Murphy bed.

[Petemoss]

My warrenty is going to run out before i get my unit back, due to the factory sending the wrong part for the MURPHY bed. Two months now in dealership shop. Just a fair warning to 24M prospective and present owners. Legal will be my next stop if part isnt expedited.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by Petemoss

My warrenty is going to run out before i get my unit back, due to the factory sending the wrong part for the MURPHY bed. Two months now in dealership shop. Just a fair warning to 24M prospective and present owners. Legal will be my next stop if part isnt expedited.

Call FR and talk to Amy ? Not sure of the name, but she has been mentioned several times here. I'm sure FR will fix it without cost. So far, I'm impressed with their customer service with out of warranty issues.

[sjudd]

I too have had nothing but problems with my murphy bed. It has been in the shop 5 times so far - they have adjusted it, repaired it, and even re-built it, all to no avail - it is worse now than when I first took it in. I must admit, however, that Forest River and the mechnic have been great bto deal with - told me that they would fix it regardless of cost and time. The problem is that I am without my RV for an extended amount of time and it is still not fixed. This is very frustrating to say the least, and I am thinking of "giving" it back to dealer, trading it in, or commencing legal action.

[Marque74]

What type of problems? We just took delivery on our 2013 MS so far so good have only used the bed three times but I noticed it seems to slow down or I should say jump down about a quarter of the way down. It makes a clicking noise for about 20 seconds is this normal? After this it is smooth. It only does this when lowering. I don't remember it doing that in the walk thru. Thanks for feed back.

[bclemens]

April is her name.

Petemoss, as long as the issues are noted in the file, in my experience they will continue to take care of it until it is fixed. So if it was an ongoing problem and the warranty runs out, they do not leave you high and dry.

[butch50]

Hey Brian, a question for you on warranty, When I purchased my Cedar Creek 5th wheel in 2003 there was a little unknow feature that you could extend your warranty for a second year for a $100 at that time. Does Forest River still do this or is it a thing of the past. Needless to say for $100 I extended my factory warranty.

Thanks,

Butch

[bclemens]

There "was" and still is a 2nd year option on trailers. $150 though.

Not available for motorhomes. We have pushed for it at this division, but there is another motorhome division (that shall remain nameless) that is pushing against it. Supposedly we can't offer it unless they can offer it and they refuse to offer it. We shall see.

[sjudd]

Clicking is not normal. I suggest you take back to the dealer and have it duly noted so it will be covered by warranty.

[Petemoss]

Originally Posted by Marque74

What type of problems? We just took delivery on our 2013 MS so far so good have only used the bed three times but I noticed it seems to slow down or I should say jump down about a quarter of the way down. It makes a clicking noise for about 20 seconds is this normal? After this it is smooth. It only does this when lowering. I don't remember it doing that in the walk thru. Thanks for feed back.

Marque, the clicking is the same symptom as mine . My m24 made the noise from the beginning so I thought it was a normal function.
I don't understand why FR knowingly sells a defective product. IMO they are preying on ignorance. My obligations,continue monthly but I'm not in possession of what I am paying for. Its been in the shopTwo months the 4th of August, have canceled three trips, time lost.
Sorry to vent but this is my experience.

[bclemens]

I understand and sympathize with your frustration but...

FR does not knowingly sell a defective product. We tested that murphy bed in a mock up room and ran that bed up and down hundreds of times. It worked flawlessly. When it is installed correctly you'll find (as others have) it works great. When things get out of alignment, yes there can be issues. Hopefully they can get yours back to working condition...but trust me the LAST thing we want is defective product on the market.

We're also not preying on ignorance. I am here on this forum daily to educate our buyers. If we were preying on ignorance we would build a bunch of stuff and ignore everyone until they went away.

Just this division alone, builds well over 2,000 Class C's a year. (16 a day currently). It is our GOAL to build a unit that NEVER, EVER breaks down. That would be perfect in our minds. We also want to build a product that is affordable and is a very good value. To do this...we sometimes rely on suppliers for some parts and sometimes those parts do not always work perfectly. We still try and do everything in our power to make it right.

Trust me...I understand your frustration. No one wants to be the one with issues, but we don't do any of this on purpose. No manufacturer is immune.

[elob_tx]

We have had two failures of my Murphy bed mechanicals on my 2012 Solera 24MS. The first failure happened a couple of weeks into a 4 month road trip to and from Canada and Alaska. Outside the east entrance of Glacier National Park the bed failed in the down position on June 9th.

Coachnet sent someone out that had to travel 150 miles each way to get to us. The problems found were a plastic stops had broken and fell to the bottom and the plastic inserts that ride in the aluminum track that keep the motor assembly from rocking up and down during operation had broken and fell into the bottom of the recess where the mattress goes. The mattress platform had also slipped off the pivot roller on one side because the mattress platform had not been centered properly over the rollers. Washers were used to shim the rollers about 1/4" on each side and the screws on the hinge was repositioned so the platform was centered over the rollers. The aluminum rails had some damage to the teeth so everything was a little noisy during operation but we were at least able to use the bed.

