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New Fiver and trip report
Hi all, I'm new to this forum and have already gathered a lot of information. I appreciate all the expertise on here.
On Friday. 8/28/15, we picked up our brand new 2016 Cougar 336BHS. We traded in a 2005 Laredo TT BH, she was good to us, but it was time for an upgrade.
The PDI went well and I didn't find anything that needed fixing right away. I might have been a sucker and got a 5-year extended warranty, but time will tell. I know these generally turn out in the dealers favor, and honestly, I'd rather have it and not need it.
One odd thing during our PDI that stumped the dealer. There is a gray drain at the very back between the bunk slide and the kitchen slide. There is another black/gray drain in front of the kitchen slide. Black and one gray valve is in the cargo hold by the docking station. There is another gate valve coming from a small diameter pipe that comes in just before the outlet. It turns out, the back drain is a direct drain, no tank, for the outdoor kitchen sink. There are two gray tanks in front, one for the galley and one for the bathroom with the one valve exposed in the underbelly for the galley tank.
Everything else looked great and I was pleased with how the dealer prepared the coach, tested the systems (although I did the same again for most of it) and cleaned it. They did a nice job of going through the systems and showing me what I didn't know. About half-way through, the guy finally just asked me what I wanted to know about since I was either dis-interested in what he was talking about or educating him. After that, he just sat back and let me play.
We live in Reno and took our maiden voyage all the way to Truckee, CA, about 30 miles away. We had full hook-ups with 50 amp power and planned on just putting it through its paces. It was perfect weather, used the AC when we got there and the heater in the morning.
A few issues after using it for a night. The door handle/lock I think is broken. It looks like pin on the bottom of the handle to open the door came out or broke. You can still open the door, but have to fiddle with it. I might shop around and see if I can find a little more robust set anyway. Second issue is after we leveled the unit with the level up system, which is fabulous after I got it figured out, the bunk room door wouldn't latch closed. It appears to have shifted so the latch doesn't line up with the strike plate. But when we got home to clean it out, out of level in our street, the door closed again. Third was the docking light on the hitch wouldn't turn off. I saw it on and at first thought my boy turned it on, hit the switch and then didn't notice it again until we were on the road. When I got home, I switched it a few times, unplugged the wires to the switch, turn the battery disconnect switch to off, the light is still on. I finally pulled the light out, it was just held on by a rubber grommet, and unplugged it. I'll take it to the dealer to have them figure it out.
Going from a TT to a Fiver, this thing towed great even in the wind. I bought a B&W companion and although I had second thoughts when I was lifting the 130 lb chunk of metal into the bed, I love how it connects and feels so secure. I have no doubt that I made the right decision even after my short trip. I looked hard at the Anderson, they have a great product, but in the end, went with the industry standard at the moment. Really, the only benefit the Anderson has over the B&W is the weight. I have a short bed truck, but still have the B&W all the way to the most forward and lowest setting and I don't have any trouble turning.
The only other issue we had was the smell of the new fabric, glue and materials (and maybe formaldahyde) made my wife sick. I opened the windows and vents to hopefully air it out before we take it out again for Labor Day.
All in all, we love the RV. We love the open space in the main area, the kitchen works well for us and I can't wait to use the outdoor kitchen. The kids loved having their own TV and area in the back. The bathroom and bedroom is comfortable.
Thanks for reading, I know it is long.
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