Paint Chipping and Sofa Splitting 10-mos out of warranty

[stervin]

Guess it is bad when u pay so much and have these issues Have sun seeker and after a few issues I am keeping my fingers crossed
Here is contact information for forest river
Customer service will get you in contact with the rep in your area 574 206 7600
Randy Houser 574 522 1583
Andy Thompson 574 522 1747
The last two names I got from past discussion on this forum
Good luck and keep us posted
Steve

Originally Posted by Creativepart

My 3051S Forester has been mostly a joy. Early problems were frustrating but taken care of - eventually - by a dealer that didn't really care.

I purchased my Forester at the end of June, 2015. So, I'm 90-days away from my 2-year anniversary of the purchase. And, now two issues have arissen that are very troublesome and shouldn't be happening at this early stage of the RV's lifespan.

Worst problem is the Full-Body Paint is chipping badly. And that's really bad. It's also the kind of thing that should be addressed by the factory outside of warranty or not.

The second is simpler but nonetheless a manufacturing defect that is out of the norm and impossible to live with the consequences. The middle seam in the sofa bottom cushion is splitting because there was not enough material sown into the seam. It hasn't torn yet, but is sure to do very soon.

I hope to call FR Customer Service about these two things, but don't know whom to call or email. Anybody have any ideas?

Here are some photos of both issues. I included a photo of the whole sofa to show it's in very good condition - and then the seam issue in the middle of the bottom cushion. For the paint issues those are at the back of the coach And there are a couple at the front of the coach:

[BusyRetirees]

Originally Posted by Creativepart

My 3051S Forester has been mostly a joy. Early problems were frustrating but taken care of - eventually - by a dealer that didn't really care.

I purchased my Forester at the end of June, 2015. So, I'm 90-days away from my 2-year anniversary of the purchase. And, now two issues have arissen that are very troublesome and shouldn't be happening at this early stage of the RV's lifespan.

Worst problem is the Full-Body Paint is chipping badly. And that's really bad. It's also the kind of thing that should be addressed by the factory outside of warranty or not.

The second is simpler but nonetheless a manufacturing defect that is out of the norm and impossible to live with the consequences. The middle seam in the sofa bottom cushion is splitting because there was not enough material sown into the seam. It hasn't torn yet, but is sure to do very soon.

I hope to call FR Customer Service about these two things, but don't know whom to call or email. Anybody have any ideas?

Here are some photos of both issues. I included a photo of the whole sofa to show it's in very good condition - and then the seam issue in the middle of the bottom cushion. For the paint issues those are at the back of the coach And there are a couple at the front of the coach:

Did you purchase the 2nd year warranty? If you did, get them to repair it.

[benagi]

Originally Posted by steverkemp

Hi Ben! Long time, no see! My water issue was up front actually. Both the left and right sides where the front cap and fiberglass meet there is a pretty significant gap. I had serious cracks in the sealant. I also noticed when I was up there that the rear left seam (by the ladder) was also pulling apart. I put some Dicor caulking there as well. Is that where you are having water problems?

Looks like my sealant now has a good size crack on the passenger side of the back corner of the roof. Must have happened over the winter. Didn't notice it last year when I winterized and got up on the roof to check for cracks in the sealant.

[Joshua Cavitt]

Those two names are for the diesel division not Forester. Mike Jankowski is the warranty rep for your area.

[JimOneil43]

Originally Posted by BusyRetirees

Did you purchase the 2nd year warranty? If you did, get them to repair it.

There is no 2nd year warranty offered for Motorhomes thru Forest River.

[GL1800Rider]

Originally Posted by JimOneil43

There is no 2nd year warranty offered for Motorhomes thru Forest River.

With the exception of Dynamax that comes with a 2 year warranty.

[Creativepart]

Circling back on this issue.

Forest River responded with the following:

We have reviewed your pictures of the paint issue and seam on the sofa. We are requesting that you take your unit to a Forest River dealer for a quote on the paint and we will see what we can do to assist. As for the sofa, it looks like it could be repaired by an upholstery shop but unfortunately we will not be able to assist with this due to the time your unit has been out of warranty. I have listed a couple of your closest Forest River dealers below. We look forward to hearing from you on the paint estimate. Thank you!

