PDI Planning

[katanapilot]

I'm too lazy to search so apologies if this has been answered already.

We pick up our new LEII on Wednesday.  The plan was to camp overnight in David Crockett - however 100% chance of thunderstorms forecast for the area for Wednesday and Thursday.  Zero desire to camp under those conditions when it's not required.

I know it's not the most prudent to skip the overnight, but we are only 5 hours from Hohenwald if we need to return the camper for repairs. I can fix most things, although we bought the Oliver in the (probably naive) hope that it will be relatively problem free. If it's not vastly superior to our Forest River motorhome, we won't keep it very long.

So here is the question for my planning - those of you that picked up their Ollie recently - how long did you spend at Hohenwald on your PDI? I'm trying to determine if we can make it back home to Atlanta on the same day as the delivery. Given that we won't be camping, I expect we will spend additional time on the PDI.

Thanks in advance.

[Nancy K.]

I'm not sure about the length of the PDI since we haven't picked ours up yet, but some things to consider:  

Are you likely to also encounter the same storms on the road Wednesday?

5 hours in a car will be longer with the trailer.

Will you be getting near Atlanta during rush hour?  

Hope all works out well for you!

[Overland]

If you’re concerned about lightning, then I understand, but personally I’d consider it a good opportunity to test the weather tightness of the trailer. Plus it’s hard to recommend skipping your shakedown.  I only live three hours from the factory but it’s still a pain to go back.  Not that I don’t enjoy my visits. 😜

I’d also second what Nancy just posted. If you aren’t used to towing, the first trip can be a little nervy, so planning to do it in the rain and rush hour might not be a good idea. If you’re a seasoned tower though, no big deal. 

I’d contact your salesperson and ask how long they usually schedule for PDI. I’d also ask how many others are picking up that day.  If they’re busy, it might limit the amount of time you have to get used to the trailer before taking off. 

Edited July 27, 2020 by Overland

[Patriot]

We took delivery June 16th, spent 6.5 hrs on our delivery day going over everything we had on our long pre delivery check list. It was a long list and a drinking from the fire hose day 😄😳. We live 7 hrs from Oliver and driving home was just not a safe option for us given how tired we were from delivery day. We spent an extra 3 nights at David Crockett which looking back we’re really glad we did. 

You are correct, skipping the overnight stay Is not prudent. As stated driving back to Atlanta tired, possible rush hour, and stormy weather is a bad combo.
As Overland already wisely stated and I completely agree, I would not recommend skipping your overnight shakedown at David Crockett. 

Edited August 1, 2020 by Patriot

[katanapilot]

Thanks for the information and your concern. Atlanta is home and we are quite used to the parking lot that is I-75/85. I'm pretty used to long days and towing, as well.

I totally agree that an overnight shakedown is important. However, I have less than zero interest in setting up and taking down a new to me trailer in pouring down rain and lightning. So unless the weather guessers are wrong, we will camp another day and deal with any issues some other time.

Edited July 27, 2020 by katanapilot
corrected text

[Patriot]

4 hours ago, katanapilot said:

Thanks for the information and your concern. Atlanta is home and we are quite used to the parking lot that is I-75/85. I'm pretty used to long days and towing, as well.

I totally agree that an overnight shakedown is important. However, I have less than zero interest in setting up and taking down a new to me trailer in pouring down rain and lightning. So unless the weather guessers are wrong, we will camp another day and deal with any issues some other time.

Sounds like you have your plan, stay safe!
We left Atlanta suburbs years ago...never to return.
The traffic and population density was just unbearable. 

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by Patriot

[SeaDawg]

I always encourage folks to take the time and shake out the trailer at a nearby campground. 

We couldn't.  We had a tight timeline from the Orlando builder's show to NC, to Hohenwald, and on to the panhandle to drop my brother for a preexisting plane reservation. 

If we had it to do over, we would have stayed. But, couldn't. 

That said, we were seasoned rvers, and so are you. Though systems are in different places, many will be at least somewhat familiar. 

