Great idea, I will try that as well. Obi, should just default all their lack of information they have to this webpage. This page is much more informative than the useless obi team.
thx
OBI Dweller Review and Discussion
- Thread starter gendlert
- Start date
thx
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
I am going to speculate. OBI flooded the market with Dwellers and Conqueror s at any dealer that would sign up with them and made a sheet ton of money.
Some dealers went under and are selling units below what most of the dealers paid for thier inventory. Dealers like ROA don't want to deal with anyone who didn't buy from them and I don't blame them.
Now OBI can't handle all the warranty issues and are bleeding money that they likely spent on new airplanes and or other toys.
Some dealers went under and are selling units below what most of the dealers paid for thier inventory. Dealers like ROA don't want to deal with anyone who didn't buy from them and I don't blame them.
Now OBI can't handle all the warranty issues and are bleeding money that they likely spent on new airplanes and or other toys.
Supposedly, obi will be limiting its dealers and start selling directly like tesla. I understand Roa, not wanting to help out. They will for $5,000.00 though.
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
What exactly does one get for 5k
Treefarmer1
Active member
There are plenty of RV master techs, talented mechanics, and parts providers out there in the country. It just goes to show you that relying on warranties is a losing play. Once you drive off the lot you need to become self sufficient from the seller. Unless there is some catastrophic structural failure, you should be prepared to find parts and services from other sources.
FordGuy1
Adventurer
I cant imagine what a pain it must be if you cant make your own repairs. I deal with RV techs work, and its the worst. But I am in Ca.
Treefarmer1
Active member
Do it yourself is always the best option, but if you travel around the country you have a better chance of finding competent people. For example, there are many great places to have work done in AZ between October and March. There are even many competent mobile repair options. In our rotation each year between the states if ID, MT, UT, WY, NM, AZ, NV we have dozens of good shops and people bookmarked in case we need them.
Xid_az
Member
Are you willing to share the places/techs you have had good experiences with? I'm in Phoenix, but I'm sure others in or traveling around the other states you mentioned would appreciate the recommendations.
I'm working on things myself as a learning process so that if something goes wrong while we're out I can at least diagnose what the problem is and possibly fix. For things outside my skillset or comfort level having a reliable shop would be helpful.
FordGuy1
Adventurer
That would be a great idea. Members who can recommend competent RV repair. With the complexity of today’s builds, with solar, networking, Lithium, and the electronics, it would be a great resource. The wrong tech will cause more damage then good.
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
Xid_az
Member
We ended up going with this fully enclosed mattress protector: Amazon ASIN B0BHFDQKMP - Cooling Bamboo Mattress Protector with Zipper - 100% Waterproof Cal King Mattress Cover
The Cal King worked well and accommodates the flip like we were hoping.
Hi all,
I've been thinking of downsizing from a Starcraft 19' since my teenagers dont really want to camp with mom and dad so much anymore. Looking at whats out there is depressing. Lots of mass produced giant sized state park crap. Then I come upon the Dweller and I get excited. Quite literally the perfect camper for my better half and me even though its about 1000lbs heavier than what I'm "downsizing" from. So the research starts and I find this forum. Incredibly informative and I've spent hours reading through basically every post.
Now I'm actually quite confused and I need to get a simple summary of the hundreds of posts I've read here because I'm really perplexed by a few things. Now you guys are, in my opinion pretty dam genius coming up with these mods and hacks. But here's what I'm having trouble with. Most of these mods seem to be to address some design flaw in the camper. Now for me, if I spend this much on a camper, I dont expect to have to immediately mod out the shocks to keep it from killing me at highway speeds. Seems like they should have done that on their own before selling it. I cant believe that people are doing complex weight and loading calculations before hitting the road. Sounds like you're all pilots. It makes me wonder about how this camper was designed and built to have such an obvious flaw.
I guess I'm just asking for you guys to convince me. You all seem to really love this thing but it seems like there are so many flaws. Driving down the highway with the thing dancing and bouncing is tops for me. My Launch 19BHS tracks beautifully. I'm also concerned about all of these little glitches. So does it charge while I'm towing?? or do I need to retrofit some new plug and hack the electrical system? Then there's the fridge. What happened to 2 and 3 way? It seems that if someone is boon docking a bunch of days, you want a fridge that can run for weeks on propane rather than one which will deplete the batteries in a couple of cloudy days, and not plug in to a cigarette lighter, or shear off the cord when you close the drawer. I certainly dont want to mod the sink so it doesnt leak all over my spoons.
The last concern is huge. It looks like these things are stacking up on lots. Some dealers are discontinuing and it seems that many who still sell them are sketchy at best. What happens if this company goes away? Then you're on your own and all these hacks become survival.
I really want to like this camper. I guess I just need a hug because I'm having really major second thoughts. Actually considered a Geo Pro...The horror!
I've been thinking of downsizing from a Starcraft 19' since my teenagers dont really want to camp with mom and dad so much anymore. Looking at whats out there is depressing. Lots of mass produced giant sized state park crap. Then I come upon the Dweller and I get excited. Quite literally the perfect camper for my better half and me even though its about 1000lbs heavier than what I'm "downsizing" from. So the research starts and I find this forum. Incredibly informative and I've spent hours reading through basically every post.
