Positive: Forest River Spoiled Me

[hughd033]

As stated in several of these responses the RV industry as a whole is lacking in quality and quality control. They should look at their warranty expense account sometime I imagine it is quite a bit on the steep side but I am sure that a sizable mark up on sales doesn’t hurt either and makes up for it. Anyway to topic I have owned several RVs over the years from pop ups to fifthwheels made by several different manufactures and by far the Forrest River products had the fewest issues. That is until our latest purchase of a 2018 Berkshire class A. Purchased new in late August and as of right now has been at dealer a little over two months of that time. I have seen issues on our coach that you have thought should have been caught via a final build walk through and operational run check. I mean simple issues like wall panels that are building out. On top of all this we are on recall number three for safety issues of which only able to get one fixed thus far. At over 3 dollars a gallon for diesel I would rather be spending that cost enjoying my unit instead of to the dealer or shop. With all this said I again state the industry as a whole has a quality problem and needs to do a check on themselves. I am not one for more big brother intervention but this is an industry that could use some intervention and I will also state that if they put quality first their profits would also increase.

[tjwdj]

FR is Coachmen is FR...they are bottom of the barrel. Their customer treatment at the corporate level is disgusting. They place a non-customer service oriented person in the position for a reason. I would never recommend this company to anyone for any reason. Their products are cheaply made, lack any form of quality or craftsmanship and it's fairly obvious that their line personnel could care less about the work they perform. I wish you could the see the $60,000 lemon my husband and I purchased in 2012. We were suckers from the get go. Never again.

[tjwdj]

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[rp53]

Originally Posted by tjwdj

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Sounds like a TROLL to me
My experiences with FR have been the exact opposite

[tjwdj]

'Fraid not. Just spreading the pain around. Not everyone is so easily 'spoiled'. Working hard for my money, would like to get what I pay for, not a beast of burden.

[n-e-d]

Sorry tjwdj that your Coachmen disappointed you. My $60K Sunseeker MH has been worth every penny we have put into it.Mark me as spoiled

[Martsing]

We are also very happy with our Rockwood. It's a 2703WS and we are coming into our 3rd year. Of course we have had some relatively minor issues and made a lot of mods. After every trip (and sometimes during the trip) I take care of small issues (loose trim, latches loose, blown fuse, etc etc). I think taking care of these things as soon as possible and not letting them accumulate is a key to happy camping. I also use rustoleum liberally to stay ahead of rust, repack bearings, etc and generally do as preventative maintenance as I can.

It isn't indestructible. It goes through a major earthquake every tine we travel so I expect some things to happen and am prepared to make minor repairs on the road. I have had excellent experiences calling FR for items to be replaced (window latches, an outside speaker, a cabinet door, a water pump (as a spare) etc) under warranty and then outside warranty when it expired.

We love this unit and would have no qualms about going the Rockwood route again.

Marty

[RACarvalho]

Never had other brand than Rockwood so I can't comment on other brands but we were so happy with our first camper (a Roo 23IKSS) that when it came to choose another one we limited ourselves to Rockwood.
Our 23IKSS we took delivery in April 2016, had two short weekend outings before our July 2016 big trip, two weeks, 4400 miles roundtrip from Indiana to Las Vegas and back and the camper performed really well, even with 9 (!) people on it.
We then got a 2909WS that we bought on October 2017 and the first trip was all the way from Indiana to South Padre Island, TX.
Again, no major problems.
This latest one arrived at the dealer on a Wednesday and we took possession on the following Saturday so not too much time to fix what could potentially be wrong.
I don't recommend doing this (going out far with brand new camper) and I need to disclose that we have a really good dealer which I think is as important as the brand you choose in order to reduce/eliminate the number of issues.
That being said, no brand is without problems and both units we had/have had minor issues that I could fix myself.

[Ridgekid]

Originally Posted by Martsing

We are also very happy with our Rockwood. It's a 2703WS and we are coming into our 3rd year. Of course we have had some relatively minor issues and made a lot of mods. After every trip (and sometimes during the trip) I take care of small issues (loose trim, latches loose, blown fuse, etc etc). I think taking care of these things as soon as possible and not letting them accumulate is a key to happy camping. I also use rustoleum liberally to stay ahead of rust, repack bearings, etc and generally do as preventative maintenance as I can.

It isn't indestructible. It goes through a major earthquake every tine we travel so I expect some things to happen and am prepared to make minor repairs on the road. I have had excellent experiences calling FR for items to be replaced (window latches, an outside speaker, a cabinet door, a water pump (as a spare) etc) under warranty and then outside warranty when it expired.

We love this unit and would have no qualms about going the Rockwood route again.

Marty

Hi Marty-
Thanks for the great info!
Our 2019 E-Pro is scheduled for delivery in late January and we are excited!
May I ask where on the rig you are using the rustoleum?
Thanks!

[Martsing]

Originally Posted by Ridgekid

Hi Marty-
Thanks for the great info!
Our 2019 E-Pro is scheduled for delivery in late January and we are excited!
May I ask where on the rig you are using the rustoleum?
Thanks!

I use black Rustoleum on the exposed frame areas and the hitch areas. Under the tanks. Really any place I see rust starting, I do a quick sanding and spray it down. Not a major job just every once in awhile.

Marty

[Npmathis]

I have to give FR a good recommendation, too. Since 19o8, one Rockwood tt, a Flagstaff 5th wheel, and now a Micro Lite 21DS. Minor issues, but we have enjoyed all three.

