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Old 03-13-2016, 01:09 AM   #61
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...great times ahead. Just like home, something always need to be tended too. We have 2012 Georgetown 378 XL....put our own personal touches in it! HOME,

WE HAVE 2 sets of friends with high end Winnebagos...forest River is low to mid range. They have had way more problems than we have ever had..

Dealers door like to do Warrenty work...low rates and slow pay. Cash on the spot sits in their bays...and always come first .

Have a good summer,



Bryan & Vonnie Mathiesen
💔...just us !
Our son, Chad, was killed by a drunk driver in 2008 !We cared for & loved his black lab, Pepper, until she went to live in heaven with her daddy in December 2014.

2012 Georgetown 378 XL


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Old 03-13-2016, 03:01 AM   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bertalynne View Post
We originally had a 2009 Cedar Creek 5th wheel by Forest River and had virtually no issues with it. We decided that driving a unit rather than towing one would be less daunting so we traded up to a 2016 Coachmen Encounter (class A) thinking we would have the same quality since they now manufacture the Coachman line.
FR does not manufacture the Coachmen line.
FR is the parent company. They don't manufacture anything, their brand divisions do.
And Coachmen was simply bought by FR, since the brand was struggling during the Recession.
Coachmen is still its own company and from what I've read, has pretty much continued operating as they did before FR purchased them.
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Old 03-13-2016, 09:42 AM   #63
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Good news travels like a snail, bad news rages like a fire storm.

We bought a Rockwood Mini Lite last year and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I had two initial problems not picked up at PDI. One, a stripped screw on the a/c housing, two, both bolts on one side of the sofa had completely backed out. Fixed both in about five minutes.

Used the Mini 14 nights last year and no other "fixes" needed.

I really believe the Mini Lite is an excellent value for the price. I'm currently looking to upgrade to a 5er and after looking at most manufacturers I still believe FR delivers a better value for your dollar. Next unit will probably be a Wildcat 5er.
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Old 03-13-2016, 10:20 AM   #64
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I think this fits almost the whole RV industry.
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Old 03-13-2016, 10:29 AM   #65
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Absolutely not junk! I got my Roo based on the fact that I had an amazing Rockwood Freedom Popup that just lasted us for 10 years, and probably would have kept going, if we didn't out grow it. The quality is way beyond what I have seen from other makers.....but remember they are complicated small homes with a lot of variables. I only had 3 minor items on my warranty fix it list.


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Old 03-13-2016, 10:33 AM   #66
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I suppose it may be true that people are more inclined to post negatives because they have some skin in the game, and those folks with positives have little to say, or something like that. Without hard data to back that up, all we have are our opinions based on our experiences. I'm very negative re FR, so much so that we're trading ours in for something else. Will it, too, have problems? Yes, because I think (opinion) ALL RV's have problems. OTOH, I have read posts from folks who've stated their unit has been problem-free.

To the OP, if you do your own research, have some handyman skills, prior RV experience, do a comprehensive PDI (takes about 3 hours), etc., you can perhaps minimize multiple trips back to the dealership to fix the problems you find. Again, based on my observations, many (perhaps most) dealerships do nothing to the unit before trying get you to quick-sign the documents and get you out the door fast, so you need to take the lead.
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Old 03-13-2016, 11:14 AM   #67
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I have been messing about with RV's for over 35 years. Even "back in the day" you would get some messy builds. However as the units have gotten more complicated the number of things needing attention have gone up. Are there some crap builders out there? Absolutely! Does anyone build a perfect RV? NO! They are built by hand on a fairly limited scale by humans. While perfection is always acceptable, it is seldom obtained. You also have to consider that many if not all of the components are not built by the specific RV manufacturer, but sourced from outside companies.

Do your homework, do a thorough PDI of the unit you are purchasing prior to signing on the dotted line. Expect a few minor issues, if it has major issues walk away. Unfortunately too many dealers DON'T do a PDI prior to the sale or they would find many of the major issues and have them corrected.

I can tell you horror stories about some well known expensive brands like Airstream and Bluebird. In the end it comes down to how the dealer and the manufacturer respond to the issues.

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Old 03-14-2016, 10:55 AM   #68
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You know you have a good dealer when they have done a pre PDI and you can find no issues. At the time of our PDI, the unit had been detailed and the 120 was connected. The shop had gone through all of the systems to make certain they were functioning when it left the lot.

