Thank you for putting this video out!!! I am a full time RV Tech and also a full time RVr. I was at the Hershey show recently and it was not much to look at for Quality. I was also at a National rally for a particular brand of RV and as I walked around looking at RVs I could see out in the open all the issues each unit had just looking at it never touching them physically. Then as a tech I do annual training and I use this time to get answers to some big questions and these companies just point fingers at each other. I managed to ruffle a lot of feathers at these trainings by raising questions. There are several RV service centers that have stopped taking anymore appointments until they are caught up. They are now on full divert. Another service center at large dealership is down to 1 tech and can’t find good techs. There is a shortage of techs because the RVIA is not doing their jobs in monitoring training, the new techs are not trained well and are messing up more than they fix. Lastly the OEMs are putting out bad products. One OEM hired people and lost them by lunch time that same day. We have RVs show up with outlets hanging from the walls, wiring hanging , slides installed wrong, One even needed a new roof on a 2023. The OEMs don’t want to pay for the repairs. As a Tech I don’t know how to help RV owners because of the lack of interest in the OEMs to help. And by the time the unit is serviced the 1 year warranty is over and the OEMs are not covering the issues after warranty expires. It makes me sad because I love RVing and the full time life with my family but as a tech I don’t know how to help other fellow RVrs.
@@markwoods7237 we have seen a lot of Grand Designs come into the shop for a range of things from minor to major issues. I have had several Transcends come in the shop I work at over the past several weeks mostly minor things at this point. We service all makes and models of RVs from the cheapest pop ups to the multi million dollar coaches. They all have issues and they all need fixing at one time or another. Grand Design RV is not immune to issues. Customer service at Grand Design is better than most other companies yet they still have a lot of growing to do. At this point in time all RVs have issues more than other years prior. Make them fast and build them cheaper. Wish you the best with your new purchase and no matter what happens to first take a breath. Then remember this… slow is smooth and smooth is fast! A motto I live by… we fix a lot of things that could have been avoided if owners slow down when problems arise and believe me they will eventually. So when they do just slow down and be patient. As a tech many times it cost more if owners panic about a broken item and they are scheduled to leave or be somewhere by a certain time. Let face it things never break down at a convenient time. Sorry got a little long winded on a response. Hope this helps.
What years and manufacturers do you like for used towable RVs? Before build quality collapsed? I need one to live in mostly or all stationary and a small one I can tow and boondock with frequently and also use for mobile office.
We ordered a 2023 Keystone Alpine we ordered it with 400 watts of solar and we only got the standard 200 watts .We also ordered the third air conditioner the bedroom is supposed to be air conditioner/heat pump the shroud is labeled heat pump but the unit is missing heat pump parts.Also we ordered it with dual pane windows three windows are fogged up.First trip out kitchen slide went out crooked (schwintek slide) because of misalignment.The day we bought it and got back to our campground home we went to make up the bed and when we pulled the plastic off the mattress little bugs came flying out of it .This is our home and it is unacceptable been in contact with Keystone and the dealership both have been acceptably forthcoming but the warranty process needs overhauled.We are waiting 7 to 8 weeks for repairs all while we can't even open our kitchen slide..This is all happening on a total custom order.Really hope things improve soon.Good luck everyone.
My husband and I looked at new Airstream trailers a couple days ago. We were so disappointed in the quality of finish from what we saw. We walked away stating not even Airsteam is worth their cost.
All true stuff. My wife and I just bought a brand new travel trailer. I knew to expect some teething difficulties, and I'm pretty handy at fixing things, so I was prepared. Leaky water fittings, all the manufacturing scraps left in places out of sight, flimsy luan panels just stapled to the floor around the plumbing compartment, a torn window screen that we saw during the walk-through, and the first time we used the furnace we smelled something burning. Turns out there was a ton of sawdust that had fallen into the furnace that had to be cleaned out. We just got back from our second trip, and realized we could only fill the water tank to about 3/4 full because the overflow is in the wrong place, so I have to add some tubing to relocate it. Also found out the USB power ports didn't work because somebody didn't strip the wires before they put them in the terminal blocks. Quality control? What's that?
As a life long rver. We went to the Hershey show this year it was actually gut wrenching. The quality.. we came home not purchasing. Stumbled across a sweet heart deal on a 2001 Winnebago adventurer. We are now the second owner . 1000 miles to date that my wife and I have put on it . Yes we had inspected zero issues . Already found the sweet spot for fuel economy.. 58 to 62. 10.7 mpg. Run 65 5.8. Mpg .. we are loving finding a older unit ..
We bought a NuCamp 2022 TAB 400 picked it up in June 2022. We’ve been looking at this since it went in to production 2018. The reason is it’s only 18 feet long it has no slides, no awning, no hot water heater, no forced air furnace, no shower to clean just a pull around shower curtain. The RV uses the Alde on demand hot water and heating system. The windows are all European duel pane windows. In my humble opinion this is the finest teardrop RV on the market today. We have the dealers personal phone number and he answers the all you questions. He is a one man dealership. He highly encouraged to call with any questions. Great video thanks
I have a 1991 24' Lazy Daze, no slideouts, very basic compared to newer RVs. Less is more. It runs perfectly. It doesn't break down. New tires every five years is my biggest expense. Any mechanic anywhere can work on the Chevy engine and drivetrain. ..
I own Holiday RV Repair in Georgia and this video is absolutely the truth. We just finished a Class C Thor motorhome that had a severe roof sag just behind the cab-over. When we disassembled it the front cap wasn't even connected to the roof structure. From the front cap back 24 inches there was zero framing to tie the two together.
Our commode fell off its pedestal. , just only one of 47 problems we had. The roof has to be repaired. Etc. our is a brand new 2023 Thor model. The newer they are the worse they are. 😢
Hi there, thanks for putting this video out. We have about 35 years of RVing experience and bought a new Grand Design Reflection 5th wheel in the summer of 2021. Our experience with the dealer has been good (Traveland RV in BC, Canada), but we have had to have it in now about 6 or 7 times for various things. We've had major issues with the fridge - drip tray not draining, very excessive moisture in the fridge - gallons over the summer - the final fix is happening right now with new fridge doors (hopefully). The slide window was installed upside down. Some trim came loose and had to be re-attached. We also had a hard time filling the fresh water tank, and it also turned out (as another comment below) that the overflow was below the top of the tank. We've had to replace a light fixture, the slide mechanism, slide seals, some window trims on the outside of the unit, one of the exterior speakers, and a few more minor things. In all the years of rving, we've never had so many preventable issues that came out of the factory. And overall, the construction of the unit is good - cabinet doors fit and close properly (except for 1 that I fixed), electronics working well, smooth finishes, a lot of standard things that are often extra, etc. A lot of good things to say about the Reflection, but far too many things that were improperly installed basically, plus the fridge issue. I think we are finally there, but it took a year and a half to get through the warranty fixes. Oh, and Grand Design has been wonderful overall, except for dealing with the fridge issue. I would still recommend Grand Design, but they do need to step things up again as they were in the past.
Thanks for the honest video. I had a 2022 Lance travel trailer on order and after seeing the quality issues on units shipped, I promptly cancelled. It was one of their smallest single axle units yet it was nearly 50K (and today MSRP over 60K). To this day, 13 months after I originally ordered it, Lance has yet to produce one single unit of the model I ordered. My current camper is from 2012 and built like a tank. When I examined the frame, suspension and build quality of what I already had, I realized that virtually nothing new would even come close. I've spent the last year modifying it to be exactly what I wanted it to be with 12 volt fridge, induction cooking, lithium batteries, modified suspension, more solar and efficient heating. For a fraction of what I was going to spend on new, I ended up with something that's actually much better for my needs and higher quality. The Lance was a campground cruiser and now I have an offroad capable gem, had fun modifying it and saved huge $$.
We went to NRVTA’s owners course, well worth the money, we have been able to repair about 80% of the issues that have come up. Don’t have to deal with the repair wait nearly as often. Education is key, OBTW we are full timers since March 2022. It also allowed us to keep the repair shops honest when there was something beyond our comfort level. Sad to see new unit quality issues, glad we purchased when we did (2018), still had some quality issues then, but at least there wasn’t the backlog at the dealers and most of the problems in the new unit were minor.
You are 100% spot on. But sadly… you’d be making your own warranty repairs. Good for learning no doubt (reality is the warranty expires at some point and you either pay a dealer, independent business or do it yourself), but it alleviates the dealer and manufacturer of their responsibility during a time when they are legally obligated to provide resolution. We just came home today from a two week excursion to Texas with more issues. I will be taking the NRVTA courses to better educated myself for next July (end of useless warranty).
@@saltyhorizons agreed, but better to make my own repairs than to having to spend multiple weeks out of coach! I prefer to rely on myself. Extended warranty’s are pretty useless, wish i had that money back!
What brand and model do you have Ted? We are also looking to be full-timers and don't know if we should stick solely with manufacturers that offer full-time warranty or not.
@@barbaradowney7098 we have a Winnebago 2018 Forza 34T. Love the layout and mid entry door. It is just the right size for the wife, 3 small pups and me. Not too long that we can still get into most Natl Parks and State Parks. We tow a Jeep Gladiator and had no problem in the SW mountains this spring.
I purchased an Entegra motorhome in 2021. It was used and built in 2019. The dealer (RV One) was not having any part of an independent inspection and the overall experience was not a good one. Never again... When I had the final walkthrough, the fridge did not work. Luckily, it was just a fuse. I've had a few minor issues, however have been able to resolve them with the help of RUclips. Videos like yours tell the honest truth, regardless of how bad the news is. We're actually thinking about selling and going with a pull trailer, however it's not sitting easy with us right now with the industry in such disarray. Thanks again for taking the time to tell the truth!!
We purchased our first brand new 2021 Forest River Berkshire XL40E in February of this year. It has been in for 3 recalls already. It currently is in the shop for the 2nd time this years for work. My husband was on I-10 in Florida and the fuel line blew. Our touch screen that controls everything quit working. The master bedroom slide wouldn't come in. The Aqua Hot will burn you feet on the heated floor at 126° but will not heat the water in the rig, plugged in to 50amp or have the Diesel element on. Our awning doesn't seat properly on the side of the rig. Our refrigerator makes a ton of loud noise when you turn a corner. The master bathroom shower water line wasnt welded together. Water ran everywhere while trying to dewinterize the rig. The 2nd bathroom shower wasnt sealed. So when taking a shower, all the water ran out under the door. This is our 4th RV, and 1st new one. This is the worst one we have had. Our state does have a Lemon Law for RV. We have already been in talks with a lawyer about it. Don't think we will ever buy new again. This rig was also the most expensive one we have ever purchased.
2019 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 38K. 3 Recalls for the same problem, something to do with the left brake light. No breakdowns yet. About 19,000 miles. We are not full-timers but take off 4 months every summer to get out of Florida's heat. As a retired LEO my motto is Good Bye Tension, Hello Pension
My husband and I literally last weekend went and looked at travel trailers, now mind you we've owned a few in the 25 years that we've been together. I was shocked to see the fit and finish of these and how horrible it was. Trim pieces hanging down, cabinet doors or closet doors that wouldn't close all the way.
Much appreciate this video. Y’all always are so open and honest. In 2019 I bought my first camper; a 16’ teardrop made by NuCamp. Bought it from a private seller who was so great to explain how everything worked, helped me hitch and allowed me to stay in it over a weekend. Now that I know I enjoy camping and traveling with a camper, I’d like something a little bigger but have limited my search to years 2019-2020 which means fewer availability. But after watching this video think I’ll keep my search criteria as is or just keep my small unit which I’ve had zero problems. Thanks again for really great information.
We bought a 2022 Redwood made by Thor, from Blue Dog RV in Post Falls Idaho and it's been nothing but problems! The big slide is caving in and leaks when it rains, screws coming thru the floor and tearing the linoleum, trim falling off, the basement has a leak, the shower sealant is non existent, window seals are torn not providing a good seal. It's in for repairs after I filed a compliant with the BBB because the dealer wouldn't return my calls. They since have replaced a lot of service staff, so hopefully my unit won't be in for too much longer, as we are full time RVers and this is our home.
We just purchased a 2022 Thor Hurricane 34J motorhome 4 weeks ago and we immediately went on a camping trip we had previously booked back in April. So far we've found 24 items that need repair both major and minor in nature. Some of the big ones include: defective roof lap sealant (full of popped air bubbles) and poor application of lap sealant. Lap sealant had also been dripped and tracked over entire roof, WTF! Black water leak in wet bay, Zone-2 AC does not respond to control panel and runs continuously, Kitchen ceiling fan was installed backwards, windshield gasket not installed correctly and is pushed out in one location, Screw in bathroom shower door track was too long and is pushing out through exterior wall of the motorhome. I called Camping World in Syracuse, NY where I bought it the MH to setup a service visit and they had me drop it off a week later. It's been sitting there now for 2 weeks and when I last checked with them 3 days ago, they hadn't even looked at it yet.
This is another reason to hire an independent RV inspector to inspect the RV before signing on the dotted lines, if the dealership throws a fit, run the other way. We know of three dealerships within 75 miles from us who own campgrounds next to them, they want you to at least overnight there free of charge so you can check it out (camper). As usual another great video. I know that this is not RV related, but it’s work place related. Our oldest son used to work for a guy building cabins, some of the workers were smoking weed. When he said something to his boss, his boss said that’s the only help that I can get, our son told him that’s not his environment & quit his job. He showed us some “finished” cabins, the quality was horrible. The asking prices were three quarter to over $1 million. Y’all keep’m coming
you guys are great. well were do I start. ok I bought a 2003 Fleetwood American Eagle 40t. it will be 5 years this coming jan. I bought it from lazydays in tampa FL. 1st thing that I did wrong was not having inspected. big mistake. I was a new buyer. and was very excited! I did take the rv for a test drive and noticed that the front wheel alignment was off. and there was some ( the dreaded word ) delamination on it. knowing what I know now, I would have never bought it. because I took my rv over to orlando to have my alignment checked, the guy said I have to show you something. all of my bushing tierod ends ETC ETC had to be replaced. the bottom line is I had the RV less than a month. and it cost me $3.900 dollars to have it repaired. don't do what I did. PLEASE GET YOU RV INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT NOT FROM THE DEALER INSPECTOR!!! I hope this helps. im still living in it. and the delamination has gotten worse. as in most rvers I don't have the money to fix it. everything was out of warranty when I bought. k matthews
In my area, there is a Massive amount of inventory sitting on lots. At some point the price on RVs will need to be drastically slashed. On top of that, the quality needs to be addressed. Thanks for your post about this topic. I’m holding off until things get better
Great video! Thank you! I’ve owned RVs for over 35 years. This includes the big boys, Blue Bird Wanderlodge, Freightliner Dynamax Super Cs and most recently downsized to a 2023 Thor Sequence Class B. It has had quite a few issues. Luckily, I have always repaired my own stuff. I don’t depend on the lying dealers. General RV in Tampa was a joke. I kinda knew this going in. You are spot on about shotty work nowadays compared to 20 years ago. I tell people, if you can’t work on one DO NOT BUY ONE! I can believe what they are putting out. I’ve spent the last few months improving their sloppy build. It’s finally coming together. Plumbing, electrical, 12volt system, generator failure… on and on. Last one for me. I’ll build my own next time… if there is a next time. Thanks..
Hi guys, great video as usual. The first RV that I bought was from a private seller in another state. So I decided to use a reputable inspector. I called that place down in Texas and they gave me a name. $1000 is a lot of money to pay for an inspection! He told me about a couple problems that the owner paid to fix. A month later I go get RV ( they won't move or inspect for road readiness?? ) After having the RV for about a month I discovered 5 water leaks,..5! One slider looked like the owner had backed it into something. Either the inspector that was recommended to me was blind or he got paid not to tell. I contacted the place down south, they never returned my call.. I traded it for a brand new one and I'm now fighting to get it fixed.
My 2007 Winnebago/ Itasca Ellipse was the best built motorhome ever. It was a tank. Never a problem for the 13 yrs I owned it. You should report on Freightliner and Ford, and Spartan too.
