2003 - 45' Lexa "test run" (Long)

February 17, 2003, 12:41:14 pm

Hello everyone,

I had a great trip in the Lexa, what a nice campground to. I stayed at Outdoor Resorts in Newport, OR. on the ocean. I was very impressed with the chassis performance. I encountered numerous steep hills between Junction City and Newport, that C-15 Cat really does the job. I set my cruise on the hills and it never skipped a beat, a couple of times it did down shift into 5th, but never once did I slow down. On the way back I tried to accelerate up these hills, I gained MPH on every one. I ran through all 3 stages of the Jake Brake, used the Smart Tire, and everything on the chassis worked great. This coach had a Silver Leaf dash which has 4 different (gauge) screen selections that was neat. The tall windshields offered a great view, the wipers worked great and covered a large section (yes it was raining) of glass.
I was amazed at how quiet this coach was, you can only faintly hear the turbo whine from the engine, thats it for drivetrain noise. The entry door has an air lock that kept it silient even in strong head winds. Interior noise while driving was very low. My tire pressures were to high (factory settings) and it was still quiet.

Now for the coach. The first thing I did was test the Hurricane, and it did not work. I started have "Rothermel/Royer" flash backs.
I brought a tool box along and started checking things out, the error code was "Thermostat not on", and it was on. The first thing I did was remove the cover from the Hurricane control box and checked those 4 ATC fuses, they were all good. I put the cover back on and noticed a 5th ATC fuse all by itself under the control box, obviously one Country Coach wired in. It was blown (7.5 amp ATC).
I replaced that fuse and ran the Hurricane steady, it worked great ever since. Listed below are all of the items I found wrong:

1. Blown fuse on Hurricane
2. Key Fob would not unlock bay doors and entry door.
3. Front roadside compartment door sticks when opening.
4. Head Hunter toilet seemed liek it did not have enough water in it after flushing.
5. Zone # 3 Hurricane blower fan rubbing on housing creating a slight hum when running.
6. Drivers side cockpit window difficult to lock.
7. No power to TV antenna switching box for amplifier.

Even though I only had this coach out for 2 days, I did put 300 miles on it and used everything I could to locate any bugs. I cooked a Pizza in the Advantium oven and was again impressed.
Getting it out of the oven and cutting it was another story since we had nothing with us. You can use the stainless steel washer dryer drain funnel as a Pizza cutter, it does work... I ran the 4 Girard awnings in and out a few times, I had the Nu Heat fired up (very nice Karen, I agree). I ran the slides in and out numerous times.
This coach has a Trac Star SV 360 dual LNB sat system, we ran it non- stop from departure to arrival, the kids rode in back watching cartoons, I was in heaven listening to Fox news. With all the rain I had no leaks, no slide leaks, nothing. It was a great trip overall, I removed some initial irritating bugs, and learned more about what I sell, all while spending time with the boys, how can you beat that?

Damon

Re: 2003 - 45' Lexa "test run" (Long)

Reply #1 – February 17, 2003, 08:08:23 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4195

Hey Damon,

Thanks for the Lexa report! Great road trip, D., except you didn't really make the boys watch the SMALL tv in the back, did you?! Were you afraid you'd hit your head on that swing down plasma again?! I guess you meant they watched tiny TV while you were driving. Just kidding-- Lexa's sure an attractive coach.

Two questions,
1. Don't know if you've driven a 45' Affinity before, wondering how you might compare Lexa to Affinity. At the Florida RV Show, a salesman for a more costly conversion recently dismissed Lexa as an overpriced Affinity in body cladding. You related such a quiet driving experience, I wonder if Lexa's aerodynamic design features contribute to a quieter over-the-road experience inside.

2. That Lexa didn't have the ISRI driver's seat did it?

I guess CC is sticking with Hurricane XL45 hydronic heat? ...yet the malfunctions appear to happen to so many people. Don't seem to read/hear about these same recurrent problems w/ Aqua-Hot. Puzzling.

Thanks again for the great update! --wheeler, aka Chris

Quote from: damonrapozo\[br\

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Re: 2003 - 45' Lexa "test run" (Long)

Reply #2 – February 17, 2003, 09:32:32 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 4196

Hi Chris,

Yes the boys were stuck watching that small flat screen bedroon TV, and they loved it. They just could not get over watching cartoons while driving down the road. I did drive that 45' Affinity triple slide that we sold in Pomona, its not the same. The Lexa felt more solid, probably because of its wieght. The C-15 really hauls compared to the C-12. The Lexa entry door is much quieter (as well as the entire coach), its a different design door with an air lock.
The glued in flush windows and recessed awnings also help, there is nothing hanging off the sides creating additional air noise. The only "soft" noise I heard was that turbo whine, and thats it. Not sure if the body design benefits the ride any more than the other.
The XL45 Hurricane in the Allure's seem to be more troublesome than whats in the other models, if Rixen can get all the bugs worked out of them it will be a great little unit. Its so much smaller and lighter than Aqua Hot which makes it very attractive to the manufacturer. The Lexa did not have an ISRI seat, and really did not need one.

This is the perfect coach for that 5th wheeler looking to upgrade "Wheeler"....

Damon

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