New guy and possible used 2019 Transcend 31RLS questions

[rogercwhite]

Hi All!

I'm going to look at a used 2019 Transcend Xplor 31RLS for purchase tomorrow. I've searched the forums and haven't found much written about this discontinued model. According to the current owner (private seller) the trailer was purchased in July, 2019 and has been towed approximately 9500 miles. It has 2 air conditioners and 50 amp service. The owner has removed the free standing dinette, but the chairs are still there. Two of the pull cord window shades have broken strings. The pictures presented look very good overall - but the visual inspection awaits.

I've never owned a trailer before. This is going to be a "destination" trailer and will only be towed for service when needed. I have a couple of questions I could use your experienced help with answering:

1. Are there any "known" defects I should specifically look for on this model Transcend?
2. What questions other than the usual do I need to ask during the inspection and demo?

Today I went to my local dealership and asked about the trailer. One of the techs has a newer model (31RLK) that I got to see and he's been pleased with. I asked their service department what costs I should expect to incur with a new trailer. They recommended an annual service (approximately $1700) that includes axel maintenance, roof sealant and a complete systems checkout. As a new guy I'm inclined to do this, but....

3. Absent any maintenance records from the previous owner, should I do this service?

I asked about some various upgrades to the camper. I am not a skilled handyman. This camper has three slideouts and will be sitting unattended in the woods 300 days a year.

4. Are Solera slide toppers worth the quoted $2800 investment for the three slideouts?

Thanks in advance for helping the new guy. My initial move was to buy a new 265BH, but I waited too long and their price has skyrocketed while availability plunged. I think the bigger unit will work better anyway.

 

[rogercwhite]

Absent any answers from the group, this is what I found out this weekend. Experiences/responses that provide more detail or correction would be appreciated.

1. Are there any "known" defects I should specifically look for on this model Transcend? According to the maintenance rep at Sonny's RV, there were a few bad axles on 2020 models, but 2019 were unaffected.

2. What questions other than the usual do I need to ask during the inspection and demo? I had not known to ask if there was a transferable extended warranty, the requirements for maintaining it and the costs for its use.

3. Absent any maintenance records from the previous owner, should I do this (dealer annual) service? Maybe yes, maybe no. It is required for the transferable extended warranty on the specific camper I was looking at. If no warranty is involved then age, visual condition of seals and intended usage would dictate (i.e. for a "destination" trailer that won't be pulled, axle service may not be required. Roof still needs inspection every 90 days.)

4. Are Solera slide toppers worth the quoted $2800 investment for the three slideouts? Mixed answers on this. Most say no, that the toppers didn't provide them as much protection as they did hassle. Primary complaints were they were noisy in higher wind, tended to pool water and trap debris, and were an additional item to jam on slide retraction. Some swore by them. I'm still too inexperienced to decide on their utility and would love other perspectives.

Lastly, I learned the RV maintenance everywhere in the southeast is backed up right now. One dealership would allow me to park the trailer for a place in line May 11, but it wouldn't be worked on until early July. Another service company (different city) would allow parking the last week of June for first week of August service. Both places had more RVs waiting on service than they did for sale.

FWIW.

 

[Second Chance]

Sorry nobody got back to you in a timely manner, Roger. It looks like you've done some good homework. I'd only add a couple of points: Google "PDI checklist" and download a couple. A good pre-delivery checklist can be extremely helpful in listing things to inspect that you may not have thought of. In particular, any kind of water incursion is a no-go as it can lead to unseen damage to wood products like flooring, etc. Barring structural issues, most problems with RVs are with appliances and components which are supplied by vendors and common to most brands.

If you're not the DIY type, it's going to get expensive paying to have maintenance and minor repairs done. RVs are like boats - a "total involvement" hobby.

As for slide toppers... it depends. We didn't have them on our first fifth wheel but ordered them on our new Solitude. As full-timers, we're glad we have them. They are especially good at keeping the sun off the slide tops in the summer time and, as a result, helping to keep the RV cooler.