I wish I would have had an inspection done on our used RV, we have found a lot of things that was needed to repair. I’m just glad I have a husband who can fix a lot of things because where I live not any good repair places. Thanks for all your information it is very appreciated. ☺
Good video, and it does provide an accurate account of the current and recent situations with RV's. We just purchased our 5th RV since 2006 yesterday, and its a Jayco EAGLE 5th wheel. During the walk through inspection yesterday we found 4 issues that had to be worked on by the tech's, but were fixed in a couple of hours. We traded in a 2019 Keystone Alpine 3650RL for this 5th wheel, as we wanted something smaller and needed bunk beds for our grandkids. We had nothing but trouble with the Keystone since day 1. Most of the issues were major ones, and to be honest our extended warranty paid out over $5600 in repairs since September of 2019. The Crossroads Cruiser 5th wheel that we traded for the Alpine only had 1 issue in 9 years, so the experience with the Alpine was very negative for us. I'm curious if anyone has done the on-line version of the NRVTA Owners class? I just don't have 5 days to travel out of state to attend the in-person class. I need to be able to fix issues when we are on the road, and not have to rely on repair centers out of state. Thx- Kent
My husband and I are in Elkhart, IN to have our 2021 Jayco Pinnacle fixed with a lot of warranty issues. Jayco said that they need 3 WEEKS to fix all of the issues including the roof needing to be replaced. We made the appointment back in May, 2022 to get in now. We toured a couple of factories while we are here. I saw a lot of the employees on the line running back and forth working extremely fast. To me, I wasn't impressed with all of the fast-pace working. We were told at Grand Design that the workers get paid PER UNIT completed, like that was a good thing! Again, to me, its not! Now, I can TOTALLY see why Jayco forgot to install the black tank flush hose from the back of the wet back connection TO THE BLACK TANK ITSELF!!!!! That caused thousands of dollars in damages and ServePro having to come out with there fans for three days trying to dry our basement. Our main computer for the unit (JayCommand) got fried, as well. I also want to add that we paid over $700 FOR AN INSPECTION prior to delivery. The inspector said that it is not part of his inspection to look if the blank tank flush hose was connected to the actual black tank! WHAAAAATTT????? So, if you do get your unit inspected, make sure you get a good and reputable inspector!!!! Jayco refused to assist us with lodging in anyway, since we are full-time RV'rs. They actually said that the RV's are NOT meant to be lived in Full-time! WHAAAAATTTT???? And, let me also tell you that they are in NO RUSH to get our fifth-wheel fixed as it actually SAT in Jayco's bay for a WHOLE WEEK before they started any work on it. Just FYI! #NOTHAPPY
sound like the mobil home industy same thing it called piece work and it junk work more unit u put out and faster more money u make just like clothing factory so many pice before u make money the factorydont care people need to stand up
Hi Izzy & MJ ! My Wife & I purchased a brand new 2022 Keystone, Cougar 22MLS in May at Gander RV, in Hamburg PA., which changed to a Camping World at that time. We agreed on a price then the salesman after adding on Prep and Freight fees plus tax got it up to like 49K, where we started. We left a deposit, returning about a week later with some cash ( which I withdrew from my retirement as a LEO ) we spent the whole day there, they brought us in for a walk thru and I noticed right away that this was the wrong trailer ( that they prepped). so we finally got Our trailer and went to Gettysburg, on a shakedown trip. They forgot to return our power cord to the trailer, so we couldn't hook up to power. We spent at least half the the next day finding a dealership that had the correct 30 AMP power cord. we did get reimbursed the $111.00 after a few weeks. We had multiple issues with faulty items like the In- Command electronics that did not work properly. They're were pin holes in the awning, the fire extinguisher ripped off the wall from which it was attached. There were other deficiencies as well. We brought the trailer back to the dealership after a couple of weeks and left it there form June 1st to late September. This is a good one: the dealer sent the license plate, registration and ( title) to a wrong address in South Jersey. We're in Sussex County. In all fairness, Camping World did send us a check for $3000.+ due to an auditing mistake. Most of the items were fixed ( not all ) but I do not want to go back there again! P.S. we had a 2016 Cougar which we sold in April, so I liked the brand. I really think that most of the problems were from the manufacturer, due to some of the things that you guys pointed out! You do a Great Job, Keep Up the Good Work and Be Safe!
We purchased a brand new 2022 Class A Diesel RV with a HUGE laundry list of issues. We paid $312,000.00 for something that has so many issues it’s horrible. Driving away from dealership the mirror fell off. Then the p/s window leaked . Next I found it was raining INSIDE my coach. I’ve had it 2 months and last weekend my husband was washing it and found a huge crack in the roof!!!! We thought getting a better quality coach we would not deal with all these problems 😢
@@davidhannan2023 yes the dealership had 4 star rating which we felt was pretty good for RV sales, no we did not have a third-party inspection. However I guarantee you we will never purchase another one without it.
Great video guys, thank you for always keeping us informed! Its really sad that quality control is just not in place like it should. RV's should not be bursting into flames, they are playing with peoples lives at that point. Its scary. Its also sad that any news with the RV industry is bad, its like being debbie downers all the time. But again, thank you for all the info! Safe travels!
We bought a travel trailer for our family of four plus a dog in 2005. It is a 2005 Crossroads Zinger ZT27BH (no slides), it was a well built inexpensive starter trailer. In 2015 we put it on a permanent site and started to look for a seasonal campsite trailer for four to six adults. I noticed the build quality of many new trailers just isn't there and the price they are asking for the poor quality is ridiculous. We are still looking and now are entertaining the possibility of a lightly used 2017 or 2018 because the build quality is better. Our ideal trailer is a travel trailer with two bedrooms with a queen bed in each.
What a brilliant subject to examine and I applaud you both for tackling this problem. Whatever happened to the pride of Made in America? They are trashing the industry with their total lack of respect for the customer. I have yet to buy my first RV but learned that it is absolutely vital to have an independent inspection prior to purchase and possibly another if repairs were needed. I will definitely not buy anything new with the current issues unless it’s made in Germany who take such pride in their build and are regulated by their Government. I’m going to look at a low mileage Country Coach or something similar and I’ve already sorted out an inspector who will travel anywhere in America. The costs of buying an RV are coming down from their previous highs and I’ll wait until I find the perfect vehicle for us. Thank you both for tackling this subject and I will definitely keep coming back to see any updates on this subject matter. I’m not giving up my dream to have an RV as a few days ago my doctors shared the news that my cancer is no longer treatable and it’s spreading albeit slowly. I want to live my dreams and I will never give up 😊💕🙏🏻💫
Sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis! I’d love to own my own rv sometime, but I will never buy a U.S. rv anytime soon! You’re exactly right about the quality of the European rv’s compared to the U.S., they blow us out of the water! As consumers we’ve become way to complacent and need to hold these companies accountable.
You look and look for the RV of your dreams. You think you find it and the dealer balks at letting you have it inspected ... walk away, go to another dealer. This is difficult I know, but your patience will pay off. We have owned three fifth wheels and two motor homes in our twenty plus years of RVing. Don't let someone take your hard earned dollars - your dream, and leave you with weeks, maybe months and months of frustration and of follow-up work to be corrected before the RV is what was promised. Thank you guys ... we support your mission ... buyer beware!
We purchased our Forest River Georgetown XL in 2019 and should have run when we went to pick it up and the PDI tech could not get the oven to light and checked off things he did not even show us. Also the dealer, Bayou Outdoors in Bossier City, LA, “found” some water damage on our fifth wheel bedroom slideout. They settled for charging us another $1000 for the motorhome! Once we got home, it would not level as advertised and on our first trip back to the dealer, they had to re-program the Lippert leveling system. Over the course of the next 3 years, they replaced the oven 3 different times for failure to light but never did a leak check on the propane system, the stovetop once, the floor under the washer/dryer, rear camera system and never got the fireplace heater fully operational. It was in for weeks to months at a time with a great deal of frustration for us. We had our motorhome back for warranty service close to a dozen times and finally after the factory warranty expired, it was in for the Splendid washer/dryer not working and the fireplace heater not working, I caught the dealer filing a false extended insurance claim for a new fireplace heater when it was not even available. Also found out they forged my signature on the claim to the insurance company! So bottom line, I have never been back to the dealership due to their dishonesty! That was in 2022 and we have had to accomplish our minor maintenance issues on our own but that is going to have to change soon! Our slide outs use the BAL ACCU SLIDE cable system and it has failed on both slide outs! The smaller bedroom slide, after numerous emails and conversations with BAL, we were able to get it repaired. The large other slide out, is another story! We have a motor/gearbox that has failed and the room is in. The motor is 30” back in a 7+” height so there is no way to get access to change the motor. BAL advised us to manually move the slide out out! The slide out is 17’ long and has all of the furniture and cabinets on it so there is no way an elderly couple can accomplish this realistically. We are in a dilemma because these slide out problems have precluded us from using the motorhome for 8 months and more in the future! As one RUclipsr explains, any rv one considers that has a cable slide out system, run away as fast as possible! In conclusion, I have owned RVs for 30 years and the ones now do not hold a candle to the ones built and sold back then. As many are saying, the are nothing but junk and a headache for anyone that gets suckered into purchasing one. We are going to investigate changing our slide out mechanisms for more reliable ones by a custom coach company if possible but have to get it fixed for now so we can get some use out it! Caveat Emptor!
Great video but please slow down when giving out a website. Blue Ox On The Run could be printed on the screen to make sure it is the correct site. Also, what RV school in Texas did you attend, you blew by that info too. Thank you for all your hard work, it is really appreciated.😁
We bought a 6 month old 2017 Newmar London Aire from an elderly gentleman. Only mechanical failures were the Oasis loop pumps and one of the slide motor/gearbox went out. Fit and finish is top notch from this era Newmar. Maintenance if mechanically inclined is not that bad. Just looked at some 2022 and 2023 products and we could not believe the lack of attention to detail and how workmanship has deteriorated!
Thank you for another great video, MJ and Izzy. We purchased a 2020 Newmar Dutch Star as a model year leftover in December of 2020. It has been great, for the most part, however recently we have had a couple issues: the TPMS doesn't work at all, so I purchased an aftermarket TireMinder system which works better than the OEM installed system since it can be set up to include the "toad". Also, our radio, which incorporates the 360° camera system as well as the OEM navigation system went out. I checked the fuse, but it was not burned out, think we'll have to take it back to the dealer. I know that in the grand scheme of things, ours are relatively minor problems compared to what some folks have experienced. But knowing that getting an appointment is potentially far into future and may take a long time to get work completed, I'll just live with it for the time being. We can do that, but for folks who have issues that render their RV unusable, what can they do? An RV that you paid a lot of money for may just sit for many months! The status quo of the RV industry is unacceptable.
Bought an Outdoors RV 280RKS new in 2017 after having spent 6 months looking at what else was available out there, most of which could only be categorized as either "garbage", "cheap garbage", or "garbage you couldn't give me for free". Outdoors RV has a similar build to Arctic Fox (same parent company - Northwood). When we were done with the 2 hour walk through and went to close the 13' super slide, it made it about halfway and it sounded like a gunshot inside the trailer. The bracket holding the motor that operates the slide had detached from the frame! Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the bracket had only been tacked in place and never finish welded to the frame. The dealer produced a welder within about 10 minutes and had it repaired in a jiffy (Broadmoor RV, Pasco, WA). To be fair, this issue can be laid squarely at the feet of Lippert, the folks that fabricated the frame for Outdoors RV. I've upgraded the suspension, including a 4" lift, and we've "made it ours" over time, but in our 7 years of light use we've been pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of our ORV. With that said, there's always going to be minor issues that crop up here and there - it should be expected. Much more so if you're a full timer living in your RV. If you have no mechanical aptitude at all, or don't know a phillips screwdriver from a sledgehammer, you might want to consider a different pastime. But yeah, most RV manufacturers should be thoroughly embarrassed by what they present to the end customer.
Me and my wife just purchaced a 2022 keystone bullet premier 25rkpr. We bought it late summer and so far we used it 4 different times and (knock on wood) we have not had one issue with it. Every thing worked flawlessly,slides, furnace, waterheater, refrigerator,electrical,ac, no water leaks , no triped breakers, no frame issues no fit and finish problems.Now i dont know if we just got luckey but we are extremely happy with our purchace . We just hope that with regular maintenance and taking good care of it that if problems arise they will be minor. But so far we have had a great experience with our trailer.
Very important video here. Not only for newbies but anyone who owns one. Personally, I have seen this as last September I contacted a local used RV Dealer that has it's own on-site maintenance shop. I seen a smaller Class C camper on the lot that I was interested in & wanted a walk thru. I set up an appointment for the walk thru & I was told he had a couple of other smaller Class C's that he would also make available for me to look at. Once there, I was astonished at the dirtiness of the inside of the RV's. None of the RV's I looked at were cleaned from the previous owners & the pricing on these RV's were outrageous. The first one I looked at had a small slide-out back by the bedroom. It had somehow gotten off track, but that didn't stop people from opening & closing it. The roof had scrape marks & panel missing & the floor & rug where the slide come in was all ripped up. The sales guy never even mentioned it to me & when he seen it, he acted like it just happened. The RV was dirty inside with all kinds of garbage laying around inside of it. The 2nd RV I looked at was a 1 year old Mini Wini. I actually like this one better than the other that we just looked it. During the walk thru, I noticed this one was a lot cleaner & had a captains chair for the driver which could spin around 180*. As I walked towards the bed room, I noticed water pooling on the floor coming from the bathroom. I pushed the door open expecting to find a flooding toilet but instead found an exhaust fan leaking as it was raining out. If you're going to go looking for RV's, do it in the rain. Totally not a good day for this sales guy. The Mini Wini was marked up $7000.00 over the MRSP for the 1 year old leaky Mini Wini. I'm starting to buy camping & overlanding products for my 2021 Toyota 4Runner. I'm not going to get the space I would like, but at least I would have the quality build, & I am not going to be setting up a tent.
We bought a 2016 Grey Wolf private party. All in all it’s been a good unit. We’ve had it for 2 years and have used it quite a bit. Along with the usual loose interior panels and cheap construction that goes with towables, we learned that our slide support rollers were never screwed into place at the factory and had been held in Place by the putty tape and weight of the slide. I found one laying in our RV parking here at the house and once I started looking I found that out of the 4 it started with, only three were remaining and one of them was in my hand. Once I’d figured out what the situation was, I contacted Forest River, had an email dialog and sent photos of what I had found. There was no denying what had taken place. They were very cooperative and offered to completely cover the repair if I took it to a Forest River dealer. In the mean time I had come to an identical roller that mounted from the edge instead of the top and since I had already ordered the parts and had the trailer apart, I made the repairs myself. We had trips planned and didn’t want to be all summer without it. I replaced all 4 and it’s been good since then. We also had some Schwintek drama but that’s another story. The bottom line is if you’re going to have an RV, you need to be aware that there will be issues and you’ll need to make repairs and in some cases, figure it out on your own. If not, your RV experience is going to be painful.
Great info. Sold our Thor 2021 today. Warranty work took 4months to get booked and after our next trip all the problems still there but now out of warranty. Guess we’ll have to go back to a tent or rent something. Very frustrating
Great information !! I'm thinking if and when we decide to buy another coach it will be from the motor coach store or NIRVC again. And for sure I'll get an inspection again. We bought from NIRVC, paid a certified inspector. He found a small list of repairs, one pretty big item (hydraulic pump for jacks didn't work). I gave the list to my sales rep, they had it repaired by the time we showed up. Awesome experience. Thanks for sharing the information.
Yes, like everyone, we have had some problems with our 2019 Bay Star, thankfully nothing that has kept us off the road. But both Newmar and our dealer (Mt. Comfort RV, as far as I know the only Newmar dealership in IN) have been great in doing their best to resolve things. Biggest drawback is the time it takes to get things done. I'm just so glad that we ordered and received our coach BEFORE Covid. No way I would ever buy anything built during the Covid era no matter what brand.
We bought a new Whitehawk in early 2018, I’m pretty handy with repairs and so far have been able to deal with what ever issues we have had. Last year we were camped on the Oregon Coast and in a fairly heavy rain storm. Three brand new units that were in the same campground were forced to leave due to water leaks. I’ve owned serval RVs and do post and pre trip inspections top to bottom before each trip. I think many people just hook up and go. I agree that quality has really gone down hill in the last 10 years or so. Thanks for the video.
I own a 2014 Itasca Sunstar , the other day I had my windshield replaced, it was cracked in two places one on the top the other on the bottom corner both on the driver side. I had the work done yesterday at my house and watched them remove the glass , I was shocked at the amount of rust on the frame supporting the glass, upon talking to the installers they said that this is a common issue with Winnebagos and it also is a most likely the cause for the crack on the bottom . We inspected the RV when we purchased it 2 years ago . The installer said that there was evidence of leaking from the top of the windshield that had been covered up with silicone. … just be aware that issues do happen with RVs and be prepared to fix or resolve them as they occur, also when removing the windshield wiper we Brock one of the rusted studs . Waiting on parts at this time.
Thanks for the candor in RV industry, we purchased used 2018 Cougar 5th wheel with no issues knock on wood. However we would like to move to small motor vehicle in the future. Knowing up front the issues going on is needed extremely helpful.
We have a Starcraft Travel Trailer. We bought it from Ricks RV in Joliet Illinois. Ricks RV has been fantastic to us. We have had newbie issues as well as trailer issues. The slide out floor was curling almost 2” and became a tripping hazard. We were still under warranty and Jayco authorized a replacement. We also had a propane leak for the tanks. We are picking it up today and we will see if they replaced those. Overall we see issues mostly just minor and I am grateful we have the warranty. Thank you for the info.
