Taking delivery of new 2552 today

Today we pick up our new 2019 2552 very excited and very nervous. We are first timers have only tent camped in the past. I believed I have purchased all of the necessary accessories and wondering besides my wife loading it up what are some of the first things I should do to make it ready to roll.

TIA
Frank & Beth

May sound silly, but unless you are used to driving a vehicle that big, you should get used to it.  Take it to a Walmart or other large parking lot and go to a deserted area and have someone watch you as you try to navigate, park, backup, turn, etc. around the (empty) lot.

Do a U-Turn, see how much room that takes, etc.

Then drive a few miles on the roads in the area, get used to the larger vehicle, etc.

The whole idea of the above is to get yourself comfortable driving that large of a vehicle.

Hopefully your schedule allows you to camp in the area for a few days to try everything out. It lets you find things the factory missed and go back and get them fixed before you travel on.

Frank, congratulations to you and Beth on your new unit!  It's a very exciting time!

I think that Don and Mike have captured for you the two primary pieces of advice.  Only six short months ago I was precisely in your shoes--picking up a brand new 2552 with absolutely no previous RV experience.  The only difference is that I took delivery at the factory in Elkhart instead of a dealer, and the weather was sub-freezing with snow!  I survived the experience, so you guys certainly will.

As Don says, one first order of business will be to get a little driving time behind the wheel in a non-challenging environment.  You'll find that the rig is pretty easy to drive, but it will likely take a little while in light traffic before you feel comfortable with turns and lane changes.  As he says, getting familiar with the larger turn radius will help you judge how much space you need to accommodate turns in service stations and parking areas.  The 2552 drives and handles well, though, so it won't take long though before you feel pretty confident.

The second area that Mike highlights is to use all the systems to:  1) Get familiar with their operation, and 2) Verify that everything is working correctly or identify any problems so they can be corrected.  I stayed overnight at the factory the first night, and at a local RV park the second night.  I used the time to operate everything (even the A/C units and all the vent fans in 20-degree weather!).  There were a couple shortfalls that first night--one because I didn't understand how the system worked, and one that was a minor problem with the unit.  Both issues were corrected in short order by Phoenix the next day, and I used that second night to go through everything again to be sure everything was shipshape before I hit the long road back home.  You'll get a thorough walk-through of the coach by the Camper's Inn staff I'm sure, so just focus on the operation of the systems, ask questions, and then use everything the first night, make notes if necessary, and follow back up the next day with any remaining questions and uncertainties.  Both Campers Inn and Phoenix want their customers to be happy and satisfied, and they're going spend the time necessary to make sure you guys are comfortable with things before you leave.  I'm sure you know that as new RV'ers, any later questions can be tossed out to the forum, and you'll find a lot of good folks ready and willing to help!

All the best, and--again--Congratulations!!         Mike

I think everything has been well said but:

1) Don't buy 'stuff' unless you need it.  In other words stop trying to think of things you might need to buy, they have stores all over the place, if you find you need it then buy it.

2) Make sure you camp in the area for a few days, a week if you can.  And use everything.  Including the A/C when its cold and furnace when its hot.  It was 28 degrees when I picked up my rig and we did not test the A/C.  Big mistake as it was defective from the start and had to be replaced under warranty.  Check everything!  Every door hinge, every knob, every latch, every switch, every outlet, every light, every water faucet.  Make sure the drains all work and the sewage system drains properly.  Make sure the electrical systems all function properly.  I can guarantee you that not everything will work, and its a lot easier to drive back to the factory with a punch list.  They will bend over backwards to make it right but you have to test it.  We had 16 items on our next day punch list and they had everything corrected in under two hours.

3) Like others have said, go to an empty parking lot and practice driving around and parking and backing up.  Get some cones or cardboard boxes and try backing up between them.  And spend some time driving around Elkhart both on surface streets and the freeway, you will get more comfortable driving and you will find any issues with the truck that need corrected.  Does it drive straight?  Ride OK?  All the lights work?  Horn?  Brakes?