I contacted our RV dealer in San Antonio and they gave me a contact number at Forest River. We called on Monday and left a message. Didn't get a reply for a day or so, and then finally heard from a representative who tried to assist us. While we waited to hear from Forest River we had contacted Lippert Components and talked to a customer service representative. We sent photos to her and I believe that she forwarded them on to Forest River because they had seen the photos when they finally called us back. We explained our travel situation to the Forest River rep and she called us and gave us some possible repair places in the Calgary, Alberta area. After we called and called different places it became apparent that no one in the Calgary area would be able to help us. We even stayed a couple of days longer to call and check other options but to no avail. So we called Forest River back and decided to try further up the road. It was decided that Whitehorse, YT was the next best bet and Lippert and Forest River were to ship a complete mechanical assembly to a repair facility that we had found there. An appointment was made for almost 2 weeks later so the parts would have time to arrive. We arrived a day early in Whitehorse but the repair folks had heard nothing from Forest River. It was assumed that the parts would come from stock at Forest River but it turned out that the parts were ordered from Lippert and then sent to Forest River who had neglected to expedite the shipping so they would arrive in Whitehorse. We stayed about 4 days in Whitehorse while everyone figured out where the parts were so they could call and tell us so we could make plans on repairs. Turned out that the parts were never shipped to Whitehorse and due to the location it would take another 10 to 14 days for them to arrive there so the decision was made to resume the trip and go on to Anchorage after I called a bunch of facilities there with phone numbers provided by Forest River. While calling these numbers and having no luck finding anyone who would help us with the repairs one of the places we called in Anchorage suggested we call ABC Motorhome Rentals. These folks were very helpful and agreed to do the work. We called Forest River back and they agreed to send the parts to ABC in Anchorage. Forest River said they would send everything second day air so we thought everything was finally set up. The appointment was made a week later on July 3rd at ABC in Anchorage and we left Whitehorse. Every time we operated the bed we wondered if it might fail again and kept our fingers crossed that we could get to Anchorage before that happened.

We arrived in Anchorage at ABC Motorhomes a day early and stopped by to see if everything had arrived. Nothing yet! So I called Forest River and asked for tracking information. We had started to communicate by email since the time difference and lack of cell phone coverage made phone connections difficult if not impossible. Eventually we received the tracking information and discovered it was not scheduled to arrive until July 4th and was sent by a third party freight forwarder. We waited through the long weekend and even located the warehouse of the freight forwarder and called the local clerk to see what the holdup was. We ended up spending an additional 5 days and lots of phone calls trying to find out where the parts were. Finally it was determined that Alaska Airlines freight was sitting on the package in Seattle, WA but no one seems to know what the holdup was. The package resumed travel and the local freight forwarding office saw to it that it was delivered pronto when it arrived.

We had missed our appointment but the folks at ABC Motorhome Rental worked us in anyway and managed to swap out the mechanisms. They found that the original installation at the factory had mis-aligned the aluminum rails which combined with the off center mattress platform combined to cause the failure in the first place. They corrected the aluminum rail placement and drilled new holes for the screws in the wall when mounting one rail. They also found that the current limit had not been set and was probably the reason that the plastic stop had broken as well. They set the current limit and everything worked better than it ever has before. We thought everything was finally fixed.

Fast forward to August 12th. We were preparing to board the MV Columbia in Haines, AK for the trip down the inside passage to Bellingham, WA. When we raised the bed that morning we heard a pop and saw a piece of metal land on the bed sheet. We don't use the heavy mattress spread so as not to tax the mechanism. (We left it at home) I told my wife that it looked like a tooth from the lifting mechanism. We put it in a ziploc bag for safekeeping. We didn't use the bed while on the ship and arrived in Bellingham, WA on August 16th at 8AM. We traveled to the Everette, WA area and parked at a RV park. We used the bed Friday and Saturday nights and prepared to leave Sunday morning. The bed would only go about 1/4 up and stop. It went down a little and stopped again. We tried to get it to go either way and didn't have much luck. Finally we got it to go back down and arranged to stay an additional 4 nights. By now we know the drill!

We called Coachnet to report the trouble on Monday. No use trying to do anything on Sunday. We then called our contact that we now know so well at Forest River and left a message. We received a return call later and began calling the provided repair facilities as Forest River wants us to take it to a service facility to have it repaired. The first place couldn't see us for 7 days and then said that it would take an additional 8 to 10 days to repair after they found the problem. The second facility Forest River gave us had the wrong phone number that didn't work. I called Forest River and left a message that I needed more numbers to call to see if we could locate someone that could help us and waited for a reply.

My wife and I decided that maybe we should call Lippert Components and see if we could work out something with them. We ended up ordering two spur gears (one is a spare) that work with the gear motors to lift the mechanism on the aluminum track. With overnight UPS shipping the total comes to $98.00. Because of the time difference the parts did not ship Monday but will go out today (we hope) and will be delivered on Wednesday (we hope). When we get the gears we will call Coachnet back and use the repair order we have to get the assistance we need to complete the repairs (we hope) and continue our travels.