We have an older RV, that does not mean that the quality is better or worse. Ours is an 89 Winnebago Spirit 31 foot. My father had it before us and had a lot of work done to it before we got it. New fridge, new water heater, ect. In the last year I've had to do several repairs myself as well as many upgrades. 2 things that I really scratched my head on is that it has a steel framework that surrounds the entire cabin, but little is actually screwed or bolted to it! For instance, our awning got damaged in a very high wind storm and I had to replace it as well as the rails that attach it to the RV. When I started to remove the screws in the rail, they were just spinning, so I pried on the rail, and the entire thing came off with little to no effort. All of the screws were 3/4 inch long. I had already ordered new 1 1/2 stainless steel screws with the replacement rail. The longer screws actually met with the steel frame actually securing it to the RV. We now live full time in it and I'm still chasing repairs that were "professionally" done. Wiring was a complete nightmare and still is to a lesser extent. Sealing the cabin, has proven to be a challenge! The gaps between the walls and the floor, where it wasn't even glued, screwed or bolted are crazy! A few self tappers and some sealer made a huge difference. The roof has actually been the least of our issues. Thank god the engine, tranny and chassis are in top shape! Our 73 Holiday Rambler was built much sturdier but still had several build flaws. At least on the HR, the screws made it into something substantial. After all I've heard and seen about new RV's, I'll be sticking with our older models, I'm no stranger to fixing things myself.
We bought 2 new TT one in 2020 and upgraded in 2021. So far small issues. We have focused on light weight TT. Going light weight brings lighter construction techniques. This means thin walls, doors, cabinets, furniture and the like. A few plumbing leaks. Took care of all of it myself. RVing takes effort. I believe the rewards are worth the effort. Safe travels!
After buying a Prevost we learned quickly that the servicing of the coach was our biggest challenge. The Prevost Service Centers are terrific for chassis work and have always met expectations but something as simple as getting an oil change or AC repair locally can take a surprising amount of time and many of the experienced technicians are gone. Handing the keys of a Prevost over to a 20 year old tech, oh boy. There seems to be a large market for quality independent service people but I'm afraid much of the knowledge and skills may not have been passed down.
New 2022 Leprechaun 319MB, from Colton RV, Orchard Park, NY. Several items noted upon delivery, and parts ordered. Since we live 300 miles from dealership, parts were shipped to me. I did some of the work myself, so that we could continue to use the motorhome throughout the season. Brought it in to the shop for a couple of items that I didn’t want to tackle myself, plus a propane part recall that they wanted to do themselves. Additionally, I had identified a few other minor things… Picked it up in late October, and some items still unresolved. Parts are on order for the shower door, and they are clueless as to how to properly fix the awning. The biggest factory-caused problem that I had to fix myself was the roof connection for the solar panel. We had a 190w panel installed on the roof, and the inverter inside, but the 8awg cables going to the roof were just tucked behind the microwave, and never connected. This required that the connection plate on the roof be removed, the Dicor cleaned up, the wires extended through the roof, the connection made, and then the unit reattached and sealed to the roof. Relatively easy for a younger person, but I’m 66!
I retired in Dec of 21 and I took this year off. I'm going to the NRVTA in January for the technician course. Why? Well, I need a hobby to do somedays. But when I hear of all these problems needing fixed, it makes me wonder if I will be too busy to be retired as well. Thank you for the industry update, hope you're back on the road soon.
We bought our first Class C in 2003 a used 99 E350 with 28k miles. Private party sale. No inspection, I don’t even think inspections were a thing then. Didn’t really have very many problems with it. Sold it in 2007 with 46k. In 2020 we bought a used 2018 Class C with 16k miles. Private party sale also, but we had an inspector check it. Paid $650 for the service, he found a few minor things that the owner fixed. So far this one has been trouble free.
Great video as usual! Very fair and even feedback. Inspection is a must do! You're potentially spending over 100K what's $500 - $1000 for that piece of mind and more importantly to get fixed before you take possession. Shame on the RV manufacturers for not building better and having better QA inspections.
Purchased a 2022 KZ Connect 323RK, had inspection done. Dealer fixed a couple of those issues that day(one took several attempts) the rest were to be submitted for warranty. Less than a month in propane leak develops, low and behold was due to a recalled component(s). Took another month to get unit in. Original warranty claim had not been submitted. Dealer(RV Retailer, LLC) had unit for 10 days submitted $28,000 warranty claim,(majority denied by manufacturer)only replaced one of 2 recalled propane quick connections.
Love your channel. Just learned so much. This is crazy. I bought a new Rv from General Rv. Told it was inspected and ready to go. Turns out not the truth and the customer service at the service center was horrible. They couldn’t even give estimates on when the unit would be ready. I am a Soldier and bout this Rv for work so my family wouldn’t have to move again. It’s been horrible but next time I will do it smarter thanks to your vids. I am not giving up yet. I love RVs
Sorry to hear. Definitely a 3rd party inspection but more importantly reputation of dealer is extremely important. ruclips.net/video/afRTVN8bPoA/видео.html
We bought a used 2014 Fleetwood Storm 32BH about 3 years ago from a dealer in Iowa. Their name in Bowling Rv in Ottumwa, Iowa. They have always treated us fairly and have always done a great job with anything we needed done on our MH. They are a family run company and they treat you like one of their own. 5 stars. I love you r video, you confirmed what everyone is thinking about the RV industry, great job.
Fortunately we purchased a preowned '05 Class A that the previous owner had meticulously maintained and addressed any know issues. Some issues we have experienced are 1.) Finding someone/someplace that has the capability, or knowledge, to make repairs correctly. 2.) Trying to locate replacement parts for older models as suppliers quit making them. 3.) The outrageous high rates ($175/hr+) that are being charged for their sub-par work. When you purchase a new RV and have to put it right back in for repairs that warranty clock keeps ticking so if your unit is kept out of service for months that leaves you less time to find other issues waiting to pop up. There's no excuse for the manufacturers to ship units to dealerships with known defects and the dealerships NOT doing a PDI inspection themselves immediately. The trend is to let it sit there with the hopes you won't uncover the defects so they don't have to do the repair work and then have to deal with the manufacturer about the repair costs.
Bought used and am very picky on reliability and safety - spent 6 months going through the motorhome as it had 3 significant issues on its first outing in cold weather ( was a hot weather rv) the slide out got stuck (found the guide pin was so poorly aligned that with over an inch of slop it still missed the grove and would not close, had to drill new holes upside down to reposition the alignment pin while it snowed. At 2 am we had the propane alarm go off head to get the family out in the cold to vent the whole unit and kill the propane to the full MH, so yes no heat for the rest of the night! (Remember not to use a fan to vent it, many fan motors have sparks) leak at the tank sensor ended up being the issue, rv repair facilities do not touch the high pressure side - gas company tightened it with telling take and broke the sensor but at least we could get heat again a few days later! Good thing we had some electric heat and thick blankets. Finally had blamed the dog for wetting the floor, turns out the plastic connector to the water heater stopped sealing and leaked. After this first trip I said no way we keep this POS if it means this many issues so I spent 6 months of weekends redoing almost everything. Chassis wiring and vacuumed tubing that was setup to chafe, not by ford, but by Thor work, adding gas manifold with valves per appliance by the tank so any leak can be isolated without taking everything down, got a gas sniffer to help. adding inverter and lithium batteries and upgraded to 50 amp single “”phase”” redoing the ac panel. Upgraded the two AC units with soft starts to allow 4kw generator with lithium assist to allow both units to run on generator power! But the worst was the safety side of things - kids only had belts on the dinette with no headrest not 3 point belts, and it was mounted on a swintech slide that to this day I fail to see how it stays in with 6 tiny teeth holding a 20ish foot slide in! So effectively kids are strapped into a death trap that will slide out in an accident and/or crush their heads into the dinette table - so out went the dinette and sofa and in came 4 captains chairs with 3 sprint seatbelts - orders of magnitude safer and more comfortable. then came the summer heat and the on AC unit is very insufficient for 30ft+ motor home, not to mention how horribly loud and inefficient it is - was going to add a dual zone inverter compressor mini split, but time did not dpermit so instead added a second roof ac - wha WG a disaster - the race track venting proved to have such poor and incomplete insulation that a ton of cooling is lost to the outside roof especially along all the al framing! Fixed that as best one can without ripping off the ceiling (aka barely improving it) with spray foam at all roof vents. Humidity dictated the need for a lot more insulating to avoid condensation dripping - what a pain. Had to better align the slide which had the Schwintek frame riveted to the MH body so took advantage and drilled for through screws as I can’t imagine being out on a vacation and having the slide out need repairs with it being riveted in. Added a spare tire and custom welded tire lift under the MH as the idea of spending a day waiting for road side is crazy. Had to reroute the hydraulic jack lines to not get damaged by the exhaust heat and add a more metal heat shields to protect and Al’s to keep the floor cooler. Raised the rear jack as they scraped at just about any parking lot to road transition, required reroutingnthe gas fill hose (stuff that Thor should have done on day one). Had to bypass the battery shorting relay as it cracked at one of the posts. Added lithium dc to dc charger to protect alternator. Must do ride upgrades (must do for a ford E450 chassis, unfortunately I could not afford liquid springs ) new stiffer front sway bar, steering shock that centers the wheels, the ford shock is totally useless, and these cheap looking but definitely not cheap yet very effective toroids with liquid and weights in them that automatically balances the wheels as they start to turn. This helped reduce driver fatigue and likely ball joint ware since balancing wheels that have to have hoses attaches to the valves does not work. Also had to add TPMs - this is a must and should be mandated, and I would like to have the cat eyes to balance the dully pressures. Dumped couple of TVs and we still have 4, 3 more than we use. Moved main TV to a rail and swivel system so it is where it needs to be when we are setup in theater mode and out of the way when not used. Dumped the head unit for an android one (‘big improvement but still crap). Still need to replace or repair the wall paper just about everywhere as it’s unglued from soooo many seams. Have to find a way to deal with gelcoat oxidation - never let it be unprotected, was to late in our case when we bought it and polyglow is not the answer. Had to remove the microwave as it squeeled while on the road, it had a metal to metal hook mounting that squeals!! Had to fix the Nordic…. Fridge door as the plastic hinge broke (common issue) right before our 3 trip. Ok so guess how old and how many miles the MH had when we got it? 4 years and 15kmiles and the the previous owners cared for it, oh yah they even had new tires put on it before selling it and when we called discount tire to get a same type spare they said it was a lite truck tire that was not at all suited for A heavy motor home - previous owner when ballistic with camper world for putting his family and mine in such danger, they gave him back a few hundred dollar back, well short of the 2k it cost to put new tires on all 7 rims!!!! My recommendation if you are very handy and enjoy doing good work maybe this is OK, if you have tons of money and can wait a year or more to get the few appts needed to get a fix done somewhat right then maybe this is for your but if you are the average consumer run, run far and fast from purchasing one. If safety and reliability are important to you and you have a real need like we did (medical transport) then look hard for a used one that has truly been shaken out by an owner that is a real DIY head. Or prepaid to do a lot of work or have a lot of expensive down time. There are several a more things but this is already too long.
Bought a 2021 Cherokee Wolf Pup brand new and the build quality was hilarious. Battery terminal fell off on day one, wallboards completely unattached from the studs, debris in the fresh tank clogged all the faucets, front fascia never attached to the frame, etc etc etc. We love using the trailer and everything is mostly fixed but they should be absolutely ashamed of how these things are assembled. If Elkhart isn’t careful the manufacturing will all end up overseas, just like Detroit. If so, they earned it.
I bought my Winnebago Intent new in 2018. Had numerous problems. I bought it from La Mesa RV in San Diego. Their service department was awful! My Lippert jacks still don’t work. I gave up. It is out of warranty and I use an independent local company which is very good. I have had many recall items: inside overhead mirror was reported to fall off, outside side mirror was only secured to the skin, gas leak, oven thermostat didn’t work. 1st trip out in it the leveling jacks went up but wouldn’t got down. The slide went out but wouldn’t go in. Turnes out La Mesa Rv didn’t do any PDI’s. There was no hydraulic fluid in the holding tank and the wiring came loose on the slide. Another time I was filling up my fresh water tank and heard water running inside. Turned out the hose Winnebago used was too short so when I turned the in water it was pouring out on the floor inside! Well you all should just wait for the movie😃
We had a wheel fall off a brand new Coachman Catalina in 2018. Sheered the end of the axle so it had to be replaced. We were in Nova Scotia (live in Ontario). If it wasn't for our dealer in Ontario, we would have had to leave it and go back to get it. When the repair was being done, the dealership in NS checked the other axle and said there was very little grease on it. Likely would have gone at some point as well. Being relatively new to RV life (2nd trailer, 3rd season) we wouldn't have known to have an inspection done. We do now...
We bought a 2022 Jayco Seneca 37k. After our first "shake down" trip there were a number of issues with the unit. Including the air conditioning not functioning. Originally the dealer told me they could likely get the air conditioner working by summer of 2023!. Getting an appointment at my selling dealership was near impossible. I had to get a lawyer involved to get the work done. I still have a couple of things to get repaired, the bed lift assembly and apparently my fresh water tank wasn't installed properly. We are from Canada and are heading to AZ next week so we contacted Jayco and they made arrangements for us to get service while in AZ. Fingers crossed.
We bought our 2019 Phoenix Cruiser from Campers Inn in Kingston NH in August 2019, October 2019 we brought it in for some minor warranty work it was in the shop for 5 months. In August of 2020 we had a tree fall onto the roof of our rig it was in the Campers Inn body shop for 8 1/2 months. Campers Inn will never see my rig again. I have it in a local auto service business now the owner use to run an RV Rental place and said he will take car of our rig as long as he can get the parts. We head south after Thanksgiving this is the first time we have been to him, he is servicing the E450 chassis and found some things no one else would have because he did a thorough inspection. He is now replacing one of my Liquid Springs hoses because of a poor installation and the frame was cutting into the hose. He said it definitely would have burst on our trip south this year.
We purchased a couples camper from a dealer we had used before. On the day of pickup they found wiring missing from 3 outlets. During the shakedown we did the brakes overheated, the heater fan spit out Styrofoam bits, the seals leaked and some other issues. We gave them the camper in Nov to get repaired and got it back in April. (with everything fixed). Cant blame the dealers as they were overwhelmed with warranty work from the shoddy work done at the factory.
We are in a class C Jayco Redhawk (purchased new in NC from Tom Johnson’s Camping). Several recalls for both Jayco and Ford. Additionally we had a problem with the slideout going out uneven starting on the third time we used. Took it in, and I noted I believed it was because the underside of slideout had improperly cutouts and misaligned rollers (sticking to the underside). This was noted in service notes. The dealer ignored that problem and replaced the track and motor insisting that was the problem. After a few more uses, same problem. Took it back in pointed out previously noted problem. Then back and forth from dealer and Jayco….they won’t pay for fix because, per dealer, Jayco refused claim because they already paid to ‘fix’ the first time. Additionally our electrical system is malfunctioning, as well as auto leveling jack sysyem. The RV is completely unusable and we don’t know what to do???? Can we sue under federal warranty law, should we attempt the “Jayco authorized legal mediation law firm”, what type attorney deals with this? Should we bring a civil suit? Make an appointment with the factory for repairs and eat the costs of getting it there and the loss of use? So lost on options.
Contact Mr Abeel. He specializes in RV Lemon Law lawsuits. 0 cost to you if they take the case www.timothyabeel.com/location/pennsylvania-pa-lemon-law-attorneys-lawyers/
I had a 21 XLR Nitro toy hauler that I purchased brand new. It lasted one summer and had so many problems I couldn’t use it without something breaking. 2 cables on the slides broke with a third getting close when I traded it in. Just purchased a brand new Montana and hopefully it will be good. So far, so good. If this unit by chance starts to be problematic, I will be finished with the RV thing.
BOY! Your scaring me. We just bought our first Class C East to West 2 weeks ago. We have a list of things needing repair. A drawer that will not close, showerhead will not shut off while soaping up, stainless steel heat shield above the stove rattled because of a screw will not bite into the cabinet above. Back brake lights have condensation in them. We couldn’t figure out how to get our slide out to go out & called the “1-800” number which was a Joke! Still haven’t heard from them. But we did figure it out after an hour. You know their was NO “how to do “ book on the slide out but we did have all the appliances book. We bought from General RV in Mount Clemens Michigan. We have no idea how well their service department is. 🫤 I wish this video was posted sooner. Hopefully others will take heed. We did have a nice first drive to SC. No engine issues. Thank God
Sorry to hear. This is exactly why an RV inspection is a must. Those issues would have been likely picked up and fixed prior to you taking delivery. Safe travels
The fifth wheel we purchased last August is 2001 model and in very good condition, considering the age. It was well taken care of. Original carpet, which is still okay. We made a mess of it and will put in laminate flooring. There’s a lot that’s old school yet the quality is there. I’m getting an inheritance and I might give this one and the truck to a family or couple who needs it in Florida. Have to see how long it takes. Definitely getting a Super C, and hopefully get what I pay for.
