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Old 08-04-2016, 02:04 PM   #21
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Ouch!

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Originally Posted by Aspenmeadow View Post
I have the 2016 2401 R, and it is not badly done, but the quality control appears nonexistent. I find it hard to believe until I look at all of Berkshire Hathaway's companies. Justin boots used to be quite good. There is, however, an exception to poor quality. Five years ago, I bought a travel trailer from a family owned and operated small company is the Vancouver, BC area. They are called Escape Trailers. The materials were not the highest quality, but well-done and construction was excellent. The price was quite reasonable, and just 100 miles from my home in the Puget Sound area of Seattle. Unfortunately, they don't make a MH. Buyers of RVs, like car buyers, only look to the name brands. I'm guilty too. I bought the FR class C when driving by a dealer who was five hours from my home. Stupid? Yes, like most other Americans. An $82,000 impulse buy that I wish that I had not done. So, it is people like most of us who believe the best is Winnebago, Ford, or GIECO must be good because they advertise so. Until we get a little smarter, they will continue to build poorly-built, overpriced trailers and motor homes until we stop buying them. Can't blame Warren; he knows how to make money on stupid people.
Never thought of myself as stupid, although I have done plenty of stupid things. Just wish I had become better informed before making the somewhat impulse purchase too. I regret the purchase often - as I have spent more time fixing the MH than traveling in it. The emotional capital spent is even greater. The allure of traveling is great and generally the experiences on the road are too. Unfortunately, my overriding concern when on the road is "what is going to break next?" At least now I know that breakdowns are quite likely and the expectation of a trouble-free trip is pretty low.
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Old 08-04-2016, 02:11 PM   #22
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It doesn't take much reading of posts on this forum to figure out that from the smallest trailers to the Berkshires - there are problems with quality on everything FR makes. Delaminated walls, water leaks galore, improper to dangerous wiring, poor to non-existent warranty service, component failure, lousy build quality - you name it - it's being posted here daily.

Size of the company matters nothing. Fiat-Chrysler is a huge company, yet their products routinely end up at the bottom of the quality lists of most of the consumer publications.

Ban me if you want, but you folks that continue to spout the rhetoric about how great this company is, how great their products are and how well they take care of anyone with issues - you aren't seeing what I'm seeing in the multitude of posts from owners with serious issues.



That's because human nature is sich that people will write a 1,400 page novel about things that have gone wrong, but very seldom do you see people on these forums posting two words about their unit when everything is great.

My personal experience with FR has been exemplary. One thing major has gone wrong. (More on that in a bit.) A few cosmetic things we've fixed ourselves, but that is to be expected when you're hauling an 8K lb shoebox down crappy roads!

Now...on to the ONE major thing...our floor is sagging. In a 5-year old camper, out of warranty for two years. You'd think we'd be on our own to geg this fixed, right? After all, car companies wouldn't make makor repairs on something 3 years out of warranty, right? Well, you're wrong! We leave in three weeks to take our unit back to the factory to have a completely NEW floor put in. FREE OF CHARGE. So yes, I'll be the first one in line that says Forest River has been wonderful and we love everything about our unit.
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Old 08-04-2016, 02:20 PM   #23
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I've had more RVs than I can recall since the 70s. Those old ones were built 10 X better IMO. Never had the problems of today. Of the last 4~ FR, Heartland, FR, Keystone. Both FR had minor problems that required dealer to repair. The Heartland did not see the dealer until it was traded in. The Keystone had 1 problem Atwood took care of without dealer intervention. That does not mean FR is any worse than the others. I'll consider FR on my next purchase also. That also does not mean the current 5er will not develop a problem with the build. No one can fault any builder for the problems of suppliers ~~ HWT, furnace, refer, etc. Those complaints need brought to the attention of the supplier and builder but there are few for builders to choose from.
One thing ~~~ from the time the Heartland and Keystone were bought there was never build dust, excess screws, staples, saw dust or insulation floating around.
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Old 08-04-2016, 02:21 PM   #24
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We are going on our fourth trailer. We started out with a used, older PopUp. I loved it BECAUSE I could work on it and make it the way I wanted to make it. The next two were Prime Time models (21RB and 28RKS). Both had some issues, but the dealer worked with us and fixed them in a fair amount of time (a few weeks to finish everything). Our latest model (Crusader 315RST - Prime Time) will likely have some minor issues and we'll get them taken care of, also.

