Bone Stock vs Upgrades vs Factory Upgrades

petrel · 01-20-2016, 03:41 PM

The DW and I haven't even had a full season in our TC and we are already talking about upgrades that we want to do, AND our next TC.

My question: Strictly from a re-sale perspective, is it better to keep a unit stock, perform upgrades, or only have the factory perform the upgrades?

Our wish list:
Led storage lighting.
Upgraded interior lighting
Complete Electronics Upgrade (TVs, DVD, stereo, speakers, surround sound, etc.)
Conversion of outside Entertainment Center to storage with a pull out slide.
Addition of a pull out slide to other storage compartment.

I can certainly perform these upgrades and/or seek out professionals as needed, however we want to retain as much re-sale value as possible.

For me, finding the original build sheet in my TCs documentation and seeing that everything matched up with no piecemeal modifications was a strong selling point. Therefore, I am thinking that the little extra time and money it may cost to get the factory to perform the upgrades and provide the corresponding documentation, may be the way to go.

I welcome your thoughts on the topic. Thanks

hot rod · 01-21-2016, 05:56 PM

All of the modifications you list are relatively minor and do not involve modifying the structure or mechanical systems of the coach. Assuming the work is done and finished in a professional manor I can't imagine hurting the value of the coach. I would think any buyer would be glad to have those sorts of upgrades.

bushpilot · 01-22-2016, 11:07 PM

i don't know why you WOULDNT do those upgrades....*I* have!

you might not get the money back but you'll enjoy it more and when/if you sell yours will attract more attention/traffic and sell faster !

petrel · 01-28-2016, 12:08 PM

Thanks for the insights

bushpilot · 01-28-2016, 12:44 PM

a couple of years ago i ditched all the 12v incandescent "toe kick" & ceiling mirror (rope) lighting....the bulbs were burnt out randomly.

for the Toe-Kick upgrade / retro fit: I bought some "rigid" (white) LED strips (20 inches or so per length) and soldered them together & then used some dbl sided body side molding tape to apply the LED strips...its worked VERY well (i even used the existing wiring and switch)

the LED's i used were a but high in color temp (if or when) i do it again i might use a warmer colored LED.

I also found that the toe-kick lighting is so bright that it creates a lot of glair off the front windshield at night (when driving)...so i ADDED a strip of RED flexible SMD LEDS (the kind available in a roll with the adhesive backing already on)....the RED works well....doesnt blind me w/ glare while driving.

When i replaced the lighting in the ceiling mounted mirror i used a multi colored (RGB) self adhesive/flexible LED strip...we call it the DISCO mirror....we don't use it, it's a novelty at best.

i used the same flexible LED RGB self-adhesive led strip (16.5 feet long) under outside awning too - and its holding up well (i did a write up here too).

I think I've mention the slide-out that i built for the cooler (there are threads on that install on this site too)...and it is my intention to build at least one or two more slide out platforms for my toolbox and possible the grill.

petrel · 01-28-2016, 01:09 PM

I am experiencing the same problem with the rope lighting. I figured the color temp when switching to LED would be a concern. I'll try to find a warm white.

I just have pea lamps for toe kick. I'm hoping to just upgrade those bulbs if possible. Thanks for the heads up on the glare. For some reason, I am very sensitive to glare and noise from the back when I am driving. Nothing like the sound effects in some action movie making you think the truck is falling apart!

bushpilot · 01-28-2016, 01:37 PM

I'm lazy - so i made sure any LED's i used were 12vdc such that i could leverage the existing wiring (w/out having to wire in anything extra).

bushpilot · 01-28-2016, 01:45 PM

heres the single color/white (rigid led strips i used)...i used them in the
storage bins & under the toe kick.

I soldered some together for longer runs & cut a couple where i needed a short length.

12V 75-LED White Light Strip (50cm) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

petrel · 03-02-2016, 06:58 AM

I confess that I had decided not to do the work. I wanted it done by Renegade. However, after a month of back and forth, I've given up on Renegade for now. The folks were nice enough, but getting them to quote anything was like pulling teeth. In short, I got the distinct impression that they really didn't want the work. All they got really excited about was adding an AquaHot system (they will quote that while you are on the phone!). I would do it, if I had the space to give up, but I don't.

So, the ten year old outside entertainment center is history. New JL Audio 6.5s went into the side of the truck over the weekend along with a new JBL dash mount receiver in the bay. I am "geezerly" beyond my years, but I'm still digging the Pandora/Bluetooth connection already! Fabricating the new "mini" entertainment center box begins this weekend.

The Led fixtures and bulbs have begun to show up on the doorstep.

I have spec'd out slide-master storage slides, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. So far I've re-checked my measurements twice. They are a bit spendy in my book, so I'll probably check my measurements AGAIN, call them AGAIN, then pull the trigger.

I have an appointment today with one of the better HiFi shops in our little town to take a look at an interior surround sound system upgrade.