I purchased a used 2011 KZ TT in 2019 and it has been awsome! Use FT 4 months 8000km a year and only 1 issue was I noticed underbelly heated, insulated water tank picked up water when traveling in rain and held the moisture in the fibreglas insulation. NP ripped it out, no issues since!! Awsome quality.
I took our 2019 376 Grand Design Momentum to the dealer once. They serviced wheel bearings and when I got home the lug nuts were falling off, loose hub, and missing wheel cap, the sealed our TPO roof telling us required only to find out TPO never needs. 500 bucks and the sealer was allowed to run down sides and dry. They removed dicor to replace and then forgot to do so. They wouldn’t give me time of day after. I ended up having mobile service replace all their bearing work and hired a Detailer to clean the mess from the sealer. I will never take to a dealer again!!!
Thank-you for this video and information! Our RV is certainly an example of quality issues. I would love to upload a video on our rig, but not being a content creator and followers would garner 0 views. It would be shocking. As a note on the dealer, they do not document the issues, their review and stance nor the repairs made. Poor business practices!
After walking thru many new rvs the transporters just delivered to dealers, it was disturbing to see how bad the quality and workmanship was on many of the units. Everything from trim pieces to a fridge that fell out of its location just from the trip across the country. I worked in manufacturing my whole career and know when quantity over quality becomes priority. There is absolutely no quality assurance programs in place in these factories. I feel the responsibility of the poor quality falls directly on the uper management for either implementing or just allowing the poor workmanship to get the units out the back door to meet demand and profit before the market drops. It's really sad. I was set on an Alliance but after seeing how bad they're put together now I ordered an Airstream from Tampa praying after a 13 month wait it will be put together with a lot more pride and workmanship then the many other brands I've looked at. January 2023 will be the delivery date of the AS
I was looking at a 2022 Newmar DS4081 $629K MSRP, discounted to $509K, $100K down, 6.9% Int rate, 20 years.... monthly payments $3200. WOW... then you have to deal with what you guys are discussing. Who wants to pay that kind of money just to have problems down the road with speedy coaches built with tons of problems.
You’re better off staying in hotels for that much money. You could take 9 full years(365 days a year)in hotel rooms for that much and no headaches. Not to mention gas would be 3-4 times cheaper driving your car getting 35-40 mpg instead of 10 mpg
@@Patty747 I stayed in hotels for 40 years never had a bedbug or dirty room. Just read reviews there’s tons of them before choosing a hotel. I never paid over $135.00 a night before taxes for a room either. Just gotta do your research.
@@thestooges333 I like camping. Not many hotels will take my two German Shepherds. Then there's eating out three times a day instead of cooking in. Other issues are security. Heard often they rent rooms when someone hasn't even left yet.
The article only touched the surface. Covid was rampant with the Amish Community and they used ice packs to cool their foreheads before entering the buildings to take their temperature so they could keep working. This lead to nearly complete shutdowns for extended periods of time. Drug use has been prevalent for YEARS. That is no surprise if you know the area. Working conditions are rough, many safety issues, and the emphasis is not on workplace safety, but numbers. How many units can they produce each day. People are on their feet all day, climbing on roofs, kneeling under counters, back-breaking, knee-breaking, and hard, manual activities.
@@Bamboo2234 and how would you know that Ron? I used to live in that area AND have family that work in the RV Industry. I’m pretty confident in my assessment.
The price increase in the last three years is in addition to the poor quality. We looked at a new Cougar in 2020. The MSRP was $60k, that same camper is now $90k. Crazy increase. We ended up buying a 2011 Montana as I don't see a reason to take out a 20 year loan for a RV.
This is good info. We just purchased a 2008 5th wheel off Craigslist. I’m glad we didn’t go new on our 1st one and you have given great info. I had no idea about the inspections. Thanks so much for the info.
Never let the dealer know you live in your RV full-time. Most not all warranties have a disclaimer. That will void your warranty if you live full-time in your rig. This May also be true for modifications you make to your rig. The best thing is to learn how to make the repairs yourself. Warning ⚠️ never take just one RUclips video as gospel. How to make repairs. Watch multiple videos and take that which is common in all. How you will make your repairs that best fits your skill set. Plus your make and model rig. Happy Camping and may we meet around a camp fire.
I bought a car. Do I have to become a mechanic now? I thought people buy these things to vacation and rest. Your purchasing a very expensive depreciating headache. I don't get it.
We have been RVing for ~50 years. In the last ~20 years the quality of materials and workmanship have been in a steady decline to the point they are today, total garbage. Cost drives the selection of all materials, systems and components. They are engineered to be assembled as fast as possible at the lowest cost possible. Then the markup for the dealer is 60%-90%. Things are so bad we stopped RVing after losing $50,000+ on our last unit in 2 years. We have since bought a conversion van and travel staying in Motels. Sad situation.
Bought a new 2022 esteem c class rv this year. Esteem is higher in trim model than the Odyssey. Yet, it didn’t show that in the quality of work. We had several dozen items that were wrong like undercarriage wiring, trim falling off, door lock not working, and many more. I already fixed some items myself, if I didn’t fix it, the rv would have been unusable for camping. We also had warranty repairs done, but they didn’t fix half the problems and items that were supposed to be fixed ended up not fixed. I don’t blame the workers that much but the supervisors, managers and even the CEO. But especially the quality assurance personnel that should have identified issues to begin with. Even the engineering of some components need to be re-engineering, I have two items that could be redesigned. The dealership shouldn’t have to fix all the mistakes that the manufacturer could have done correctly in the first place. But the dealer should have identified issues and up channel those issues to the manufacturer.
We just recently purchased a 2022 Winnebago Forza 34T and so far we love it...however, after about a 2,500 mile trip we did have some minor issues that needed to be resolved and corrected. None of them are major and would not keep you from using the bus. We took it back to our dealer and they have been working off the laundry list of items we found (about 27 items). It has been in the shop about 3 weeks now. Due to a lack of communication on the progress of the items I went to the dealer and sat down with the Service Manager. He showed me where some of the time is being waisted is from the manufacture. As they diagnose and issue they can only go so far without approval from Winnebago or they may not be paid. Here is an example: on a wiring issue with the Digital TV antenna they have to follow certain steps, then reach out to the manufacture who will then say, try this, the tech does and it doesn't correct it, he then needs to contact the manufacture again who will then tell the tech to try step 3. All of this takes time to communicate and wait for responses from the manufacture. I understand that the manufacture is trying to control cost by limiting parts replacement without proper diagnosis, but this creates frustration for the dealer and the customer. I believe if the manufactures would put more decision making at the dealer level we could improve service issues and waisted time. I don't believe this is just an RV manufacturing issue, I see this daily on vehicle recalls and other industries lately.
So many good points, we were in the market for a new unit just before Covid at a large (very) dealer and we could see through the phony compassion of selling us a new unit, once we slowly questioned many answers we respectfully asked their attitude changed wanting to move onto another customer. These manufacturing conglomerates are beholden to Wall Street not the customer, making the number, 36 out the door, how many will never make the first camping trip? That unit already benefited the Shareholder but 3-4 months later the customer is comprised with the poor workmanship. The units we looked at $$$ and have seen garden sheds built with better quality, the industry uses trainees which is fine, but not to replace their training by a master craftsman and QC'D unit. All units should be inspected by a 3rd party with your interest a priority, walk away if any resistance to it. I would stay away for anything manufactured within the past 3-4 years, and from wood that will generally have decay issues over time. The innovated manufactures are using newer materials that resist water penetration and aluminum framing (lighter, stronger & rot resistant) As Izzy & MJ tell you don't accept until all repairs are made, and never sign your contract, that's your power.
The sweet spot of RV manufacture was between 2000 and 2008. There are serval reasons for this. One of the biggest reasons is pre DEF in the diesel units. To this day they still do not have the DEF technology perfected. There are so many check engine lights happening for all the sensors that fail it is ridiculous. I can’t list all the other reasons for I don’t have the time but they are numerous. If you want a good preforming RV do not be afraid of going back some years. New is not always best in an RV purchase.
We bought a 2000 Komfort 5 years ago. It is in great condition inside. Things are wearing out but I feel like it is supposed to be wearing out. Every trip we joke about what will wear out this time. THis last trip the bolt on the top step flew off AND the slide got stuck out. We had to use the manual crank underneath. We hope to buy a new used trailer in 4-5 years.
In August of 2020 we purchased a 2021 Jayco Greyhawk Class C motorhome. We drove about 300 miles to purchase it and saved about $25,000 compared to the dealership here in town. The downside is that the local Jayco dealership will not address any recalls or warranty work on units that they did not sell. Sadly Jayco corporate acknowledges that this does happen sometime, and they seem to be okay with that. The good thing is that we have taken it to repair shops of our choosing to have our issues addressed (Voltage problem with fridge when dry camping, three minor plumbing leaks, and one bad hydraulic leveling jack). Jayco has reimbursed for all of the repairs. I have had to reinforce the bedroom drawers, otherwise finish work seems okay. Having had an RV before we expected some initial issues. It is frustrating, but hopefully we can enjoy smooth sailing for awhile.
That's an issue I think a lot of people aren't familiar with. RVs are not like our vehicles. Usually you have to get warranty work at the dealership you purchased from so when people drive hundreds if not thousands of miles because they got a better deal on the RV they have to remember they have to take it back there to get warranty work done.
Unfortunately if you aren't handy, might not be a good idea buying an RV or motorhome. Especially with these modern units. We bough a nice diesel pusher and it's surprising how I'm always fiddling with something.... and the unit is stored in doors. I should note, it was pre covid unit being assembled on 10-2019
We bought/ordered a new RV. It was a Forest River XLR Thunderbolt 375. We ordered it in February and was supposed to be done in May. We didn’t get it until July. This is in 2017 and it is a 2018 model. It was so bad we should have just walked away. The wheel spacing was off a thousand holes from their air gun putting in staples. Water leaked out from the transfer hose to the other fresh water tank. It has two 75 gallon tanks. The breaks wasn’t set properly. I ended put after two dealerships working on it. For I found the break tensioner parts rolling around in the brake hub on two breaks. This Rv brakes wouldn’t stop the trailer. It was always on the pickup. Even a friend said for me to check them myself. So after two and a half years. In Montana we found out that they wasn’t adjusted correctly. I ended up buying two brake hubs and bearings because two wouldn’t adjust. When I took them off I found out that the wires where broken. I checked the rest and took all six apart. Found only one wheel was breaking. The pad just fell out while taking it apart. So I replaced all the bad ones and adjusted all of the breaks properly. Had to have someone hold the break actuator switch in the pickup while I spun the tire. Ever since the Rv stops like a dream. You need to recheck adjust ever 2000 or every year. It has been working great since. Now I just watch the RUclips videos and do it myself and or ask my electric engineer son to help.
We bought our new Tiffin Phaeton in 2019 from Dixie RV which is now Great American RV in Hammond, LA. I didn’t hire an inspector but I went through the coach for 5 hours before I signed and paid for it. We spent the night at the dealership because they have spaces designed for customers to stay 1-2 days to make sure there aren’t any issues. We a major issue that night. We got locked inside the coach when trying to open the door to walk our dogs. I had to get out of the emergency exit which ended up with me in the ER because my ring finger got caught on the window ledge and caused a deep cut on my ring finger. The ER had to cut my wedding ring off to put stitches on the cut. Before I went to the ER i was able to open the door. Turns out the door lock wasn’t properly installed so it dislodged into the door frame blocking the door from opening. The dealer fixed the lock the next day. Less than 1 week after we left we had a problem with one of the slides that use the Schwintech system. The dealer got us in right away and diagnosed the problem. A part had to be ordered so we scheduled a time 3 weeks later for them to install the new part. Needless to say after 1 month the slide failed again. We took it to Tiffin in Red Bay immediately and after waiting for 2 days in their service center they got us in and had to take the whole slide apart to fix the problem which was not the problem the dealer diagnosed. Since then we’ve only had minor issues which I take care of but in doing so I’ve discovered numerous quality issues that could only be identified if you get into the guts of the coach. Most of the problems I found related to the screws used to secure drawers, cabinets, and other parts in the coach. The screws are different gauges, sizes, and types used on the same application. As an example, the drawer slides use screws that are too small but they are all different sizes and gauges so we’ve had several drawer slides fail. I ended up replacing all the screws on all the drawer slides. In doing so I discovered boxes worth of discarded screws under drawers and on the floor behind cabinets. In general, our coach is well built but it isn’t perfect which supports your theory about quality pre-covid. I’ve read about some pretty sad stories about the quality of some Tiffin coaches during Covid and even now. Thankfully, the worst cases do seem to be the exception rather than the rule but it seems everyone does have some issue.
Thanks very much for this video. I bought a Diesel pusher from Fleetwood and had endless issues with it, It's currently sitting at a Freightliner repair shop for the past week and a half, and I'm living in a hotel. No idea what this issue is yet!! We need more transparency.
It's not just RV's, it's everything. It's almost like I've always heard if you could see what goes on in the back kitchen of your favorite restaurant, you would never eat there again. My RV experience was in 2018. And I had issues and the dealership got a C+ from me. But I should have been more forward with my demands. I was just too nice. Lesson learned.
What a great video. We have owned a pop up, TT and 3 5th wheels and are in the market for a motor home. It seems that what you are telling all of us is already on the minds of many. We have been back and forth about buying new or slightly used…prior to 2021. Thank you for sharing what you know and your advice as well. We are both very capable of most repairs. To old to deal with major mechanical, but will certainly repair what we can. Still….we shouldn’t have to pay high $$$ to get an Rv to only have to spend most of our travels or camping fixing our unit. Very frustrating for us as we are so close to retirement and wanting to hit the road. Thanks Izzy and MJ!!! 😊
We have a 2017 Winnebago Navion. All seemed great till I inspected the roof last Nov 2021. Found delamination stemming from the max air. During disassembly I found that at the factory the installer did not seal three of the screw holes on the hinge side of the max air cover that prevents rain coming through the fan opening. So, Over the years water eventually found its way into the holes underneath the fiberglass roof and started the delamination. Winnebago will not stand by their product installations, which was clearly negligent installation. By the way, it's $20,000 to replace the roof per Winnebago.
I bought a used 2018 Sunset Trail by Cross Roads, as smart as I think I am I made a bad decision when I made my selection at Camping World Las Vegas, one red flag was that all the issues I pointed out during the walk-thru were ignored, after living in the RV for a while I started noticing the quality issues, like electrical fixtures in some places were not anchored to the frame but just attached to the wall skin, the bathroom door was improperly hung, the plywood bed has rough edges to tear the skin if you don't watch out, there are no "hold opens" for the cabinet doors above the bed, but worst of all is the very CRAPPY insulation in the walls and the roof, the A/C barely kept me cool last Summer here in Nevada, now that the heat is off the chill comes right on in. Yeah, if I had to do it over I would not have picked this one
Great video. With this and any other situation there are always two sides to a story so please ask your viewers to consider both. With that said, it is concerning to see standards drop and I would love to see and hear what manufacturers have to say about that. I feel this is not just an RV trend. Something that does not just make it right but makes it even more concerning. The RV business is about to take a hit and you would hope that standards would go up again as volume declines but, as with most things, I suspect it won't. In short a tough time on all fronts but with it a time for the cream to rise to the top.
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Thank you for putting this video out!!!
I am a full time RV Tech and also a full time RVr. I was at the Hershey show recently and it was not much to look at for Quality. I was also at a National rally for a particular brand of RV and as I walked around looking at RVs I could see out in the open all the issues each unit had just looking at it never touching them physically. Then as a tech I do annual training and I use this time to get answers to some big questions and these companies just point fingers at each other. I managed to ruffle a lot of feathers at these trainings by raising questions.
There are several RV service centers that have stopped taking anymore appointments until they are caught up. They are now on full divert. Another service center at large dealership is down to 1 tech and can’t find good techs. There is a shortage of techs because the RVIA is not doing their jobs in monitoring training, the new techs are not trained well and are messing up more than they fix.
Lastly the OEMs are putting out bad products. One OEM hired people and lost them by lunch time that same day. We have RVs show up with outlets hanging from the walls, wiring hanging , slides installed wrong,
One even needed a new roof on a 2023. The OEMs don’t want to pay for the repairs.