In my opinion, the QC is not 100% because the community has grown to expect some problems (even new cars have some initial issues). If those issues are minor problems and are fixed in a timely manner (and aren't recurring), it is no big deal. However, if it takes months or the repairs are half-a$$ed, then I am going to be extremely ticked off, people are going to know it, and it WILL BE rectified somehow.

The fix would be to put dealers on probation and refuse to sell to the dealers, who are chronic problem children. No one will do that though since the income takes priority over the black eye the brand gets from it. Or at the very least have a brand rep tell the consumer where they might get satisfactory service. Until that happens, we'll see complaints about QC from large pockets of people.
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Old 08-04-2016, 03:06 PM   #25
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2014 Berkshire Experience

Normally, I just read all the comments. However, we bought our 2014 Berkshire 400QL because my wife loved the floor plan and who could go wrong with a Warren Buffet company. It took nearly 12 months to get the rig usable. During the first year, the rig spent 9 months in repair. Many of the problems is simply poor workmanship. In fact, I continue to deal with the smaller issues myself. Can you believe that someone at the factory forget to connect two plenums together so the zone 2 furnace would heat the bedroom!! After talking with many other Berkshire and Charleston owners, we conclude that the quality control begins with the owner as we take delivery. All the best and safe journeys.
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Old 08-04-2016, 03:56 PM   #26
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Not necessarily the dealer's fault

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Originally Posted by ben31 View Post
We are going on our fourth trailer. We started out with a used, older PopUp. I loved it BECAUSE I could work on it and make it the way I wanted to make it. The next two were Prime Time models (21RB and 28RKS). Both had some issues, but the dealer worked with us and fixed them in a fair amount of time (a few weeks to finish everything). Our latest model (Crusader 315RST - Prime Time) will likely have some minor issues and we'll get them taken care of, also.

In my opinion, the QC is not 100% because the community has grown to expect some problems (even new cars have some initial issues). If those issues are minor problems and are fixed in a timely manner (and aren't recurring), it is no big deal. However, if it takes months or the repairs are half-a$$ed, then I am going to be extremely ticked off, people are going to know it, and it WILL BE rectified somehow.

The fix would be to put dealers on probation and refuse to sell to the dealers, who are chronic problem children. No one will do that though since the income takes priority over the black eye the brand gets from it. Or at the very least have a brand rep tell the consumer where they might get satisfactory service. Until that happens, we'll see complaints about QC from large pockets of people.
While I expect RV dealer's live and die on sales (unlike car dealers, where parts and service are their main profit source) - we can't expect the dealers to completely remedy the lousy build quality sent to them by the manufacturers. The dealers certainly don't do themselves any favors with inadequate PDI, warranty service that takes weeks or months, poorly trained "technicians" - it is possible that they are just overloaded with problems shipped to them from the factory.

I do agree that lousy dealers should be dropped or put on probation. One of the FR reps on this forum seemed to indicate that their dealer agreements don't permit this - which for me is hard to believe.
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Old 08-04-2016, 04:29 PM   #27
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"Quality control" .... In the RV industry?!! Wha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!
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Old 08-04-2016, 05:01 PM   #28
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Quote:
we conclude that the quality control begins with the owner as we take delivery
Our dealers #1 tech says that"unfortunately we,the buyer,are the last 50' of the assembly line".

I believe him too.Our new Chaparral has some issues.Mainly with the vendor parts.Some small bits and pieces that I will fix with parts sent from the dealer. Others they will fix later this fall.It is a shame that if they would just slow down a half step,they could do so much better in the build. BUT,they wont and we will still continue to buy and bitch about it.
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Old 08-04-2016, 05:02 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KatanaPilot View Post

I do agree that lousy dealers should be dropped or put on probation. One of the FR reps on this forum seemed to indicate that their dealer agreements don't permit this - which for me is hard to believe.
Just like a real estate agency ---- no matter how bad the agent there is no cost to the agency and they may sell a house or 2 annually. Builders figure whatever a bad dealer sells it is a unit sold. A unit the competition did not get.
With my SOB came a build sheet signed by the person that installed the system or appliance along with the serial number. Too many bad installs from one person could easily be flagged and he/she held accountable.
I was at CW when the 5er was delivered. My wife was the 1st person in after the battery installed 10 minutes later. Everything worked and it was clean, very clean. Accountability at all phases can be done with employees and suppliers.
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Old 08-04-2016, 05:21 PM   #30
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Forest River Problems

