Truma has QC issues….

[Galileo]

4 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Noise isn’t an issue either, we run it on electricity when we have hook ups and it’s pretty quiet.  6 gallons is enough for two showers in a row with some left over.  If you need to heat water quickly you can run it on both electricity and gas.

Our previous motor homes were older (quite a bit older) and didn’t have electric or gas/electric water heaters - only gas. So we didn’t have the “quiet” option - just the F-14 on full afterburner blast of the gas flame. 
 

I’d love a gas/electric option. In fact, with the terrible, terrible arrangement with the water heater being so far from the galley and head points of use, I’m tempted to install one or more point-of-use electric water heaters and only using the Truma for times when no electricity is available. That would also save running so much water down the drain waiting for the heated water to arrive at the tap. 

[KeysConchs]

Our Truma AquaGo has been relatively trouble-free since we purchased our 2018 LE2 (#344) in 2000.  I say relatively because on a 4-month sojourn, each night we stopped, the AquaGo, propane was no longer supplying the AG.  When I tapped on the solenoid (much like my 1968 VW squareback), it would work fine for the rest of the evening.   It seemed like a solenoid issue, but you can't simply replace the solenoid on an AG - it is mated to other parts and is not user-serviceable.   I set up an appointment at the Truma Service Center in Lakeland, Fl  which was not convenient (a 6 1/2 hour drive) . Also, their first availability was months out.  Nevertheless, we confirmed the appointment and drove up there months later. The tech confirmed that is seemed to be the solenoid. It was easier and not much more expensive to replace the entire unit so we gave him the go-ahead.  But when he started taking the unit apart, he noticed that a wire had become corroded and consequently was not in contact with the connector.  Thus, all he had to do was replace the connector and it has functioned flawlessly ever since. And, the cost was negligible.  I remain quite happy with Truma.   Now, however, the nearest Truma service is at a Camping World 4 hours from us and we are within the recall.  A mobile tech's travel time is not covered in the recall.   

Edited January 20 by KeysConchs

[Geronimo John]

On 1/18/2025 at 10:25 AM, Galileo said:

The A/C is gonna be in a garage sale after I replace it with a Houghton.

Listing them on Craig's List generally results in your getting $500+ pocket cash.  Having the soft start and a really cleaned up and staged for pictures is a great start.  But taking a video of it running with a date and shot of your pocket thermometer showing the discharge temperature was what sold mine for above that number.

On 1/18/2025 at 2:42 PM, topgun2 said:

Several years ago I did a post showing a mod to the water heater where I use a "meat thermometer" to tell me when the water is at about 104 degrees. 

Bill:  Any chance you could post a link to your post.  Sounds like a great idea to be emulated.

Thanks

GJ

[topgun2]

18 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Bill:  Any chance you could post a link to your post.  Sounds like a great idea to be emulated.

I'm working on it (finding it, that is).  Might be less time consuming to simply re-do the post given that last night I went through the first 100 pages of all the posts I've written over the years without finding it!

[Patriot]

On 1/19/2025 at 5:52 PM, Galileo said:

I emailed Truma asking to get a replacement door - even if I had to buy it. Response? None. Not even a “Go to your local dealer.”

I admit to not knowing how long the warranty is on the unit, but with my luck, by the time I need it - it’s expired.

I also recently experienced hairline cracks in the corner the exterior cowling of my Truma cover. I called and spoke withe a super friendly Truma Rep and explained what had occurred and was promptly sent a new exterior cover at no charge for the cover or shipping. 

I have had nothing short of stellar service from Truma reps with questions or ordering a new cover. I received the new cover in approx 3-4 days via fedex. Our Truma Aqua go came with a 2 year warranty. When we purchased new in 2020 Oliver actually filed our warranty with Truma. This must be done within 6 weeks of purchase. 

 

Pro tip 😊- you may want to add your tow vehicle, YM and Hull # to your signature. It will assist members of the forum to help you with questions you may have. 