As a Tech I don’t know how to help RV owners because of the lack of interest in the OEMs to help. And by the time the unit is serviced the 1 year warranty is over and the OEMs are not covering the issues after warranty expires. It makes me sad because I love RVing and the full time life with my family but as a tech I don’t know how to help other fellow RVrs.
Are you seeing a lot of Grand Design Transcends coming in for repairs? We just purchased a 2022 Transcend a couple of days ago.
@@markwoods7237 we have seen a lot of Grand Designs come into the shop for a range of things from minor to major issues. I have had several Transcends come in the shop I work at over the past several weeks mostly minor things at this point. We service all makes and models of RVs from the cheapest pop ups to the multi million dollar coaches. They all have issues and they all need fixing at one time or another. Grand Design RV is not immune to issues. Customer service at Grand Design is better than most other companies yet they still have a lot of growing to do. At this point in time all RVs have issues more than other years prior. Make them fast and build them cheaper. Wish you the best with your new purchase and no matter what happens to first take a breath. Then remember this… slow is smooth and smooth is fast! A motto I live by… we fix a lot of things that could have been avoided if owners slow down when problems arise and believe me they will eventually. So when they do just slow down and be patient. As a tech many times it cost more if owners panic about a broken item and they are scheduled to leave or be somewhere by a certain time. Let face it things never break down at a convenient time. Sorry got a little long winded on a response. Hope this helps.
"but as a tech I don’t know how to help other fellow RVrs"
What years and manufacturers do you like for used towable RVs? Before build quality collapsed? I need one to live in mostly or all stationary and a small one I can tow and boondock with frequently and also use for mobile office.
We ordered a 2023 Keystone Alpine we ordered it with 400 watts of solar and we only got the standard 200 watts .We also ordered the third air conditioner the bedroom is supposed to be air conditioner/heat pump the shroud is labeled heat pump but the unit is missing heat pump parts.Also we ordered it with dual pane windows three windows are fogged up.First trip out kitchen slide went out crooked (schwintek slide) because of misalignment.The day we bought it and got back to our campground home we went to make up the bed and when we pulled the plastic off the mattress little bugs came flying out of it .This is our home and it is unacceptable been in contact with Keystone and the dealership both have been acceptably forthcoming but the warranty process needs overhauled.We are waiting 7 to 8 weeks for repairs all while we can't even open our kitchen slide..This is all happening on a total custom order.Really hope things improve soon.Good luck everyone.
My husband and I looked at new Airstream trailers a couple days ago. We were so disappointed in the quality of finish from what we saw. We walked away stating not even Airsteam is worth their cost.
All true stuff. My wife and I just bought a brand new travel trailer. I knew to expect some teething difficulties, and I'm pretty handy at fixing things, so I was prepared. Leaky water fittings, all the manufacturing scraps left in places out of sight, flimsy luan panels just stapled to the floor around the plumbing compartment, a torn window screen that we saw during the walk-through, and the first time we used the furnace we smelled something burning. Turns out there was a ton of sawdust that had fallen into the furnace that had to be cleaned out. We just got back from our second trip, and realized we could only fill the water tank to about 3/4 full because the overflow is in the wrong place, so I have to add some tubing to relocate it. Also found out the USB power ports didn't work because somebody didn't strip the wires before they put them in the terminal blocks. Quality control? What's that?
As a life long rver. We went to the Hershey show this year it was actually gut wrenching. The quality.. we came home not purchasing. Stumbled across a sweet heart deal on a 2001 Winnebago adventurer. We are now the second owner . 1000 miles to date that my wife and I have put on it . Yes we had inspected zero issues . Already found the sweet spot for fuel economy.. 58 to 62. 10.7 mpg. Run 65 5.8. Mpg .. we are loving finding a older unit ..
We bought a NuCamp 2022 TAB 400 picked it up in June 2022. We’ve been looking at this since it went in to production 2018. The reason is it’s only 18 feet long it has no slides, no awning, no hot water heater, no forced air furnace, no shower to clean just a pull around shower curtain. The RV uses the Alde on demand hot water and heating system. The windows are all European duel pane windows. In my humble opinion this is the finest teardrop RV on the market today. We have the dealers personal phone number and he answers the all you questions. He is a one man dealership. He highly encouraged to call with any questions. Great video thanks
NuCamp are great trailer and they are not built by big corporation. InTech also makes an excellent trailer
I have a 1991 24' Lazy Daze, no slideouts, very basic compared to newer RVs. Less is more. It runs perfectly. It doesn't break down. New tires every five years is my biggest expense. Any mechanic anywhere can work on the Chevy engine and drivetrain. ..
I own Holiday RV Repair in Georgia and this video is absolutely the truth. We just finished a Class C Thor motorhome that had a severe roof sag just behind the cab-over. When we disassembled it the front cap wasn't even connected to the roof structure. From the front cap back 24 inches there was zero framing to tie the two together.
Thanks for sharing
Our commode fell off its pedestal. , just only one of 47 problems we had. The roof has to be repaired. Etc. our is a brand new 2023 Thor model. The newer they are the worse they are. 😢
Hi there, thanks for putting this video out. We have about 35 years of RVing experience and bought a new Grand Design Reflection 5th wheel in the summer of 2021. Our experience with the dealer has been good (Traveland RV in BC, Canada), but we have had to have it in now about 6 or 7 times for various things. We've had major issues with the fridge - drip tray not draining, very excessive moisture in the fridge - gallons over the summer - the final fix is happening right now with new fridge doors (hopefully). The slide window was installed upside down. Some trim came loose and had to be re-attached. We also had a hard time filling the fresh water tank, and it also turned out (as another comment below) that the overflow was below the top of the tank. We've had to replace a light fixture, the slide mechanism, slide seals, some window trims on the outside of the unit, one of the exterior speakers, and a few more minor things. In all the years of rving, we've never had so many preventable issues that came out of the factory. And overall, the construction of the unit is good - cabinet doors fit and close properly (except for 1 that I fixed), electronics working well, smooth finishes, a lot of standard things that are often extra, etc. A lot of good things to say about the Reflection, but far too many things that were improperly installed basically, plus the fridge issue. I think we are finally there, but it took a year and a half to get through the warranty fixes. Oh, and Grand Design has been wonderful overall, except for dealing with the fridge issue. I would still recommend Grand Design, but they do need to step things up again as they were in the past.
Thanks for sharing
Imagine the outrage if our cars were built to the low quality standards of RVs.
Thanks for the honest video. I had a 2022 Lance travel trailer on order and after seeing the quality issues on units shipped, I promptly cancelled. It was one of their smallest single axle units yet it was nearly 50K (and today MSRP over 60K). To this day, 13 months after I originally ordered it, Lance has yet to produce one single unit of the model I ordered. My current camper is from 2012 and built like a tank. When I examined the frame, suspension and build quality of what I already had, I realized that virtually nothing new would even come close. I've spent the last year modifying it to be exactly what I wanted it to be with 12 volt fridge, induction cooking, lithium batteries, modified suspension, more solar and efficient heating. For a fraction of what I was going to spend on new, I ended up with something that's actually much better for my needs and higher quality. The Lance was a campground cruiser and now I have an offroad capable gem, had fun modifying it and saved huge $$.
Smart move 👍
We went to NRVTA’s owners course, well worth the money, we have been able to repair about 80% of the issues that have come up. Don’t have to deal with the repair wait nearly as often. Education is key, OBTW we are full timers since March 2022. It also allowed us to keep the repair shops honest when there was something beyond our comfort level. Sad to see new unit quality issues, glad we purchased when we did (2018), still had some quality issues then, but at least there wasn’t the backlog at the dealers and most of the problems in the new unit were minor.
You are 100% spot on. But sadly… you’d be making your own warranty repairs. Good for learning no doubt (reality is the warranty expires at some point and you either pay a dealer, independent business or do it yourself), but it alleviates the dealer and manufacturer of their responsibility during a time when they are legally obligated to provide resolution. We just came home today from a two week excursion to Texas with more issues. I will be taking the NRVTA courses to better educated myself for next July (end of useless warranty).
@@saltyhorizons agreed, but better to make my own repairs than to having to spend multiple weeks out of coach! I prefer to rely on myself. Extended warranty’s are pretty useless, wish i had that money back!
What brand and model do you have Ted? We are also looking to be full-timers and don't know if we should stick solely with manufacturers that offer full-time warranty or not.
@@barbaradowney7098 we have a Winnebago 2018 Forza 34T. Love the layout and mid entry door. It is just the right size for the wife, 3 small pups and me. Not too long that we can still get into most Natl Parks and State Parks. We tow a Jeep Gladiator and had no problem in the SW mountains this spring.
I purchased an Entegra motorhome in 2021. It was used and built in 2019. The dealer (RV One) was not having any part of an independent inspection and the overall experience was not a good one. Never again... When I had the final walkthrough, the fridge did not work. Luckily, it was just a fuse. I've had a few minor issues, however have been able to resolve them with the help of RUclips. Videos like yours tell the honest truth, regardless of how bad the news is. We're actually thinking about selling and going with a pull trailer, however it's not sitting easy with us right now with the industry in such disarray. Thanks again for taking the time to tell the truth!!
We purchased our first brand new 2021 Forest River Berkshire XL40E in February of this year. It has been in for 3 recalls already. It currently is in the shop for the 2nd time this years for work. My husband was on I-10 in Florida and the fuel line blew. Our touch screen that controls everything quit working. The master bedroom slide wouldn't come in. The Aqua Hot will burn you feet on the heated floor at 126° but will not heat the water in the rig, plugged in to 50amp or have the Diesel element on. Our awning doesn't seat properly on the side of the rig. Our refrigerator makes a ton of loud noise when you turn a corner. The master bathroom shower water line wasnt welded together. Water ran everywhere while trying to dewinterize the rig. The 2nd bathroom shower wasnt sealed. So when taking a shower, all the water ran out under the door. This is our 4th RV, and 1st new one. This is the worst one we have had. Our state does have a Lemon Law for RV. We have already been in talks with a lawyer about it. Don't think we will ever buy new again. This rig was also the most expensive one we have ever purchased.
2019 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 38K. 3 Recalls for the same problem, something to do with the left brake light. No breakdowns yet. About 19,000 miles. We are not full-timers but take off 4 months every summer to get out of Florida's heat. As a retired LEO my motto is Good Bye Tension, Hello Pension
My husband and I literally last weekend went and looked at travel trailers, now mind you we've owned a few in the 25 years that we've been together. I was shocked to see the fit and finish of these and how horrible it was. Trim pieces hanging down, cabinet doors or closet doors that wouldn't close all the way.
Much appreciate this video. Y’all always are so open and honest. In 2019 I bought my first camper; a 16’ teardrop made by NuCamp. Bought it from a private seller who was so great to explain how everything worked, helped me hitch and allowed me to stay in it over a weekend. Now that I know I enjoy camping and traveling with a camper, I’d like something a little bigger but have limited my search to years 2019-2020 which means fewer availability. But after watching this video think I’ll keep my search criteria as is or just keep my small unit which I’ve had zero problems. Thanks again for really great information.
NUcamp makes an excellent product.
We bought a 2022 Redwood made by Thor, from Blue Dog RV in Post Falls Idaho and it's been nothing but problems! The big slide is caving in and leaks when it rains, screws coming thru the floor and tearing the linoleum, trim falling off, the basement has a leak, the shower sealant is non existent, window seals are torn not providing a good seal. It's in for repairs after I filed a compliant with the BBB because the dealer wouldn't return my calls. They since have replaced a lot of service staff, so hopefully my unit won't be in for too much longer, as we are full time RVers and this is our home.
We just purchased a 2022 Thor Hurricane 34J motorhome 4 weeks ago and we immediately went on a camping trip we had previously booked back in April. So far we've found 24 items that need repair both major and minor in nature. Some of the big ones include: defective roof lap sealant (full of popped air bubbles) and poor application of lap sealant. Lap sealant had also been dripped and tracked over entire roof, WTF! Black water leak in wet bay, Zone-2 AC does not respond to control panel and runs continuously, Kitchen ceiling fan was installed backwards, windshield gasket not installed correctly and is pushed out in one location, Screw in bathroom shower door track was too long and is pushing out through exterior wall of the motorhome. I called Camping World in Syracuse, NY where I bought it the MH to setup a service visit and they had me drop it off a week later. It's been sitting there now for 2 weeks and when I last checked with them 3 days ago, they hadn't even looked at it yet.
This is another reason to hire an independent RV inspector to inspect the RV before signing on the dotted lines, if the dealership throws a fit, run the other way. We know of three dealerships within 75 miles from us who own campgrounds next to them, they want you to at least overnight there free of charge so you can check it out (camper). As usual another great video. I know that this is not RV related, but it’s work place related. Our oldest son used to work for a guy building cabins, some of the workers were smoking weed. When he said something to his boss, his boss said that’s the only help that I can get, our son told him that’s not his environment & quit his job. He showed us some “finished” cabins, the quality was horrible. The asking prices were three quarter to over $1 million. Y’all keep’m coming
you guys are great. well were do I start. ok I bought a 2003 Fleetwood American Eagle 40t. it will be 5 years this coming jan. I bought it from lazydays in tampa FL. 1st thing that I did wrong was not having inspected. big mistake. I was a new buyer. and was very excited! I did take the rv for a test drive and noticed that the front wheel alignment was off. and there was some ( the dreaded word ) delamination on it. knowing what I know now, I would have never bought it. because I took my rv over to orlando to have my alignment checked, the guy said I have to show you something. all of my bushing tierod ends ETC ETC had to be replaced. the bottom line is I had the RV less than a month. and it cost me $3.900 dollars to have it repaired. don't do what I did. PLEASE GET YOU RV INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT NOT FROM THE DEALER INSPECTOR!!! I hope this helps. im still living in it. and the delamination has gotten worse. as in most rvers I don't have the money to fix it. everything was out of warranty when I bought. k matthews
In my area, there is a Massive amount of inventory sitting on lots. At some point the price on RVs will need to be drastically slashed. On top of that, the quality needs to be addressed. Thanks for your post about this topic. I’m holding off until things get better
Great video! Thank you! I’ve owned RVs for over 35 years. This includes the big boys, Blue Bird Wanderlodge, Freightliner Dynamax Super Cs and most recently downsized to a 2023 Thor Sequence Class B. It has had quite a few issues. Luckily, I have always repaired my own stuff. I don’t depend on the lying dealers. General RV in Tampa was a joke. I kinda knew this going in. You are spot on about shotty work nowadays compared to 20 years ago. I tell people, if you can’t work on one DO NOT BUY ONE! I can believe what they are putting out. I’ve spent the last few months improving their sloppy build. It’s finally coming together. Plumbing, electrical, 12volt system, generator failure… on and on. Last one for me. I’ll build my own next time… if there is a next time. Thanks..
Hi guys, great video as usual. The first RV that I bought was from a private seller in another state. So I decided to use a reputable inspector. I called that place down in Texas and they gave me a name. $1000 is a lot of money to pay for an inspection! He told me about a couple problems that the owner paid to fix. A month later I go get RV ( they won't move or inspect for road readiness?? ) After having the RV for about a month I discovered 5 water leaks,..5! One slider looked like the owner had backed it into something. Either the inspector that was recommended to me was blind or he got paid not to tell. I contacted the place down south, they never returned my call..
I traded it for a brand new one and I'm now fighting to get it fixed.
My 2007 Winnebago/ Itasca Ellipse was the best built motorhome ever. It was a tank. Never a problem for the 13 yrs I owned it.
You should report on Freightliner and Ford, and Spartan too.
Agreed 👍
I wish I would have had an inspection done on our used RV, we have found a lot of things that was needed to repair. I’m just glad I have a husband who can fix a lot of things because where I live not any good repair places. Thanks for all your information it is very appreciated. ☺
Good video, and it does provide an accurate account of the current and recent situations with RV's. We just purchased our 5th RV since 2006 yesterday, and its a Jayco EAGLE 5th wheel. During the walk through inspection yesterday we found 4 issues that had to be worked on by the tech's, but were fixed in a couple of hours. We traded in a 2019 Keystone Alpine 3650RL for this 5th wheel, as we wanted something smaller and needed bunk beds for our grandkids. We had nothing but trouble with the Keystone since day 1. Most of the issues were major ones, and to be honest our extended warranty paid out over $5600 in repairs since September of 2019. The Crossroads Cruiser 5th wheel that we traded for the Alpine only had 1 issue in 9 years, so the experience with the Alpine was very negative for us. I'm curious if anyone has done the on-line version of the NRVTA Owners class? I just don't have 5 days to travel out of state to attend the in-person class. I need to be able to fix issues when we are on the road, and not have to rely on repair centers out of state.
