2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements September 27, 2020, 06:51:50 pm We jut picked up our 2021 Rear Bath on Sept. 24, 2020 and have already started modifying items for our camping lifestyle. First, we have found many improvements from our last 2010 Rear Bath. The new V-8 engine has given us 11.9mpg on the first fuel tank re-filling! Of course we were staying under 65mph for the break-in period not towing. The digital dash will give us the transmission temperature readings. We opted for the Sirius CD radio and there are USB sockets on the dash. The TV antenna has the better signal level meter for antenna aiming. The rubber cab floor mats will be better for cleaning. The vinyl flooring will be easier for cleaning. Two of the ceiling fans have a remote control with a wall mount adaptor. the stainless kitchen sink has larger bowls and a great gooseneck faucet. I also like the lift handle on the bath sink. 35 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #1 – September 27, 2020, 06:58:30 pm Congrats, looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Are you the first delivery on the new chassis? 5 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #2 – September 27, 2020, 07:15:43 pm The Arizona sun gives some interesting light patterns on the floor when shining through the ceiling fan cover. There is now a built in shore power surge, under/over voltage & polarity protector (not for the generator) display near the side door. The tank monitor display is now on the wall above the stove. The stove top is now a heavy duty iron grill type. The Blue Sky Solar display is nice and is above the digital AC/heat pump controls placed on the wall above the dinette. They now have the Oxgenetic (sp?) shower head. I had the MCD day/night shades in our last RB and now they are standard in the new LD on all the windows but the kitchen. That still has the louvered metal shades. The new Dometic toilet has small rinse orifices around the inside rim that swirls the flush water to clean the entire bowl. That works quite well. Also the rubber gasket around the flush ball can be easily replaced from above without taking the toilet apart. Outside: They now use the SmartPlug for the shore power connection to the coach. Good idea. Todd Miller said the side entry door is much heavier constructed and should not warp over time. We'll see. I do like the new style screen door. 22 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #3 – September 27, 2020, 07:27:36 pm My modifications are already starting, We already had a custom cut blanket to cover the opening from the coach interior to the cab. All that was needed was to put on new velcro to the walls to support the blanket. This does help in hot weather as well as cold nights. LD agreed to an optional ($) shutoff valve on the fresh water line at the toilet where I could connect whe water supply for a bidet. LD had also done this in our previous Rear Bath ten years ago. When we get home about the end of October I will be doing a lot more modifications during the winter. You will see them posted here in this thread. Last photo is last night with the moon, Saturn and Jupiter above the Superstition Mountains. 19 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #4 – September 27, 2020, 08:19:59 pm Just wonderful. Thank you for sharing and for including all those pictures. BTW, I’d be interested in how the new engine and 6 speed transmission handles 6-7% grades. Well done Mike. 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #5 – September 27, 2020, 08:29:12 pm Congratulations and thanks for the pictures and write up. Your new rig is absolutely gorgeous. I’m sure you’ll have many years of enjoyment ahead.😀😀😀😀😀- John 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #6 – September 27, 2020, 08:49:16 pm I think that 6%-7% grades offer little challenge for most engines; a more definitive test is how the transmission and engine pairing handles 8%-12%, pretty common in many mountainous areas of the west. (I know that some won’t drive those roads; just sayin’! 😉) 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #7 – September 27, 2020, 09:14:19 pm Mike, Thanks for the pictures. Keep them coming. They make me even more anxious to get mine! Linda
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #8 – September 27, 2020, 09:33:41 pm Thanks for posting all those pictures, Mike! The instrument cluster looks as if it was lifted from the recent F-150 and F-250 (I've owned both), and that's a good thing--those were very well designed instrument setups. It takes a while to learn all the options, but once you do, you'll find it can display almost anything you could want to know. (Except trouble codes... you still need a ScanGauge or UltraGauge for those.)Lazy Daze has made some good improvements. I see they installed a pull-down kitchen faucet, which I've found much more practical than the older pull-out type. I like your mods, too. Nice cab blanket!I'll be interested to hear how you like the new Fan-Tastic fans. I replaced the guts of the two fans in my Airstream with those, but soon grew to dislike them. I found the remotes very counterintuitive, with a lot of button-pushing required to accomplish the simplest tasks. But maybe it's just me. :-)"The Arizona sun gives some interesting light patterns on the floor when shining through the ceiling fan cover."I like the light coming through the vents, but I found the patterns annoying, especially when the fan is running slowly (or it's off and the wind is spinning it)--the flickering just about drove me crazy. So I made scrims, as follows:1. Replace the Fan-Tastic vent's four mounting screws with male screw-in snaps.2. Cut and hem a piece of lightweight, light-colored fabric--cotton, muslin, whatever will let light through but diffuse it. Make it about 17" x 19" (finished size).3. Add female snaps to the corners. (The snap kit I linked to has everything you need, including the tool.)These scrims will hang down a little, letting through air but diffusing the light--no more seizure-inducing flicker when the fan is spinning. :-) Only one drawback: you can't leave them in place when running the fan on exhaust because they'll be sucked up against the screen. I still find them very useful in mild weather. And the snaps on the vent bezel make it easy to add an insulated cover in cold weather. 