4) Make sure that any extras you bought are actually installed.  I drove all the way home without a Safe-T-Plus that was supposed to be installed.  They missed it, and I didn't check. 

5) If all that sounds like work, well it is.  But you have to do it or you will find issues after you get home.  If that's only a few hundred miles, no big deal but for us its 2,800 so trips back to the factory are a journey.

6) Don't hesitate to ask either here on this forum or call the factory, if you don't understand something.  All of us started out new.  Our 2017 2552 was our first RV of any kind and the wonderful folks on this forum made us feel to home and answered a lot of questions as we got started.

Check tire pressure for all tires including spare, if you have one.  There should be a sticker that gives recommended pressures in drivers door jam.  It will probably be 75lbs front and 80 lbs rear.  If you stay over night check them again the next day.  Check pressures when tires are cold, not hot.

Ron S

-Make sure all the things you need for a road trip are in the cockpit. GPS or maps, coffee/water, snacks.
-Walk the rig before starting it - every time! Play flight attendant and touch each cabinet to be sure it's locked shut, check shower door latch, sliding/folding doors, house door, fridge.
-Close all windows.
-Antenna down
-Jacks up
-Loose items secured (trash can, toilet brush, stuff on couch or bed)
-Counter inserts in place
-If you have food in glass jars - wrap them or stuff Wal-Mart bags around them (store in a drawer so they don't crash out of an overhead cabinet and shatter).

When you get home go through the papers and submit all of your warranty cards to appropriate vendors.

And ENJOY!!

I think everything has been well said but:

1) Don't buy 'stuff' unless you need it.  In other words stop trying to think of things you might need to buy, they have stores all over the place, if you find you need it then buy it.

GOOD POINT.  we fell victim to this one, and STILL have new stuff unused. 

Parked last night in Walmart parking lot, driving around in NH and southern Maine. woke up this morning and saw a puddle of water outside under the passenger's bed. There is a drain tube there and it has a constant drip. did not use the AC last night, I checked the drain valve they seem right. the tube is to the rear of the mud flap passenger side. Anyone know where it comes from. I didn't take the bed apart because it's a power bed but will if I need to.

Frank,
We have a 2012 2551, no power bed and the tube you mention sounds like our fresh water tank drain tube.  We have to lift our passenger side bed mattress, open the access door and manually close or open that drain tube. 
Sue

Sounds like the fresh water drain line.   It's a quarter turn valve and may not be fully closed.  I don't know how you get to it with a power bed installed, on my 2551 there was an access panel under the mattress.   Maybe something similar with the power bed.

We have a power bed on that side and it's the same...has an access panel of a square of plywood under the bed that can be lifted up.

When we picked up our 2552 from the factory we went to the Elkhart RV park for the night .  Since it was 28 degrees I did not want to hook up the water so I just got out the hose and filled up the tank.  Six hours later went to wash up before bed and no water.  Went back outside, got out the hose again and filled the tank.  Just figured I had done something wrong.

Next morning went to take a shower and no water.  Went outside and got out the hose and filled the tank again, showered and took the rig back to factory.  I complained that there must be a leak in the fresh water system as it would not hold water.

Earl just looked at me and asked if I had closed the fresh water drain.  My answer was roughly "what fresh water drain".

Anyway, as others have said it is most likely the fresh water drain.  Which is accessed through a small panel under the passenger side mattress.  The fresh water tanks often have small plastic shavings in them from construction, it is possible you have something like that in the valve preventing it from closing completely.  Or maybe it just isn't closed all the way.  Grab a flashlight because the valve is hard to see through the little access panel.

jatrax, your "disappearing water" story had me laughing.

faiello, congratulations!  You have been giving lots of great advice from your PC family.  As always, we are here to provide armchair assistance.

At a campground tonight got to use the leveling jacks, slide, micro, ac, tv, DVD, 30 amp power, city water, awning. BTW is the 2019's suppose to have the awning valance included? I do not have one.  Also I do not have a switch to turn on the LED strip on the awning. Everything working fine so faf.

Update to post: LED light works from remote control only. Valance is there but laying on top ver hanging down. need to figure out how to change that.