Finally, "sitting unattended in the woods" concerns me. In the southeast, humidity is your worst enemy and you're going to have to come up with some strategies to manage it in order to prevent mold. A good, hefty dehumidifier with the drain line leading outside would be a great place to start.

Rob

 

[WhittleBurner]

This might get more replies in the Transcend section. The Transcend owners are starting to grow in numbers..it's has been a slow start here in the forum..

 

[rogercwhite]

Sorry nobody got back to you in a timely manner, Roger. It looks like you've done some good homework. I'd only add a couple of points: Google "PDI checklist" and download a couple. A good pre-delivery checklist can be extremely helpful in listing things to inspect that you may not have thought of. In particular, any kind of water incursion is a no-go as it can lead to unseen damage to wood products like flooring, etc. Barring structural issues, most problems with RVs are with appliances and components which are supplied by vendors and common to most brands.

If you're not the DIY type, it's going to get expensive paying to have maintenance and minor repairs done. RVs are like boats - a "total involvement" hobby.

As for slide toppers... it depends. We didn't have them on our first fifth wheel but ordered them on our new Solitude. As full-timers, we're glad we have them. They are especially good at keeping the sun off the slide tops in the summer time and, as a result, helping to keep the RV cooler.

Finally, "sitting unattended in the woods" concerns me. In the southeast, humidity is your worst enemy and you're going to have to come up with some strategies to manage it in order to prevent mold. A good, hefty dehumidifier with the drain line leading outside would be a great place to start.

Rob

Rob,

Thanks for your response. I'll google the PDI checklist. Your comment about slide toppers is one of the positives I've heard. As this trailer probably won't move much I'm considering putting a shelter over the top of it next year.

You bring up a good point regarding humidity. My normal pattern will be to occupy the camper 2 nights per month May-November, a week in December and then for 2 weeks in January. It will only be unoccupied March and April. I had planned on using larger dessicant cans (along with sticky rodent traps) in each room and changing them monthly. I'll have to do a search on how to rig a dehumidifier - I am admittedly a little concerned about leaving a water generating source unattended in the camper for a few weeks at a time, both due to water and having active electric power inside the camper. Do you have suggestions on how to rig this?

Thanks again for your response...and I was Navy so of course I'm not DIY. We had a Marine Corps for that!

 

[rogercwhite]

This might get more replies in the Transcend section. The Transcend owners are starting to grow in numbers..it's has been a slow start here in the forum..

Thanks! I'll go look over there.

 

[WhittleBurner]

I moved it over for you, there should be a re dirct on the origional thread

 

[Second Chance]

Rob,

Thanks for your response. I'll google the PDI checklist. Your comment about slide toppers is one of the positives I've heard. As this trailer probably won't move much I'm considering putting a shelter over the top of it next year.

You bring up a good point regarding humidity. My normal pattern will be to occupy the camper 2 nights per month May-November, a week in December and then for 2 weeks in January. It will only be unoccupied March and April. I had planned on using larger dessicant cans (along with sticky rodent traps) in each room and changing them monthly. I'll have to do a search on how to rig a dehumidifier - I am admittedly a little concerned about leaving a water generating source unattended in the camper for a few weeks at a time, both due to water and having active electric power inside the camper. Do you have suggestions on how to rig this?

Thanks again for your response...and I was Navy so of course I'm not DIY. We had a Marine Corps for that!

All the larger dehumidifiers have a connection for tubing for the water to drain (rather than into the removable bucket). We have a 30-pint unit that has a hose output (though we use the bucket since we're full-time and mobile). There's nearly always a place to run the tubing out through the flap seals at the bottom corner of a slide - I've done it a number of times with coax cable. We leave our rig powered all the time and have never had an issue (you'll need to keep it powered enough to keep the house battery charged, anyway). Of course, in the summertime, the air conditioners a just big dehumidifiers. They will extract the moisture and it will run off the roof via the rain gutters. We only need the dehumidifier when we're not running the ACs (or when we're in the desert southwest, of course).

Rob