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Old 03-26-2017, 08:55 AM   #1
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If you were the FR Product Manager

There are always lots of posts on this forum about what the manufacturer should have included in our RVs. There are many people who have an influence on the product makeup who monitor this forum and I know this since they like to see positive comments about their company.

Let's have a little fun and maybe even give FR some feedback from their customer base. You have a budget of $350 (with labor this would translate to no more that $1,000 in retail list price.) What would you have them add to the base coach that would offset this price change and increase the cost/value equation of the product?

Most here know that some things are not obvious but make a big difference.

What do you think?
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Old 03-26-2017, 08:56 AM   #2
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:00 AM   #3
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What I would do wouldn't cost much if any thing.I would make the designers or engineers that come up with the new floor plans to actually spend a weekend in the prototype of the new floor plan. Then they could have the"What was I thinking"moment instead of us as the end users. Just little tweaks could make our world so much better.
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:03 AM   #4
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Satellite cable that is run through trailer to each TV instead of just to main TV. I tried to pay extra to have cable ran to the bedroom but the factory would not do it.
Also USB charge ports at all sitting and sleeping areas.
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:06 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveandSue View Post
What I would do wouldn't cost much if any thing.I would make the designers or engineers that come up with the new floor plans to actually spend a weekend in the prototype of the new floor plan. Then they could have the"What was I thinking"moment instead of us as the end users. Just little tweaks could make our world so much better.


Agreed. Kinda a spin off of that.

Spend minimum 3 hours in the coach.
Looking at every detail, and trying everything out.
It amazes me, the amount of issues that miss the factory inspection, and even the dealer pdi.
It shouldn't be up the the customer to find the flaws and issues.
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:08 AM   #6
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:10 AM   #7
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Split the kitchen circuits with more outlets
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Old 03-26-2017, 09:26 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveandSue View Post
What I would do wouldn't cost much if any thing.I would make the designers or engineers that come up with the new floor plans to actually spend a weekend in the prototype of the new floor plan. Then they could have the"What was I thinking"moment instead of us as the end users. Just little tweaks could make our world so much better.
You would also need to add in the Production, QC, and Assembly Managers. I would bet what the designers want and what the final product comes out as are sometimes two different things.
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Old 03-26-2017, 10:27 AM   #9
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spend a few dollars on better fasteners and training on how to use them! no more mounting things into panel board with no backing behind it. no more hanging things from the ceiling without the screws going into something solid. no more pneumatic finish nails into trim pieces that don't hit a backing. buy a bottle of Loctite and learn how to use it on machine screws. buy a bottle of wood glue to hold the wood trim plugs rather than just relying on pressure fit. this might even save some money on warranty expenses.
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Old 03-26-2017, 11:29 AM   #10
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In the Motor Home I am busy driving and it would be cool if the person in the passenger seat had access to the environmental controls, radio, and night shade. It would let me keep my eyes on the road when the DW was cold, hot, wants to change to radio, or get the sun out of her eyes.
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Old 03-26-2017, 11:32 AM   #11
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In our coach there is only one 12v plug in the front cab, I could use at least 4. One for GPS, Brake Buddy monitor, tire pressure monitor, dash cam.
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Old 03-26-2017, 11:33 AM   #12
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In a Motor Home a factory installed tire pressure monitor could save lives.
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Old 03-26-2017, 11:39 AM   #13
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In our coach there is only one 12v plug in the front cab, I could use at least 4. One for GPS, Brake Buddy monitor, tire pressure monitor, dash cam.


Hard wire....

Unless you use all those in another vehicle, no reason to not have the wiring hidden.
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Old 03-26-2017, 12:00 PM   #14
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Really interesting responses. Now...ask yourselves another question. When you first bought your RV, did you know that you would need those things and would they have affected your purchase decision? Sure we all expect that everything that comes in our purchase will work reliably, and additional QA never hurts, but would we have written a bigger check for it? I think not.

Frankly it seems to me that the manufacturer would be ahead if they directed someone to continually monitor this forum...as B. Clemens does. Perhaps there are more lurkers that we do not know about.

Now, clearly there could be some interesting "packages" aimed at different usage groups. Boondockers come to mind here. Maybe a $3,000 to $4,000 package with a good solar solution, including a battery monitor, optimized converter and inverter like many on this board have installed themselves. But it has to be an option since it would be totally wasted on a coach that will never be more than 25 feet from a power pedestal. In addition, optional packages like this could have a serious effect on the plant and manufacturing strategy, so they have to be reasonably popular. In addition, they can put the dealers in a bad situation since once publicly available they could result in orphaned units on the lot. In the case of solar, it makes it clear why Zamp is becoming more popular with manufacturers. Costs so little that it can easily be installed on all units. However, in the final analysis it is purely marketing gloss since it really doesn't solve anyone's problem.

Maybe some aftermarket packages that can be sold by their dealers and are easily installed by techs (or owners) though following detailed instructions supplied by FR. That way we don't have to hunt for the right connections in the base models or navigate schematics that FR will not supply.

All in all a tough problem....
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Old 03-26-2017, 12:06 PM   #15
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50A capable across the board.
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Old 03-26-2017, 12:23 PM   #16
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Hard Wired

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny kustom View Post
Hard wire....

Unless you use all those in another vehicle, no reason to not have the wiring hidden.

The tire pressure monitor and the brake buddy monitor are the only ones for use in the motor home only. The brake buddy monitor is unreliable so I don't use it anymore (I have not called Brake Buddy yet).
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Old 03-26-2017, 12:51 PM   #17
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Before the production line started every morning, I would hold small classes, such as "How to drive a screw in straight", "How not to drive a screw in so the end comes out the bottom of the trim", "How propane hoses are routed to avoid crimps", "How to use wire ties appropriately to control wiring runs"", "How not to waste caulking, yet still get a good result", "Always use the right length of fastener", "Running water lines and hoses efficiently", "How to take pride in your work".
Just a few thoughts based on my experience.
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Old 03-26-2017, 12:53 PM   #18
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Improve

More electrical outlets. My kitchen, has only one handy and it is hard to locate, on the bottom of a cabinet. In addition put those addition plug in outlets on separate circuits to keep from tripping the circuit breaker when say for instance the toaster a portable heater are operating.
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Old 03-26-2017, 01:10 PM   #19
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Option to have TT wired for 50 amp 120 volt service instead of the insufficient 30 amp service. During manufacturing the cost would be the difference between the cost of upgraded wire and a 50 amp breaker vs. a 30 amp breaker.

Having 6000 watts available instead of 3600 watts would eliminate the need for power management.
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Old 03-26-2017, 01:10 PM   #20
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Things I would add

-convection/microwave and no oven
-move the water filter from inside (hard to reach space) to outside
-put outlets on both sides of the island
-Jensen sound system
-back up camera
-Lippert solid steps or MOR-ryde step above
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