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My 40' Tiffin Phaeton QTH

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Jim

RVF Supporter
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
Messages
3,865
Location
North Carolina
RV Year
2016
RV Make
Newmar
RV Model
London Aire 4551
RV Length
45
Chassis
Freightliner
Engine
Cummins / I6 Diesel Pusher 600HP / 1,950 ft-lbs
TOW/TOAD
2016 Jeep Rubicon
Fulltimer
No
I'm fairly new to RVing and this is my first DP.

I'd love to have a brand-new coach, but my policy is to pay cash for everything, and a trip to the money tree indicated there weren't enough branches to carry the load. ;) But with a little pruning I found I could afford a 2009, 40' Phaeton QTH. It's a nice coach, pretty well taken care of, and only 18K on the clock. But still, it's 10 years old and will benefit from some upgrades.

So I'm going to create and maintain this thread to track the coaches condition as it evolves with time. There will probably be more "minor" changes than major, but I'm hoping the combined effect of numerous details will produce a product that will make me proud as I visit future destinations and chat with the friends we make along the way.

I take constructive criticism well and encouragement even better, so don't hesitate to toss your .02 in along the way.
 

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I was never a fan of the original Phaeton coverings, well not on the dinette anyway. So we changed it. Don't like the table either, but I haven't decided what to do with it yet.
 

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Looking forward to seeing the work that you do @Jim. Looks like a nice setup you have and will only get better.

I'm in the same boat as you although my father always said if I didn't find anything on the first money tree in the backyard, I should keep looking to see if there were others. I down to Tiffin or Newmar for my first DP and leaning towards Newmar primarily due to the comfort dive that I have read so much about.
 
As you make it your own you will enjoy it more, keep going and continue to share.
 
Well, you’ve got a Jeep, and dogs...those are some of the most important accessories! Nice job on the dinette upholstery; much improved.
 
There is a little springy-thingy switch on the closet wall so that when the door slides open, the springy-thingy turns the closet light on. Close the door and the light goes off.

Well mine broke. Googling springy-thingy didn't produce the desired results, (kidding of course) so I installed a 12-volt motion sensor light switch next to the closet light. While I was at it, I decided to replace the old closet light with an extra LED light that I had in the barn. Did the same thing to the other side as well

So now when we open either side of the closet, the motion sensor turns on the light. Nice! And if we walk into the bathroom and leave the closet door open, the light goes out on its own in about 30 seconds. Walk back to the closet and the light comes back on.

Here is the link to the motion sensor on Amazon.
 

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I needed to replace the patio light, so I bought a couple of these and I like them a lot. It’s nice to have the light come on automatically when I drive (or walk) up to the coach. I used one to replace the patio light and one to replace the road light. Because they are taking the place of existing lights, you will use the existing switches to control them.

Here’s how it works. Flip the switch to the on position and the light is on. To turn if off, flip the switch to off. Flip the switch on again and a slightly noticeable blue light will start a slow blink on the side of the light. This means the light is in motion mode. To remove it from motion mode, flip the switch to off.

As a bonus feature, if the coach batteries drain below 50% while the light is in the ON mode, the light will automatically turn itself off to not further drain the batteries. At $60 bucks apiece (Amazon) I think they’re a little expensive, but they feel sturdy and are built in America. I like that.
 

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Jim -

Nice looking Phaeton. Looks to be in good shape. I’m looking forward to following your upgrade posts. Maybe you could start by letting us know where to find one of those money trees.

Now we need to attract a few more Tiffin owners to this forum.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Jim -

Nice looking Phaeton. Looks to be in good shape.
Thank you Deaton. It's a nice Phaeton, but like all 10+ year old MH's, it needs some updating. We've done this sort of thing a few times, both with motor homes and houses alike, so I'm sure it'll come out pretty nice.

I have solar panels and wire in the barn and my MC4 connector tool and the male/female conectors showed up a few days ago. Hope to get started on that soon.

Thanks for following Deaton!
 
I'm fairly new to RVing and this is my first DP.

I'd love to have a brand-new coach, but my policy is to pay cash for everything, and a trip to the money tree indicated there weren't enough branches to carry the load. ;) But with a little pruning I found I could afford a 2009, 40' Phaeton QTH. It's a nice coach, pretty well taken care of, and only 18K on the clock. But still, it's 10 years old and will benefit from some upgrades.

So I'm going to create and maintain this thread to track the coaches condition as it evolves with time. There will probably be more "minor" changes than major, but I'm hoping the combined effect of numerous details will produce a product that will make me proud as I visit future destinations and chat with the friends we make along the way.

I take constructive criticism well and encouragement even better, so don't hesitate to toss your .02 in along the way.
BEAUTIFUL COACH Jim, I will be following the upgrades you make but hard to see where it needs any!! Beautiful!!
 

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