, but it would have put us over our GVWR with our golf cart in the rear garage.
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2 hours ago, rideadeuce said:
looks like to me the wrong coupler was installed from the factory. 5k instead of the 7k coupler
You should send this to Oliver immediately, as well as filing an NHTSA report. There could be other Olivers out there with the wrong couplers. A recall notice should be issued for all Oliver E2 owners to check their couplers and OTT should replace any others that might be found. The NHTSA is important because OTT may not have contact information for some older trailers that have been resold.
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Important Update about Oliver Service
in General Announcements
Posted
That remains to be seen. My faith is shaken but I'm hoping they can still be better then the others. They need to be.