Edited January 21 by Patriot

[Ollie-Haus]

7 hours ago, Patriot said:

I also recently experienced hairline cracks in the corner the exterior cowling of my Truma cover. I called and spoke withe a super friendly Truma Rep and explained what had occurred and was promptly sent a new exterior cover at no charge for the cover or shipping. 

I have had nothing short of stellar service from Truma reps with questions or ordering a new cover. I received the new cover in approx 3-4 days via fedex. Our Truma Aqua go came with a 2 year warranty. When we purchased new in 2020 Oliver actually filed our warranty with Truma. This must be done within 6 weeks of purchase. 

 

Pro tip 😊- you may want to add your tow vehicle, YM and Hull # to your signature. It will assist members of the forum to help you with questions you may have. 

We too have recently contacted Truma CS regarding cracks developing in the water heater cover. When you call you have go through the menu process and usually wait in a queue for a few minutes, but once you get a representative they are quite friendly and helpful with no push back. 

With one five minute conversation we had a new cover ordered at no cost, and it arrived promptly in three days. 
 

I’ve utilized Truma customer service on three other occasions in the past two years with equally satisfactory experiences. I feel Truma and their products have served us well thus far. 

Edited January 22 by Ollie-Haus

[topgun2]

OK - I'm done looking and searching for that post!  

So as to not hi-jack this thread I'll start a new topic covering using a meat thermometer with a Suburban water heater.  See - HERE.

Bill

6 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Bill:  Any chance you could post a link to your post.  Sounds like a great idea to be emulated.

 

Edited January 21 by topgun2

[Patriot]

6 hours ago, topgun2 said:

OK - I'm done looking and searching for that post!  

You mean the search window is not working? I am shocked! 😮😄

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

You mean the search window is not working? I am shocked! 😮😄

When you search, just search for ONE word at a time!

[ScubaRx]

On 1/18/2025 at 1:25 PM, Galileo said:

As for “Dometic” - after my experience with the Dometic A/C that came with our 2022 LEII, (far too loud) the Dometic porcelain toilet (perpetual seal problems) and the Dometic fridge (flimsy freezer door hinges) - I wouldn’t touch another Dometic product. The fridge and toilet I can compensate for or live with. The A/C is gonna be in a garage sale after I replace it with a Houghton.

Strange, You’ve had your Oliver less than three years and we’ve had our Oliver almost eleven years with exactly the same equipment as yours with never a single problem from them. 

[Galileo]

13 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

Strange, You’ve had your Oliver less than three years and we’ve had our Oliver almost eleven years with exactly the same equipment as yours with never a single problem from them. 
 

 

I think most owners with the Dometic A/C would agree that’s it’s a tiny bit loud. (I suppose if you’re deaf it wouldn’t bother you at all - just your neighbors.) That, and I’ve read that at least two other owners have had issues with the bolts holding the fan motor backing out and causing significant problems. I had that issue myself. Luckily, I didn’t mind crawling on the roof to fix it myself. Others had to get professional help. The design and assembly shows a lack of care and proper engineering to an item that should be expected to regularly be exposed to a fair amount of vibration. As it’s built, this A/C should be -expected- to have problems. If I have to deal with the same problem again (before I replace it entirely) I’ll replace the substandard hardware with something more akin to what the factory SHOULD have used in the first place.

Pretty sure I’m not the first one to have to replace the hinges on the Dometic fridge freezer door. Likely also why they’re a popular item on Amazon. Otherwise, I think it’s a great fridge - super freezer.

Toilet seal leaked from day one. Wouldn’t keep water in the bowl. Tried the usual seal conditioners with no improvement. Replaced the seal with a new factory one. Worked for a few weeks, then same problem. Had a cheapo Thetford toilet in previous MHs - never had an issue with them.