If the weather really stinks, and you don't have a pet with you, I recommend Fall Hollows bed and breakfast. Nice, clean, friendly midwest people. If they have a room available  

Our first trip back to Hohenwald was 6 months after pickup, to have solar retrofitted . February 2008, to labor day, 2008.  Like you, we can fix most anything. Fortunately,  we didn't have anything to fix.

Sherry 

[Mike and Carol]

I see the rain chance for Hohenwald is down to 80% Wednesday.  Sherry has a good suggestion about Fall Hollow B&B.  Not fancy, but clean with a great breakfast.  We stayed there a couple of times and also camped in their RV park.  At least you wouldn’t have to rush your orientation and could head to Atlanta the next morning after a nice meal and good nights sleep.  Mike

[SeaDawg]

Everything changes with the weather guys. Best job in the world. Be wrong 50 per cent of the time, and still keep your job 

We just got back from camping in Western NC on our acreage. The forecast stink, but we went, anyway. It was great. That said, we're in the mountains,  where the hills make and break the weather.

Sherry 

[gatorewc]

We picked up our camper yesterday!  (Monday).  Phil Andrews and James Oliver did an excellent job answering all our questions in 3 hours.  We are planning on staying till Friday morning then heading to Cloudland Canyon State Park in Ga for 2 nights before returning home in Palmetto Ga Sunday afternoon.  I had no idea there is a 80% chance of rain tomorrow.  Not sure I will change our plans but will continue to just learn our Ollie.

We had another Oliver that pulled into the campground this afternoon for a 1 day stop before heading out for an another trip.  It was great to stand and chat for awhile 6 feet apart of course.

If you are well seasoned campers then I understand not camping, but of course you never know what little problem you may have when you get home.  Have a safe trip!

Thanks for all the post and excellent answers from all these past 9 months or so.  All the information made our walk through seem less intimidating.  I will post a few picks when I get home

[katanapilot]

After a 5 1/2 hour PDI (Oliver had trouble programming the awning remotes), we headed back to Atlanta. Other than some very minor issues found during the PDI, the camper was in great shape. It has sat outside for a couple of months now, so I believe that any leaks would have been discovered.

Arrived in Atlanta a little after 9 P.M. Managed to miss heavy traffic everywhere, except unusually heavy truck traffic in both lanes climbing Monteagle and a little more near Chattanooga. This trailer pulls quite nicely with our Tundra.

[Patriot]

4 hours ago, katanapilot said:

After a 5 1/2 hour PDI (Oliver had trouble programming the awning remotes), we headed back to Atlanta. Other than some very minor issues found during the PDI, the camper was in great shape. It has sat outside for a couple of months now, so I believe that any leaks would have been discovered.

Arrived in Atlanta a little after 9 P.M. Managed to miss heavy traffic everywhere, except unusually heavy truck traffic in both lanes climbing Monteagle and a little more near Chattanooga. This trailer pulls quite nicely with our Tundra.

Glad all went well, and congrats on your new Ollie! 
I agree zero complaints about our Tundra CM and its Ollie towing capabilities. 
Happy and Safe Travels!

[Mcb]

Patriot, I’m curious about your long pre delivery check list, as I’ve started wondering what to expect when we pick up our camper this fall. I’m hoping they will do a run through with us as to how things work. This isn’t our first camper so we have a general idea. I would like a tour of the guts where they are accessible to gain some general knowledge of where to look for various issues should they come up. What other things should we keep in mind? I assume I don’t need to grab a ladder and make sure the solar panels are bolted on the roof.. or should I? Do they have the plumbing system charged so we can hunt for leaks, make sure the toilet flushes, faucets work and what not?
items on our list , aside from those mentioned above are checking that drawers work, all latches latch, no scratches, dents, dings, the lights all work, components all function, get a lesson with the WDH set up, kick the tires... maybe turn on the AC the minute we arrive to try to make it leak..... 

what else?