In other words, not much help. My dealer want's a whole month to get me in for the estimate. Dealer's are worthless.

Fleetwood Motorhomes (REV Group) has built out factory service centers in 4 locations around the country and you can bring your RV in for FACTORY repairs at each service center. The folks I know that have used it rave about how fast, complete and correct the repairs they do at these centers has been.

We may give up on Forest River and change RVs. It's a shame, but it is what it is. There's a Fleetwood Service Center just 180 miles from our house.

[Steeljag]

Wow.....a month out just for an estimate seems CRAZY !

[KJcachers]

Originally Posted by Steeljag

Wow.....a month out just for an estimate seems CRAZY !

Not crazy. I'm dropping mine off next week for a defective slide and I called 2 months ago. Couldn't find anybody nearby that had an opening until then. Dealers are too busy fixing issues that should never leave the factory and clogging up the service bays with "warranty" work. BTW, my slide issue happened 3 months out of factory warranty, good thing I bought the extended service contract.

[dmersereau]

Originally Posted by Joshua Cavitt

Whether it is on a Class A DP or a Class C E-450 if you paint over a caulked area at some point there will be chipping because caulk will flex and paint does not.

This doesn't mean it is acceptable and it is something we are working on.

It seams (pun intended) that the units should be painted before the caulking is done.

[rapiniii]

Chipping paint is just normal. Door hinge, first weekend. Any and all compartment hinges. Just get the touch-up paint out. Speaking from experience, not begin a smart ass. If you didn't get any touch-paint, a trip to an auto body paint shop(Sherwin-Williams) with your water heater cover will get a get you the colors you need.

[SidecarFlip]

Lets see, it'sd 22 months old. Time for a new one.........

[Creativepart]

I'm back again with more developments on these two issues.

First, the sofa. So, we took the RV on a 2-week trip with the sofa covered with a blanket. When we got home and removed the blanket the tear was now 5" long and so 5X worse than before.

I found a tag on the sofa with the company name, product number etc. Looking at their website I found that they offer a 2-year warranty on their products. So, I sent photos and they are sending me a replacement bottom cushion cover. I guess I'll have to take it to an upholsterer to have it replaced. But at least it's covered. My two years expire... tomorrow June 26th. Got lucky on that one.

Here's a valid question - if the sofa had a 2-year warranty why didn't Forest River honor or at least TELL ME about this? All they said was I was on my own to get it fixed.

I have touch up paint but all of it is dried out and hard as a rock. I got Herr Custom Paint to fax me the paint formulas and found a local auto body paint supplier (English Color - they have branches all over the country) to make me a 1/2 pint of each. I plan to give manual touch up a try to see if it's something I can do myself.

All in all I'm not a very happy camper and won't be recommending Forest River to people that inquire about our RV.

I plan to get these two areas fixed, then uninstall all of the mods I've made for WiFi and Cellular Boosting and then put the RV on the market. We're shopping for a new RV as we speak. Forest River is not on our list of options.

[KJcachers]

You're just going to go from the devil you know to the devil you don't know. They are all the same. The best you can hope for is a dealer that will be your advocate with the brand and be helpful in getting issues resolved as they come up. Upgrading ever 2 years to stay under some sort of warranty can get expensive!

[KJcachers]

Originally Posted by KJcachers

Not crazy. I'm dropping mine off next week for a defective slide and I called 2 months ago. Couldn't find anybody nearby that had an opening until then. Dealers are too busy fixing issues that should never leave the factory and clogging up the service bays with "warranty" work. BTW, my slide issue happened 3 months out of factory warranty, good thing I bought the extended service contract.

Btw, my slide issue was resolved by removing power to the controller overnight with the battery disconnect switch. My bad batteries affected the controller so a hard reset fixed everything. Had the dealer check it anyway and all was good but they cleaned and lubed it for me and it now works like butter!

[Creativepart]

Originally Posted by KJcachers

You're just going to go from the devil you know to the devil you don't know. They are all the same. The best you can hope for is a dealer that will be your advocate with the brand and be helpful in getting issues resolved as they come up. Upgrading ever 2 years to stay under some sort of warranty can get expensive!

