We are just picking up our new RV tomorrow, I am going to really check over the slide and toilet. Thank you so much for taking the time to help others out 🙏🏻
Just a helpful hint about the “lugnuts” i worked in a tire shop and those types of lugnuts when they get wet the space between the nut and chrome rusts and causes the nut to become larger. You will not be able to use your tire wrench . The solution is to exchange all the nuts for solid chrome. It will save you a big headache!
@@user-fj6qq2vm7c The worst. They get water back there and then rust and expand. Especially in saltwater areas and cold like here in MN. You're stranded if you get a flat and that's the situation.
Thanks for the lesson . My ex wife was a service manager at an r.v. sales and service center . She came home everyday with a new story of flaws and deficiency from forest river
The issues are starting to become more frequent and more major than with older models. I found out my refrigerator had recalled only after it started throwing fireballs out the side of the camper. Some things are minor like the time my wife got locked in the bathroom until I returned to let her out . I can live with that.
throwing fireballs and keeping your wife off your back? I dunno about you, but to me man that sounds like it would make for a hell of a great vacation!
I've been RVing for 40 years. Several Class A, currently a Toy Hauler. Some units were good ones and some were ok ones. Being handy is a must because @#$% happens. A few breakdowns, and some headaches. I wouldn't change one trip...met many good people, had loads of fun! Be prepared, do your homework, drive safe.
Fellow Forest River ( 2021 Della terra 292mk) owner here ... I had some similar issues & from what you shared in your video it can only help. I'm definitely looking into changing my Toilet. You sound very calm dealing with the issues of your Trailer. Great video 👍🏾
Make sure you check your roof seals around all vents and especially the sky light (if you have one) in the bathroom. They should at least be checked for any cracking or pitting at the beginning and end of every season. RVs are known to rot especially around the sky light in the bathroom.
We had the same problem with our Dometic toilet. Had problems with smell that I couldn’t figure out. Watched a RUclips video and found out that a seal was bad on certain toilets. When I contacted Dometic they asked for the serial number. They confirmed that mine fell under the ones that were defective. I upgraded to the porcelain model, but had to pay the difference. I replaced it myself and the new toilet solved the smell problem and it’s a much better toilet than the original one. Agree that it should have been a recall rather than the consumer having to diagnose the problem when they were fully aware it was a problem.
I am glad to see this did not burn you on the RV life. I think it is sad that so many Americans have no pride in their craftsmanship any more but for the price that it cost, to have a small apartment now days you can't beat it. Thank you for the video.
Thanks for all the heads up!! Haven't picked it up yet but first time buyer, so videos like these all very helpful. And like you said, once you know you can address these issues. Sorry you had to learn the hard way, but again thanks for sharing your experience. Stay safe!!
We just bought a Wolfpup 16 HE. Beautiful camper, fully loaded. We didn't want a slide. I gave it a good look at the lot and didn't see any obvious issues. I read the reviews and it seemed about 50/50 on the quality rating, some said it was great, some hated it. Most were middle of the road. I was concerned until I looked at reviews of other RV brands and they all seem to have the same hit and miss quality issues, even some higher end brands. So we got the 2022 Wolfpup because it was the best layout and options for us, not to mention we got it for what I consider a great price. We pick it up tuesday and plan on using it that night on the way home. Being my first rv I'm exited but also apprehensive we may have issues. It is a beautiful camper with a pretty great layout for the size. Thanks for the info.
@@rockhound7245 We bought it late in the season, took a UP trip, and a couple localish trips. Loved it. I have it in the driveway and have used it a couple times because of company. So far no complaints, other than the soap dispenser was defective and the bathroom doorknob put a tiny ding in the refer door. You can only see it from the bed but a handle style knob would have been a better design their. We did a bit of boondocking. Solar seems to do the job, we have a generator too. It was nice and warm, heater did a good job and didn't seem to run too much. Love the couch too, more comfortable than the one at home. The only real drawback is having to crawl over someone to get out of bed. But we sacrificed a walk around bed for the couch in the length/weight we needed. We may take her down south this winter, depending on friends schedule. The first for sure trip is trout camp (last week of April).
So glad I came across this video, retired and I am try to learn everything I can before purchasing, I am still uncertain about slides, other owners are having to figure out and devise ways to keep water out. Great video.
We have a 2017 Cherokee Grey Wolf BH model. Right at the dealership, we noticed molding pieces kept popping off, and the outdoor kitchen door got wrenched on and wouldn't close properly, thus allowing water to get inside. Before taking ownership, we had the door replaced. Thankfully, no problems with that part of it since. However, we still have little areas of molding strips that were glued on that keep popping off. And the bathroom smells. We do put the RV septic treatments in, like we've done with other models owned previously. I assumed it's just an RV thing, but maybe not(?). Also, the first winter we winterized it, the sewer pipe underneath the RV broke. Turns out that a little water was left trapped in it, so we had to repair it. A way to prevent that from happening in future, was to leave open the end cap after winterization was complete so that no water is left trapped at the end of the pipe. HTH others. We are looking at a possible upgrade as our kids are outgrowing the length of the bunks. Otherwise, it's a beautiful RV and our favorite feature is the Outdoor Kitchen.
Just saw this video and enjoyed it. Bought an RV about 6 months ago, no problems yet. You mentioned an RV place in Wintersville, which caught my attention. I graduated from Wintersville High School and my mom taught first grade at Bantam Ridge for 30+ years. Brought back memories. I visit my cousin in Hopedale once a year. Good video, thanks. John
I bought a Wolfpup black label and if I would have known more about I would have never purchased one. 1. Schwintec motor driven slide. (got stuck and broke a part); thank goodness that I was not in the boonies, I would have been stuck out there. 2. RV are useless in the winter. 3. Winterizing is a pain in the area that goes over the fence last. 4. Do not drink the RV Water.5. Crapping in the toilet is like living over a septic tank.
We purchased a brand new Forest River Salem back in June after waiting 4 months for it to come in and it has many issues. Some small stuff I noticed immediately and some I didnt notice until after using it a few times. A few of the issues: In the shower they drilled the hole to big for the plastic rivet that's suppose to hold it tight to the inner wall so now there is a rivet hanging out of the shower wall that's bowing out 2".. they didn't staple down the linoleum floor under the slide out so it's curling up under there. Broken a/c vents. The filler panels under the kitchen sink were cut to small and I can stick my finger in the gaps at the top of them. Several spots on the floor I can feel shavings under the linoleum which will eventually wear through. I had to go over all the transition strips between the wal and ceiling panels and pop them in because they were loose in many spots. The ceiling in the bunkroom is bowing down and wasn't stapled. The outside power plug housing was screwed down directly over a rib in the siding so the door for it is always a quarter of the way open allowing water in. what they did caulk on the outside is a joke. There is shavings in the caulk over the kitchen window by the exterior door and I had to recaulk everything because nothing was completely sealed, there was huge voids everywhere. The two silver front aluminum panels don't match very good at all especially in the sun light and at the top has a big indent at the top almost like they started screwing it down from the outsides and work towards the center and ended up with a hump that they pushed into an indent and screwed it down. Apparently they hire a bunch of kids because I noticed on the frame someone wrote "u suck fat boy" with a paint pen. Really! Hindsight is 20/20, I'll check the next camper over better and it definitely won't be a Forest River product.. Horrible quality control..
I’ve been in a forest river manufacturing plant. I’ve seen first hand. There is no quality control. The work force is 2/3rds Amish, 1/3rd other. All they care about is production rates not quality. That’s bad management/business practices on Forest River. I’ll never buy a new Rv unless I can visit the production floor. I work in Aerospace. If my coworkers and I put out quality like forest river, planes would be falling out of the shy
You would think #1, Forest River would have some kind of quality control checks prior to shipment. #2 the dealer would check these units from front to back in their make ready department prior to delivery. I guess the key is making money and saving money and doing their jobs to ensure quality would required spending money. Very sad. I came here because I was looking closely at buying one of their toy haulers for my new Goldwing. Thanks for sharing. Most helpful! Best of luck and happy camping!
i dont understand how any of these manufactures get away with this. especially the tires? how are they getting away with putting tires on that are known to fail?
