2013 thor citation sprinter

Coyotesfan

New member
Since there seems to be so few treads on the citation sprinter, I decided to start up a new one. We just came back from signing our paper work on our new baby. We ordered a new unit back in April because there were zero to find within 600 miles where we live in Phoenix AZ. We purchased from Lazydays of Tucson since they were the closest dealer to us and should take delivery on Tuesday after they install a satellite on the go system.
I plan to spend the night in their campground to shake out anything that may need attention. We're taking our first trip with it up to Oregon and then back down the coast. Any suggestions on places that are a must see or areas to avoid would be helpful.
We will be a family of 4 with 2 small dogs traveling and should make for a cozy experience for the 3,000 mile round trip. I have attached a couple of low quality pictures.
 

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armor11acr

New member
New here. I just took delivery on a 2013 Citation from Lazy Days in Tuscon last week. Would like to compare notes on your experience. I had a few items that did not match up with the photos and specs. AC unit was not keeping it cool on the overnight shakedown in Tuscon. Mattress was supposed to be innerspring. No splash guard on the wood cabinet next to the cooktop but is shown in the factory photos. Noticed it was not on your photo. Very pleased with the trip back to Texas and the staff at LD's :cheers:
 

H345

New member
.

Coyotesfan ,

Did you get a build sheet from MB on the specs of your chassis ?

If yes , could you please post it .

I am finding that every RV manufacturer seems to have different specs or they do not show the specs that they ordered .

Thanks ,

.
 

Coyotesfan

New member
New here. I just took delivery on a 2013 Citation from Lazy Days in Tuscon last week. Would like to compare notes on your experience. I had a few items that did not match up with the photos and specs. AC unit was not keeping it cool on the overnight shakedown in Tuscon. Mattress was supposed to be innerspring. No splash guard on the wood cabinet next to the cooktop but is shown in the factory photos. Noticed it was not on your photo. Very pleased with the trip back to Texas and the staff at LD's :cheers:
Mine sounds identical. I'm still waiting for the splash guard to arrive for the wood cabinet which was pictured in the brochure. I got the rear TV option but did not ship with the outside mounting bracket. I had a 1pm appointment for my walk though and had to wait 2 more hours before it was ready, but it really wasn't. They did a poor job cleaning it up inside and out. I have two deep scratches on the back of the RV near the rear window.
I was going to stay the night in there campground but the restaurant was closed so I just drove 3 hrs back home. The first time I tried to use the A/C the thermostat gave an E2 error message. Called their tech support line but did not get a call back till the next day. I found on the internet the error was because the thermostat was above 99 degrees and did not know what to do. Blowing on it or resting a cold cloth would allow it to come on. I asked about this at camping world and they said it was a know issue and ordered me a replacement under warranty. The tech from Lazydays told me it was an electrical issue and to disconnect the battery, reset the breaker etc. I just listened since I already had my answer.
 

armor11acr

New member
Thor has been good at sending the missing parts but has been stand-off-ish regarding the cooktop splash guard. I told them the cabinet wall is closer to the cooktop than the back wall and it makes no sense not to have one on the cabinet. At that point I said just sell me one.
The roof AC crashed two weeks after delivery. You can't just charge it. It has to be replaced. waiting on that.

Overall I am pleased with this coach. I purchased a 2012 Coachmen Concord in December and it has been in the shop for repairs for all but 52 days of the 7 months since I took delivery. I could not even get an apology from the dealership, Motorhome Specialist RV in Alvarado, TX or Coachmen. We got so disgusted we finally purchased the Thor. Our spring and summer ruined without the RV and having to fly on our cross country trips. We are presently waiting for the lawyers to settle that one while I am making payments on two RV's. So far I have been stopped and asked about the Citation twice in the past week and gave Lazy Days a recommendation and expressing my displeasure with the treatment by the Texas dealer who also sells Thor products.
 

Coyotesfan

New member
I have yet to see another Citation in my travels, but I do get approached alot about them. We just finished our first vacation from Arizona up to Astoria Oregon and back down the coast. Although I've only been RV'ing for a few years, this was truly a pleasure to drive. My last coach was a Tioga 31ft and compared to this I WAS driving a Mercedes. The lack of road noise and the adjustable seats made the trip most comfortable. Size was another obvious factor, since I went places I would never have considered in a larger rig. I took some forest service roads back to view waterfalls in Oregon and had no trouble making the turn around.
Our group included two grown teenagers, two small dogs, my wife and myself. I first thought with the shorter coach it would fell crowded, but it never did. Even with the slide in during travel there was plenty of room to move around.
Our only issue during the trip was the generator was over heating while driving though 110 degrees in Palm Springs CA to have the roof A/C unit on. After talking to the service people at Camping World, this seems to be a common problem with no real fix. Since they box this under the coach with little to no ventilation they tend to over heat and shut off.:thumbdown:
 

Coyotesfan

New member
.

