2021 Elite l Interior Trim

[LongStride]

Hi all,

We picked up Hull #820 on 6/10.  Delivery was a bit overwhelming for a number of reasons.  We were actually supposed to pick it up on the 9th but had to leave it overnight with the service department to trace down an electrical short (yes, it is true that even the service department can't get wiring diagrams from engineering).  With all that was going on we never really paid attention to the big gap in the chrome band where it meets the slot that the little tray/shelf slips into at the back of the tabletop.  Every brochure and every owner photo that I can find of that area shows a continuous uninterrupted chrome band.  Mine is just cut out where the slot is.  The left thumbscrew bracket is not right either.  You can see it with the naked eye (no spirit level required).  Why would you even screw it down like that?  

Any others out there like this?  

[SeaDawg]

The elite, and the Elite II,  are different heights. I don't "think" the II has the shelf, like yours and mine. They have a nightstand, if twins. 

Can't swear to it (scubarx would know), but I think the height was added to the lower hulls. Not sure. 

We just have brackets in the older Ollies.  No thumbscrew. Yes, i can see yours  is cockeyed. Do you use the big dinette? We don't.  We leave the bed set up all the time. And, the shelf (ours is birchwood) is in all the time.

I never notice the brackets. Pretty much out of sight, under the shelf. But, if you don't use the big table, like us, I'd probably think about removing the thumbscrews and putting them in a baggie in a drawer. I'd more than likely notice them, with my knee.

We find that leaving the bed in place full time is less work, and provides more storage for three bins under the bed. The small dinette gives us a place to sit for dinner in inclement weather. Otherwise, we normally eat outside.

 

[DavePhelps]

Here's a pic of my 2015 Elite1.

Has Oliver made the rear window larger in later models? Not sure why your trim would be like that. Well, I can think of some reasons but would rather let more informed people speak up first! As for the brackets, mine are a little crooked too. Not so great craftsmanship there but the table still attaches fine. 

Dave

[DavePhelps]

Here's a pic of my 2015 Elite1.

Has Oliver made the rear window larger in later models? Not sure why your trim would be like that. Well, I can think of some reasons but would rather let more informed people speak up first! As for the brackets, mine are a little crooked too. Not so great craftsmanship there but the table still attaches fine. 

Dave

[SeaDawg]

@DavePhelps, I do think the newer models have a taller rear window.  And, looks like it's a slider. When my 2008 windows stared fogging a bit, I  asked Jason about replacement vs getting them pulled, evacuated, and resealed locally, and he told me the new windows were larger and different from my 2008 windows .

With that, and the tray, tabletop, etc. I  don't know how the bellyband could run continuously.  No real space.

Looks like you have the old style awning egress window, like us, in our 2008.

[LongStride]

Hi Dave.  The “exit” sticker on mine is on top of the window.  The frame that holds the shades/blinds is not centered on the rear window.  Looks like they dropped it down a bit to clear the exit sticker above the window then struggled for room to install the chrome band.  The band(s) slopes down a bit toward the slot on both the curb side and street side.  I don’t believe this ever should have passed QC.  

 

[LongStride]

They may have changed windows due to availability issues, or it could be poor craftsmanship.  That is why I am reaching out to see if the condition exists in all of the new Elite l units.  If it is a manufacturing change then it “is what it is”.  If it is poor craftsmanship then it should be remedied.  If it is a quality issue then I have complete faith that Oliver will make it right.  I just need to know one way or another.  

[SeaDawg]

Longstride, I can't see the top of your window. Mine (2008) is just a bit below the attic, like Dave's. 

 

 

[DavePhelps]

Hmm. Pics of the 2022 Elite interior show a continuous belly band around the back of the trailer. The window is definitely bigger, which is nice, but everything fits pretty tight and there is no room for error in the layout. Not sure what could be done now. Maybe the shades could be raised and a new belly band installed, but I'd ask Jason what is really going on here. 

Dave

[LongStride]

I’ll have to go out in the morning and take a pic of the top.  It is lower than yours and Daves because the little red EXIT sticker is visible ABOVE the frame.

[LongStride]

I saw that too Dave.  As I said, mine is the only one that I have seen with this condition.  

[SeaDawg]

Since no one with a 2021 model has posted,  I went back to the classified listing for the one that sold a month or so ago.