I am still shopping for an led replacement for the interior rope lighting. Bushpilot: If you re-read this thread: did you determine the right color rating to get them to match the existing incandescent rope? I would prefer that the rope be a touch brighter, but i want to stay warm white as I think the "whiter" light would not look good on all that oak cabinetry.

With fishing season just starting to warm up around here, it would have been nice to just drop the truck in Indiana and pick it up when it was done. Alas, it appears that I'll be monkeying with the truck instead of wetting a line.

motoguy2 · 03-03-2016, 08:53 PM

I think nrc will do updates.

petrel · 03-04-2016, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motoguy2

I think nrc will do updates.

Wow, I didn't even consider another builder! I went to their website and they actually seek out this sort of business. I will certainly keep them in mind for the next series of upgrades. Thanks for the tip.

petrel · 05-26-2016, 02:16 PM

Ok, I've got most of the stuff on my list done. Unfortunately, I keep either finding broken stuff, or breaking stuff myself, which certainly slows my progress.

So far: Dated outside entertainment center has been converted into storage with an entertainment "console" with a blue tooth compact stereo, new outside speakers, and connections for anything I want to put in there, all of the amber clearance lights have been upgraded, fog lights upgraded (already posted that), storage lights converted to LED, rope lights repaired with LED replacements (now the DW wants to upgrade them all!), keyless entry added, chickened out on the storage slides (too much money for such shallow storage anyway).

All of the inside entertainment center upgrade stuff arrived yesterday. Hope to muster the courage to take that project on over the long weekend.

samcrimm · 05-26-2016, 11:14 PM

What kind of keyless did you use?
Sounds like your working down your list!
Sam

petrel · 05-27-2016, 06:45 AM

I used the Bauer EM keyless. Seems to be pretty nicely made.

Yes, finally I am making some progress. I've got 30 days remaining to finish preparations to be on the road for almost 50 days!

petrel · 05-31-2016, 09:56 PM

Ok, forgot to mention that I upgraded the porch light to LED, and put a new motor on the electric stairs. Replaced both FM antennas and ordered new CB antennas, thanks to some helpful advice from BushPilot.

My entertainment center project took an interesting turn. When I removed the trim, I learned that the tv had actually been upgraded. Since it did have the connections I needed AND Renegade installed it ridiculously well, I decided to stay with it.

The surround sound system took an interesting turn too. I had prepared to discard the existing DHS Q Surround system and replace it with a Bose Soundtouch, because I could find no way to control the volume. However, when I saw the HOLES Renegade drilled for the speaker wires (1 1/8" for a paired 16ga wire!) I decided to keep the existing speakers and mounts to cover the holes.

The good news is that when I found a way to connect existing surround system to the Bose surround receiver I purchased, the whole system came alive. Now we have 7 speaker surround, counting the two subs, that plays from the DVD player, Satellite, Apple TV, Playstation, and Bluetooth.

I really just wanted to make the surround sound work, since it was already installed. I hate having something not functioning properly on the TC. I don't know where you could really use it that it would not annoy someone. Now I have a pair of wireless headphones on the way to see how they work. If they are acceptable, 5 more pairs are in order.

Bob86ZZ4 · 05-31-2016, 10:16 PM

Here's an "upgrade" I made. I wired in a cable with a headphone jack on it to the stereo in my overhead console up front. I actually wired in two double pole single throw switches to the right/left speaker wires coming out of the stereo. There are only two speakers in the overhead console so those are wired up to one of the switches. I put a pair of small bookshelf type speakers in the living room and hooked those up to the other switch. I wired that cable with the female headphone jack directly to the speaker wires before the switches. So, I can use the cockpit stereo to listen to in the living room or the cockpit, or both. I wanted to be able to listen to music while boondocking and not have to use the inverter and the big system. Now the big part. I have a pair of headphones hanging on the dash. My cockpit is pretty loud rolling down the road. I often like to listen to talk radio. Most other people don't like to have me cranking up that talk stuff. So, I put the headphones on and switch off both sets of speakers. I know it's illegal in most states to listen to music through both ears on headphones. Well, I don't do this when in the city. And when I'm out on the open road I'm always hanging in the right lane. I'm quite sure I wouldn't hear a siren any sooner with or without the headphones on. The headphones just allow me to listen to my talk radio at a much lower level and be able to hear it.

petrel · 06-01-2016, 08:09 AM

That is a pretty slick setup. I'd have to agree about the siren. I'd see a trooper long before I could ever hear his siren!

petrel · 06-11-2016, 09:38 PM

Just tried out the sennheiser wireless headphones on a little road trip. Looks like that is going to be the way to enjoy a movie while on the road. It beats the heck out of the surround sound competing with the Detroit.

Couldn't stand it. After upgrading the amber clearance lights, I had to upgrade the red marker and ID lights with new LEDs too!

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