[Npmathis]

Originally Posted by Npmathis

I have to give FR a good recommendation, too. Since 19o8, one Rockwood tt, a Flagstaff 5th wheel, and now a Micro Lite 21DS. Minor issues, but we have enjoyed all three.

That would be 1998 ... not 1908 ... haha!

[Chief Lou]

Like several others, I bought a MicroLite 21DS ordered the way we wanted it and now, after a year, have nothing but praise for the rig!
We haven’t had any problems at all! Everything worked as expected and no repairs to anything. We have made several small mods to personal taste but nothing major.
I have, and will continue, to recommend FR to my friends and acquaintances. I have yet to find another FR owner in any of the campgrounds we’ve been in who have had any major problems.

[hack522]

Originally Posted by Chief Lou

Like several others, I bought a MicroLite 21DS ordered the way we wanted it and now, after a year, have nothing but praise for the rig!
We haven’t had any problems at all! Everything worked as expected and no repairs to anything. We have made several small mods to personal taste but nothing major.
I have, and will continue, to recommend FR to my friends and acquaintances. I have yet to find another FR owner in any of the campgrounds we’ve been in who have had any major problems.

So are you able to customize these units? Never heard of it but makes sense.

[AbdRahim]

With TT's I agree. My FR TT only had a few minor issues which I was fortunate enough to have the dealer address immediately. When I moved up to a MH, that was a different story, quite a few issue, some major. I will say that FR stepped up to the plate and put a lot of time money and effort into addressing all of the issues with 98% success. For that I am greatly appreciative. I have no experience with Coachman as my dealer will not deal with them, but unfortunately, Coachman now is the only affordable GTS style class C in the FR line. I don't think I would ever buy the standard C format.

That said, I think a new purchase from any manufacturer, would warrant the expectation that the first year or two may be replete with issues to address. If not, you would be one of the lucky ones. That is just kind of the way it is. And with any RV, be prepared to constantly adjust and/or fix things. It seems to be part of the experience.

I wish I could afford a Prevost and a private mechanic that I could fly to wherever I am an say fix this. Maybe not![emoji591][emoji3]

[bocallaghan]

It seems lots of people have good review of FR. I feel like I’ve had lots of issues that I hope is done less than a year into ownership. We purchased our 2019 Forest River 379 FLOK in June 2018. Although we do love this unit we have had some issues with the unit. AC quit working the first week we took the unit out here in Texas. Needless to say we purchased a portable unit to hold us over until it was fixed. We used a mobile mechanic because we didn’t want to tow it 90 miles to sit for months waiting to be fixed. I’ve heard repairs at dealerships take forever. Maybe not the best idea because it’s March 2019 and it’s finally working perfect as of last week. He tried numerous things to get it working correctly. Shower latches are held in by a small Alan screw and have fallen off several times. Black water tank handle froze in place and we couldn’t dump that tank. I cut a hole in the bottom of the shroud and now dump it manually until I can get our mechanic out here. Check out the locks on your doors because our back one will not lock until I cut a hole in the threshold to allow the lock to engage. I’m not sure who screwed down the floors before they laid down the laminate and carpet but we have 2 screws that have backed out of the wood and you don’t want to step on them. Wiring for the tv was not hooked up correctly and we had to rerun wires to make it work. Our conex DVD player will not work, still waiting for that to be repaired. The main door step pulls down and the hydraulic arm sheared the pin one day leaving us to have to keep the steps out for a few months till that part came in. Ordering repair parts is a nightmare. I didn’t latch the propane tank door down securely on our maiden voyage and my bumper chewed it to pieces. Totally my fault but It took 3 months to get the door in. Don’t try to write forest river, they will not sell direct to you and eventually quit responding to me. So with all that being said, we still love the unit. It’s frustrating but we really enjoy using this unit. We do not tow it and keep it in a long term park that we visit on weekends barring bad weather for fishing. Thus there’s not much wear and tear on it for the issues we’ve had. I really enjoy the space, king size bed, large storage areas and the heated recliners. This was our first RV so we really should done a better job on the walk thru to clear up some of the smaller issues. Don’t let them rush you out the door before you purchase it. Have fun and good luck. Keep your fingers crossed our issues stop. 😂

[tjwdj]

Lets just say I'm not surprised. I realize that all RV manufacturer's are, well, less than great to work with. Although I did have more successes with Thor. Anyways, no more FR for me. I'm about to sink ANOTHER $4000 into a leaking slide that has been on-going since 2013. This particular Brookstone Diamond is a hunk of coal! (NEW 2012 FL385) The entire adventure has been a complete failure; dealer closed 12 months after purchasing, FR's Customer Service idiot out west was, well, an idiot. The kitchen floor has NEVER been right. We were told it was giving due to the duct work, interior walls have bowed out in several places, Interior trim around the slides has been separating from from the slide wall since we bought it. Oh, and NONE of the heat vent covers fit correctly, including the screws popping out...OUCH! So, at this stage of the tragedy, all I can do is keeping shelling out the dough. I truly believe this unit was a reject from the beginning, the dealer was going out of business and we, sadly and unknowingly, stepped right in it. Stinks. Good luck to you. You're going to need lots.

[harpman0824]

2013 RESS 831
6 years old and falling apart...had to replace microwave after 5 years..kitchen faucet after 3 years..all 4 tires after 3 years..just got back from Florida here's my pics of damage from bad pot holes..these RV's are not built for traveling ... sorry...didn't get a pic of my blinds falling off..right now I have 3M tape holding them up