We bought a new grand design reflection fifth wheel last summer. Several trips in and so far rock solid no major issues. Only found two minor issues: Bad outdoor speaker and set screw missing from kitchen faucet (didn’t stop faucet from functioning, but allowed trim piece to slip off sprayer head). I called the dealer, same thing as you: bring it in so we can diagnose it. I said yea no thanks. Called grand design directly and they immediately sent me a whole new kitchen faucet and speaker, no questions asked. I think people need to start skipping the dealer if they are fortunate enough to be dealing with a manufacturer as responsive as grand design seems to be (at least so far). My experience has been that most dealerships are just plain useless / terrible once they make the sale. I’m sure there are some good ones out there but I have yet to find them.
Thank you for the informative video as we purchased a 2019 Cherokee Grey Wolf 22MKSE. Lots of features we like but like you we experienced a plethora of first/second year stuff that was unexpected. Examples: Most of the outside decals are peeling off (not a big deal from a functionality standpoint but dang); Kitchen sink leaked due to what looked like paper drain seals replaced with rubber ones from Lowes - problem solved; Black water flush valve very cheap and was not installed properly, was at an angle and just didn't work as water just drained into the bathroom - replaced with a higher quality valve properly installed - problem solved; Tub drain - just came off and water collected on the underside of the camper eventually just overflowing onto the ground - refit trap and placed a strap around the trap so it would not just come out leaving a bit of room for some flex while in use or driving down the road - also very messy to clean up as all the insulation was ruined; Tires - yep Castle Rock - no bad experiences as I immediately changed them out as I just didn't want to experience a blowout with these tires - just my choice on that one; Outside locks - same issue as you - didn't know about the trick you showed but I replaced with higher quality no universal key locks - works great now.
2nd owner of this 2019 grey wolf rv and since I’m not the original owner, Dometic wouldn’t do anything for me about their horrible 300 series product. Luckily, I purchased a 3 yr warranty for the RV and had the toilet replaced through that (different brand toilet now). I agree that Forest River should have done something about this. Also, when I called Dometic they acted like this toilet issue was something they had never heard of. Not impressed at all by Dometic and will definitely avoid their products going forward.
I was about to buy a 2019 forest river. I see a bunch of them used for sale. This is the third vid I've seen with some of the same issues. Thank you I'm staying away from them
Sorry to hear of all the issues you had Mike, there is no reason why Forest River lacks Quality Control. We recently purchased a Rockwood, it is hopeful they have gotten there act together. Since they have the Balls to raise the MSRP 30 -40 % for the same crap !
Due to two years of the Covid pandemic, RV Manufacturers are having difficulty hiring experienced craftsman, so the hire on less experienced workers. Also in 2019 when Covid 1st hit the US and government shut us all down for a bit, people started buying travel trailers for short family trip adventures. RV Sale lots sold all the had. Now they are thrown together to catch up with supply and demand. Cost has also increased drastically
Another suggestion I got some flexible is flexible in the can and went around all the things that are exposed to rain on the roof and win around them ie the vents ect. I was assured by flex seal that it works just fine on the tops of trailers In terms of elasticity.
You said you don't want to spend any money you don't have to when talking about the china pop/destination tires. I had, HAD, the same tires. Mine looked brand new and checked them before and after every trip, the whole 3 round trips of 90 miles each. 3rd trip back and a tire blew 10 miles from home. Ripped fender skirt off, tore up siding skirt was attached to, and destroyed the under side of the camper above wheel. Then turning onto our street I had one on the other side blow, luckily with no damage. I decided to spend the $ and upgrades from a 14" wheel to. 15' wheel and 5 new Transeagle ST Radial Premium Trailer Radial Tires-ST225/75R15 225/75/15 225/75-15 124/121L Load Range G LRG 14-Ply BSW Black Side Wall. So for $1000 I have piece of mind that I have tires that are well over rated for our 7880lb camper. Each tire is good for 3587 lbs each. With that said, the rolling resistance has been significantly dropped amd mpg went up from 9.5 to 10.8 mpg.
I have owned several different brands of RV trailers and decided I would get the Forest River Wolf Pup next. I picked it up in Indiana and took it back to my home in Ohio. Then I took it to a local state park for a test run, all OK. 2 months later we went on a long trip to Arizona, New Mexico, sadly while driving through Rte.70 Indiana another driver signaled me that something was hanging from the trailer. Admittedly it was the roughest inter state I had travelled o in many years. But to my shock I found that the half full fresh water tank was dragging along the road. So I disconnected it and threw it in the P/U bed. I called Forst river and many dealers but got very little response. Finally on the way back to Ohio, I called into the manufacturer and they put a new water tank in, 3 weeks ago we took a trip to Big Bend National park. Some more rough roads, I found that one rear light lens has fallen off and the outside vent for the range lid had also fallen off.I still like the concept of the Woolf Pup 16 bhs and have some issues like the sharp corner on the cabinet over the sink, (got scar to remind me AS YOU SAID , ITS A LOT OF TRAILER FOR THE MONEY.
Ah, the infamous CH751 key. I bought a new Forest River Ultra Lite in 2013 at a great price at a RV show. Yes, there are many nit picking problems that I had to take care of but the most dangerous one I found was one day I was washing the trailer and I noticed a bolt that holds the trailer wall to the frame kind of dangling loose. The nut had backed off so I tightened it. I then went around the whole trailer and ALL of the nuts on every bolt holding the walls of the trailer to the frame were loose! I ended up double nutting every bolt along with blue Locktite. One bolt was beyond tightening because the head of the bolt is inside the wall with no access unless I rip open the wall.
Within a week of bringing home my 2021 cherokee, I had to remount two frameless windows barely sticking on to their frames and COMPLETELY rebuild the front door (foam core and all). First day having the door open, the plastic face starting forming HUGE bubbles... The styrofoam core they used had melted down in pockets - presumably from the adhesive they used at the factory. I debated taking it to the dealer, but for what? Two months down time and the same shitty “craftsmanship”. This is our third RV, first new one. I expected issues but damn....
We bought a 2020 Cherokee Grey Wolf new. Lot’s of defects. Some we got covered during the year warranty. Others we are on our own. The first year, the fridge went out and there was a leak in a check valve with one of the holding tanks. The entrance door never lined up properly. The second year was a doozy. I have followed all winterizing recommendations to the T even though in South Carolina is a mild winter climate. I walked into the kitchen one morning to start purging water out of the lines and without touching anything, I looked over at the kitchen sink faucet and it just broke off at the base and fell over! I removed it and took it over to dealer, even though it was out of warranty. The parts guy saw me coming with it in my hand and just turned around and got another one and gave it to me like, here comes another one. Microwave went out shortly after the first year, after about 4 short trips. Commode leaked like yours did and began to stink. Wife called dealership and got a replacement under a recall. Returned from a trip to find valance on rear wall had completely came out of the wall and was in the floor. Reattached it but the slide mechanism will not work. Door to outside ice maker and shower came loose while locked while driving down road. Refrigerator door latch is a pain in the butt and cannot adjust it out so it isn’t hard to open. I got to just taking the latch mechanism off when we got set up and reattaching it before getting back on road. Wife bought a rolling cover for slide out to assure against leaks. The little rain gutter leaks at a joint half way. Have tried to patch it with no success. Had one of the castle rock tires blow out after about three years averaging 2 or 3 trips a year of about 2 or 3 hundred miles one way. Wife said, let’s buy a camper so we can enjoy the great outdoors and camp! We already live out in the country with woods and fields all around us for heaven’s sake! So we go from that to an overcrowded trailer campground! My advice, if you buy one of these economy travel trailers is to give it a really thorough shake down the first year and use it as many times as possible and use all the features each trip. And go on Consumer Reports and do your research on travel trailers.