I can see why you would not have noticed at pickup, as the dinette was probably set up as a dinette. Difficult to see in these photos, with cushions and shelf, but pretty sure the belly trim is positioned, and gapped,ike yours, @LongStride.

I wonder if RVIA requires the sticker to be visible with shade closed? If so, wondering if a sticker could be applied to shade frame instead of wall? There's still a sticker on the window.

Even with that, there appears to be very little room between shade frame and attic in these photos.

[LongStride]

Thanks for the photos from the classifieds.  Sure looks like the belly band is cut out at the tray slot on that Elite also.  I have no problem with it as long as it is a manufacturing change and not a goof!  It appears as if they had to make the change to accommodate the larger egress window. Not much available room between the top of the frame and the attic (see pic below).

 Like you, we intend to leave the back set up as a bed.  The tray is a nice place to set your glasses, flashlight, and a water bottle.  A mini nightstand if you will.  Perfect for us.  

[John E Davies]

Well, that certainly looks like an engineering decision to me, tho the execution could be a lot better IMHO. It is sure unsightly. If you can get Oliver to send you a length of the chrome trim, you could carefully notch out the bottom edge to clear the shelf. It would look odd when the shelf was removed, but no odder than a completely missing piece. And it would look terrific when the shelf was installed. My guess is that the missing piece is a cost saving measure.

I removed my two peeling stickers and mounted a single one in their place outside the frame, the view out the back window is much improved. The stickers are a visual distraction, they force your eyes to focus on them rather than the scenery beyond. On your setup, I would install a new one to the right of the street side red handle. And the EXIT sticker at the top should go a few inches forward, on the ceiling, so you can see it when lying down. I am not sure it even meets code where it is now, half hidden by the blinds frame…..  . I guess that all the sticker locations are by code,  but as an owner you do not have to leave them there.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Overland]

I moved all my stickers to the trash can, which is where they look the best.

I agree with the others about the trim and window - whatever it is that Oliver is trying to do there needs to be rethought.

[DavePhelps]

Here's a pic right off Oliver's website of a 2022 model Elite.
So I don't know what is going on with your trailer Longstride.
It does look like the window in the pic was placed higher however. Note no sticker and the shade frame pretty much touches the upper cabinet.
That would give just enough room for a continuous belly band.

Dave

[SeaDawg]

I could live with John Davies' idea of ripped/notched band better than the "missing chunk" you have now. Move the whole band up a tiny bit. Notch the retaining lip of the shelf a bit to clear the chrome trim. It would at least give the illusion of a full continuous band, with the shelf in place.

I'd be disappointed,  too, if I  were you. I understand that the slider requires a bigger space for egress, but I  don't think this was well thought out, personally. I'd ask Oliver for a bit of a redo, possibly as described above. 

We ripped the inner part of the shelf (the part that sits in the slot) and the lip, making our wooden shelf a few inches less deep. Still room for glasses, a small clock, my phone, and a paperback book. But, I've not seen the new style in person. Might be more shallow than our original, as it is. Mine is now just deep enough for a paperback. 

I've even given fleeting thought to removing the table clips, and filling the holes, as we haven't used the table in over 10 years. I just throw a pillow over them...

 

[JRK]

I picked up my Elite (I) March 17, 2021, hull #758. It does not have a continuouse chrome strip above the rear dinette. There is a tray/shelf that fits in that place, that is above the table, so the chrome strip is not there if you got the dinette option. I was told that if you got the permanent bed option, the chrome band would be continuous, and the brackets/thumb screws would not be there. 

I decided to get the dinette option, as I wanted the flexibility of using the dinette or the bed. I plan to leave the bed permanently made up for my upcoming, first, trip. I did remove the thumb screws.

John

[Orchid R and A]

We have a 2021 Elite. Yes, ours is like yours as well. 
Andria

2021 Elite #750 “Orchid”

2020 Toyota Limited Tundra “Tank”

[LongStride]

Thanks Andria.  Looks like the change in the belly band was made to accommodate the window that they used on our units.  I don't like it and at some point I will come up with a means of making it look better.  When I do, I will post what I come up with.

Your bedding looks terrific!  If my wife sees it I am in for it.  I picked out ours and it is just a couple of down filled backpacking quilts and two small pillows.