Thx- Kent
My husband and I are in Elkhart, IN to have our 2021 Jayco Pinnacle fixed with a lot of warranty issues. Jayco said that they need 3 WEEKS to fix all of the issues including the roof needing to be replaced. We made the appointment back in May, 2022 to get in now. We toured a couple of factories while we are here. I saw a lot of the employees on the line running back and forth working extremely fast. To me, I wasn't impressed with all of the fast-pace working. We were told at Grand Design that the workers get paid PER UNIT completed, like that was a good thing! Again, to me, its not! Now, I can TOTALLY see why Jayco forgot to install the black tank flush hose from the back of the wet back connection TO THE BLACK TANK ITSELF!!!!! That caused thousands of dollars in damages and ServePro having to come out with there fans for three days trying to dry our basement. Our main computer for the unit (JayCommand) got fried, as well. I also want to add that we paid over $700 FOR AN INSPECTION prior to delivery. The inspector said that it is not part of his inspection to look if the blank tank flush hose was connected to the actual black tank! WHAAAAATTT????? So, if you do get your unit inspected, make sure you get a good and reputable inspector!!!! Jayco refused to assist us with lodging in anyway, since we are full-time RV'rs. They actually said that the RV's are NOT meant to be lived in Full-time! WHAAAAATTTT???? And, let me also tell you that they are in NO RUSH to get our fifth-wheel fixed as it actually SAT in Jayco's bay for a WHOLE WEEK before they started any work on it. Just FYI! #NOTHAPPY
sound like the mobil home industy same thing it called piece work and it junk work more unit u put out and faster more money u make just like clothing factory so many pice before u make money the factorydont care people need to stand up
Hi Izzy & MJ ! My Wife & I purchased a brand new 2022 Keystone, Cougar 22MLS in May at Gander RV, in Hamburg PA., which changed to a Camping World at that time. We agreed on a price then the salesman after adding on Prep and Freight fees plus tax got it up to like 49K, where we started. We left a deposit, returning about a week later with some cash ( which I withdrew from my retirement as a LEO ) we spent the whole day there, they brought us in for a walk thru and I noticed right away that this was the wrong trailer ( that they prepped). so we finally got Our trailer and went to Gettysburg, on a shakedown trip. They forgot to return our power cord to the trailer, so we couldn't hook up to power. We spent at least half the the next day finding a dealership that had the correct 30 AMP power cord. we did get reimbursed the $111.00 after a few weeks. We had multiple issues with faulty items like the In- Command electronics that did not work properly. They're were pin holes in the awning, the fire extinguisher ripped off the wall from which it was attached. There were other deficiencies as well. We brought the trailer back to the dealership after a couple of weeks and left it there form June 1st to late September. This is a good one: the dealer sent the license plate, registration and ( title) to a wrong address in South Jersey. We're in Sussex County. In all fairness, Camping World did send us a check for $3000.+ due to an auditing mistake. Most of the items were fixed ( not all ) but I do not want to go back there again!
P.S. we had a 2016 Cougar which we sold in April, so I liked the brand. I really think that most of the problems were from the manufacturer, due to some of the things that you guys pointed out!
You do a Great Job, Keep Up the Good Work and Be Safe!
We purchased a brand new 2022 Class A Diesel RV with a HUGE laundry list of issues. We paid $312,000.00 for something that has so many issues it’s horrible. Driving away from dealership the mirror fell off. Then the p/s window leaked . Next I found it was raining INSIDE my coach. I’ve had it 2 months and last weekend my husband was washing it and found a huge crack in the roof!!!! We thought getting a better quality coach we would not deal with all these problems 😢
Did the dealership have a good reputation? Did you get a third-party inspection?
@@davidhannan2023 yes the dealership had 4 star rating which we felt was pretty good for RV sales, no we did not have a third-party inspection. However I guarantee you we will never purchase another one without it.
Great video guys, thank you for always keeping us informed! Its really sad that quality control is just not in place like it should. RV's should not be bursting into flames, they are playing with peoples lives at that point. Its scary. Its also sad that any news with the RV industry is bad, its like being debbie downers all the time. But again, thank you for all the info! Safe travels!
We bought a travel trailer for our family of four plus a dog in 2005. It is a 2005 Crossroads Zinger ZT27BH (no slides), it was a well built inexpensive starter trailer. In 2015 we put it on a permanent site and started to look for a seasonal campsite trailer for four to six adults. I noticed the build quality of many new trailers just isn't there and the price they are asking for the poor quality is ridiculous. We are still looking and now are entertaining the possibility of a lightly used 2017 or 2018 because the build quality is better.
Our ideal trailer is a travel trailer with two bedrooms with a queen bed in each.
What a brilliant subject to examine and I applaud you both for tackling this problem.
Whatever happened to the pride of Made in America? They are trashing the industry with their total lack of respect for the customer.
I have yet to buy my first RV but learned that it is absolutely vital to have an independent inspection prior to purchase and possibly another if repairs were needed.
I will definitely not buy anything new with the current issues unless it’s made in Germany who take such pride in their build and are regulated by their Government.
I’m going to look at a low mileage Country Coach or something similar and I’ve already sorted out an inspector who will travel anywhere in America. The costs of buying an RV are coming down from their previous highs and I’ll wait until I find the perfect vehicle for us. Thank you both for tackling this subject and I will definitely keep coming back to see any updates on this subject matter.
I’m not giving up my dream to have an RV as a few days ago my doctors shared the news that my cancer is no longer treatable and it’s spreading albeit slowly. I want to live my dreams and I will never give up 😊💕🙏🏻💫
So sorry to hear about your cancer. Please take care of yourself. ❤️
Sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis! I’d love to own my own rv sometime, but I will never buy a U.S. rv anytime soon! You’re exactly right about the quality of the European rv’s compared to the U.S., they blow us out of the water! As consumers we’ve become way to complacent and need to hold these companies accountable.
Never stop dreaming! Enjoy the road!
You look and look for the RV of your dreams. You think you find it and the dealer balks at letting you have it inspected ... walk away, go to another dealer. This is difficult I know, but your patience will pay off. We have owned three fifth wheels and two motor homes in our twenty plus years of RVing. Don't let someone take your hard earned dollars - your dream, and leave you with weeks, maybe months and months of frustration and of follow-up work to be corrected before the RV is what was promised. Thank you guys ... we support your mission ... buyer beware!
We purchased our Forest River Georgetown XL in 2019 and should have run when we went to pick it up and the PDI tech could not get the oven to light and checked off things he did not even show us. Also the dealer, Bayou Outdoors in Bossier City, LA, “found” some water damage on our fifth wheel bedroom slideout. They settled for charging us another $1000 for the motorhome! Once we got home, it would not level as advertised and on our first trip back to the dealer, they had to re-program the Lippert leveling system. Over the course of the next 3 years, they replaced the oven 3 different times for failure to light but never did a leak check on the propane system, the stovetop once, the floor under the washer/dryer, rear camera system and never got the fireplace heater fully operational. It was in for weeks to months at a time with a great deal of frustration for us. We had our motorhome back for warranty service close to a dozen times and finally after the factory warranty expired, it was in for the Splendid washer/dryer not working and the fireplace heater not working, I caught the dealer filing a false extended insurance claim for a new fireplace heater when it was not even available. Also found out they forged my signature on the claim to the insurance company! So bottom line, I have never been back to the dealership due to their dishonesty! That was in 2022 and we have had to accomplish our minor maintenance issues on our own but that is going to have to change soon! Our slide outs use the BAL ACCU SLIDE cable system and it has failed on both slide outs! The smaller bedroom slide, after numerous emails and conversations with BAL, we were able to get it repaired. The large other slide out, is another story! We have a motor/gearbox that has failed and the room is in. The motor is 30” back in a 7+” height so there is no way to get access to change the motor. BAL advised us to manually move the slide out out! The slide out is 17’ long and has all of the furniture and cabinets on it so there is no way an elderly couple can accomplish this realistically. We are in a dilemma because these slide out problems have precluded us from using the motorhome for 8 months and more in the future! As one RUclipsr explains, any rv one considers that has a cable slide out system, run away as fast as possible! In conclusion, I have owned RVs for 30 years and the ones now do not hold a candle to the ones built and sold back then. As many are saying, the are nothing but junk and a headache for anyone that gets suckered into purchasing one. We are going to investigate changing our slide out mechanisms for more reliable ones by a custom coach company if possible but have to get it fixed for now so we can get some use out it! Caveat Emptor!
Great video but please slow down when giving out a website.
Blue Ox On The Run could be printed on the screen to make sure it is the correct site.
Also, what RV school in Texas did you attend, you blew by that info too.
Thank you for all your hard work, it is really appreciated.😁
Blue ox info is in the video description
Blueoxrvinspection.com
From there Michael , you can either contact us or go to our RUclips channel 😀
Hope to see you there !
We bought a 6 month old 2017 Newmar London Aire from an elderly gentleman.
Only mechanical failures were the Oasis loop pumps and one of the slide motor/gearbox went out.
Fit and finish is top notch from this era Newmar.
Maintenance if mechanically inclined is not that bad.
Just looked at some 2022 and 2023 products and we could not believe the lack of attention to detail and how workmanship has deteriorated!
Thank you for another great video, MJ and Izzy. We purchased a 2020 Newmar Dutch Star as a model year leftover in December of 2020. It has been great, for the most part, however recently we have had a couple issues: the TPMS doesn't work at all, so I purchased an aftermarket TireMinder system which works better than the OEM installed system since it can be set up to include the "toad". Also, our radio, which incorporates the 360° camera system as well as the OEM navigation system went out. I checked the fuse, but it was not burned out, think we'll have to take it back to the dealer. I know that in the grand scheme of things, ours are relatively minor problems compared to what some folks have experienced. But knowing that getting an appointment is potentially far into future and may take a long time to get work completed, I'll just live with it for the time being. We can do that, but for folks who have issues that render their RV unusable, what can they do? An RV that you paid a lot of money for may just sit for many months! The status quo of the RV industry is unacceptable.
We agree Wes. The system is broken
Bought an Outdoors RV 280RKS new in 2017 after having spent 6 months looking at what else was available out there, most of which could only be categorized as either "garbage", "cheap garbage", or "garbage you couldn't give me for free". Outdoors RV has a similar build to Arctic Fox (same parent company - Northwood). When we were done with the 2 hour walk through and went to close the 13' super slide, it made it about halfway and it sounded like a gunshot inside the trailer. The bracket holding the motor that operates the slide had detached from the frame! Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the bracket had only been tacked in place and never finish welded to the frame. The dealer produced a welder within about 10 minutes and had it repaired in a jiffy (Broadmoor RV, Pasco, WA). To be fair, this issue can be laid squarely at the feet of Lippert, the folks that fabricated the frame for Outdoors RV. I've upgraded the suspension, including a 4" lift, and we've "made it ours" over time, but in our 7 years of light use we've been pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of our ORV. With that said, there's always going to be minor issues that crop up here and there - it should be expected. Much more so if you're a full timer living in your RV. If you have no mechanical aptitude at all, or don't know a phillips screwdriver from a sledgehammer, you might want to consider a different pastime. But yeah, most RV manufacturers should be thoroughly embarrassed by what they present to the end customer.
Me and my wife just purchaced a 2022 keystone bullet premier 25rkpr. We bought it late summer and so far we used it 4 different times and (knock on wood) we have not had one issue with it. Every thing worked flawlessly,slides, furnace, waterheater, refrigerator,electrical,ac, no water leaks , no triped breakers, no frame issues no fit and finish problems.Now i dont know if we just got luckey but we are extremely happy with our purchace . We just hope that with regular maintenance and taking good care of it that if problems arise they will be minor. But so far we have had a great experience with our trailer.
That’s great to hear!
Thanks for sharing the truth and reality of RV’s
Very important video here. Not only for newbies but anyone who owns one. Personally, I have seen this as last September I contacted a local used RV Dealer that has it's own on-site maintenance shop. I seen a smaller Class C camper on the lot that I was interested in & wanted a walk thru. I set up an appointment for the walk thru & I was told he had a couple of other smaller Class C's that he would also make available for me to look at. Once there, I was astonished at the dirtiness of the inside of the RV's. None of the RV's I looked at were cleaned from the previous owners & the pricing on these RV's were outrageous. The first one I looked at had a small slide-out back by the bedroom. It had somehow gotten off track, but that didn't stop people from opening & closing it. The roof had scrape marks & panel missing & the floor & rug where the slide come in was all ripped up. The sales guy never even mentioned it to me & when he seen it, he acted like it just happened. The RV was dirty inside with all kinds of garbage laying around inside of it. The 2nd RV I looked at was a 1 year old Mini Wini. I actually like this one better than the other that we just looked it. During the walk thru, I noticed this one was a lot cleaner & had a captains chair for the driver which could spin around 180*. As I walked towards the bed room, I noticed water pooling on the floor coming from the bathroom. I pushed the door open expecting to find a flooding toilet but instead found an exhaust fan leaking as it was raining out. If you're going to go looking for RV's, do it in the rain. Totally not a good day for this sales guy. The Mini Wini was marked up $7000.00 over the MRSP for the 1 year old leaky Mini Wini. I'm starting to buy camping & overlanding products for my 2021 Toyota 4Runner. I'm not going to get the space I would like, but at least I would have the quality build, & I am not going to be setting up a tent.
We bought a 2016 Grey Wolf private party. All in all it’s been a good unit. We’ve had it for 2 years and have used it quite a bit. Along with the usual loose interior panels and cheap construction that goes with towables, we learned that our slide support rollers were never screwed into place at the factory and had been held in Place by the putty tape and weight of the slide. I found one laying in our RV parking here at the house and once I started looking I found that out of the 4 it started with, only three were remaining and one of them was in my hand. Once I’d figured out what the situation was, I contacted Forest River, had an email dialog and sent photos of what I had found. There was no denying what had taken place. They were very cooperative and offered to completely cover the repair if I took it to a Forest River dealer. In the mean time I had come to an identical roller that mounted from the edge instead of the top and since I had already ordered the parts and had the trailer apart, I made the repairs myself. We had trips
planned and didn’t want to be all summer without it. I replaced all 4 and it’s been good since then. We also had some Schwintek drama but that’s another story. The bottom line is if you’re going to have an RV, you need to be aware that there will be issues and you’ll need to make repairs and in some cases, figure it out on your own. If not, your RV experience is going to be painful.
Great info. Sold our Thor 2021 today. Warranty work took 4months to get booked and after our next trip all the problems still there but now out of warranty. Guess we’ll have to go back to a tent or rent something. Very frustrating
Great information !! I'm thinking if and when we decide to buy another coach it will be from the motor coach store or NIRVC again. And for sure I'll get an inspection again. We bought from NIRVC, paid a certified inspector. He found a small list of repairs, one pretty big item (hydraulic pump for jacks didn't work). I gave the list to my sales rep, they had it repaired by the time we showed up. Awesome experience. Thanks for sharing the information.
Thanks for the feedback Tom. Also our RV lock is installed!
Yes, like everyone, we have had some problems with our 2019 Bay Star, thankfully nothing that has kept us off the road. But both Newmar and our dealer (Mt. Comfort RV, as far as I know the only Newmar dealership in IN) have been great in doing their best to resolve things. Biggest drawback is the time it takes to get things done. I'm just so glad that we ordered and received our coach BEFORE Covid. No way I would ever buy anything built during the Covid era no matter what brand.
We agree Jim. Only new we would consider is custom manufactured RV but that is not in our budget
We bought a new Whitehawk in early 2018, I’m pretty handy with repairs and so far have been able to deal with what ever issues we have had. Last year we were camped on the Oregon Coast and in a fairly heavy rain storm. Three brand new units that were in the same campground were forced to leave due to water leaks. I’ve owned serval RVs and do post and pre trip inspections top to bottom before each trip. I think many people just hook up and go. I agree that quality has really gone down hill in the last 10 years or so. Thanks for the video.
I own a 2014 Itasca Sunstar , the other day I had my windshield replaced, it was cracked in two places one on the top the other on the bottom corner both on the driver side. I had the work done yesterday at my house and watched them remove the glass , I was shocked at the amount of rust on the frame supporting the glass, upon talking to the installers they said that this is a common issue with Winnebagos and it also is a most likely the cause for the crack on the bottom . We inspected the RV when we purchased it 2 years ago . The installer said that there was evidence of leaking from the top of the windshield that had been covered up with silicone. … just be aware that issues do happen with RVs and be prepared to fix or resolve them as they occur, also when removing the windshield wiper we Brock one of the rusted studs . Waiting on parts at this time.
Thanks for the candor in RV industry, we purchased used 2018 Cougar 5th wheel with no issues knock on wood. However we would like to move to small motor vehicle in the future. Knowing up front the issues going on is needed extremely helpful.
We have a Starcraft Travel Trailer. We bought it from Ricks RV in Joliet Illinois.
Ricks RV has been fantastic to us. We have had newbie issues as well as trailer issues. The slide out floor was curling almost 2” and became a tripping hazard. We were still under warranty and Jayco authorized a replacement. We also had a propane leak for the tanks. We are picking it up today and we will see if they replaced those.