Par for the course with travel trailers. My dealer is relatively close and I haven’t bothered to take it back - prefer to do stuff myself. My rule is if it’s under $100 bucks it’s not worth the aggravation and having to drop off my unit to sit for who knows how long. The biggest things for me have been the grey water tank valve and replacing some of the outside molding. Both jobs were under $50 in parts and I learned along the way, so no big. Also the usual annoyances like missing and loose screws, and generally sloppy work that I’ve had to address.
I have this same camper pretty much except mine is a 2019 and its the 26dbh model. looks the same though. I have had lots problems with mine as well. I checked on it today and found that the slide is leaking from around the rain gutter rail into the camper and now there is a water mark above the slide near roof. The build quality of these is so poor. The day I picked it up we found issues with water leaks that had to be addressed before leaving the lot. Also had alignment issues with panels and one of the screen doors was over tightened and out of square. Like you the dealer is over 4 hours from me so most of it I would just fix myself. I personally will never buy another one of these but I have found out through forums and friends that all of them no matter what make or model are very poorly constructed. Take care.
Good advice, just walked through a 2021 Forest River toy hauler this week, cheap build, came to the lot an hour before me from FR so they didn’t have time to service, surprised how raw FR sends them to the dealer. Cheap components, thin mattresses, doors & windows out of square. Having said that, was almost 1/2 the $ of competition! Get what you pay for, hard to make a great 4 person toy hauler for $20K, think you do need to be handy if you go the FR route. If you are $ savings makes sense
I've had issues with my 2019 Winnebago Minnie from the get go. First trip, we discovered that the awning leaked where it is joined to the trailer. We took it back to the dealer to fix the awning issue and some interior trim falling off. After two weeks, we got a call notifying us that the problems were corrected. On our second trip out, we discovered the issues still existed. At that point, I decided not to ever return to the dealer for repairs. The outrageous part is that they charge the manufacturer $140 per hour for warranty work. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Two years in, the a/c quit working, awning motor quit working, black tank flush valve quit working, toilet flush valve leak, just to name a few, and all after the warranty expired. It's a good thing that I am very handy and capable of doing these repairs myself. They say boats are holes in the water that you throw money into. I believe RVs are worse.
Thanks, good job explaining my wife and I are just bought a 2021 wolfpup and wanted to know some of the issues we might face. Im definitely going to test the toilet and seal the pop up. I was afraid of hail or storms, but looks like we need to worry about a shit storm forming in the bathroom.
i had the same issues with my slides. i have a 2021 304bh and have replaced the floor in the super slide and bunk house slide. water would run underneath the camper as you have shown. it went though the under belly material and into the wood. had soft sports on all edges. that black poly material is not water tight. a drip edge is a must.
Got out wolf pup 16pf in 2019 new. We haven't had any major issues. Only used it 3 times that year. And only once this year so far. Covid stuff. The things about the slide, I will have my husband check out. And do preventative. There was a couple little water stains around the slide out ceiling. And thank you about the fridge. Same issue with opening in travel. I had to Gerry rig the bathroom door, bench seat pads with the slide-out keeping the door shut. I will check that bolt and adjust it myself. We did have a recall about an electrical issue. That got taken care of. Since we never had a camper in the shop before, we didn't realize it isn't like having a car worked on. We made appointment for the recall and to get inspected. That took 30 days. And they kept it for 2 weeks. Eventhough the recall letter said it was a 15min repair. Despite that, we like our pup. It's a little small. We were new. We do want to upgrade next year . We will know what to look for next camper.
The keyed locks are problem for any RV. BTW: a handful keys of will unlock any RV because they're all sourcing from the same vendor -- even the front door. My dealer recommended I change out all locks if I'm seriously concerned about security. That Dometic toilet is the worst. Several owners had the same problem!
I have wildwood and i know solution to your key problem. 1. Replace entire thing. Or 2. I used a metal hinge lubricant oil and squirt 2 drops. And do that every trip on beginning and end. It works fine now.
It's real lucky for us who are handyman. I have had a number of stupid repairs myself. If you have to return it to the dealership you most likely won't be camping a lot.
Hey Mike, saw you on the AD Bandits channel and follow you now. Good video from the sense to let people know about these problems. im looking for a TT and I took some notes . Thanks for your time. While these problems seemed minor (except the toliet) , when you spend good money on something, you EXPECT something. Which is a decent RV. I believe your spirit is in the right place because you didnt let it rain on your parade...(water pun). Thanks for sharing........
Thanks for watching! I'm glad that you got some information you can use. That was definitely my intention when I made the video, to inform potential buyers.
Thanks for the video. I’m about to replace both slide out floors in my 2018 Cherokee Limited because of the same issue you discovered early on on yours. I will definitely do wat you done when I replace the cheap OSB board that is not rotting because of this.
Oh and I would have thought the slide out frame would have been made out of aluminum tubing but it’s a 2x4 that has been ripped down to 1-1/2” and half ass installed. I don’t know how you can use quality and Forrest River in the same sentence. Quality inspector must have missed work the day mine was built. The insulation in the walls do not fit snug either. Big gaps between the studs. No wonder I freeze in the winter and burn up in the summer. Hopefully after I repair the slide outs I can sell this POS and get something different.
Of course I find this video after I ordered my camper. I have the forest river 306mm coming and I'll definitely take a close look at it before I take it off the lot
@@coltonswindell689 still waiting on Vin numbers dealer promised me I would have Vin 2 weeks ago and that I would have the camper buy July 1 if I put 500 down. still haven't heard from him
I just bought a Cherokee Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L and I appreciate your insights. I have yet to take possession of my unit and your info will definitely help during my pre-inspection. Thanks and Cheers
My Mom and Dad RV’d for 30 years in everything from small trailers to huge diesel motor homes. He said that no matter what they had, he had to work on it 2 hours for every one hour it was on the road.
Sorry to hear about all the problems. We had the same warranty issue with having to take it to St Clairsville, but at least it wasn't that far. Only to find that a 2 year old camper, with a warranty, didn't cover the roof! Also, I pulled it too closely under tree branches and busted the sky light, so I learned how to replace them and do roof repairs as well. The joy of owning a camper I suppose...good luck buddy.
Ours is a Jayco from Stewarts. Overall pretty happy with it. Someone damaged the front window cover so I've been searching for one. Seems difficult to track one down. They are not in the parts catalog for some reason...first world problems I suppose. Enjoy your videos. Thanks.
@@djdaveott Hey Dave! Merry Christmas. Yeah, all the issues I've been having are relatively minor. I actually have fun tinkering with it and doing the maintenance. Keeping the water out is key! When did you get your Jayco? Thanks for watching!
I have a 2017 grey wolf toy hauler we bought new not had any issues only to find some screws were longer than others. Only thing I hate is the front cap fadeing bad, I tried polishing it but nowhere like New. I'm thinking about wrapping the front. I guess we got lucky.
I had a 2020 Cherokee 18MT and had almost all of the same issues. Furrion microwave broke, blind brackets broke, dometic 300 toilet issue and no sealant so water came up in through the wheel wells. Those stupid locks are the worst too! Was happy to trade it in for a Surveyor. It’s much higher quality!
You can change the GFCI in the bathroom to not protect the other outlet. Just change the wiring in the bathroom so that the wires connected to the bottom of the GFCI are connected to the top. You'll see where the back of the GFCI says "LINE" and "LOAD" make sure all wires land on "line"
2020 Cherokee Wolf pup has a recall on a 100% of the 16th Q models. Mine caught fire this past Wednesday, Sure, I'm blood but I never got the recall. You would think they would have certified mail for that. Or the owner has to sign
The purchase contracts on these RVs should state that any replacement item that is purchased and any part fixed by the customer will immediately be reimbursed by the manufacturer. Period. That would put them out of business real fast, and rightfully so, as it's THEIR erroneous builds. Zero excuses acceptable from them regarding staffing problems. Then sell your RV for 75% off. If folks have to dish out more money to repair a NEW RV, then the thing should NOT be expensive in the first place. Is there no quality for expense anymore? We just throw money away over and over. I saw one video today of a couple whose exterior door wouldn't open, and it took six months to get a replacement. On. A. New. RV. All these problems you illustrated are ridiculous. You are handling it amazingly well and the manufacturer should be ashamed of themselves. Thank you for your video. God bless you, and safe travels.