If your unit is 8 years older than ours - it’s highly likely that the components and workmanship were frankly - better. There’s really no such thing as “exactly the same equipment” build nearly a decade apart. Corners are cut, cheaper suppliers of parts and subassemblies are substituted, production processes are streamlined, workforces change, pandemics occur - and often - once-reliable items carrying the same model number are redesigned into something wholly different. (I believe there’s a phrase… oh yeah “they don’t make ‘em like they used to”.) Ask owners of White Mountain ice cream freezers. The ones made 20 or 30 years ago are bulletproof. The ones made 5 years ago will fail before you can make a second batch of butter pecan.

We treat our equipment very gently - so it’s not as if we’re abusing our stuff into early failure. That said, I AM fairly demanding of stuff I pay a lot of money for. I EXPECT it to work properly and not fail quickly under normal operating conditions. 

OTOH - in those ‘less than three years’ - we’ve camped in 30 states and two provinces in Canada. We’ve crossed the continental divide four times. We use our Oliver for pretty much three months solid on each of the three vacations we’ve been on, and put 78,000 miles on our first tow vehicle during those three years. So it’s possible we’ve just use our trailer more than most folks.

As for your lack of problems from any of your Dometic appliances - I’m happy for you! Really! It’s not like I -enjoy- having to diagnose, troubleshoot, or seek out other’s experiences to keep things working. I AM lucky to have a fair degree of mechanical aptitude, experience, and the tools to make most of my own repairs. 

[jd1923]

22 hours ago, Galileo said:

If your unit is 8 years older than ours - it’s highly likely that the components and workmanship were frankly - better. There’s really no such thing as “exactly the same equipment” build nearly a decade apart. Corners are cut...

With all the complaints I've read here with relatively newer hulls, I've wondered the same. Were the older hulls built better, or were similar issues just worked out years ago? Hard for me to tell owning a 9-year-old hull for only the last 19 months. @ScubaRx knows Oliver history better than most and he likely services his rig better than most. This is an important point he has made several times.

Ours needed lots of maintenance since we purchased June 2023. And I have seen cock-eyed mechanical installations, electrical components wired wrong, and other minor items. Otherwise, everything works well as it should (except our fresh tank issue). An Atwood furnace was installed to replace a noisy Suburban (OTT Service 2018) and the window shades were replaced in 2020. With my mod the furnace runs great! And the noisy A/C, the HWH, 3-way fridge, Maxxfan, entrance door, toilet and seal, all good working for 9 years now. Many have had leaf spring failures. Ours have the correct arc with no sign of wear at the usual failure points.

Just knocked on wood. @Ronbrink I always find some handy, right above my eyes!

Most of the work I have done are Mods vs. Repairs. The TV worked fine, but not worth my time. The charger/inverter/solar/batteries were all fine, now they're first class. No EMS on our old hull, but now it does. Added LevelMatePRO, Ruuvi, Topeka and Victron. We had the so-called "high-end" mattresses (NOT, but now we do), new dinette cushions, and more and more!

Due to the age of our hull, we have no Truma products. I would call the noise of the Dometic Penguin II a feature vs. a bug! Get the Atmos to replace it! Two Oliver owners have already and I should install ours by April.

Edited January 23 by jd1923
Typo

[katanapilot]

Truma AquaGo recall notice received today.

Has anyone asked and received an answer as to why the recall is for Olivers only?  I assume these water heaters are used across the RV (and maybe marine) industry?

[Galway Girl]

From what I've seen so far:

Oliver has reported this to NHTSA and is self recalling for their own units as an extra precaution.
The NHTSA and Truma appear to still be in negotiations about a larger industry wide recall.
CS

[John Dorrer]

4 hours ago, katanapilot said:

Truma AquaGo recall notice received today.

Has anyone asked and received an answer as to why the recall is for Olivers only?  I assume these water heaters are used across the RV (and maybe marine) industry?

What makes you think it isn't happening elsewhere? A recall involving Oliver would be addressed to Oliver only. If it involved say AS, they would get there own recall notice.

 

This is a Truma issue. I don't believe there is any difference between what went on an Oliver or what went on an AS.

[Geronimo John]

1 hour ago, John Dorrer said:

This is a Truma issue. I don't believe there is any difference between what went on an Oliver or what went on an AS.

