New R-Pod 179 Owner in Alberta

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   On Tuesday we took the long 5 hr (yes that was the nearest dealer that had a 179) drive to pick up our 2018 R-Pod 179 HRE. They were really happy with our trade in so we got the full agreed on value for that. 
The service guy that did our walk through with us was pretty good but I think after all our research on R-Pods, we knew more about the finer details about the trailer than he did. I was disappointed when he refused to show me how to winterize the water system. He said I had to make an appointment for them to do it and I could watch them and learn how. 

Since this was our first trailer with holding tanks, we really appreciated the attention and guidance of the parts manager who made sure we had what we needed to use the trailer right away. We bought a cover, surge protector, sewer hose and a few other incidentals. 

We had decided to camp overnight before driving home just to get acquainted with our new unit. We tried everything on the trailer and found a few problems. 

The first one was that the rear view camera, which is awesome, was always on. Usually these are wired into the clearance lights but ours had to be mounted lower down to avoid only seeing an expanse of roof in the monitor so it was wired into the  trailer's 12 v system. There was no way to turn it off.

Secondly, the HW heater would not light on propane. Nothing I could do would make that thing light, though thankfully it did work on electricity. 

Finally, the control panel on the fridge was loose and would come off when the buttons were pressed.

The next morning I called the dealer and they said to bring it back in. A tech was waiting for us and within 2 hours we had all our issues resolved and we were on our way. He put in our camera switch, replaced the HW heater circuit board, which had failed, and fixed the loose fridge panel.

Our 2006 Jeep Commander (low mileage, only used for towing) with the 4.7 L V8 had no problem pulling the 'Pod on a very hot day up some major climbs through our Alberta badlands and on northward. The view in the mirrors is the best I've ever had on a trailer and along with our camera (probably overkill) I would not hesitate in taking this one anywhere. 

Our first "real" trip will begin on Sunday. We can hardly wait!

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DaleH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Jul 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Topic: New R-Pod 179 Owner in Alberta Posted: 27 Jul 2017 at 10:30am
	On Tuesday we took the long 5 hr (yes that was the nearest dealer that had a 179) drive to pick up our 2018 R-Pod 179 HRE. They were really happy with our trade in so we got the full agreed on value for that. The service guy that did our walk through with us was pretty good but I think after all our research on R-Pods, we knew more about the finer details about the trailer than he did. I was disappointed when he refused to show me how to winterize the water system. He said I had to make an appointment for them to do it and I could watch them and learn how. Since this was our first trailer with holding tanks, we really appreciated the attention and guidance of the parts manager who made sure we had what we needed to use the trailer right away. We bought a cover, surge protector, sewer hose and a few other incidentals. We had decided to camp overnight before driving home just to get acquainted with our new unit. We tried everything on the trailer and found a few problems. The first one was that the rear view camera, which is awesome, was always on. Usually these are wired into the clearance lights but ours had to be mounted lower down to avoid only seeing an expanse of roof in the monitor so it was wired into the trailer's 12 v system. There was no way to turn it off. Secondly, the HW heater would not light on propane. Nothing I could do would make that thing light, though thankfully it did work on electricity. Finally, the control panel on the fridge was loose and would come off when the buttons were pressed. The next morning I called the dealer and they said to bring it back in. A tech was waiting for us and within 2 hours we had all our issues resolved and we were on our way. He put in our camera switch, replaced the HW heater circuit board, which had failed, and fixed the loose fridge panel. Our 2006 Jeep Commander (low mileage, only used for towing) with the 4.7 L V8 had no problem pulling the 'Pod on a very hot day up some major climbs through our Alberta badlands and on northward. The view in the mirrors is the best I've ever had on a trailer and along with our camera (probably overkill) I would not hesitate in taking this one anywhere. Our first "real" trip will begin on Sunday. We can hardly wait!

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6285	Posted: 27 Jul 2017 at 11:34am
	Welcome and congratulations! I would be interested in hearing more about your camera (model, whether it is hard wired or wireless, etc.). You probably had some beautiful views on your trip home. We just got back from a trip of over 3,000 miles with ours. I hope you make many great memories with your travels.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

DaleH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Jul 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Posted: 27 Jul 2017 at 12:11pm
	Hi Stephen, The camera is a Furrion: https://www.furrion.com/store/cameras/ It's wired into the trailer's 12 v power but the signal is wireless. The camera is paired to the monitor, presumably so you don't suddenly get the view from some other trailer nearby. I can only imagine the liability issues, there. It has something like a 300 m range which is about right because we had a good signal as we were driving to dinner on our first night before the switch was installed. I figured if it worked for monster 5 th wheelers, the R-Pod should be a piece of cake. Probably did have some great views as we climbed out of the badlands but at those temperatures, my eyes were on the engine temp gauge! Lol! Dale