As for the Murphy bed Solera 24MS. We love the coach and the floor plan with the large bath and wardrobe. We also like the pantry and the larger countertop on this model. We would rather have a couch than the two separate recliners since they don't have a footrest anyway and other than a defective toilet that needed replacing by our dealer the only problems we have had on the road were a leaky city water connection (inside the wall) corrected by tightening. A defective coaxial cable on the radio antenna (poor quality Chinese made cables and connectors) corrected with cable TV splice connectors and some soldering. Defective software programming by Magnadyne corrected by calling their customer service pulling the radio and re-doing the programming with flash memory cards supplied by them.

We also appreciate the member from Dallas that warned of sway in high winds and suggested beefing up the suspension. A great suggestion. We contacted the Sprinter Store in Portland and replaced the shocks and struts with Koni's made for the Sprinter. Replaced the rear sway bar with a larger diameter one. And added overload leaf springs. And we wished that we would have replaced the coil springs too but we didn't in time for the trip. Perhaps we will get that done when we get to Portland, OR at the Sprinter Store.
The Solera 24 MS works well for us. We needed a little more storage so we bought a 17 CF storage pod from Let's Go Aero in Colorado Springs, CO. We were even able to remove it from the receiver and store it and the contents in the Solera kitchen area with the bath door propped open with a doorstop since we purchased our passage before the ferry trip and the car deck was sold out. The storage pod added 3 feet to our overall length.

I will try to keep everyone up to date on the Murphy bed saga.

[Taylorgso]

elob_tx:
thanks for the report. We have the Murphy Bed model, too. One of the things I've always done is to try to take the weight off the mechanism as it goes up or down. Hopefully that will reduce the stress on the mechanism and prevent broken parts! My bed occasionally hesitates after moving a foot or so; it requires releasing the rocker, backing it up, and then starting it again - then everything seems to work OK.

We are taking a trip to Alaska next year - I guess I can only keep my fingers crossed that the bed functions throughout the trip.

[Petemoss]

Parts arrived today, 2 1/2 months.

[sjudd]

Just told by Forest River that they cannot repair my murphy bed and slider problems at the factory until at least December. In the meantime, unsuccessful repairs continue to be performed by a Forest River certified mechanic to no avail. I am without use of my RV, but I still must make my loan payment even though I have no RV to use. I am so frustrated I am looking to trade it in towards another RV made by someone other than Forest River.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by sjudd

Just told by Forest River that they cannot repair my murphy bed and slider problems at the factory until at least December. In the meantime, unsuccessful repairs continue to be performed by a Forest River certified mechanic to no avail. I am without use of my RV, but I still must make my loan payment even though I have no RV to use. I am so frustrated I am looking to trade it in towards another RV made by someone other than Forest River.

Wow .. how very disappointing. BClemens, can you do something??????

[bclemens]

PM me your VIN and dealer sjudd. I know its that time of year and everyone seems to be busy. But I'll find out what seems to be the hold up. Lippert has been a little slow no parts.

[sjudd]

Vehicle ID WDAPF4CC5C9522068

Dealer is Albany RV, but repair work is being done by Leatherstocking RV in Oneonta, NY

[bclemens]

Looks like they're still working with Lippert and Leatherstocking to get it repaired. And unfortunately we are into December for service. My service building handles Cardinal, Wildcat, Berkshire, Georgetown and Class C's. Seems like there is a backlog of appointments (They handle not only warranty but service as well). We just had the entire crew working the Goshen Rally for a week and I know they took many appointments that week.

[gerrym51]

Rvdirect no longer lists 24m as an option. i guess it's bye bye.

[pinkstonj]

I have a used 2012 Solera 24 M and the Murphy bed has started giving me some problems also. My unit is out of warranty so being a machinist and mechanic/millwright all my life I took it apart to see if I could fix it. The first thing I noticed was that it had been worked on before. I would have to guess the first owners had it repaired. I see some major problems. The rack and gear design may be great for moving slides in and out when the load is placed somewhere else, and may be ok for lifting a load if it is held close to the racks. But when the load is cantilever out away from the racks as it is in this application it (IMO) will never hold up as is. Let me clarify, the mechanical design may be ok but the materials used are bad (IMO). The 2(two) blocks in the cross bar that house the gears and drive line are made of plastic or some type of Teflon as well as 2(two) pieces that fit into the channels that help hole the whole cross bar (drive/lift) unit to the racks. In my unit the pieces that fit into the channels of the racks that help hold the cross bar (drive/lift) to the racks are worn out allowing the cross bar (drive/lift) unit to pull away and from the racks causing the gear not to mesh fully, which causes the popping noise when the gear jumps a tooth in the racks which shears a little of the aluminum from the racks each time. Also when this happens the weight/load of the cantilevered bed is put on 2(two) rollers one on each plastic block. This can and IMO will cause the cross bar (drive/lift) unit to get out of level or sink/time which will cause the bed to not come up level (from side to side). All this can be fixed if you can get the parts but because if the design it will happen again IMO. As for myself I guess I will try to get some parts if I can and repair it for now, but in the long haul I will more than likely make some new parts and try to fix it for good. One other note: People do be careful while operating the bed. I see the possibility of a catastrophic failure causing the bed to fall while operating, so always stand back.