Regarding the microwave. If you ever have another situation like that with a lippert product contact lippert directly. They're really good with their customer service and warranties.
WEll you have other things to worry about. The frames on all Lippert frame units are trash and breaks . You need to inspect the I beams around the area before and all the way down past the tandem axles on that unit. Tire scrub when making turns distort the frame and work harden and break the I beam just 1 inch above the lower Beam flange and shows up as a rusty streak running along the beam at the connection to the cross braces . Also the spring shackles break welds and just break as well . This problem plagues even the very best of them . 5th wheels no matter how much they cost has issues with frames breaking in the cargo bay to goose neck area.
Thanks for the review, makes me rethink wanting a camper from any manufacturer. I'm handy, but don't want to spend my leisure time fixing quality defects. I think it got really bad during Covid when everyone wanted to buy one, and they had to pump them out even faster.
We own a F.R. camper 2021 ,we got an amazing deal on it ,we found alot of little issues as well because of poor workmanship ,but they're small problems we fix are selfs ,still a great deal, Get out and enjoy camping and stop worrying about what might happen you heard from the internet
I'm glad it's not just me. My new Forest River is riddled with stupid QC issues. It's a shame they are allowed to get away with such poor craftsmanship.
You'r very lucky. I've heard worse, such as tung hitch fame bending, slide out motors. Our new trailer, the Domemic Refridgerator coils leaked out. Luckily our warranty had 30 days remaining but still had to leave it 9 weeks at RV Service Center while our camper waited its turn to be looked at. Then a new one ordered and waiting for shipping and installing.
Thanks Mike for the information. I’m considering a used Forest River Grey Wolf travel trailer. This information will be very helpful if I go look at it.
Been dealing with 2nd set of frameless windows coming apart on 2022 18RRBL cherokee grey wolf, Poor workmanship everywhere and they still charge top $$ :/
We purchased a 2019 Rockwood 2902WS and had the same problem with the toilet. Issue resolved with a replacement. I guess they are only replacing when reported and not a recall. Along with the toilet, the TV, fireplace and the kitchen sink simply dropped (problem with glue). We haven’t had a chance to take the camper out due to Covid since everything has been replaced. Praying the new toilet works on our trip next week. Took awhile to get everything replaced due to some places closing due to pandemic but it’s done. We don’t regret purchasing our Rockwood!
We paid 38k cash for our new 2014 28ft towable at Micheal hohl rv.They keep it for a week to get it ready.1st night we are living in it,due to scheduled gutting and remodeling of our in moldy house in Tahoe. We pick her up and hook her up and 2am in the morning we are completely flooded due to a FACTORY plumbing crimp that was not over the fitting and was secured just short of the fitting. 39 cent hose clamp from my local NAPA auto parts.Then after the flood ,I plug in the coffee maker and the entire trailer went dark. Nothing would reset and no outlets would work. Battery lights and sliders are working. Close her up and back the dealer she goes.Three days later,they don't know what happened but the electrician fixed everything and that it's ready.Night 3 we get set back up and my wife is showering.I get a knock on the door and my neighbors say water is poor out the bottom of your trailer .I inspect and the shower pan was Crack around the drain and the plumbing fittings were damaged to.You could see the cracks unless pressed your finger around the drain,so after all this the awning got stuck in the extended position and had to hire someone to help roll it up and then the one side of the suspension collapsed due to hitting very large Sierra potholes on Luther pass.5.2 k for entire suspension rebuild.This Winnebago is a complete LEMON.heater has been replaced and the last time we tested the GFIs they wouldn't come back on .so we never test them as they should.1pop and they are done.We have invested or pissed away and 17 to 22 k in this heap and we bought it NEW.
Bought new 2019 one of new larger showers. Nut on drain not connected. Had 300 dometic toilet leaked. Searching internet realized many problems with them. Contacted dealer over 1 year warranty. Contacted dometic finally send new toilet to dealer. Dometic covered cost of toilet and labor.
Looking at those lug nuts, they remind me of the ones on my Ford F-150 which have a habit of swelling and the lug wrench not fitting them. Might be worth changing all the lug nuts to a better quality. God forbid you need to change a tire in the middle of nowhere and cant remove any lug nuts.
check that the circuit relay under the front of the camper is waterproofed. My Forest River Wildwood rusted out and failed while i was going downhill. Scary not to have brakes.
We’re just about to put a downpayment on our first RV. This video popped up a few times. I’m super glad I did. You did a great job pointing out issues I wouldn’t think to check and best of all the solutions! Thanks for taking your time to do this.
Forest river is on the higher end of rv's, i have a 2002 i bought 6 months old, it has been a fantastic trailer, watch out for these light models they have problems with cracking frame's, some of the regular ones also do, but i think most of it is improper loading and hitch adjustment
I purchased a Forest River Salem in Christiana Tennessee. At A&L campers. One of the worst experiences I've had purchasing something. I would highly recommend staying away from anything that forest River makes. I have looked at a bunch of them and they're all cheaply built. The dealership and the manufacture do not stand behind any warranty. In each will lie to you just straight up.
When you own any RV you better know how to repair things because everything is cheaply made and thrown together. After the first rain I noticed a drop of water from corner of skylight. I ended up cleaning roof near factory sealant and going over every seam with Die Core and no more leak. Also upper inside on slide is installed with 500 staples, first time I secured for a trip with supplied safety clamp cover pulled out and almost fell on floor. I ended up removing all staples and using wood screws and no more problems, much more secure. Next was to fix broken screen door latch that was really flimsy plastic and broke off in my hand. Drilled hole in both broken halves and inserting screw with JB weld and it’s much stronger.
Our Forest River furniture and everywhere the faux leather is worthless. Peeling everywhere and was insured it wouldn't when we were buying it. Tried to put the tape repair on it and all it did was peel the faux off further. Bathroom window fell off.
We are just picking up our new RV tomorrow, I am going to really check over the slide and toilet. Thank you so much for taking the time to help others out 🙏🏻
Just a helpful hint about the “lugnuts” i worked in a tire shop and those types of lugnuts when they get wet the space between the nut and chrome rusts and causes the nut to become larger. You will not be able to use your tire wrench . The solution is to exchange all the nuts for solid chrome. It will save you a big headache!
Great tip!
Ran a tire shop gor years. Thst's exactly what I was going to say.
@@usa91787 i worked for a tire shop for 5 years and fought with those stupid things a lot
@@user-fj6qq2vm7c The worst. They get water back there and then rust and expand.
Especially in saltwater areas and cold like here in MN.
You're stranded if you get a flat and that's the situation.
My Ford Fusion is also like that.
Thanks for the lesson . My ex wife was a service manager at an r.v. sales and service center . She came home everyday with a new story of flaws and deficiency from forest river
The issues are starting to become more frequent and more major than with older models. I found out my refrigerator had recalled only after it started throwing fireballs out the side of the camper. Some things are minor like the time my wife got locked in the bathroom until I returned to let her out . I can live with that.
throwing fireballs and keeping your wife off your back? I dunno about you, but to me man that sounds like it would make for a hell of a great vacation!
😂
Moral of the story, RVers need to be a handyman!!!
lol! Or be willing to become one.
Boy, is that the truth!!!
For sure.
Waiting on delivery of our Cherokee, thank you for the tips!
I've been RVing for 40 years. Several Class A, currently a Toy Hauler. Some units were good ones and some were ok ones. Being handy is a must because @#$% happens. A few breakdowns, and some headaches. I wouldn't change one trip...met many good people, had loads of fun! Be prepared, do your homework, drive safe.
Fellow Forest River ( 2021 Della terra 292mk) owner here ... I had some similar issues & from what you shared in your video it can only help. I'm definitely looking into changing my Toilet. You sound very calm dealing with the issues of your Trailer. Great video 👍🏾
Make sure you check your roof seals around all vents and especially the sky light (if you have one) in the bathroom. They should at least be checked for any cracking or pitting at the beginning and end of every season. RVs are known to rot especially around the sky light in the bathroom.