Thanks.. no hurry on this.. November is a ways away yet🙂

 

 

[Mainiac]

On 7/31/2020 at 6:57 AM, Mcb said:

. I would like a tour of the guts where they are accessible to gain some general knowledge of where to look for various issues should they come up.

If you need, or want to poke around, in an Oliver again let me know. No charge. I have been in most every corner of ours and think I know where "stuff" is. Of course they have made changes since our 'older' 2017 rolled out the door.

[Ray and Susan Huff]

I looked on the Oliver site but do not see PDI information.  Is there a check-list or some guidance to prepare us for delivery?  I would like to know, ahead of time, the checkpoints of a typical walk-through so we can outline questions we'd like to ask.

Perhaps our salesperson is the person to ask, but I'm wondering if current Oliver owners went prepared with their own list. 

[Patriot]

As perspective new owners we decided to make the best use of our time (a few months) by reading through the owners manuals during our build. I suggest take advantage of your previous RV experience and overlay that with what you learn here and you can craft your very own great checklist. ✅
This forum, the maintenance videos and Oliver University are great sources of information to begin putting together your new owner checklist for delivery day. Oliver will also provide you with a PDI checklist on delivery day. We have since converted our delivery day checklist to our camp arrival set up and camp take down checklists.
Take advantage of the your down time and read and research.
Our experience is that Oliver will go well above and beyond to ensure you have a successful delivery day. We had fun, enjoy your delivery day!
Happy Camping! 

✅ edit for the credit-
Credit where credit is due- we are using a checklist that @John Davies has posted on here, it’s a really good one. We have a binder with our quick access checklists and Oliver’s maintenance checklist. All of these started from JD and the Oliver manual and various pointers learned on here. We also were able to draw on previous RV camping experiences.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Patriot

[WhatDa]

We didn't really do a PDI, so much as letting the sales team walk us through everything they could.  I was pretty familiar from my pre-delivery studies, so we went until the wife was familiar.  Seeing where all the valves are (especially the fresh tank drain and truma bypass) was probably the most helpful.  We then used everything during our two nights at Davy Crockett - ie boondocking fill port, solar charging, fresh tank water, city water, etc... and found no issues.

What took longer to find/figure out: street side screens didn't have black spacer on the bottom leaving a gap for bugs.  Trim below left/bottom drawer was catching on the drawer.  Both easy home fixes with some VHB and the screen spacers shipped from Oliver.

 

[Mainiac]

And you must realize some people in sales are salespeople and their job is to sell product. Some are really very knowledgeable about the product and are hands on. Some are what we call sales clerks, and they try to get the paper work right. Usually those that do the walk the though are very knowledge. They are hands on and know what "stuff" does and where it is. Ask who is going to do your walk through.

I think Patriot is correct. Instead of asking open ended questions on here, because you might get varied responses, it is best to do an in-depth written forum research. Get two (or more) pieces of paper. On one write down any question you might have. On the other questions to ask at pick up. Go back a year in the written forum and read everything twice until you understand it. It is ok at this step to develop more questions. Once you understand the subject cross off any answered questions. And don't be surprised if you are then able to ask more informed questions at pickup. On your 3rd piece you should be able to write your own check list. List things to do, and things that are important to you. If you want hot water at anytime put turn on heater on your list. If you don't t. no need to list, you can turn on the item when you might need it. Going back more than a year may be informative, but the product is evolving and that may effect the available information. The floor plan in the brochure shows where most stuff is. Put that in your notebook too...

[Ray and Susan Huff]

18 minutes ago, Mainiac said:

And you must realize some people in sales are salespeople and their job is to sell product. Some are really very knowledgeable about the product and are hands on. Some are what we call sales clerks, and they try to get the paper work right. Usually those that do the walk the though are very knowledge. They are hands on and know what "stuff" does and where it is. Ask who is going to do your walk through.