Oh yes, I know. We shopping not out of disgust - we're moving up to a Class A. But we won't consider a FR because of our experience - with both the brand and the dealerships.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Wow! Creativepart, sorry I didn't see this earlier! As you know, I bought around the same time as you. I have some chipping along the rear seam also, but have been able to keep it under control cosmetically by using the touchup paints. I believe the coach flexing and twisting may be the cause of the chipping. Therefore, repainting the chipping will only be cosmetic and last a short time. Which full body paint did you get and can you post the color formula?
My sofa had a similar defect in stitching shortly after delivery, but was able to get it replaced under warranty. The faux leather is thin and constant stress along the seams will definitely wear. For that reason, the DW has placed a small blanket over the seat as or dog's bed occupies a third of the sofa. Don't want to look underneath the blanket as we may have the same issue. But this really doesn't address stress on the seams as you well know. Glad to hear the sofa manufacturer sent you a new seat cover. Was that Williams Furniture?
Otherwise, how have you been?

[Creativepart]

Hey Sage, yep it was Williamsburg Furniture. I haven't received the cover yet. They said 10 days to 2-weeks. They had to make it for me.

We've had to cut our trips short this fall. I'm selling my business and it's taking a lot of time and... lawyers and CPAs, etc.

We have a month-long trip planned for the day after Labor Day. Heading up to Durango area for the month of Sept.

With the biz sale we're rewarding ourselves with a new Class A - Still a F53 chassis but a big one with a bath and a half, king bed, etc. We're pretty set on the rig we plan to buy, but I'm staying flexible and have a list of 3 alternatives.

I'm thinking we'll trade the Forester in. I know we'll loose lots on that deal but we're anxious to move from one unit to the new unit quickly. I'll no doubt list my Forester as soon as the biz deal is done, but we don't want to wait so it depends on how quickly it would sell.

We'd like to have the new Class A, and a couple of shake down trips completed before the big trip in Sept.

I'll be technically retired after the sale, but the buyer has demanded a one-year consultancy from me. So, I'll still be "working" just a lot less. I've been self-employed for 30 years this September. I'm ready to stop.

You got any big trips planned?

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Creativepart

Hey Sage, yep it was Williamsburg Furniture. I haven't received the cover yet. They said 10 days to 2-weeks. They had to make it for me.

We've had to cut our trips short this fall. I'm selling my business and it's taking a lot of time and... lawyers and CPAs, etc.

We have a month-long trip planned for the day after Labor Day. Heading up to Durango area for the month of Sept.

With the biz sale we're rewarding ourselves with a new Class A - Still a F53 chassis but a big one with a bath and a half, king bed, etc. We're pretty set on the rig we plan to buy, but I'm staying flexible and have a list of 3 alternatives.

I'm thinking we'll trade the Forester in. I know we'll loose lots on that deal but we're anxious to move from one unit to the new unit quickly. I'll no doubt list my Forester as soon as the biz deal is done, but we don't want to wait so it depends on how quickly it would sell.

We'd like to have the new Class A, and a couple of shake down trips completed before the big trip in Sept.

I'll be technically retired after the sale, but the buyer has demanded a one-year consultancy from me. So, I'll still be "working" just a lot less. I've been self-employed for 30 years this September. I'm ready to stop.

You got any big trips planned?

Did you deal direct with Williamsburg furniture? What brand Class A? We are looking too. I had pretty good success with my old Winnebago class C but haven't found a floor plan we like within out length restrictions in any brands.
Good Luck!

[Creativepart]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

Did you deal direct with Williamsburg furniture? What brand Class A? We are looking too. I had pretty good success with my old Winnebago class C but haven't found a floor plan we like within out length restrictions in any brands.
Good Luck!

On the list are
1. Winnebago Adventurer 37F (aka Itasca Suncruiser)
2. Fleetwood Bounder 35K (aka Holiday Rambler Vacationer)
3. Tiffin Open Road 36LA
4. Newmar Canyon Star 3710

This is pretty much in order of preference. They are all a bit longer than I'd like (35' to 37'). But my wife loves the bath and a half layout.

Yes, I dealt directly with Williamsburg. Forest River gave me the old "it's too far out of warranty" excuse. Of course, the sofa has a 2-year warranty that they neglected to mention to me.