Do not like the skylight in the bathroom, not necessary!!!
We had the same problem with our Dometic toilet. Had problems with smell that I couldn’t figure out. Watched a RUclips video and found out that a seal was bad on certain toilets. When I contacted Dometic they asked for the serial number. They confirmed that mine fell under the ones that were defective. I upgraded to the porcelain model, but had to pay the difference. I replaced it myself and the new toilet solved the smell problem and it’s a much better toilet than the original one. Agree that it should have been a recall rather than the consumer having to diagnose the problem when they were fully aware it was a problem.
Just the thought stop Shitzkten in your toilet in your TV
I am glad to see this did not burn you on the RV life. I think it is sad that so many Americans have no pride in their craftsmanship any more but for the price that it cost, to have a small apartment now days you can't beat it. Thank you for the video.
Thanks for all the heads up!! Haven't picked it up yet but first time buyer, so videos like these all very helpful. And like you said, once you know you can address these issues. Sorry you had to learn the hard way, but again thanks for sharing your experience. Stay safe!!
We just bought a Wolfpup 16 HE. Beautiful camper, fully loaded. We didn't want a slide. I gave it a good look at the lot and didn't see any obvious issues. I read the reviews and it seemed about 50/50 on the quality rating, some said it was great, some hated it. Most were middle of the road. I was concerned until I looked at reviews of other RV brands and they all seem to have the same hit and miss quality issues, even some higher end brands. So we got the 2022 Wolfpup because it was the best layout and options for us, not to mention we got it for what I consider a great price. We pick it up tuesday and plan on using it that night on the way home. Being my first rv I'm exited but also apprehensive we may have issues. It is a beautiful camper with a pretty great layout for the size. Thanks for the info.
Still loving mine even after the issues I've had. Most are easy to fix. Enjoy your new RV!
How's that wolf pup holding up a few months in? Would love to hear.
@@rockhound7245 We bought it late in the season, took a UP trip, and a couple localish trips. Loved it. I have it in the driveway and have used it a couple times because of company. So far no complaints, other than the soap dispenser was defective and the bathroom doorknob put a tiny ding in the refer door. You can only see it from the bed but a handle style knob would have been a better design their. We did a bit of boondocking. Solar seems to do the job, we have a generator too. It was nice and warm, heater did a good job and didn't seem to run too much. Love the couch too, more comfortable than the one at home. The only real drawback is having to crawl over someone to get out of bed. But we sacrificed a walk around bed for the couch in the length/weight we needed. We may take her down south this winter, depending on friends schedule. The first for sure trip is trout camp (last week of April).
So glad I came across this video, retired and I am try to learn everything I can before purchasing, I am still uncertain about slides, other owners are having to figure out and devise ways to keep water out. Great video.
We have a 2017 Cherokee Grey Wolf BH model. Right at the dealership, we noticed molding pieces kept popping off, and the outdoor kitchen door got wrenched on and wouldn't close properly, thus allowing water to get inside. Before taking ownership, we had the door replaced. Thankfully, no problems with that part of it since. However, we still have little areas of molding strips that were glued on that keep popping off. And the bathroom smells. We do put the RV septic treatments in, like we've done with other models owned previously. I assumed it's just an RV thing, but maybe not(?). Also, the first winter we winterized it, the sewer pipe underneath the RV broke. Turns out that a little water was left trapped in it, so we had to repair it. A way to prevent that from happening in future, was to leave open the end cap after winterization was complete so that no water is left trapped at the end of the pipe. HTH others. We are looking at a possible upgrade as our kids are outgrowing the length of the bunks. Otherwise, it's a beautiful RV and our favorite feature is the Outdoor Kitchen.
Thank you for taking the time to put this out there. I've been looking at the Grey Wolf product and this is very helpful!
Just saw this video and enjoyed it. Bought an RV about 6 months ago, no problems yet. You mentioned an RV place in Wintersville, which caught my attention. I graduated from Wintersville High School and my mom taught first grade at Bantam Ridge for 30+ years. Brought back memories. I visit my cousin in Hopedale once a year. Good video, thanks. John
I bought a Wolfpup black label and if I would have known more about I would have never purchased one. 1. Schwintec motor driven slide. (got stuck and broke a part); thank goodness that I was not in the boonies, I would have been stuck out there. 2. RV are useless in the winter. 3. Winterizing is a pain in the area that goes over the fence last. 4. Do not drink the RV Water.5. Crapping in the toilet is like living over a septic tank.
We purchased a brand new Forest River Salem back in June after waiting 4 months for it to come in and it has many issues. Some small stuff I noticed immediately and some I didnt notice until after using it a few times. A few of the issues: In the shower they drilled the hole to big for the plastic rivet that's suppose to hold it tight to the inner wall so now there is a rivet hanging out of the shower wall that's bowing out 2".. they didn't staple down the linoleum floor under the slide out so it's curling up under there. Broken a/c vents. The filler panels under the kitchen sink were cut to small and I can stick my finger in the gaps at the top of them. Several spots on the floor I can feel shavings under the linoleum which will eventually wear through. I had to go over all the transition strips between the wal and ceiling panels and pop them in because they were loose in many spots. The ceiling in the bunkroom is bowing down and wasn't stapled. The outside power plug housing was screwed down directly over a rib in the siding so the door for it is always a quarter of the way open allowing water in. what they did caulk on the outside is a joke. There is shavings in the caulk over the kitchen window by the exterior door and I had to recaulk everything because nothing was completely sealed, there was huge voids everywhere. The two silver front aluminum panels don't match very good at all especially in the sun light and at the top has a big indent at the top almost like they started screwing it down from the outsides and work towards the center and ended up with a hump that they pushed into an indent and screwed it down.
Apparently they hire a bunch of kids because I noticed on the frame someone wrote "u suck fat boy" with a paint pen. Really!
Hindsight is 20/20, I'll check the next camper over better and it definitely won't be a Forest River product.. Horrible quality control..
I’ve been in a forest river manufacturing plant. I’ve seen first hand. There is no quality control. The work force is 2/3rds Amish, 1/3rd other. All they care about is production rates not quality. That’s bad management/business practices on Forest River. I’ll never buy a new Rv unless I can visit the production floor. I work in Aerospace. If my coworkers and I put out quality like forest river, planes would be falling out of the shy
You would think #1, Forest River would have some kind of quality control checks prior to shipment. #2 the dealer would check these units from front to back in their make ready department prior to delivery. I guess the key is making money and saving money and doing their jobs to ensure quality would required spending money. Very sad. I came here because I was looking closely at buying one of their toy haulers for my new Goldwing. Thanks for sharing. Most helpful! Best of luck and happy camping!
i dont understand how any of these manufactures get away with this.
especially the tires? how are they getting away with putting tires on that are known to fail?
We bought a new grand design reflection fifth wheel last summer. Several trips in and so far rock solid no major issues. Only found two minor issues: Bad outdoor speaker and set screw missing from kitchen faucet (didn’t stop faucet from functioning, but allowed trim piece to slip off sprayer head). I called the dealer, same thing as you: bring it in so we can diagnose it. I said yea no thanks. Called grand design directly and they immediately sent me a whole new kitchen faucet and speaker, no questions asked. I think people need to start skipping the dealer if they are fortunate enough to be dealing with a manufacturer as responsive as grand design seems to be (at least so far). My experience has been that most dealerships are just plain useless / terrible once they make the sale. I’m sure there are some good ones out there but I have yet to find them.