I think Patriot is correct. Instead of asking open ended questions on here, because you might get varied responses, it is best to do an in-depth written forum research. Get two (or more) pieces of paper. On one write down any question you might have. On the other questions to ask at pick up. Go back a year in the written forum and read everything twice until you understand it. It is ok at this step to develop more questions. Once you understand the subject cross off any answered questions. And don't be surprised if you are then able to ask more informed questions at pickup. On your 3rd piece you should be able to write your own check list. List things to do, and things that are important to you. If you want hot water at anytime put turn on heater on your list. If you don't t. no need to list, you can turn on the item when you might need it. Going back more than a year may be informative, but the product is evolving and that may effect the available information. The floor plan in the brochure shows where most stuff is. Put that in your notebook too...

Great approach!  This will get me started.  Thanks a bunch 😊

 

[SeaDawg]

On 8/1/2020 at 4:04 PM, Mainiac said:

And you must realize some people in sales are salespeople and their job is to sell product. Some are really very knowledgeable about the product and are hands on. Some are what we call sales clerks, and they try to get the paper work right. Usually those that do the walk the though are very knowledge. They are hands on and know what "stuff" does and where it is. Ask who is going to do your walk through.

I think Patriot is correct. Instead of asking open ended questions on here, because you might get varied responses, it is best to do an in-depth written forum research. Get two (or more) pieces of paper. On one write down any question you might have. On the other questions to ask at pick up. Go back a year in the written forum and read everything twice until you understand it. It is ok at this step to develop more questions. Once you understand the subject cross off any answered questions. And don't be surprised if you are then able to ask more informed questions at pickup. On your 3rd piece you should be able to write your own check list. List things to do, and things that are important to you. If you want hot water at anytime put turn on heater on your list. If you don't t. no need to list, you can turn on the item when you might need it. Going back more than a year may be informative, but the product is evolving and that may effect the available information. The floor plan in the brochure shows where most stuff is. Put that in your notebook too...

I think this is probably one of the best , most helpful posts ever about preparing for pickup. 

You can't learn everything without being in your trailer, but you can certainly prepare to learn what you don't know.

I'd add, study all the videos in Oliver University. 

Thanks, @Mainiac

[John and Debbie]

On 7/27/2020 at 6:12 PM, SeaDawg said:

Everything changes with the weather guys. Best job in the world. Be wrong 50 per cent of the time, and still keep your job 

We just got back from camping in Western NC on our acreage. The forecast stink, but we went, anyway. It was great. That said, we're in the mountains,  where the hills make and break the weather.

Sherry 

"Best job in the world. Be wrong 50 per cent of the time, and still keep your job."

I didn't have that luxury of being wrong 50% of the time as a pharmacist.   When I was a nuclear pharmacist it was readily apparent when the ordered liver scan showed up as a heart scan instead.   

[Trainman]

Having had a Casita before we got our Oliver our delivery time at Oliver was probably a total time of 2 1/2 hours before we were on our way to Davy Crockett State Park, this time did include lunch that they provided for us. Camping close to Holenwald could be beneficial, we had a few issues and a call back to Oliver gave us the answers to take care of the issues that arose, I will say here that Oliver offered to send down someone to take care of the issues, but I was able to take care of them with the info they provided for me. I would recommend a close stay could be of value just because of what could go wrong and Oliver needed to take care of it, I don't think I would let the weather be my determing factor, when it's only rain we are talking about here, plus you can change the delivery date. We found the most needed thing for the first days camping was having a Walmart close by and Davy Crockett State Park has one. 

trainman

[rideandfly]

We went for a morning Oliver Plant tour during May 2016 with Jason, not sure if we were going to buy a new or used Ollie. This tour was very informative on Ollie's construction and systems. There was also a LE2 for sale in the classifieds here at the same time. We drove to Missouri directly from Hohenwald that afternoon to see the used Ollie armed with information we learned from Jason. 
 

The previous owners answered all of our questions and let us camp in Ollie on their farm, with full hookups, testing all systems overnight. We purchased Ollie the following day from the couple in Missouri.