What to expect at closing

[Sawbonz]

Seems like a straight forward question. Should we get that far (I hope), how different is it from any other car or RV purchase?

[Jerry Winchester]

Take a video of the instructions you get for operating every system. I will assure you that you will not remember some small, important detail. Your success at this is directly proportional to how many calls you have to make or posts on this board to ask how something works after you were given prior instructions.

I sold my first coach to some folks that I painstakingly walked thru every system and nuance of the bus. Did they tale notes or video? Nope. And a gazillion calls or trips to the RV park to go over it again. I was okay for the first week but was less happy after that.

I took someone with me for the last two. We started to video when we determined we knew more about the coach than than the owner. Not good.

[jack14r]

I agree with Jerry,but it is also important to stay several days and just use every system,even if you can plug up use the generator for several hours,all AC units,Webasto,audio+video,take it out for a 100+ mile trip,the more you touch it the better you will understand it.In a Liberty,You need to read the owners manual and understand what to do when the Allen Bradley might need to be reset,how to by-pass the inverters,how to reduce the inverter charging in case you hook up to 30 amps,ETC,ETC.

[garyde]

Yes, with Liberty , count on spending a day and a half minimum with orientation. Its not just having knowledge of what to pull, switch, or open and close. Also you need to know where to look and not spend a load of down time searching for a breaker, fuse, switch, etc.
Some of the simplest issues will frustrate you until you know what to focus on step by step.

[Sawbonz]

We already have the video camera and extra battery ready! I was even thinking of a tripod so that we can also try to focus when they are talking....

What do they typically do about extended warranties? They pushed hard when we bought our current coach, and we declined anyway.

[RussWhite]

I used a very small digital recorder ( like doctors use ) for the explanation session. I then placed it by my computer's microphone and using voice to text software, automatically produced a Word document. Now I just quickly type the word I am searching for into the search field and jump right to the section of the document with the information I am looking for instantly at hand. I think finding information using a previoulsy recorded video would be time consuming. Just a thought.....
Russ

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Sage advice to spend a lot of time in the coach at their facility before heading out on your own.

Every owner has a different need when it comes to the learning process. I not only want to know what button to push, I want to know why. My wife doesn't care about why, but she does need to know she has to push the button.

Liberty makes a simple coach in the respect that it is user friendly. If you want to turn on the lights just push the button. If you want to turn on the TV, just use the remote. No thinking, just like our homes. But you also have to understand you can push the button for living room lights all day long and nothing will happen unless the lighting master switch is turned on. And you can push the remote forever, but if the TV circuit breaker is turned off the TV will never come on. So why have a master switch for example when you can get along real well with a light switch for each room? It is nice to be able to turn all the lights on or off as you come in the coach or leave the coach using the master switch. It is the little stuff you have to learn.

On my Liberty my power shades in the front will not work unless the forward outlets are turned on. Who would have guessed that?

What do you do if the sink lights will not turn on or will not turn off? While it is not common to have stuff break it does happen. Here is the beauty of the Allen Bradley system. When something like a failed lighting circuit occurs it is probable a relay has gone bad. Learn how to identify the circuit, how to locate the relay and how to swap it out. In six years and about 80,000 miles I have had two such failures. Not a big deal, good reliability when I consider how many switches and relays there are, but knowing how to fix it in less than 2 minutes is something that should be part of the learning process.

There are many systems that need to be understood. The Watchdog, the Websto, the audio visual systems, how to operate the slides. How to manually open and close the slides, including pin retraction, awning and power shade and window operation and how to keep them working properly. If you are a gear head get to know the basic maintenance requirements. Where are the AC filters and how do you access them? How does the Liberty leveling system work. It is unlike any other conversion and a lot of owners did not understand what each switch position did.

When the salesman or tech works with you to teach you the coach it is like trying to drink from a fire hose. But by planning on living in the coach for several days and operating every switch, knob, pushbutton and dial you will learn your coach and if you do not understand something you will have the experts a few steps away. If you find something does not work properly it can be taken care of on the spot. When you live in it, spend a day "dry camping" and then spend a day on shore power. Learn power management. Learn how to function on 30 amps. Learn how even with 50 amps it is not difficult to trip the shore power breaker.

Especially learn and understand the inverters, programming them, and how to shut down the coach. Doing it the wrong way can ruin the inverters. For your own future protection learn and understand how to by-pass a failed inverter. That may seem like an unneccesary bit of knowledge, but if the inverter that handles your refrigerator pukes your refrigerator will not work until you can get power to it. It takes only a few minutes and is an easy emergency repair, but a very valuable piece of knowledge. That is the kind of information that becomes priceless when you are 400 miles from the closest service center and it is a Saturday night and nobody is returning your calls.

The second driver's side bay is the electric bay and a lot of folks are terrified when they see it. Get a basic understanding of where the Allen Bradley relays are, where the circuit breakers are and how to identify a circuit. The Liberty systems such as electric, plumbing, etc. are robust and trouble free, but the time to get a limited knowledge of the systems, especially the electric system is before you have issues.

Finally, take the time to open up all access panels and note the locations of various devices and shut off valves. The time to be trying to find a shut off valve is not when you have a leak, but before one happens.

[Sawbonz]

I used a very small digital recorder ( like doctors use ) for the explanation session. I then placed it by my computer's microphone and using voice to text software, automatically produced a Word document. Now I just quickly type the word I am searching for into the search field and jump right to the section of the document with the information I am looking for instantly at hand. I think finding information using a previoulsy recorded video would be time consuming. Just a thought.....
Russ

Now that's a little extra work, but BRILLIANT!

[Sawbonz]

Jon, as expected you have posted a trove of info! Thanks. I will take mental note and attempt to do all of these. I too like to know "why"?

And, I would never have thought to turn on the outlets to have the shades work. On the other hand, I probably would not have turned off the outlets!

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Karl, there are three places to turn your cruise airs on and off. I want you to find out where that is, so you remember.
If I just tell you you will probably forget.

Be sure to have a hands on demonstration of the burglar alarm and the page/set system.

Have FUN. JIM