Thank you for the informative video as we purchased a 2019 Cherokee Grey Wolf 22MKSE. Lots of features we like but like you we experienced a plethora of first/second year stuff that was unexpected. Examples: Most of the outside decals are peeling off (not a big deal from a functionality standpoint but dang); Kitchen sink leaked due to what looked like paper drain seals replaced with rubber ones from Lowes - problem solved; Black water flush valve very cheap and was not installed properly, was at an angle and just didn't work as water just drained into the bathroom - replaced with a higher quality valve properly installed - problem solved; Tub drain - just came off and water collected on the underside of the camper eventually just overflowing onto the ground - refit trap and placed a strap around the trap so it would not just come out leaving a bit of room for some flex while in use or driving down the road - also very messy to clean up as all the insulation was ruined; Tires - yep Castle Rock - no bad experiences as I immediately changed them out as I just didn't want to experience a blowout with these tires - just my choice on that one; Outside locks - same issue as you - didn't know about the trick you showed but I replaced with higher quality no universal key locks - works great now.
2nd owner of this 2019 grey wolf rv and since I’m not the original owner, Dometic wouldn’t do anything for me about their horrible 300 series product. Luckily, I purchased a 3 yr warranty for the RV and had the toilet replaced through that (different brand toilet now). I agree that Forest River should have done something about this. Also, when I called Dometic they acted like this toilet issue was something they had never heard of. Not impressed at all by Dometic and will definitely avoid their products going forward.
I was about to buy a 2019 forest river. I see a bunch of them used for sale. This is the third vid I've seen with some of the same issues. Thank you I'm staying away from them
Thanks Mike. I checked out a used 2020 model and I'm grateful I watched this video first. Thank you again.
Sorry to hear of all the issues you had Mike, there is no reason why Forest River lacks Quality Control. We recently purchased a Rockwood, it is hopeful they have gotten there act together. Since they have the Balls to raise the MSRP 30 -40 % for the same crap !
Due to two years of the Covid pandemic, RV Manufacturers are having difficulty hiring experienced craftsman, so the hire on less experienced workers. Also in 2019 when Covid 1st hit the US and government shut us all down for a bit, people started buying travel trailers for short family trip adventures. RV Sale lots sold all the had. Now they are thrown together to catch up with supply and demand. Cost has also increased drastically
Another suggestion I got some flexible is flexible in the can and went around all the things that are exposed to rain on the roof and win around them ie the vents ect. I was assured by flex seal that it works just fine on the tops of trailers In terms of elasticity.
You said you don't want to spend any money you don't have to when talking about the china pop/destination tires. I had, HAD, the same tires. Mine looked brand new and checked them before and after every trip, the whole 3 round trips of 90 miles each. 3rd trip back and a tire blew 10 miles from home. Ripped fender skirt off, tore up siding skirt was attached to, and destroyed the under side of the camper above wheel. Then turning onto our street I had one on the other side blow, luckily with no damage. I decided to spend the $ and upgrades from a 14" wheel to. 15' wheel and 5 new Transeagle ST Radial Premium Trailer Radial Tires-ST225/75R15 225/75/15 225/75-15 124/121L Load Range G LRG 14-Ply BSW Black Side Wall. So for $1000 I have piece of mind that I have tires that are well over rated for our 7880lb camper. Each tire is good for 3587 lbs each. With that said, the rolling resistance has been significantly dropped amd mpg went up from 9.5 to 10.8 mpg.
I have owned several different brands of RV trailers and decided I would get the Forest River Wolf Pup next. I picked it up in Indiana and took it back to my home in Ohio. Then I took it to a local state park for a test run, all OK. 2 months later we went on a long trip to Arizona, New Mexico, sadly while driving through Rte.70 Indiana another driver signaled me that something was hanging from the trailer. Admittedly it was the roughest inter state I had travelled o in many years. But to my shock I found that the half full fresh water tank was dragging along the road. So I disconnected it and threw it in the P/U bed. I called Forst river and many dealers but got very little response. Finally on the way back to Ohio, I called into the manufacturer and they put a new water tank in, 3 weeks ago we took a trip to Big Bend National park. Some more rough roads, I found that one rear light lens has fallen off and the outside vent for the range lid had also fallen off.I still like the concept of the Woolf Pup 16 bhs and have some issues like the sharp corner on the cabinet over the sink, (got scar to remind me AS YOU SAID , ITS A LOT OF TRAILER FOR THE MONEY.
What brands you recommend?
I took care of the sharp corner with a baby bed corner pad that I think I got at wallmart Cheap covers the corner and came in brown to match the color
Ah, the infamous CH751 key.
I bought a new Forest River Ultra Lite in 2013 at a great price at a RV show. Yes, there are many nit picking problems that I had to take care of but the most dangerous one I found was one day I was washing the trailer and I noticed a bolt that holds the trailer wall to the frame kind of dangling loose. The nut had backed off so I tightened it. I then went around the whole trailer and ALL of the nuts on every bolt holding the walls of the trailer to the frame were loose! I ended up double nutting every bolt along with blue Locktite. One bolt was beyond tightening because the head of the bolt is inside the wall with no access unless I rip open the wall.
All first time buyers think this won’t happen to me. Trust me it will, ALL RVs (ALL) are built fast without Quality inspections. It’s all about profit
Within a week of bringing home my 2021 cherokee, I had to remount two frameless windows barely sticking on to their frames and COMPLETELY rebuild the front door (foam core and all). First day having the door open, the plastic face starting forming HUGE bubbles... The styrofoam core they used had melted down in pockets - presumably from the adhesive they used at the factory. I debated taking it to the dealer, but for what? Two months down time and the same shitty “craftsmanship”. This is our third RV, first new one. I expected issues but damn....
Quit buying shit cheap stuff
I don't agree with the comment above but I do believe that it is better to fix things yourself at least you know it will be done properly
Have a new forest River east to west with 30,yes 30 issues,from water leaks to leaky windows,not going to bash anyone yet,will see how it's handled
Great video! Had the same issues with the toilet 🚽 replaced it with a Porcelain and it’s been great ever since. Happy camper 👍🏽
We bought a 2020 Cherokee Grey Wolf new. Lot’s of defects. Some we got covered during the year warranty. Others we are on our own.
The first year, the fridge went out and there was a leak in a check valve with one of the holding tanks. The entrance door never lined up properly.
The second year was a doozy. I have followed all winterizing recommendations to the T even though in South Carolina is a mild winter climate. I walked into the kitchen one morning to start purging water out of the lines and without touching anything, I looked over at the kitchen sink faucet and it just broke off at the base and fell over! I removed it and took it over to dealer, even though it was out of warranty. The parts guy saw me coming with it in my hand and just turned around and got another one and gave it to me like, here comes another one.
Microwave went out shortly after the first year, after about 4 short trips.
Commode leaked like yours did and began to stink. Wife called dealership and got a replacement under a recall.
Returned from a trip to find valance on rear wall had completely came out of the wall and was in the floor. Reattached it but the slide mechanism will not work.
Door to outside ice maker and shower came loose while locked while driving down road.
Refrigerator door latch is a pain in the butt and cannot adjust it out so it isn’t hard to open. I got to just taking the latch mechanism off when we got set up and reattaching it before getting back on road.
Wife bought a rolling cover for slide out to assure against leaks.
The little rain gutter leaks at a joint half way. Have tried to patch it with no success.
Had one of the castle rock tires blow out after about three years averaging 2 or 3 trips a year of about 2 or 3 hundred miles one way.
Wife said, let’s buy a camper so we can enjoy the great outdoors and camp! We already live out in the country with woods and fields all around us for heaven’s sake! So we go from that to an overcrowded trailer campground!
My advice, if you buy one of these economy travel trailers is to give it a really thorough shake down the first year and use it as many times as possible and use all the features each trip.
And go on Consumer Reports and do your research on travel trailers.
Par for the course with travel trailers. My dealer is relatively close and I haven’t bothered to take it back - prefer to do stuff myself. My rule is if it’s under $100 bucks it’s not worth the aggravation and having to drop off my unit to sit for who knows how long. The biggest things for me have been the grey water tank valve and replacing some of the outside molding. Both jobs were under $50 in parts and I learned along the way, so no big. Also the usual annoyances like missing and loose screws, and generally sloppy work that I’ve had to address.
thank you, you just confirmed my viewpoint than NEVER get a slide.
The slide is great now that I fixed the water problem and it was an easy fix
@@MikeOfca The wonder of silicone and caulking.