6 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #9 – September 27, 2020, 10:25:09 pm Mike,Congratulations on your new coach and thanks for the report on it. You'll have fantastic times with it as I'm sure you did with your prior LD.The greatest feature I see is how much it still has in common with our 2003RB. There are many, many small refinements that add up to a significantly improved coach, but its essence is largely unchanged. The great LD floor plans, the excellent space utilization, the relatively compact exterior dimensions, the ability to add many of those refinements to an older coach if they are important to you. And the focus on features that help you RV successfully and not a lot else. I appreciate that Lazy Daze, much like the best European car makers, doesn't make changes just for the sake of change. We get lots of curiosity about and compliments on our coach, about half admiring its "retro" style and the others amazed when I tell them its age, as it looks as good today as it did when new, so sort of retro and not at the same time. No planned obsolescence. And I always enjoy seeing a RB much older than ours pulling into camp, essentially the same.I'm quite confident that you will get just as much enjoyment out of your new LD when it's 10 years old as you do now. Best of luck with it. 5 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #10 – September 27, 2020, 10:31:16 pm You are in for a great adventure !! I too Love the new instrument cluster, very fancy. Happy trails.Randy 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #11 – September 28, 2020, 07:26:46 pm When I first joined this group after buying our 2010 RB "Monty" ten years ago it was a problem filling the fresh water tank with blowback. Someone here showed how to make a copper tube to properly direct the water flow into the tank. The one I made stayed with Monty's new owner so I made a duplicate and it too works as designed. EVERY time I plug in at a new campground I first test the shore power socket for voltage & polarity. I made a 30 to 20 amp pigtail to use with the testing meter. Several times this has saved larger problems at bad sites. Today I had the chance to add a towel bar and hooks in the shower stall. There are a lot of bugs and spiders where we live in Florida. Adding stainless screens over the outside water heater vent (some people say "Hot water heater" but why would you want to heat hot water?) and screens over the gas furnace vents. More to come--- 6 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #12 – September 28, 2020, 08:09:20 pm Quote from: Mike Coachman - September 28, 2020, 07:26:46 pmWhen I first joined this group after buying our 2010 RB "Monty" ten years ago it was a problem filling the fresh water tank with blowback. Someone here showed how to make a copper tube to properly direct the water flow into the tank. Mike,How long is the straight portion of copper you're using? 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #13 – September 28, 2020, 08:11:09 pm Quote from: Mike Coachman - September 28, 2020, 07:26:46 pm.. EVERY time I plug in at a new campground I first test the shore power socket for voltage & polarity. I made a 30 to 20 amp pigtail to use with the testing meter. Several times this has saved larger problems at bad sites. ....Thanks Mike. Is it necessary to explicitly check voltage and polarity with built in surge protector in new model ?Regards, 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #14 – September 28, 2020, 09:49:09 pm With all the great improvements that LD has made over the years I wonder it they will ever address water fill back flow issue?Steve 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #15 – September 28, 2020, 10:01:09 pm I’ve always used a hose like this and have never had a problem filling up. 6 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #16 – September 28, 2020, 11:33:25 pm Linda, the straight part of the copper tubing is 12" with a 90 degree L on the end to match the same bend in the fill tubing into the water tank. This 'L' allows the water stream to go straight into the tank. I silver soldered all the pipe joints. Muhammad, I find it better to catch the problem before putting power into the coach. Steve, I think that the limiting factor is the very limited clearance between the top of the water tank and the sofa glide base above the tank.
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #17 – September 28, 2020, 11:45:33 pm Mike, can you explain the New SmartPlug shore connection? I’m not familiar with it.
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #18 – September 28, 2020, 11:48:37 pm Quote from: 73gitane - September 28, 2020, 09:49:09 pmWith all the great improvements that LD has made over the years I wonder it they will ever address water fill back flow issue?Our LD's fresh water tank is set up for bottom filling. It as no back-flow issuesThe fresh water tank's drain pipe was trimmed. Then with about $20 worth of parts from Home Depot, a PVC tee, another ball valve and a female quick-disconnect were added. Used with a short, dedicated water fill hose, equipped with a male quick-disconnect, it allows filling without having to stand and hold a hose or other filler while the tank fills. The water-fill door and cap need to be open while filling to prevent overfilling the tank.Full water pressure can be used, when water starts dribbling out of the fill-cap fitting shut the water off, the job is finished.Water tank filler- bottom fill. | FlickrLarry 3 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #19 – September 28, 2020, 11:54:43 pm MikeBeautiful rig, love how the floor are all solid and the carpet has been totally eliminated, the rubber cab floor mats are nice too.Some time, please post the dimensions of the new, SS kitchen shink, I think more than a few would be interested in seeing if if can be retrofitted, with the drains at the right height.Larry. 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #20 – September 29, 2020, 12:18:56 am Quote from: HiLola - September 28, 2020, 11:45:33 pmMike, can you explain the New SmartPlug shore connection? I’m not familiar with it.Try Google, Greg. Chris 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #21 – September 29, 2020, 12:22:19 am Quote from: Chris Horst - September 29, 2020, 12:18:56 amTry Google, Greg. Google? What’s that?
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #22 – September 29, 2020, 12:23:02 am Quote from: HiLola - September 28, 2020, 10:01:09 pmI’ve always used a hose like this and have never had a problem filling up.I use just about the same set up and listen for the gurgle. At first gurg, I shut off the water flow. Works most of the time.Chris 1 Likes
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #23 – September 29, 2020, 03:01:57 am Greg, Amazon sells these cords, plug and socket. A bit pricey, but maybe better than my old, before Marinco setup. RonB Amazon.com: SmartPlug B30ASSYNT Combo Kit with Female Connector and Stainless... As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: 2021 Rear Bath "Villa Verde" What's new & improvements Reply #24 – September 29, 2020, 10:06:09 am Beautiful new rig! Congratulations. It's amazing to me that after 13 years Ford still hasn't given the front end a facelift. I personally love the front end but was thinking this year maybe they would finally update it since it has some new guts and instrumentation. It's amazing to see the similarities to our 2008 RB while seeing the continued tweaks and refinements. Personally, I love the carpeting in the living area and chassis but I understand why a hard floor would be preferred when it comes to keeping everything clean. You'll make some great memories! 1 Likes