The sales rep explained everything, showed us everything was working, and was patient when we were taking notes. He then asked us to do a thorough walk-through inspection without his interruption. The only suspected problem was what appeared to be water stains on the ceiling. He said that it was glue residue, went into the shop and returned with a spray chemical and rags. He personally cleaned the ceiling and removed the marks. We have had no issues after our first trip. All is well that starts well.

The one concern I have with the industry as a whole, is that they do not take the time to coat the exposed metal on the under-structure. One of the first things we did was to undercoat.

Forest River is a good value for the money. We certainly would recommend both the dealer and Forest River. As for buying again? We expect the Sunseeker to last our remaining camping years. But, you never know when the bug hits. As the saying goes, you are spending your kid's inheritance. But they will enjoy it after we are gone, well even now for that matter.
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Old 03-14-2016, 11:05 AM   #69
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Surveyor

Our last travel trailer was a bunkhouse Surveyor. Loved that TT and really did not have any problems with it for the 6 years we owned it.

"Upgraded" to a Rockwood 5th wheel and owned it for 3-ish years with a problem or two but ALWAYS Forest river was willing to step up to the plate and repair it (for free).

Plan on getting a Forest River Class A this year. You could not pay us to look at any other brand!
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Old 03-14-2016, 01:34 PM   #70
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You've received a lot of good advice and comments. I'll address one area I didn't see mentioned. I have subscribed to Trailer Life magazine for the past 3-4 years. They have a section each month called "RV Resolutions" where the magazine staff helps subscribers resolve issues with the manufacturer. In most cases, the trailer owner attempted to work with the manufacturer and was not able to come to a satisfactory agreement. When Trailer Life steps in, in most cases the manufacturer provided what the trailer owner asked for. This is not empirical, but I pay attention to the manufacturers who are "called out" in this monthly article. Rarely, if ever, is Forest River mentioned. There are several manufacturers who are in there almost every month. To me, this is a testimony to what you have been hearing here, that Forest River does take care of their problems without having to bring in an outside advocate. I am on my second Rockwood. I stayed with that brand primarily because Rockwood took care of some issues I had with the first one beyond the warranty expiration. They could have told me to buzz off, but they paid to have it fixed.
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Old 03-14-2016, 03:06 PM   #71
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Taking care of customer is the way to keep customers and build a business. We bought an expensive 3-D Samsung TV. Because we snow bird, the set had less than 4 hrs use in a year and 10 days when the picture went out. Called Samsung, sorry, out of warranty. Sears, no extended warranty, if you ...... Samsung had a class action lawsuit two year prior for sound/no picture, but it didn't cover anything forward. We ate $1,600 because the set can not be repaired. We have bought several large items since. Not one of them with a Samsung logo or from Sears.

Several posts have shown that Forest River stands behind their products, sometimes out of warrant. They sponsor the FR forum and the FR Frog events. That speaks volumes for their integrity. FR is not going to build bad products and then get all of their customers together to talk about it. Credit where credit is due. Keep it up FR!!
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Old 03-14-2016, 07:25 PM   #72
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First up.....
Sorry for not recently posting to your responses. The wifi and computer decided to have a fight. Squirted them both with the garden hose to separate and all is good now. Just kidding...........
Anyway,
Wow !!
What feedback and response. I am really impressed with the wealth of knowledge and help on here and the willingness to share experiences (with different rigs) and even some tips for future repairs.
OK. Im in !!
I like the idea of a home away from home and the mobility to see the sights in this great country.
I will take my time with a TT purchase. And on the advice of a few on this forum I will tow before I buy. Up and down grades and see how it handles on the road.
I have driven heavy equipment including a heavy trailer-ed vehicle with separate steering on the rear axle. Not calling myself an expert by any means, just aware of what can go wrong.
I am also pretty handy with the tool box. Again, no expert but can either how to fix or disable most things until final repair is accomplished. This goes for around the house as well. Have some background in construction and remodeling. I know all of this will make those RV "experiences" a little more bearable.
I also plan on a thorough PDI inspection. I downloaded one such list from a page on this site.
I understand things will need to be maintained and repaired. If I can't fix it, the dealer will. That's why they have warranties. After that, keep an eye on it.
Now if I can just get the wife to agree on taking a chainsaw to the bunk beds in the TT to make room for my roll away tool box. What? Come on!, a guy can dream. Right?

Thanks again,
RMc
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