I have this same camper pretty much except mine is a 2019 and its the 26dbh model. looks the same though. I have had lots problems with mine as well. I checked on it today and found that the slide is leaking from around the rain gutter rail into the camper and now there is a water mark above the slide near roof. The build quality of these is so poor. The day I picked it up we found issues with water leaks that had to be addressed before leaving the lot. Also had alignment issues with panels and one of the screen doors was over tightened and out of square. Like you the dealer is over 4 hours from me so most of it I would just fix myself. I personally will never buy another one of these but I have found out through forums and friends that all of them no matter what make or model are very poorly constructed. Take care.
Good advice, just walked through a 2021 Forest River toy hauler this week, cheap build, came to the lot an hour before me from FR so they didn’t have time to service, surprised how raw FR sends them to the dealer. Cheap components, thin mattresses, doors & windows out of square. Having said that, was almost 1/2 the $ of competition! Get what you pay for, hard to make a great 4 person toy hauler for $20K, think you do need to be handy if you go the FR route. If you are $ savings makes sense
I've had issues with my 2019 Winnebago Minnie from the get go. First trip, we discovered that the awning leaked where it is joined to the trailer. We took it back to the dealer to fix the awning issue and some interior trim falling off. After two weeks, we got a call notifying us that the problems were corrected. On our second trip out, we discovered the issues still existed. At that point, I decided not to ever return to the dealer for repairs. The outrageous part is that they charge the manufacturer $140 per hour for warranty work. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Two years in, the a/c quit working, awning motor quit working, black tank flush valve quit working, toilet flush valve leak, just to name a few, and all after the warranty expired. It's a good thing that I am very handy and capable of doing these repairs myself. They say boats are holes in the water that you throw money into. I believe RVs are worse.
Thanks, good job explaining my wife and I are just bought a 2021 wolfpup and wanted to know some of the issues we might face. Im definitely going to test the toilet and seal the pop up. I was afraid of hail or storms, but looks like we need to worry about a shit storm forming in the bathroom.
i had the same issues with my slides. i have a 2021 304bh and have replaced the floor in the super slide and bunk house slide. water would run underneath the camper as you have shown. it went though the under belly material and into the wood. had soft sports on all edges. that black poly material is not water tight. a drip edge is a must.
Don't feel bad we are full time RVers and we know every RV is defective they all have problems. And good luck with yours and happy camping.
Got out wolf pup 16pf in 2019 new. We haven't had any major issues. Only used it 3 times that year. And only once this year so far. Covid stuff. The things about the slide, I will have my husband check out. And do preventative. There was a couple little water stains around the slide out ceiling. And thank you about the fridge. Same issue with opening in travel. I had to Gerry rig the bathroom door, bench seat pads with the slide-out keeping the door shut. I will check that bolt and adjust it myself. We did have a recall about an electrical issue. That got taken care of. Since we never had a camper in the shop before, we didn't realize it isn't like having a car worked on. We made appointment for the recall and to get inspected. That took 30 days. And they kept it for 2 weeks. Eventhough the recall letter said it was a 15min repair. Despite that, we like our pup. It's a little small. We were new. We do want to upgrade next year . We will know what to look for next camper.
Very reasonable description of your problems and it's just easier to fix it yourself sometimes
American craftsmanship 🤣its legendary.
You must prefer China? Are you delusional? Rhetorical question.
Wow. Sure glad I bought a Lance. I will never buy a Forest River. Never. Thank you for the great video.
The keyed locks are problem for any RV. BTW: a handful keys of will unlock any RV because they're all sourcing from the same vendor -- even the front door. My dealer recommended I change out all locks if I'm seriously concerned about security.
That Dometic toilet is the worst. Several owners had the same problem!
Thanks for the advice, Mike - it is really useful.
Thanks for watching!
I have wildwood and i know solution to your key problem. 1. Replace entire thing. Or 2. I used a metal hinge lubricant oil and squirt 2 drops. And do that every trip on beginning and end. It works fine now.
It's real lucky for us who are handyman. I have had a number of stupid repairs myself. If you have to return it to the dealership you most likely won't be camping a lot.
Hey Mike, saw you on the AD Bandits channel and follow you now. Good video from the sense to let people know about these problems. im looking for a TT and I took some notes . Thanks for your time. While these problems seemed minor (except the toliet) , when you spend good money on something, you EXPECT something. Which is a decent RV. I believe your spirit is in the right place because you didnt let it rain on your parade...(water pun). Thanks for sharing........
Thanks for watching! I'm glad that you got some information you can use. That was definitely my intention when I made the video, to inform potential buyers.
Thanks for the video. I’m about to replace both slide out floors in my 2018 Cherokee Limited because of the same issue you discovered early on on yours. I will definitely do wat you done when I replace the cheap OSB board that is not rotting because of this.
Oh and I would have thought the slide out frame would have been made out of aluminum tubing but it’s a 2x4 that has been ripped down to 1-1/2” and half ass installed. I don’t know how you can use quality and Forrest River in the same sentence. Quality inspector must have missed work the day mine was built. The insulation in the walls do not fit snug either. Big gaps between the studs. No wonder I freeze in the winter and burn up in the summer. Hopefully after I repair the slide outs I can sell this POS and get something different.
Glad I could help
Man I was gonna buy a new or used
Grey Wolf 19SM but I'm seriously reconsidering it now.
What you do? Same here
Of course I find this video after I ordered my camper. I have the forest river 306mm coming and I'll definitely take a close look at it before I take it off the lot
How did it turn out?
@@coltonswindell689 still waiting on Vin numbers dealer promised me I would have Vin 2 weeks ago and that I would have the camper buy July 1 if I put 500 down. still haven't heard from him
@@xcowboyx27xlx80 makes me uncomfortable on purchasing a camper now 🤦🏼♂️
@@coltonswindell689 Hopefully what u want is in stock I'm fussy and what I wanted wasn't so now I wait lol
Extremely helpful!! Great video!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
I just bought a Cherokee Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L and I appreciate your insights. I have yet to take possession of my unit and your info will definitely help during my pre-inspection. Thanks and Cheers
My Mom and Dad RV’d for 30 years in everything from small trailers to huge diesel motor homes. He said that no matter what they had, he had to work on it 2 hours for every one hour it was on the road.
Lubricate your locks, and yes the domestic toilet model 300 has been recalled.
Thank you, just found my leak. This is nasty. Good video,
Sorry to hear about all the problems. We had the same warranty issue with having to take it to St Clairsville, but at least it wasn't that far. Only to find that a 2 year old camper, with a warranty, didn't cover the roof! Also, I pulled it too closely under tree branches and busted the sky light, so I learned how to replace them and do roof repairs as well. The joy of owning a camper I suppose...good luck buddy.
Ours is a Jayco from Stewarts. Overall pretty happy with it. Someone damaged the front window cover so I've been searching for one. Seems difficult to track one down. They are not in the parts catalog for some reason...first world problems I suppose. Enjoy your videos. Thanks.
@@djdaveott Hey Dave! Merry Christmas. Yeah, all the issues I've been having are relatively minor. I actually have fun tinkering with it and doing the maintenance. Keeping the water out is key! When did you get your Jayco? Thanks for watching!
Very informative video. Any suggestions for an upgraded toilet for a 2018 Forest River Grey Wolf? Thank you
I have a 2017 grey wolf toy hauler we bought new not had any issues only to find some screws were longer than others. Only thing I hate is the front cap fadeing bad, I tried polishing it but nowhere like New. I'm thinking about wrapping the front. I guess we got lucky.
I had a 2020 Cherokee 18MT and had almost all of the same issues. Furrion microwave broke, blind brackets broke, dometic 300 toilet issue and no sealant so water came up in through the wheel wells. Those stupid locks are the worst too! Was happy to trade it in for a Surveyor. It’s much higher quality!
Very helpful. Thank you. We just bought a 2021 grey wolf. I am looking forward to using it in May.