I agree.

None the less, I am elated that OTT recognized the issue as a life safety one and launched their recall so quickly.  That's taking care of our family first!

With your experience, you may take the step to advise Air Stream, NHTSA and RVMA of your Air Stream thoughts about this product as well as Oliver's "stand up" actions too.  Again, the right thing to do.

GJ

[Geronimo John]

On 1/18/2025 at 2:48 AM, Ronbrink said:

are ALL of the units installed and deemed ‘nonconforming’ (according to the serial number) in need of the recall replacement or just SOME identified upon inspection to have a loose burner bracket assembly? Maybe someone can clarify.

Does it really matter?  If either of those issues are present, I would want my unit replaced.  

But that begs the question of "With What?". On that point, I'm in the BoondockingAirStream and Seadog camp.  Give me something that works for 20+ years that I can maintain.

[John Dorrer]

On 1/18/2025 at 7:48 AM, Ronbrink said:

I checked my s/n yesterday and it falls within the ‘nonconforming’ group. But I remain confused, are ALL of the units installed and deemed ‘nonconforming’ (according to the serial number) in need of the recall replacement or just SOME identified upon inspection to have a loose burner bracket assembly? Maybe someone can clarify.    

"ALL"

[Ronbrink]

12 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Does it really matter?  If either of those issues are present, I would want my unit replaced.  

 

I understand ALL within the ‘nonconforming’ group are in need of inspection, just read too much into the recall disclosure and was unclear if there would be SOME found to be in good order. That said, why the need to have it inspected in the first place ?, just set up an appointment to have it replaced. I now know that ALL in said group are in need of replacement, thank you and others for that conformation! 

Edited January 24 by Ronbrink

[DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI]

I scheduled my annual maintenance with Oliver factory in early March. My Truma serial number falls within recall range so I mentioned this to Jason when scheduling. He said Oliver will replace my Truma burner unit during maintenance visit. He did say they currently do not have any Truma burner assemblies in stock and don't expect any until early March.

[Rivernerd]

22 hours ago, katanapilot said:

Has anyone asked and received an answer as to why the recall is for Olivers only?  I assume these water heaters are used across the RV (and maybe marine) industry?

The "new" Jason with whom I spoke (after receiving the recall letter) advised that all of the defective burner units were shipped to Oliver, so it is an exclusively Oliver problem.  Lucky us!

That said, I was able to find Dennis Dillon RV, a Truma trained and authorized RV service center in Boise, Idaho (1.5 hours from our home), willing to do the recall work.  That is good, because the closest Oliver dealer is in Utah, a 6.5 hour drive. 

But, I was also advised that Truma is 6-8 weeks out from shipping the replacement burner assemblies, so all I can do for now is return the recall form to Oliver and wait for a scheduling call from the Dennis Dillon service manager in a couple of months.

[katanapilot]

22 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

What makes you think it isn't happening elsewhere? A recall involving Oliver would be addressed to Oliver only. If it involved say AS, they would get there own recall notice.

 

This is a Truma issue. I don't believe there is any difference between what went on an Oliver or what went on an AS.

Only because I didn't find any other Truma AquaGo recalls on the NHTSA website besides the one for Oliver trailers.  Maybe I didn't look hard enough 🤷‍♂️
 

And yes, I’m aware that the recall notice received came from Oliver.  My question was why there wasn’t a “global” recall for all Truma AquaGo units installed by other manufacturers.  Hard to grasp that only Oliver received defective units. 

Edited January 24 by katanapilot

[dewdev]

As I understand it from (the new) Jason at OTT, OTT will obtain the replacement burners from Truma and then send  them to your selected Truma Authorized repair facility.

(i.e. the replacement burners can not be obtained directly from Truma) 

So important to send OTT a copy of the picture of your Truma serial number (as directed in their correspondence) to get on OTT's list. They will notify you when your replacement burner is received at OTT and ready to be shipped to your selected repair facility.

Edited January 24 by dewdev