We just took our 2015 Expedition back to Decatur to work off our discrepancy punch list. One of the items on our rather lengthy list was the previously reported cracked living area tile in front of the step-up to the bedroom. The ARG Service Center replaced the tile a total of four times on this visit, and every time but the last, whenever they extended and retracted the full wall slide, the tile cracked again. What they did that appears to have solved the problem is to place a shim under the roller to the rear of the step-up, and slide the roller in front of the step-up a little towards the front of the coach. This was to relieve some of the pressure on that particular tile. It appears to have worked, because the slide has now been extended and retracted a number of times without re-cracking the tile.
A second problem, the gap that shows daylight at the leading edge of the slide where the step up occurs, was not so successfully addressed. They added a rubber "flap" on the exterior wall under the slide rail. It reduced the heat infiltration, but did not eliminate it, and you can still see a slight "glow" of daylight when you look at the gap during daylight hours. The technician suggested stuffing something into the gap on the inside when the slide is extended. I didn't say it, but thought, "you have got to be kidding me!" What I will probably do is devise a carpet "flap" attached to the forward edge of the gap that folds out when the slide is extended and in when it is retracted. If I come up with anything better, I will document it in another post.
Of note to anyone reading this who purchased a new Fleetwood motor home recently, is that I had the alignment checked at the ARG facility. I was a bit reluctant to do this, because I thought that a new motor home, fresh from the factory, should be in perfect alignment. Well, I'm glad I had it checked, because it was a little off in front, and quite a bit further off for the duals in back. Part of the alignment check was a check of the ride height on each corner. They were off too. Another thing I paid extra for was to have the individual corners weighed at the factory. The alignment, and adjusting the tire pressure for the highest wheel weight on each axel according to the Michelin tire chart, made a remarkable change in the way the Expedition drives. It was worth every penny of the $500 plus I paid for the alignment and individual corner weighing. I still intend to install a Safe-T-Plus stabilizer for the safety factor, but am now pleased with the way the Expedition drives.
As an aside, I have found that, as with our 2005 Bounder Turbo Diesel, 62 mph is the sweet spot for the Expedition as far as economy and performance are concerned. We averaged 9.4 mpg on our drive from Lillington, NC to Decatur, IN. On the return trip, I intentionally maintained the speed limit when it was safe to do so. The average for the return trip was 8.4 mpg. Both of those figures were while towing our 4800 pound Jeep Grand Cherokee.