Overall we see issues mostly just minor and I am grateful we have the warranty.
Thank you for the info.
We have an older RV, that does not mean that the quality is better or worse. Ours is an 89 Winnebago Spirit 31 foot. My father had it before us and had a lot of work done to it before we got it. New fridge, new water heater, ect. In the last year I've had to do several repairs myself as well as many upgrades. 2 things that I really scratched my head on is that it has a steel framework that surrounds the entire cabin, but little is actually screwed or bolted to it! For instance, our awning got damaged in a very high wind storm and I had to replace it as well as the rails that attach it to the RV. When I started to remove the screws in the rail, they were just spinning, so I pried on the rail, and the entire thing came off with little to no effort. All of the screws were 3/4 inch long. I had already ordered new 1 1/2 stainless steel screws with the replacement rail. The longer screws actually met with the steel frame actually securing it to the RV. We now live full time in it and I'm still chasing repairs that were "professionally" done. Wiring was a complete nightmare and still is to a lesser extent. Sealing the cabin, has proven to be a challenge! The gaps between the walls and the floor, where it wasn't even glued, screwed or bolted are crazy! A few self tappers and some sealer made a huge difference. The roof has actually been the least of our issues. Thank god the engine, tranny and chassis are in top shape! Our 73 Holiday Rambler was built much sturdier but still had several build flaws. At least on the HR, the screws made it into something substantial. After all I've heard and seen about new RV's, I'll be sticking with our older models, I'm no stranger to fixing things myself.
Thanks Izzy & MJ. Probably the most important piece of education!
We bought 2 new TT one in 2020 and upgraded in 2021. So far small issues. We have focused on light weight TT. Going light weight brings lighter construction techniques. This means thin walls, doors, cabinets, furniture and the like. A few plumbing leaks. Took care of all of it myself. RVing takes effort. I believe the rewards are worth the effort. Safe travels!
After buying a Prevost we learned quickly that the servicing of the coach was our biggest challenge. The Prevost Service Centers are terrific for chassis work and have always met expectations but something as simple as getting an oil change or AC repair locally can take a surprising amount of time and many of the experienced technicians are gone. Handing the keys of a Prevost over to a 20 year old tech, oh boy. There seems to be a large market for quality independent service people but I'm afraid much of the knowledge and skills may not have been passed down.
New 2022 Leprechaun 319MB, from Colton RV, Orchard Park, NY.
Several items noted upon delivery, and parts ordered. Since we live 300 miles from dealership, parts were shipped to me. I did some of the work myself, so that we could continue to use the motorhome throughout the season. Brought it in to the shop for a couple of items that I didn’t want to tackle myself, plus a propane part recall that they wanted to do themselves. Additionally, I had identified a few other minor things…
Picked it up in late October, and some items still unresolved. Parts are on order for the shower door, and they are clueless as to how to properly fix the awning.
The biggest factory-caused problem that I had to fix myself was the roof connection for the solar panel. We had a 190w panel installed on the roof, and the inverter inside, but the 8awg cables going to the roof were just tucked behind the microwave, and never connected. This required that the connection plate on the roof be removed, the Dicor cleaned up, the wires extended through the roof, the connection made, and then the unit reattached and sealed to the roof. Relatively easy for a younger person, but I’m 66!
Thanks for sharing
I retired in Dec of 21 and I took this year off. I'm going to the NRVTA in January for the technician course. Why? Well, I need a hobby to do somedays. But when I hear of all these problems needing fixed, it makes me wonder if I will be too busy to be retired as well. Thank you for the industry update, hope you're back on the road soon.
We bought our first Class C in 2003 a used 99 E350 with 28k miles. Private party sale. No inspection, I don’t even think inspections were a thing then. Didn’t really have very many problems with it. Sold it in 2007 with 46k. In 2020 we bought a used 2018 Class C with 16k miles. Private party sale also, but we had an inspector check it. Paid $650 for the service, he found a few minor things that the owner fixed. So far this one has been trouble free.
Great video as usual! Very fair and even feedback. Inspection is a must do! You're potentially spending over 100K what's $500 - $1000 for that piece of mind and more importantly to get fixed before you take possession. Shame on the RV manufacturers for not building better and having better QA inspections.
Purchased a 2022 KZ Connect 323RK, had inspection done. Dealer fixed a couple of those issues that day(one took several attempts) the rest were to be submitted for warranty. Less than a month in propane leak develops, low and behold was due to a recalled component(s). Took another month to get unit in. Original warranty claim had not been submitted. Dealer(RV Retailer, LLC) had unit for 10 days submitted $28,000 warranty claim,(majority denied by manufacturer)only replaced one of 2 recalled propane quick connections.
Love your channel. Just learned so much. This is crazy. I bought a new Rv from General Rv. Told it was inspected and ready to go. Turns out not the truth and the customer service at the service center was horrible. They couldn’t even give estimates on when the unit would be ready. I am a Soldier and bout this Rv for work so my family wouldn’t have to move again. It’s been horrible but next time I will do it smarter thanks to your vids. I am not giving up yet. I love RVs
Sorry to hear. Definitely a 3rd party inspection but more importantly reputation of dealer is extremely important.
ruclips.net/video/afRTVN8bPoA/видео.html
We bought a used 2014 Fleetwood Storm 32BH about 3 years ago from a dealer in Iowa. Their name in Bowling Rv in Ottumwa, Iowa. They have always treated us fairly and have always done a great job with anything we needed done on our MH. They are a family run company and they treat you like one of their own. 5 stars.
I love you r video, you confirmed what everyone is thinking about the RV industry, great job.
Fortunately we purchased a preowned '05 Class A that the previous owner had meticulously maintained and addressed any know issues. Some issues we have experienced are 1.) Finding someone/someplace that has the capability, or knowledge, to make repairs correctly. 2.) Trying to locate replacement parts for older models as suppliers quit making them. 3.) The outrageous high rates ($175/hr+) that are being charged for their sub-par work. When you purchase a new RV and have to put it right back in for repairs that warranty clock keeps ticking so if your unit is kept out of service for months that leaves you less time to find other issues waiting to pop up. There's no excuse for the manufacturers to ship units to dealerships with known defects and the dealerships NOT doing a PDI inspection themselves immediately. The trend is to let it sit there with the hopes you won't uncover the defects so they don't have to do the repair work and then have to deal with the manufacturer about the repair costs.
Bought used and am very picky on reliability and safety - spent 6 months going through the motorhome as it had 3 significant issues on its first outing in cold weather ( was a hot weather rv) the slide out got stuck (found the guide pin was so poorly aligned that with over an inch of slop it still missed the grove and would not close, had to drill new holes upside down to reposition the alignment pin while it snowed. At 2 am we had the propane alarm go off head to get the family out in the cold to vent the whole unit and kill the propane to the full MH, so yes no heat for the rest of the night! (Remember not to use a fan to vent it, many fan motors have sparks) leak at the tank sensor ended up being the issue, rv repair facilities do not touch the high pressure side - gas company tightened it with telling take and broke the sensor but at least we could get heat again a few days later! Good thing we had some electric heat and thick blankets. Finally had blamed the dog for wetting the floor, turns out the plastic connector to the water heater stopped sealing and leaked. After this first trip I said no way we keep this POS if it means this many issues so I spent 6 months of weekends redoing almost everything. Chassis wiring and vacuumed tubing that was setup to chafe, not by ford, but by Thor work, adding gas manifold with valves per appliance by the tank so any leak can be isolated without taking everything down, got a gas sniffer to help. adding inverter and lithium batteries and upgraded to 50 amp single “”phase”” redoing the ac panel. Upgraded the two AC units with soft starts to allow 4kw generator with lithium assist to allow both units to run on generator power! But the worst was the safety side of things - kids only had belts on the dinette with no headrest not 3 point belts, and it was mounted on a swintech slide that to this day I fail to see how it stays in with 6 tiny teeth holding a 20ish foot slide in! So effectively kids are strapped into a death trap that will slide out in an accident and/or crush their heads into the dinette table - so out went the dinette and sofa and in came 4 captains chairs with 3 sprint seatbelts - orders of magnitude safer and more comfortable. then came the summer heat and the on AC unit is very insufficient for 30ft+ motor home, not to mention how horribly loud and inefficient it is - was going to add a dual zone inverter compressor mini split, but time did not dpermit so instead added a second roof ac - wha WG a disaster - the race track venting proved to have such poor and incomplete insulation that a ton of cooling is lost to the outside roof especially along all the al framing! Fixed that as best one can without ripping off the ceiling (aka barely improving it) with spray foam at all roof vents. Humidity dictated the need for a lot more insulating to avoid condensation dripping - what a pain. Had to better align the slide which had the Schwintek frame riveted to the MH body so took advantage and drilled for through screws as I can’t imagine being out on a vacation and having the slide out need repairs with it being riveted in. Added a spare tire and custom welded tire lift under the MH as the idea of spending a day waiting for road side is crazy. Had to reroute the hydraulic jack lines to not get damaged by the exhaust heat and add a more metal heat shields to protect and Al’s to keep the floor cooler. Raised the rear jack as they scraped at just about any parking lot to road transition, required reroutingnthe gas fill hose (stuff that Thor should have done on day one). Had to bypass the battery shorting relay as it cracked at one of the posts. Added lithium dc to dc charger to protect alternator. Must do ride upgrades (must do for a ford E450 chassis, unfortunately I could not afford liquid springs ) new stiffer front sway bar, steering shock that centers the wheels, the ford shock is totally useless, and these cheap looking but definitely not cheap yet very effective toroids with liquid and weights in them that automatically balances the wheels as they start to turn. This helped reduce driver fatigue and likely ball joint ware since balancing wheels that have to have hoses attaches to the valves does not work. Also had to add TPMs - this is a must and should be mandated, and I would like to have the cat eyes to balance the dully pressures. Dumped couple of TVs and we still have 4, 3 more than we use. Moved main TV to a rail and swivel system so it is where it needs to be when we are setup in theater mode and out of the way when not used. Dumped the head unit for an android one (‘big improvement but still crap). Still need to replace or repair the wall paper just about everywhere as it’s unglued from soooo many seams. Have to find a way to deal with gelcoat oxidation - never let it be unprotected, was to late in our case when we bought it and polyglow is not the answer. Had to remove the microwave as it squeeled while on the road, it had a metal to metal hook mounting that squeals!! Had to fix the Nordic…. Fridge door as the plastic hinge broke (common issue) right before our 3 trip. Ok so guess how old and how many miles the MH had when we got it? 4 years and 15kmiles and the the previous owners cared for it, oh yah they even had new tires put on it before selling it and when we called discount tire to get a same type spare they said it was a lite truck tire that was not at all suited for A heavy motor home - previous owner when ballistic with camper world for putting his family and mine in such danger, they gave him back a few hundred dollar back, well short of the 2k it cost to put new tires on all 7 rims!!!! My recommendation if you are very handy and enjoy doing good work maybe this is OK, if you have tons of money and can wait a year or more to get the few appts needed to get a fix done somewhat right then maybe this is for your but if you are the average consumer run, run far and fast from purchasing one. If safety and reliability are important to you and you have a real need like we did (medical transport) then look hard for a used one that has truly been shaken out by an owner that is a real DIY head. Or prepaid to do a lot of work or have a lot of expensive down time. There are several a more things but this is already too long.
Bought a 2021 Cherokee Wolf Pup brand new and the build quality was hilarious. Battery terminal fell off on day one, wallboards completely unattached from the studs, debris in the fresh tank clogged all the faucets, front fascia never attached to the frame, etc etc etc.
We love using the trailer and everything is mostly fixed but they should be absolutely ashamed of how these things are assembled.
If Elkhart isn’t careful the manufacturing will all end up overseas, just like Detroit. If so, they earned it.
I bought my Winnebago Intent new in 2018. Had numerous problems. I bought it from La Mesa RV in San Diego. Their service department was awful! My Lippert jacks still don’t work. I gave up. It is out of warranty and I use an independent local company which is very good. I have had many recall items: inside overhead mirror was reported to fall off, outside side mirror was only secured to the skin, gas leak, oven thermostat didn’t work. 1st trip out in it the leveling jacks went up but wouldn’t got down. The slide went out but wouldn’t go in. Turnes out La Mesa Rv didn’t do any PDI’s. There was no hydraulic fluid in the holding tank and the wiring came loose on the slide. Another time I was filling up my fresh water tank and heard water running inside. Turned out the hose Winnebago used was too short so when I turned the in water it was pouring out on the floor inside! Well you all should just wait for the movie😃
We had a wheel fall off a brand new Coachman Catalina in 2018. Sheered the end of the axle so it had to be replaced. We were in Nova Scotia (live in Ontario). If it wasn't for our dealer in Ontario, we would have had to leave it and go back to get it. When the repair was being done, the dealership in NS checked the other axle and said there was very little grease on it. Likely would have gone at some point as well.
Being relatively new to RV life (2nd trailer, 3rd season) we wouldn't have known to have an inspection done. We do now...
We bought a 2022 Jayco Seneca 37k. After our first "shake down" trip there were a number of issues with the unit. Including the air conditioning not functioning. Originally the dealer told me they could likely get the air conditioner working by summer of 2023!. Getting an appointment at my selling dealership was near impossible. I had to get a lawyer involved to get the work done. I still have a couple of things to get repaired, the bed lift assembly and apparently my fresh water tank wasn't installed properly. We are from Canada and are heading to AZ next week so we contacted Jayco and they made arrangements for us to get service while in AZ. Fingers crossed.
We bought our 2019 Phoenix Cruiser from Campers Inn in Kingston NH in August 2019, October 2019 we brought it in for some minor warranty work it was in the shop for 5 months. In August of 2020 we had a tree fall onto the roof of our rig it was in the Campers Inn body shop for 8 1/2 months. Campers Inn will never see my rig again. I have it in a local auto service business now the owner use to run an RV Rental place and said he will take car of our rig as long as he can get the parts. We head south after Thanksgiving this is the first time we have been to him, he is servicing the E450 chassis and found some things no one else would have because he did a thorough inspection. He is now replacing one of my Liquid Springs hoses because of a poor installation and the frame was cutting into the hose. He said it definitely would have burst on our trip south this year.
We purchased a couples camper from a dealer we had used before. On the day of pickup they found wiring missing from 3 outlets. During the shakedown we did the brakes overheated, the heater fan spit out Styrofoam bits, the seals leaked and some other issues. We gave them the camper in Nov to get repaired and got it back in April. (with everything fixed). Cant blame the dealers as they were overwhelmed with warranty work from the shoddy work done at the factory.
We are in a class C Jayco Redhawk (purchased new in NC from Tom Johnson’s Camping). Several recalls for both Jayco and Ford. Additionally we had a problem with the slideout going out uneven starting on the third time we used. Took it in, and I noted I believed it was because the underside of slideout had improperly cutouts and misaligned rollers (sticking to the underside). This was noted in service notes. The dealer ignored that problem and replaced the track and motor insisting that was the problem. After a few more uses, same problem. Took it back in pointed out previously noted problem. Then back and forth from dealer and Jayco….they won’t pay for fix because, per dealer, Jayco refused claim because they already paid to ‘fix’ the first time. Additionally our electrical system is malfunctioning, as well as auto leveling jack sysyem. The RV is completely unusable and we don’t know what to do???? Can we sue under federal warranty law, should we attempt the “Jayco authorized legal mediation law firm”, what type attorney deals with this? Should we bring a civil suit? Make an appointment with the factory for repairs and eat the costs of getting it there and the loss of use? So lost on options.
Contact Mr Abeel. He specializes in RV Lemon Law lawsuits. 0 cost to you if they take the case
www.timothyabeel.com/location/pennsylvania-pa-lemon-law-attorneys-lawyers/
I had a 21 XLR Nitro toy hauler that I purchased brand new. It lasted one summer and had so many problems I couldn’t use it without something breaking. 2 cables on the slides broke with a third getting close when I traded it in. Just purchased a brand new Montana and hopefully it will be good. So far, so good. If this unit by chance starts to be problematic, I will be finished with the RV thing.
BOY! Your scaring me. We just bought our first Class C East to West 2 weeks ago. We have a list of things needing repair. A drawer that will not close, showerhead will not shut off while soaping up, stainless steel heat shield above the stove rattled because of a screw will not bite into the cabinet above. Back brake lights have condensation in them. We couldn’t figure out how to get our slide out to go out & called the “1-800” number which was a Joke! Still haven’t heard from them. But we did figure it out after an hour. You know their was NO “how to do “ book on the slide out but we did have all the appliances book. We bought from General RV in Mount Clemens Michigan. We have no idea how well their service department is. 🫤 I wish this video was posted sooner. Hopefully others will take heed. We did have a nice first drive to SC. No engine issues. Thank God
Sorry to hear. This is exactly why an RV inspection is a must. Those issues would have been likely picked up and fixed prior to you taking delivery.
