First Trip Issues

[robbecky]

Hi folks. Well the wife and I just got back from our very first RV trip. It was only 2.5 days at an RV park with hookups about 2.5 hours from home. Very pretty spot, in Big Sur, CA by a creek.

My Forest River Flagstaff E-Pro E16BH trailer is brand new, literally two weeks old. We had two problems that kind of caught me by surprise:

1. The first night I pulled up on the dining table to remove it and set up the bed. Each of three mounts underneath is held on by 6 screws into the particle board table. On one of the mounts, 5 of the 6 screws pulled out of the table. The table was still usable but it sure did surprise me.

2. When we got home yesterday I opened the trailer door and the articulated mount that the TV attached to had pulled out of the wall and the arm and the TV were laying on the floor.

So, here are my questions:

1. Does it seem reasonable for these types of issues on a brand new $18K camper to happen? Have any of your experienced these types of things in practically new TT's?

2. I bought my TT at Camping World. I called them and they said it would all be handled under my manufacturers warranty. But they could not give me a service appointment for 5 weeks. Then they said they would have to take pictures of the damages and send them to Forest River for advice on how repairs should be done. And then they said if they need parts it could be 2-4 weeks to get the parts. So essentially it sounded like they could have the trailer for well over a month.

I feel like I could probably repair the screws that came out of the table by filling the holes with wood filler and then putting the screws back in. I also feel that I could repair the TV arm the same way, filling in the holes and reinserting the screws, possibly adding some constructive adhesive on the back of the arm plate so it stays put permanently.

What do you guys think? Does doing the repairs myself to save weeks of waiting for the trailer to be available seem reasonable? Have any of you done repairs similar to the ones I am describing?

Thanks,
Rob

[Tx2Stepn]

Our first trailer was in the shop almost the first full year we had it. My husband laid down on the couch/bed and the board snapped, the shower leaked inside & out (the lines were not connected), the cabinetry had a crack at the bottom, and the electric jack worked when it wanted to. After going through that and losing most of the summer, I think I would fix it myself if possible as long as it doesnt impact your warranty in case something big comes up.

[JohnD10]

Your problem is Camping World...

Great place to buy camping accessories...

Worst place in the world to buy an RV...and then expect any kind of service from them.

Don't bother taking it back to them...

Call Forest River yourself and see about getting the parts shipped directly to you.

Wood glue will probably not hold very long...remember that this trailer is bouncing down the road behind your car or truck!

Maybe they will replace the table, and possibly the TV and wall mount!

And if it does need to go in for repair, either find another dealership, or better yet, an RV repair shop that doesn't sell RV's as they'll fix it right the first time!

Camping World, well...they'll sit on it all winter...then next spring when you want to use it, they'll give it back to you in worse shape than you left it!

And if you absolutely must take it to Camping World...DON'T LEAVE IT THERE!

And before you take it anywhere, call Forest River yourself first and tell them of the issues and have photos ready to email of ALL the problems, that way when you do take it in you can tell the repair service or Camping World that you've already started the warranty claim with Forest River, give them the name and phone number of the person at FR you spoke with and that they are awaiting a call right away for a parts order, then let them figure out what parts they need, then tell them that you are taking your camper home with you and to call you when they have ALL OF THE PARTS!

And when you take it back in, tell them that you expect it to be worked on while you wait!

If you don't do this, they will keep your RV forever and will keep blowing you off!

If you don't work the system, they'll walk all over you!

Sad to say that this is the sad state of the RV industry for the most part...and Camping World is the worst of them all!

[TheGerman]

Sadly, your experiences are par for the course for the majority of products manufactured by the "big two", Forest River and Thor. There are much worse stories if you look around this site for a bit.

For the issues mentioned, I'd fix them myself. Then you know it's done right and possibly you can do some improvements/reinforcements. Plus, it's not two months+ to get it fixed.

If the table mount is the style that looks like a round saucer just mark its position and clock it a bit so the screws go into new locations. That's going to be better than using some sort of filler. And don't over tighten like apparently was done at the factory. That's how I fixed mine (self-inflicted damage though).

For the TV mount, see if you can add some more "meat" for the screws to mount into. Also, make sure the TV is secured in a way that it can not move and increase leverage on the mount while traveling. Personally I remove my TV and wrap it in the bedding, I do have an aftermarket mount and permanent bed though.

[bikendan]

robbecky, i'm guessing you haven't done much reading, about the RV quality issues over the past decade.
there are multiple posts daily, on all RV forums, about issues with all manufacturers.
so yes, it's normal to have issues like yours. in fact, consider yourself lucky. most have way more issues than the two of yours.
i'm no fan of CW, especially regarding sales and service. i'm guessing you bought from the Vacaville CW.

did you know that you can bypass CW and use an independent RV shop or mobile RV tech? you just have to get pre-approval from FR and be willing to be reimbursed.

i used to live in California and drove from Napa to Chicago and back, to save money on our first new trailer. FR found me 3 local dealers willing to do the warranty work. one of them didn't even sell any FR products.

[2rad4u]

I would fix the problems myself. I always do.

Waiting 5 weeks would not be an option...

[CedarCreekWoody]

If you do decide to do your own repair do not try reusing the same screw holes. Rotate the table base and drill new holes. Use coarse thread screws. On the wall, and floor if necessary, use some type of expanding back mounts such as Molly screws, etc. Lowe's carries several types. Is that the TV and mount supplied by the manufacturer? You might need to add some type of tie downs for towing....lots of stress on the mount.