Now I'm actually quite confused and I need to get a simple summary of the hundreds of posts I've read here because I'm really perplexed by a few things. Now you guys are, in my opinion pretty dam genius coming up with these mods and hacks. But here's what I'm having trouble with. Most of these mods seem to be to address some design flaw in the camper. Now for me, if I spend this much on a camper, I dont expect to have to immediately mod out the shocks to keep it from killing me at highway speeds. Seems like they should have done that on their own before selling it. I cant believe that people are doing complex weight and loading calculations before hitting the road. Sounds like you're all pilots. It makes me wonder about how this camper was designed and built to have such an obvious flaw.
I guess I'm just asking for you guys to convince me. You all seem to really love this thing but it seems like there are so many flaws. Driving down the highway with the thing dancing and bouncing is tops for me. My Launch 19BHS tracks beautifully. I'm also concerned about all of these little glitches. So does it charge while I'm towing?? or do I need to retrofit some new plug and hack the electrical system? Then there's the fridge. What happened to 2 and 3 way? It seems that if someone is boon docking a bunch of days, you want a fridge that can run for weeks on propane rather than one which will deplete the batteries in a couple of cloudy days, and not plug in to a cigarette lighter, or shear off the cord when you close the drawer. I certainly dont want to mod the sink so it doesnt leak all over my spoons.
The last concern is huge. It looks like these things are stacking up on lots. Some dealers are discontinuing and it seems that many who still sell them are sketchy at best. What happens if this company goes away? Then you're on your own and all these hacks become survival.
I really want to like this camper. I guess I just need a hug because I'm having really major second thoughts. Actually considered a Geo Pro...The horror!
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
I think it comes down to your skills and free time to complete mods yourself. I think you will have to be prepared to the possibility that OBI flooded the market and the warranties could really bring them down. If you could find one at a fire sale for under 35k it may be worth it.
I'll toss out a couple thoughts...
First of all, I'm kind of like you. These guys are the geniuses and figure everything out, I just copy what sounds good for my situation. Secondly, yes, OBI "should" have worked out most of these design flaws. But they didn't. I should be tall and skinny, but I'm not. Thirdly, I'm certainly not going to try and convince you to spend this kind of money, that's all on you! Only you know your unique situation. For us, the Dweller has been pretty good. It's just the Princess and I, plus a dog or two. We pretty much boondock exclusively, usually for 3-4 nights at a time. Seems like it's almost always up a pretty rough 4WD forest road or the like.
Yes! It likes to bounce on the highway! The up-graded shocks didn't cost too much and took me two hours to swap out. Concentrating the load in front of the axle, traveling with a full front water tank, and maintaining good tire pressure has made it much more comfortable at highway speeds. Heck, the manual for my truck says not to exceed 62 mph while towing,! The camper is pretty solid below 65, I cruise around 67 most of the time. But I also spend a lot of time towing on rough, 4WD roads...it sure handles great in those situations. Kind of a compromise for me. If your not going off-road, definitely better pulling campers out there!
Weight and load calculation's aren't really that complicated, and they provide very valuable information. Everyone travels and camps differently, with different tow vehicles and loads. My biggest issue is staying below the GVWR for my rig, not towing capacity or tongue weight.
No, it does not charge the batteries while driving. Not a glitch or design flaw, just a decision the manufacturer made. But it hasn't been a concern for me yet. Plug it in the night before and hit the road. I wouldn't call it a "retro-fit", but adding DC to DC charging from your TV isn't too hard.
A 3-way fridge? Seriously? My experience was that they worked well when on shore power, which we never are. It would quickly drain the batteries and barely cooled anything running off propane. Ours was quickly delegated to dry storage. This fridge on the Dweller maybe the best thing about the camper! We love it. I guess if your out boondocking for weeks...
Our sink has not leaked all over our spoons and we haven't sheared off any cords. Roof is is still solid. The stove kind of sucks, but they all do. I did replace the tongue jack, but it was probably user error that bent up the original one. And the radio/tv has never worked, but also something I don't care about.
As to your last concern, I don't expect any of these companies to be around for long and plan on being in "survival" mode from the get go. We have a great dealer, but their hands are tied dealing with the manufacturers and the fact that all the "appliances" are actually warrantied by the specific supplier. I trust my dealer to get the work done right, but it will take 2-3 months sitting on their lot, while I could knock it out afterwork and be camping next weekend.
It's all about your expectations, your specific situation, and knowing what else is out there. Yes, the Dweller costs a lot of money and has had some problems, but after two years we have no regrets. I haven't seen anything else I would buy instead.
Treefarmer1
Active member
Sure. I have people ask all the time by email, on here, on our blog, etc. Rather than a laundry list of service providers, it's just easier to respond to specific questions since locations and type of problem to be solved vary so much. Phoenix is filled with good options. For example, RV Master Techs in Glendale has some excellent people and they specialize in mobile calls. For anything suspension related (all brands), Spectrac in Gilbert is excellent. In Quartzsite, you have RV Lifestyles providing good comprehensive services. Quartzsite in the Fall/Winter months is also filled with excellent mobile techs.