Safe travels
The fifth wheel we purchased last August is 2001 model and in very good condition, considering the age. It was well taken care of. Original carpet, which is still okay. We made a mess of it and will put in laminate flooring. There’s a lot that’s old school yet the quality is there. I’m getting an inheritance and I might give this one and the truck to a family or couple who needs it in Florida. Have to see how long it takes. Definitely getting a Super C, and hopefully get what I pay for.
I purchased a used 2011 KZ TT in 2019 and it has been awsome! Use FT 4 months 8000km a year and only 1 issue was I noticed underbelly heated, insulated water tank picked up water when traveling in rain and held the moisture in the fibreglas insulation. NP ripped it out, no issues since!! Awsome quality.
I agree with MJ about the quality deteriorating since the pandemic. It may have started before that, but it has gotten much, much worse.
I took our 2019 376 Grand Design Momentum to the dealer once. They serviced wheel bearings and when I got home the lug nuts were falling off, loose hub, and missing wheel cap, the sealed our TPO roof telling us required only to find out TPO never needs. 500 bucks and the sealer was allowed to run down sides and dry. They removed dicor to replace and then forgot to do so. They wouldn’t give me time of day after. I ended up having mobile service replace all their bearing work and hired a Detailer to clean the mess from the sealer. I will never take to a dealer again!!!
Thank-you for this video and information! Our RV is certainly an example of quality issues.
I would love to upload a video on our rig, but not being a content creator and followers would garner 0 views. It would be shocking.
As a note on the dealer, they do not document the issues, their review and stance nor the repairs made. Poor business practices!
After walking thru many new rvs the transporters just delivered to dealers, it was disturbing to see how bad the quality and workmanship was on many of the units. Everything from trim pieces to a fridge that fell out of its location just from the trip across the country. I worked in manufacturing my whole career and know when quantity over quality becomes priority. There is absolutely no quality assurance programs in place in these factories. I feel the responsibility of the poor quality falls directly on the uper management for either implementing or just allowing the poor workmanship to get the units out the back door to meet demand and profit before the market drops. It's really sad. I was set on an Alliance but after seeing how bad they're put together now I ordered an Airstream from Tampa praying after a 13 month wait it will be put together with a lot more pride and workmanship then the many other brands I've looked at. January 2023 will be the delivery date of the AS
I was looking at a 2022 Newmar DS4081 $629K MSRP, discounted to $509K, $100K down, 6.9% Int rate, 20 years.... monthly payments $3200. WOW... then you have to deal with what you guys are discussing. Who wants to pay that kind of money just to have problems down the road with speedy coaches built with tons of problems.
Or buy a 10 year old coach that was built to a higher standard for 1/3 of the price 😉
You’re better off staying in hotels for that much money. You could take 9 full years(365 days a year)in hotel rooms for that much and no headaches. Not to mention gas would be 3-4 times cheaper driving your car getting 35-40 mpg instead of 10 mpg
@@thestooges333 yup, then you just have to deal with bed bugs and unclean rooms. No thanks.
@@Patty747 I stayed in hotels for 40 years never had a bedbug or dirty room. Just read reviews there’s tons of them before choosing a hotel. I never paid over $135.00 a night before taxes for a room either. Just gotta do your research.
@@thestooges333 I like camping. Not many hotels will take my two German Shepherds. Then there's eating out three times a day instead of cooking in. Other issues are security. Heard often they rent rooms when someone hasn't even left yet.
The article only touched the surface. Covid was rampant with the Amish Community and they used ice packs to cool their foreheads before entering the buildings to take their temperature so they could keep working. This lead to nearly complete shutdowns for extended periods of time. Drug use has been prevalent for YEARS. That is no surprise if you know the area. Working conditions are rough, many safety issues, and the emphasis is not on workplace safety, but numbers. How many units can they produce each day. People are on their feet all day, climbing on roofs, kneeling under counters, back-breaking, knee-breaking, and hard, manual activities.
Your comments around found it is fake news. That is disinformation Yoder
@@Bamboo2234 and how would you know that Ron? I used to live in that area AND have family that work in the RV Industry. I’m pretty confident in my assessment.
Country Classics is awesome!!! The best tip thank you. The repaired body damage on my new class c. Work was excellent
The price increase in the last three years is in addition to the poor quality. We looked at a new Cougar in 2020. The MSRP was $60k, that same camper is now $90k. Crazy increase. We ended up buying a 2011 Montana as I don't see a reason to take out a 20 year loan for a RV.
This is good info. We just purchased a 2008 5th wheel off Craigslist. I’m glad we didn’t go new on our 1st one and you have given great info. I had no idea about the inspections. Thanks so much for the info.
Never let the dealer know you live in your RV full-time. Most not all warranties have a disclaimer. That will void your warranty if you live full-time in your rig. This May also be true for modifications you make to your rig. The best thing is to learn how to make the repairs yourself. Warning ⚠️ never take just one RUclips video as gospel. How to make repairs. Watch multiple videos and take that which is common in all. How you will make your repairs that best fits your skill set. Plus your make and model rig. Happy Camping and may we meet around a camp fire.
I bought a car. Do I have to become a mechanic now? I thought people buy these things to vacation and rest. Your purchasing a very expensive depreciating headache. I don't get it.
We have been RVing for ~50 years. In the last ~20 years the quality of materials and workmanship have been in a steady decline to the point they are today, total garbage. Cost drives the selection of all materials, systems and components. They are engineered to be assembled as fast as possible at the lowest cost possible. Then the markup for the dealer is 60%-90%. Things are so bad we stopped RVing after losing $50,000+ on our last unit in 2 years. We have since bought a conversion van and travel staying in Motels. Sad situation.
Bought a new 2022 esteem c class rv this year. Esteem is higher in trim model than the Odyssey. Yet, it didn’t show that in the quality of work. We had several dozen items that were wrong like undercarriage wiring, trim falling off, door lock not working, and many more. I already fixed some items myself, if I didn’t fix it, the rv would have been unusable for camping. We also had warranty repairs done, but they didn’t fix half the problems and items that were supposed to be fixed ended up not fixed.
I don’t blame the workers that much but the supervisors, managers and even the CEO. But especially the quality assurance personnel that should have identified issues to begin with. Even the engineering of some components need to be re-engineering, I have two items that could be redesigned.
The dealership shouldn’t have to fix all the mistakes that the manufacturer could have done correctly in the first place. But the dealer should have identified issues and up channel those issues to the manufacturer.
Bought a used 2014, in 2014, Class C and the workmanship was outstanding. Probably before the massive demand for RVs became junk and absolutely trash.
We just recently purchased a 2022 Winnebago Forza 34T and so far we love it...however, after about a 2,500 mile trip we did have some minor issues that needed to be resolved and corrected. None of them are major and would not keep you from using the bus. We took it back to our dealer and they have been working off the laundry list of items we found (about 27 items). It has been in the shop about 3 weeks now. Due to a lack of communication on the progress of the items I went to the dealer and sat down with the Service Manager. He showed me where some of the time is being waisted is from the manufacture. As they diagnose and issue they can only go so far without approval from Winnebago or they may not be paid. Here is an example: on a wiring issue with the Digital TV antenna they have to follow certain steps, then reach out to the manufacture who will then say, try this, the tech does and it doesn't correct it, he then needs to contact the manufacture again who will then tell the tech to try step 3. All of this takes time to communicate and wait for responses from the manufacture. I understand that the manufacture is trying to control cost by limiting parts replacement without proper diagnosis, but this creates frustration for the dealer and the customer. I believe if the manufactures would put more decision making at the dealer level we could improve service issues and waisted time.
I don't believe this is just an RV manufacturing issue, I see this daily on vehicle recalls and other industries lately.
So many good points, we were in the market for a new unit just before Covid at a large (very) dealer and we could see through the phony compassion of selling us a new unit, once we slowly questioned many answers we respectfully asked their attitude changed wanting to move onto another customer. These manufacturing conglomerates are beholden to Wall Street not the customer, making the number, 36 out the door, how many will never make the first camping trip? That unit already benefited the Shareholder but 3-4 months later the customer is comprised with the poor workmanship. The units we looked at $$$ and have seen garden sheds built with better quality, the industry uses trainees which is fine, but not to replace their training by a master craftsman and QC'D unit. All units should be inspected by a 3rd party with your interest a priority, walk away if any resistance to it. I would stay away for anything manufactured within the past 3-4 years, and from wood that will generally have decay issues over time. The innovated manufactures are using newer materials that resist water penetration and aluminum framing (lighter, stronger & rot resistant) As Izzy & MJ tell you don't accept until all repairs are made, and never sign your contract, that's your power.
The sweet spot of RV manufacture was between 2000 and 2008. There are serval reasons for this. One of the biggest reasons is pre DEF in the diesel units. To this day they still do not have the DEF technology perfected. There are so many check engine lights happening for all the sensors that fail it is ridiculous. I can’t list all the other reasons for I don’t have the time but they are numerous. If you want a good preforming RV do not be afraid of going back some years. New is not always best in an RV purchase.
We bought a 2000 Komfort 5 years ago. It is in great condition inside. Things are wearing out but I feel like it is supposed to be wearing out. Every trip we joke about what will wear out this time. THis last trip the bolt on the top step flew off AND the slide got stuck out. We had to use the manual crank underneath. We hope to buy a new used trailer in 4-5 years.
In August of 2020 we purchased a 2021 Jayco Greyhawk Class C motorhome. We drove about 300 miles to purchase it and saved about $25,000 compared to the dealership here in town. The downside is that the local Jayco dealership will not address any recalls or warranty work on units that they did not sell. Sadly Jayco corporate acknowledges that this does happen sometime, and they seem to be okay with that. The good thing is that we have taken it to repair shops of our choosing to have our issues addressed (Voltage problem with fridge when dry camping, three minor plumbing leaks, and one bad hydraulic leveling jack). Jayco has reimbursed for all of the repairs. I have had to reinforce the bedroom drawers, otherwise finish work seems okay. Having had an RV before we expected some initial issues. It is frustrating, but hopefully we can enjoy smooth sailing for awhile.
That's an issue I think a lot of people aren't familiar with. RVs are not like our vehicles. Usually you have to get warranty work at the dealership you purchased from so when people drive hundreds if not thousands of miles because they got a better deal on the RV they have to remember they have to take it back there to get warranty work done.
Unfortunately if you aren't handy, might not be a good idea buying an RV or motorhome. Especially with these modern units. We bough a nice diesel pusher and it's surprising how I'm always fiddling with something.... and the unit is stored in doors. I should note, it was pre covid unit being assembled on 10-2019
We bought/ordered a new RV. It was a Forest River XLR Thunderbolt 375. We ordered it in February and was supposed to be done in May. We didn’t get it until July. This is in 2017 and it is a 2018 model. It was so bad we should have just walked away. The wheel spacing was off a thousand holes from their air gun putting in staples. Water leaked out from the transfer hose to the other fresh water tank. It has two 75 gallon tanks. The breaks wasn’t set properly. I ended put after two dealerships working on it. For I found the break tensioner parts rolling around in the brake hub on two breaks. This Rv brakes wouldn’t stop the trailer. It was always on the pickup. Even a friend said for me to check them myself. So after two and a half years. In Montana we found out that they wasn’t adjusted correctly. I ended up buying two brake hubs and bearings because two wouldn’t adjust. When I took them off I found out that the wires where broken. I checked the rest and took all six apart. Found only one wheel was breaking. The pad just fell out while taking it apart. So I replaced all the bad ones and adjusted all of the breaks properly. Had to have someone hold the break actuator switch in the pickup while I spun the tire. Ever since the Rv stops like a dream. You need to recheck adjust ever 2000 or every year. It has been working great since. Now I just watch the RUclips videos and do it myself and or ask my electric engineer son to help.
I appreciate your advice as we are considering purchasing a motorhome. I’m adding a meth test to the list.
We bought our new Tiffin Phaeton in 2019 from Dixie RV which is now Great American RV in Hammond, LA. I didn’t hire an inspector but I went through the coach for 5 hours before I signed and paid for it. We spent the night at the dealership because they have spaces designed for customers to stay 1-2 days to make sure there aren’t any issues. We a major issue that night. We got locked inside the coach when trying to open the door to walk our dogs. I had to get out of the emergency exit which ended up with me in the ER because my ring finger got caught on the window ledge and caused a deep cut on my ring finger. The ER had to cut my wedding ring off to put stitches on the cut. Before I went to the ER i was able to open the door. Turns out the door lock wasn’t properly installed so it dislodged into the door frame blocking the door from opening. The dealer fixed the lock the next day. Less than 1 week after we left we had a problem with one of the slides that use the Schwintech system. The dealer got us in right away and diagnosed the problem. A part had to be ordered so we scheduled a time 3 weeks later for them to install the new part. Needless to say after 1 month the slide failed again. We took it to Tiffin in Red Bay immediately and after waiting for 2 days in their service center they got us in and had to take the whole slide apart to fix the problem which was not the problem the dealer diagnosed. Since then we’ve only had minor issues which I take care of but in doing so I’ve discovered numerous quality issues that could only be identified if you get into the guts of the coach. Most of the problems I found related to the screws used to secure drawers, cabinets, and other parts in the coach. The screws are different gauges, sizes, and types used on the same application. As an example, the drawer slides use screws that are too small but they are all different sizes and gauges so we’ve had several drawer slides fail. I ended up replacing all the screws on all the drawer slides. In doing so I discovered boxes worth of discarded screws under drawers and on the floor behind cabinets. In general, our coach is well built but it isn’t perfect which supports your theory about quality pre-covid. I’ve read about some pretty sad stories about the quality of some Tiffin coaches during Covid and even now. Thankfully, the worst cases do seem to be the exception rather than the rule but it seems everyone does have some issue.
Thanks very much for this video. I bought a Diesel pusher from Fleetwood and had endless issues with it, It's currently sitting at a Freightliner repair shop for the past week and a half, and I'm living in a hotel. No idea what this issue is yet!! We need more transparency.
Dutchmen 810 voltage was one of the best plants I worked at. Quality work and one of the best toy haulers out there with their voltage triton.
It's not just RV's, it's everything. It's almost like I've always heard if you could see what goes on in the back kitchen of your favorite restaurant, you would never eat there again. My RV experience was in 2018. And I had issues and the dealership got a C+ from me. But I should have been more forward with my demands. I was just too nice. Lesson learned.
I have not bought a campr yet but you warnins from earlier videos made me aware of the situation of the industry
What a great video. We have owned a pop up, TT and 3 5th wheels and are in the market for a motor home. It seems that what you are telling all of us is already on the minds of many. We have been back and forth about buying new or slightly used…prior to 2021. Thank you for sharing what you know and your advice as well. We are both very capable of most repairs. To old to deal with major mechanical, but will certainly repair what we can. Still….we shouldn’t have to pay high $$$ to get an Rv to only have to spend most of our travels or camping fixing our unit. Very frustrating for us as we are so close to retirement and wanting to hit the road.
Thanks Izzy and MJ!!! 😊
We have a 2017 Winnebago Navion. All seemed great till I inspected the roof last Nov 2021. Found delamination stemming from the max air. During disassembly I found that at the factory the installer did not seal three of the screw holes on the hinge side of the max air cover that prevents rain coming through the fan opening. So, Over the years water eventually found its way into the holes underneath the fiberglass roof and started the delamination. Winnebago will not stand by their product installations, which was clearly negligent installation. By the way, it's $20,000 to replace the roof per Winnebago.
Had you stayed in hotels, you would have great piece of mind. And if you want to wake up in the woods, rent a cabin.
I bought a used 2018 Sunset Trail by Cross Roads, as smart as I think I am I made a bad decision when I made my selection at Camping World Las Vegas, one red flag was that all the issues I pointed out during the walk-thru were ignored, after living in the RV for a while I started noticing the quality issues, like electrical fixtures in some places were not anchored to the frame but just attached to the wall skin, the bathroom door was improperly hung, the plywood bed has rough edges to tear the skin if you don't watch out, there are no "hold opens" for the cabinet doors above the bed, but worst of all is the very CRAPPY insulation in the walls and the roof, the A/C barely kept me cool last Summer here in Nevada, now that the heat is off the chill comes right on in. Yeah, if I had to do it over I would not have picked this one
Great video. With this and any other situation there are always two sides to a story so please ask your viewers to consider both. With that said, it is concerning to see standards drop and I would love to see and hear what manufacturers have to say about that. I feel this is not just an RV trend. Something that does not just make it right but makes it even more concerning.
The RV business is about to take a hit and you would hope that standards would go up again as volume declines but, as with most things, I suspect it won't.
In short a tough time on all fronts but with it a time for the cream to rise to the top.