More problems

[oldkeywest91]

Originally Posted by tnbendr

So I talked with Mike at FR and he told me where the controller was, since there is no documentation on its location. The manual override function and no manual tells you where it is? I locate it cause its not really where they think it is and I go in on my back to read the instructions on the cover and the crazy thing is mounted backwards so you can't read it, so I removed it and turned it around. I pushed the reset button 6 times and on the 7th hold it till the LEDS blink as it says to do. Went back inside and the slide opened. Now that it is open, I sure hope it closes before we leave.

seeing how we have the same coach,where did you find the controller just uncase I run into the same problem

[tnbendr]

Originally Posted by Phil57

Hope it was just a hiccup and you won't have further issue with it. Where is the control box?

For you to oldkey,
Our cargo bays sit between a fwd and aft bulkheads. Mike told me it was mounted on the overhead (the bottom of the floor) between the FL frames close to the aft bulkhead. Mine was mounted well fwd of the bulkhead on the outside of the frame, left side accessible from the aft cargo door. So if you get in on your back, your looking right at it.
Good news is it closed this afternoon, so we were able to get on the road. But bad news is, when we arrived at destination late tonight, it would not open again.
As far as any code the controller displayed after I did the override, I don't know, didn't think to look. If I try the the override again tomorrow, I will look.

[harderd]

Originally Posted by Mmnsc

In all fairness to Forest River these motorhomes are a conglomeration of out-sourced parts ( eg Freightliner, Domectic, Thetford, Lippert, Equalizer, Carefree of Colorado etc) are all used by most nanufacturers of motorhome. I can tell you that every issue I had with my Berkshire has been a result of a component failure. I have a friend that has a 2014 Dutch Star and it has been back the factory twice for major repairs. Maybe the finish quality is not as good in a Berkshire but you cannot beat the price point and the extent the company goes to help you out. What other company offers the benefits received at the International Rally???


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

FR is responsible for their suppliers. They should inspect the quality upon delivery. They should also have a system for monitoring suppliers and acting accordingly. I worked in manufacturing for 38 years, the last 8 supplier quality and incoming inspection was part of my duties.

We would never have kept such poor suppliers. When a supplier started sending us junk, steps were taken. The supplier was put on notice. Teleconferences on how to improve and then a thorough audit at their facilities. All non-conformance had to have root cause and corrective action in a very short time frame. A follow up visit then to confirm CAs were actually complete.

If poor quality continued the supplier was discontinued. Sorry but this is all on FR (all RV manufactures). They should handle their suppliers.

[oldkeywest91]

Thanks tnbendr I well give it a look this morning.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by harderd

...We would never have kept such poor suppliers. When a supplier started sending us junk, steps were taken. The supplier was put on notice. Teleconferences on how to improve and then a thorough audit at their facilities. All non-conformance had to have root cause and corrective action in a very short time frame. A follow up visit then to confirm CAs were actually complete.

If poor quality continued the supplier was discontinued. Sorry but this is all on FR (all RV manufactures). They should handle their suppliers.

We had the same system at Lockheed. I was the lead on the auditing team that went to the suppliers. It would take 3 of us at least 40-50 hours to do the audit. We also performed audits on their measuring devices for compliance to the Mil Std.

[lefaivre]

Mmnsc

This may be the case but it is still not an excuse. If for instance Lippert continues to produce a step motor that fails ..
I personally am on my fourth, why does FR not force a change. Either pressure Lippert to make a design change or look for an alternate supplier. I used to work in the oil industry and this type of thing is not tolerated.

[lefaivre]

The reality is ... FR has the base of a very good rv. If the listened to the TV owners and worked to correct the faults that we are all very good at finding, the Berk could become an industry leader. They have obviously not jumped on the 1990s continuous improvement business model that has become the buzz phase in my industry

[ResQfrog]

Part of the problem is companies like Lippert have purchased their competitors and merged there products into one company. This leaves very few companies for Forest River to choose from. The patients that Lippert holds makes it hard for someone to develop a competitive product.

[ColoradoRick]

Originally Posted by harderd

FR is responsible for their suppliers. They should inspect the quality upon delivery. They should also have a system for monitoring suppliers and acting accordingly. I worked in manufacturing for 38 years, the last 8 supplier quality and incoming inspection was part of my duties.

We would never have kept such poor suppliers. When a supplier started sending us junk, steps were taken. The supplier was put on notice. Teleconferences on how to improve and then a thorough audit at their facilities. All non-conformance had to have root cause and corrective action in a very short time frame. A follow up visit then to confirm CAs were actually complete.

If poor quality continued the supplier was discontinued. Sorry but this is all on FR (all RV manufactures). They should handle their suppliers.

I totally agree! You'd never see Toyota buying substandard parts for their vehicles. (My friend is on the quality team in San Antonio and he tells me how fussy Toyota is with the sheetmetal that they get in...they inspect it as soon as it pulls in and return more than you'd imagine...if a supplier continues to send them substandard stuff they get replaced real quick.)

In all fairness, however, it is a daunting task to ensure everything in a motor home is perfect. After all, you have an entire house inside a much smaller box AND it's all mounted on a metal frame with wheels.

I advise potential RV buyers to really do their homework before plunking down so much money and don't be afraid to become a handy-man/woman after you buy one because things WILL malfunction and break and often when you're 150 miles from Home Depot!

[boowho]

Somebody mentioned earlier, and I will +1 it, that FR (and other manufacturers) may not have much of a choice as to their suppliers. There just aren't THAT many suppliers to choose from, it seems.

Also, FR (and others) would tend to go with the "low bidder" as much as possible. For example, my original basement slide out tray was made by EZ-Glide. It's a piece of crap. I almost get a hernia every time I have to pull it out.

When I added a second tray and bought a Mor-Stor. Quality like night and day. One of these days I'm going to replace the "tuff glide" with another Mor-Stor.

Boowho??

[boowho]

Originally Posted by ColoradoRick

After all, you have an entire house inside a much smaller box AND it's all mounted on a metal frame with wheels.

Like an earth quake on wheels??

Boowho??

[lefaivre]

Like I said before ... although we have had our share if issues. I would most certainly purchase an other Berk and have recommended them to other. I do not think that an thing else compares at the Berk price point.

[silver]

I have have had very little problems with the work Forest River has done and their support is great but as others have stated they are responsible for their suppliers. Where I worked even when a part was sole source when we had a quality issue we set up convective action activity with that supplier. It could be as simple as weekly telecom circumferences discussing the problem and how it was being corrected to design assistance.

If all the RV manufactures held their suppliers to a higher standard, not just Forest River many problems would begin to disappear. I do not think we will see this however due to the cost. The consumer will just not pay for it. So we are left with working the bugs out on delivery. Thankfully I have gotten good units in the past.