Coyotesfan ,

Did you get a build sheet from MB on the specs of your chassis ?

If yes , could you please post it .

I am finding that every RV manufacturer seems to have different specs or they do not show the specs that they ordered .

Thanks ,

.
Sorry, it took so long to post this. Not sure this is what you are looking for, but here is the order sheet I had for delivery.
 

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Welcome to the group. I started this group two years ago and have found plenty of folks who are more than happy to share tech and camping advice.

I love my Citation and my wife and I travel with two cats. I upgraded the suspension with shocks and sway bars. Huge difference! Also added outboard arm rests to each seat and a swivel to the passenger seat.

Safe Travels!

Working Retired
 

tdsd

TDSD
Hi, I have a 2009 Citation Sprinter on a 2008 Dodge chassis. Have had it four years and now 60,000 miles. My wife and I love it. We had some problems when it was new but most were due to poor quality control of systems like the generator and not Thor's fault. Thor took care of all issue through my General RV dealer in White Lake MI.
We just completed an 8,000 mile trip through central CA, OR and WA state and then east. While in Tacoma WA, our transmission failed. Cost $2,650 to repair. Even though I was out of warranty, Dodge paid for all but $500. Rear brakes failed in Vacaville CA. $600. Was told by the Dodge dealer in Tacoma that the rears go before the front.
I noticed that they are now using a real door on the bathroom. I have the sliding one which has it's own problems but easy to get out of the way.
Wish I could give some good advise on your travels but most of my travels have blured together. I can recommend Larson in the Tacoma area . They are a Dodge Speinter qualified dealer and also MB Sprinter dealer. Love my RV.
 
Does yours have the Mercedes Blue-tech system? I also noticed your door on the bathroom. Mine had a sectioned slide that I removed. Saves weight and fewer rattles.
 

armor11acr

New member
Sorry about the late answer. I will try to upload the window sticker. Note the Standard Equipment :Innerspring Mattress" which was not installed. We had a great trip to Sedona. Found a few more minor problems. Got about 15 MPG which for a motorhome is great. Really like this coach.
 

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Coyotesfan

New member
I have not done any suspension upgrades to mine, but I'm thinking that a beefier rear track bar may help some of the sway. I spent the morning putting on 5% static cling window tint on the exterior of the windows. I already added reflectix to the inside and wanted to hide this with the window tint. It's by no means a professional install but I did 6 windows for $40 and it turned out quite well. I'm only guessing, but I would bet the cost to have it done professionally would be a couple hundred. I'll see how well it holds up, but it was a cheap test for now.
 

Flamingo

New member
Just purchased a 2013 Thor Citation Sprinter. Will take delivery in about a week. Downsizing from a 2007 Phaeton 40' 4 slide to the 24' 10" 2 slide SR model. This will be our second Sprinter - previous one was a 2003 Forest River MB Cruiser Sprinter and we loved it.

Looks like a good Forum for our new RV. Hope we don't have too many start up problems, but that is pretty normal.

I can hardly wait to get on the road and go places we couldn't go with our 40' MH. We used to be full-timers and missed a lot places because of our size.

Margie and Roger
 

tdsd

TDSD
I have a 2009 Citation 24SA, 60,000 miles. Many problems over the years but most associated with vender products like the generator. One thing to watch for. The roof is rubber and they use a lot of goop to seal the cracks. You must check each year for cracks in the goop. I did not and developed a leak on my passenger side the caused the lamination to come apart. I think I caught it in time but a better designed roof should have been done. Four Winds and my General RV dealer in White Lake MI were very good overall in fixing everything.
It is my opinion that the RV industry does not make very good products like generators, heaters, A/C etc. Most problems seem to be associated with these. The RV manuafactures don't do a very good job of quality control. Thor has pictures of RVs on it's web site that represent models two or more years old. They don't show options. The door shown in the picture of Coyotesfans RV is not shown as his is. If you read this, do you have a wardrobe closet? Mine has a sliding door which is a pain but stays out of the way.
Unless they have changed the seat cover material, expect them to show major signs of wear at about 30,000 miles. Mine are mess. I wish I could have gotten the original seats that Dodge/MB put in. Great RV. I prefer mine over the Winnebago version but of course they feel the same way. Terry
 

Coyotesfan

New member
Terry, yes my wardrobe closet is to the right of the bathroom door with 2 drawers below it. The bottom door is access to the fresh water tank.
 

Jammy20

New member
We are looking at the Citation Sprint - with the bump out queen bed in the back. I am surprised at the sticker price of $115k. Any guidance from folks on what to expect as a reasonable price when you start to negoiate with the dealer? We sure like the layout better than the view.
 

moray

New member
Sounds like you are looking at the SR. no one has ever sold one for 115,000 should be able to get one for low to mid 80s the 2013 SA i bought last week was under 80 but we only have 1 slideout.and we bought it at a show.

Have Fun

Jim
 
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