We have owned 3 different campers and I have found that our Forest River is by far the least well made camper we've owned. Doors don't close, cabinet doors are warped and something doesn't work or breaks or falls off on just about every camping trip. I noticed several not so well made things on this Forest River Wildwood immediately after we got it home. We are still experiencing some problems that we may or may not have to actually get repaired. I'm not saying we wouldn't buy another Forest River, but we will know what to look for the next time we need one after we wear this out or it breaks beyond repair. I would hope other FR owners have had better success with their camper than we have. And, this is a 2016 model by they way.
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Old 08-04-2016, 05:37 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KatanaPilot View Post
It doesn't take much reading of posts on this forum to figure out that from the smallest trailers to the Berkshires - there are problems with quality on everything FR makes. Delaminated walls, water leaks galore, improper to dangerous wiring, poor to non-existent warranty service, component failure, lousy build quality - you name it - it's being posted here daily.

Size of the company matters nothing. Fiat-Chrysler is a huge company, yet their products routinely end up at the bottom of the quality lists of most of the consumer publications.

Ban me if you want, but you folks that continue to spout the rhetoric about how great this company is, how great their products are and how well they take care of anyone with issues - you aren't seeing what I'm seeing in the multitude of posts from owners with serious issues.
I will say there seems to be mostly problems addressed on here. There are some interesting trip reviews and product reviews but mostly problems are discussed. So far, I've got no complaints, but I agree with you that there are sure. A lot of questions about problems with FR RVs.
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Old 08-04-2016, 06:04 PM   #32
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But those with few or no problems are rarely heard from.
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Old 08-04-2016, 06:50 PM   #33
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My comment is simple. If you don't like what you see then move on. No need for a big discussion. I am happy to live in a country where I can afford the luxury of owning an rv and I'm free to go out and enjoy it. To me puttering is relaxing.
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Old 08-04-2016, 08:45 PM   #34
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Like Buying a House

We have had our share of problems (notably, having our unit go back to the factory for a 6 month re-build!). However, we are completing a 2 1/2 month cross-country trip of over 8K miles with our 2014 Cardinal 3850 and have been very satisfied with how well our unit has performed. I enjoy working on our Cardinal when things go wrong but virtually nothing has gone wrong! We love our Cardinal 3850 and enjoy seeing the country in it.

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Old 08-04-2016, 08:58 PM   #35
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Our son worked as an RV technician for a few months. It was at a large dealership that has locations in several states.
The big joke in the service dept., was this:
The term "RV", stands for "Ruined Vacation"
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Old 08-04-2016, 09:10 PM   #36
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A positive note!

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But those with few or no problems are rarely heard from.
I'm considering a Cedar Creek 38RD. I asked in a post, about the experiences, good and bad, that owners have had with theirs. I received several positive comments, some very exuberant!
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Old 08-04-2016, 10:11 PM   #37
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Thank you for your positive comments! We have a 2011 Wildwood with a few issues that we have fixed (factory tech incomplete water heater install & slide track incorrectly installed) but by and large, we love our little trailer. I call it my "Mom Cave" because I go out to the side yard parking spot to nap uninterrupted. Heaven! Have it plugged into the 30 amp plug on the side of the house so I can run the ac if needed. Our trips usually run from 4 to 6 weeks away camping.
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Old 08-05-2016, 01:11 AM   #38
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I purchased my 2014 Sunseeker 2300 and have been expecting it to fall apart at any moment...based on posts in this forum. But, it hasn't failed me, yet. I guess I'm lucky. I had one warranty issue. I called FR and they sent the part to my dealer, Lewis RV in Dayton, Ohio. The dealer repaired it. I'm happy. The wife's happy. Have RV, will travel.
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Old 08-05-2016, 09:05 AM   #39
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I don't think any new RV is free of bugs that need to be attended to. I have had several used RVs that all needed attention from time to time. I currently have a 2016 that is no different.
I think it's just the nature of the beast, you basically have a house that bounces down the road. Things will go wrong. But we enjoy it all.
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Old 08-05-2016, 10:44 AM   #40
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There is very little Quality Control anywhere in our world today !!!
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