You can change the GFCI in the bathroom to not protect the other outlet. Just change the wiring in the bathroom so that the wires connected to the bottom of the GFCI are connected to the top. You'll see where the back of the GFCI says "LINE" and "LOAD" make sure all wires land on "line"
Thanks I bought a 34bhts having some similar issues. Thanks for the great vid
2020 Cherokee Wolf pup has a recall on a 100% of the 16th Q models. Mine caught fire this past Wednesday, Sure, I'm blood but I never got the recall. You would think they would have certified mail for that. Or the owner has to sign
We had the same problem with the toilet! Had to buy a new after our first trip!
The purchase contracts on these RVs should state that any replacement item that is purchased and any part fixed by the customer will immediately be reimbursed by the manufacturer. Period.
That would put them out of business real fast, and rightfully so, as it's THEIR erroneous builds.
Zero excuses acceptable from them regarding staffing problems. Then sell your RV for 75% off. If folks have to dish out more money to repair a NEW RV, then the thing should NOT be expensive in the first place.
Is there no quality for expense anymore?
We just throw money away over and over.
I saw one video today of a couple whose exterior door wouldn't open, and it took six months to get a replacement.
On. A. New. RV.
All these problems you illustrated are ridiculous.
You are handling it amazingly well and the manufacturer should be ashamed of themselves.
Thank you for your video. God bless you, and safe travels.
Regarding the microwave. If you ever have another situation like that with a lippert product contact lippert directly. They're really good with their customer service and warranties.
The gfi outlets are always hooked to the one in the bathroom
WEll you have other things to worry about. The frames on all Lippert frame units are trash and breaks . You need to inspect the I beams around the area before and all the way down past the tandem axles on that unit. Tire scrub when making turns distort the frame and work harden and break the I beam just 1 inch above the lower Beam flange and shows up as a rusty streak running along the beam at the connection to the cross braces . Also the spring shackles break welds and just break as well . This problem plagues even the very best of them . 5th wheels no matter how much they cost has issues with frames breaking in the cargo bay to goose neck area.
Good Information . Thank you for the walk threw on the issues .
I learned a lot before buying one thanks
Thanks for the review, makes me rethink wanting a camper from any manufacturer. I'm handy, but don't want to spend my leisure time fixing quality defects. I think it got really bad during Covid when everyone wanted to buy one, and they had to pump them out even faster.
We own a F.R. camper 2021 ,we got an amazing deal on it ,we found alot of little issues as well because of poor workmanship ,but they're small problems we fix are selfs ,still a great deal, Get out and enjoy camping and stop worrying about what might happen you heard from the internet
I just figured out where the smell and nasty water comes from I just checked it a sure enough that was it. Thank you for this video. Off to Walmart
I'm glad it's not just me. My new Forest River is riddled with stupid QC issues. It's a shame they are allowed to get away with such poor craftsmanship.
You'r very lucky. I've heard worse, such as tung hitch fame bending, slide out motors. Our new trailer, the Domemic Refridgerator coils leaked out. Luckily our warranty had 30 days remaining but still had to leave it 9 weeks at RV Service Center while our camper waited its turn to be looked at. Then a new one ordered and waiting for shipping and installing.
Great video Mike!
So good to hear from another
Thank you!
My trailer toilet doesn’t leak but last supper it took a while to get the smell out of the bathroom after hosing down the entire trap system
Dometic sent a replacement for the leaking 300 toilet with no questions asked last year
When you replace your tires go with higher rated tires.
Thank you for the video. I almost bought a forest River RV today. I think I'll look at something else.
Thanks for sharing. My husband and are looking for our first RV.
Thanks Mike for the information. I’m considering a used Forest River Grey Wolf travel trailer. This information will be very helpful if I go look at it.
Been dealing with 2nd set of frameless windows coming apart on 2022 18RRBL cherokee grey wolf, Poor workmanship everywhere and they still charge top $$ :/
GOOD FEEDBACK !
We purchased a 2019 Rockwood 2902WS and had the same problem with the toilet. Issue resolved with a replacement. I guess they are only replacing when reported and not a recall. Along with the toilet, the TV, fireplace and the kitchen sink simply dropped (problem with glue). We haven’t had a chance to take the camper out due to Covid since everything has been replaced. Praying the new toilet works on our trip next week. Took awhile to get everything replaced due to some places closing due to pandemic but it’s done. We don’t regret purchasing our Rockwood!
We paid 38k cash for our new 2014 28ft towable at Micheal hohl rv.They keep it for a week to get it ready.1st night we are living in it,due to scheduled gutting and remodeling of our in moldy house in Tahoe. We pick her up and hook her up and 2am in the morning we are completely flooded due to a FACTORY plumbing crimp that was not over the fitting and was secured just short of the fitting. 39 cent hose clamp from my local NAPA auto parts.Then after the flood ,I plug in the coffee maker and the entire trailer went dark. Nothing would reset and no outlets would work. Battery lights and sliders are working. Close her up and back the dealer she goes.Three days later,they don't know what happened but the electrician fixed everything and that it's ready.Night 3 we get set back up and my wife is showering.I get a knock on the door and my neighbors say water is poor out the bottom of your trailer .I inspect and the shower pan was Crack around the drain and the plumbing fittings were damaged to.You could see the cracks unless pressed your finger around the drain,so after all this the awning got stuck in the extended position and had to hire someone to help roll it up and then the one side of the suspension collapsed due to hitting very large Sierra potholes on Luther pass.5.2 k for entire suspension rebuild.This Winnebago is a complete LEMON.heater has been replaced and the last time we tested the GFIs they wouldn't come back on .so we never test them as they should.1pop and they are done.We have invested or pissed away and 17 to 22 k in this heap and we bought it NEW.
That is horrible!!
A real shame, so sorry you are having these issues. They should be ashamed.
Thank you for sharing this, it’s very helpful!!
You’re very welcome!
Bought new 2019 one of new larger showers. Nut on drain not connected. Had 300 dometic toilet leaked. Searching internet realized many problems with them. Contacted dealer over 1 year warranty. Contacted dometic finally send new toilet to dealer. Dometic covered cost of toilet and labor.
You can go to any Forest River Dealership
Looking at those lug nuts, they remind me of the ones on my Ford F-150 which have a habit of swelling and the lug wrench not fitting them. Might be worth changing all the lug nuts to a better quality. God forbid you need to change a tire in the middle of nowhere and cant remove any lug nuts.
Just bought the 2022 last week great video
check that the circuit relay under the front of the camper is waterproofed. My Forest River Wildwood rusted out and failed while i was going downhill. Scary not to have brakes.
We’re just about to put a downpayment on our first RV. This video popped up a few times. I’m super glad I did. You did a great job pointing out issues I wouldn’t think to check and best of all the solutions! Thanks for taking your time to do this.
Forest river is on the higher end of rv's, i have a 2002 i bought 6 months old, it has been a fantastic trailer, watch out for these light models they have problems with cracking frame's, some of the regular ones also do, but i think most of it is improper loading and hitch adjustment
Thanks for sharing.
I purchased a Forest River Salem in Christiana Tennessee. At A&L campers. One of the worst experiences I've had purchasing something. I would highly recommend staying away from anything that forest River makes. I have looked at a bunch of them and they're all cheaply built. The dealership and the manufacture do not stand behind any warranty. In each will lie to you just straight up.
When you own any RV you better know how to repair things because everything is cheaply made and thrown together. After the first rain I noticed a drop of water from corner of skylight. I ended up cleaning roof near factory sealant and going over every seam with Die Core and no more leak.
Also upper inside on slide is installed with 500 staples, first time I secured for a trip with supplied safety clamp cover pulled out and almost fell on floor. I ended up removing all staples and using wood screws and no more problems, much more secure. Next was to fix broken screen door latch that was really flimsy plastic and broke off in my hand. Drilled hole in both broken halves and inserting screw with JB weld and it’s much stronger.
Our Forest River furniture and everywhere the faux leather is worthless. Peeling everywhere and was insured it wouldn't when we were buying it. Tried to put the tape repair on it and all it did was peel the faux off further. Bathroom window fell off.