[valleyduo]

I also would fix it myself. Most issues aren't that difficult or expensive to warrant losing your camper for a month or two. Also gives you an opportunity to revise things so they maybe don't happen again. As far as the TV mount, make sure it is folded in and locked when travelling. Being extended or able to extend from bouncing down the road would put more leverage on it than it could withstand.

[Boomerweps]

When remounting the television, press on the walls to find studs to mount to. Then use 1.5" lag screws to mount on the stud. Your walls use 1.5" studs so with the panel and tv mount metal thickness, you should not go through or even dimple the outside sheathing. A lot of people that use the flat style mounts screw mounting boards to the interior wall spanning two studs as a base for the TV mount.

[Decon Blue]

All I needed to read was CW. Sadly folks just keep going back to them.

[rp53]

fortunately we have a great dealer so i always take it to them when we have an issue only 2 small problems in the 2 years we have owned it. they fixed both while the DW and i looked at the new TT's on the lot. but there is no way i would leave it for 5 + weeks i'd fix myself

[Flybob]

The dealer is likely to put it back just as it was meaning it could fail again. For the table, I would cut a piece of 3/4 plywood large enough to accommodate the two mounts then screw and glue it to the underside of the table. Then mount the table mounts to that. It will raise the table 3/4 inches, but that should not be a problem. For the TV mount. Just move the mounting screws a little and used good wall anchors. Also if not there already add a strap with Velcro to keep the arm from extending during travel.

[JohnD10]

I bought two of these TV mounts (see link below) at Camping World (like I said above, they are good for supplies and accessories) for my previous TT, and when I traded it in I removed them and they now reside in my current 5'ver.

No straps needed...they swivel...they tilt...they lock to the wall for travel!

I love 'em!

They come in two sizes so you'll have to check the mounting hole pattern on the back of the TV's.

This one will handle the bigger TV's (and I believe all of the mount hole patterns)...mine is for 32" and smaller TV's with the smaller hole pattern.

https://www.campingworld.com/master-...-tv-mount-408l

[Tacky]

On my TT, not a FR product, there is a reinforcement in the wall for the TV mount. It appears whoever installed your TV missed the strong part of the wall.

[AZ Pete]

if you need to use the same hole locations for the table, drill the current holes out with a 3/8" drill, then plug the new hole with a short piece of 3/8" wooden dowel, using fresh exterior wood glue. Once the glue is at full strength, mark and drill new pilot holes for the mounting screws.

As posted above, sounds like the reinforcement block in the wall for the TV mount may have been missed, but if not the same repair method will work fine. Just secure your TV to the wall for travel, or remove it for travel in the future.

If you need someone else to do the repair, the advice of finding an independent repair service, approved by FR is the best advice by far. My past experience with CW for warranty repair mirrors all of the tales of delays, half way repairs, additional damage, and extremely long waits. I had the distinct impression that the service department and the parts department were going through a vicious divorce...at least that is how they communicated, or didn't communicate.

[Teetime]

All good advise here. If you are not a "Jack of all Trades" before you buy an RV, you will be after a few years.

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by Teetime

All good advise here. If you are not a "Jack of all Trades" before you buy an RV, you will be after a few years.

2X this!!
One of the things I've actually enjoyed about the RV'ing experience is becoming that "Jack of All Trades" (and yes, "Master of None!!"). I think the keys to gradually building your confidence on making repairs (or even more fun, modifications) you wouldn't otherwise be comfortable is take your time, seek out the advice/experience of others who have already addressed your problem (this forum is great for that), and get the right tools/materials for the job!! Sometimes this last part can add some expense to the project, but you will more than make up for it in terms of getting the job done right (and you now have the right tool for future jobs).
Remember, there's not a service technician out there that cares more about your RV than you do!
Good luck, and enjoy the process!

[ES_FR]

robbecky,

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconveniences that you have experienced with your new Flagstaff E-Pro. Your satisfaction is very important to us; accordingly, we invite you to contact Rayna Dimitroff in our Customer service department through the following personalized and direct link: Forest River RV Direct Service Contact - Forest River, Inc..

This direct link is provided for your convenience in order that we may resolve your concerns as quickly as possible. We will strive to respond to you within 24 hours of receiving your correspondence.

Respectfully,
Forest River

[robbecky]

Wanted to give an update. Today I was busy working on the camper. First I repaired the table by rotating the mount, drilling new pilot holes, and screwing it in carefully so as not to over tighten the screws. Seems as solid as all the others now at least.

Then on to the TV. I went to Home Depot and bought expanding inserts for the holes designed for hollow walls and doors. Used them to reinstall the mount. 5 of the 8 tightened up really well to the inside of the wall. Three of them didn't because the insert was turning. But I think 5 expanding inserts will hold that mount well now. And I also wrapped self adhering velcro around the mount arms so they can't open up by accident until we're ready for them to open up.

Since I was having such good luck, we decided to replace the cheap sink faucet with something better that had a higher faucet height, Went back to Home Depot with the old faucet to make sure I was buying the right size, bought a new Delta faucet, and installed it in like 5 minutes. Much nicer than the one that came in the camper, which was literally plastic.

So at the moment, the only problem I am still facing is that the water heater won't heat on electric (see http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...on-174365.html)

So I guess that 'jack of all trades' mentality is already settling in :-)

Rob

[ejohnson1144]

The problem is the build. They slam these RVs together so fast using power drivers they strip the screws. The dealer didn't check the quality and unfortunately you bought it . I found stripped screws all over. The last one was the driver side sun visor, came right off in my hand. Verry sad.