Not exactly happy with product.

[Domtherrien]

So. We bought our Salem 27dbud last July 25th. And everything was awesome. Now over the last few times out stuff has started to to **** the bed.
Replaced one of the hanging door latches. Only a few dollars. Not bad.
Some small trim details were incompletely attached. An hour with the air stapler and handled.
Power stab jack button went bad. It was a hassle to get one from the dealership but after a few weeks received it and go it in.
We were out in May and had a water leak from one of the kitchen sink tap connections leak. Had a plumber friend of mine look at it. He replaced the cheap plastic pex fitting with a better quality one. Another few bucks. I can replace all of them for another 100$.
Now my power awning motors seems like it's dying when it's coming in but works fine going out.
The dealer is a 4 hour trip from where I live and it ridiculous that something that I've used on 6 local trips for a total of 14 days constantly has issue after issue. Did I get a lemon? What should I do people? Any suggestions?


2011 F-150 Supercrew Ecoboost.

2015 Salem 27 DBud.

[raforan]

be a thorn in their side, you paid good money for a product you want to enjoy. i understand stuff goes wrong and handy man skills need to be had from time to time but dumping money into a issue or issues that is a warranty issue is worth the little bit of inconvenience to take it to a dealer or find someone local they dealer will pay to fix issue.

[Ida Ratherbe Camping]

Fyi, I took my camper in for the same awning symptoms, was told normal. Still working 3 yrs later. LCI, manufacturer.

The rest of your problems are made in China and no quality control.

[Domtherrien]

Originally Posted by Ida Ratherbe Camping

Fyi, I took my camper in for the same awning symptoms, was told normal. Still working 3 yrs later. LCI, manufacturer.



The rest of your problems are made in China and no quality control.

Was your awning almost not moving at all. Almost like it wasn't going to fully retract. It almost seems like a loss of power. But it has power. It is an LCI.

As for the quality control it's definitely obvious there. I am quite capable of handling repairs of almost any size. The plumbing issue will be all be sorted front to back within the next week. It's easy and not that time consuming.

Just getting frustrated with one thing after another it seems.


2011 F-150 Supercrew Ecoboost.

2015 Salem 27 DBud.

Keep Calm
and
Chive On

[JustB_Rad]

Having the same problem with my Solera awning as we speak. I thought it could be the battery, but it wasn't. I replaced the battery and still have the same problem. It stops about 3-6 times on the way in and waits for the motor to "reset". If I keep my finger on the switch, it will stop....reset and then start moving again. I noticed it the first time about 2 months ago, that it was S....L.....O....W....and I mean A LOT slower than last year when it was brand new. The dealer ordered a new motor for it, and that's what I'm waiting on now.

I also feel your pain on all the miscellaneous stuff. After a relatively trouble free first summer, it's been one thing after another with it since I opened it up.

[Ida Ratherbe Camping]

When I took it in for awning, I had to help it in sometimes. Symptoms just as you described. It has gotten better with use. Guess the clock spring wearing out.

Fixing to be on my 3rd AC unit, so you can always look forward to that! 😠

[Domtherrien]

That's brutal. I do have an extended warranty for 7 years that has a 50$ deductible. All I'm responsible for is rubber glass and lights.


2011 F-150 Supercrew Ecoboost.

2015 Salem 27 DBud.

Keep Calm
and
Chive On

[2015 Flagstaff 21DS]

Those aren't problems...they're 'features'.

[R HEMI]

We bought our TT in December of last year the day we got it home I opened it up to show family. When closing the slides they acted like they didn't close all the way. So I got the manual crank out, the slide crank broke. Still wiring for a replacement. The stereo went bad had to get it replaced. Then there were a few nucence items that the dealer had to replace. Ithe is a pain to constantly take the TT back to the dealer and then bring it back to storage. I just hope that everything that is going to break does so. While I still have a warranty. Happy camping. Hope to see everyone at the campfires.

[NMWildcat]

Welcome to the world of new RVs! We are on our fifth new RV and one thing is common to all of our purchases regardless of brand or type. The first year you will spend a lot of time fixing little things yourself and your rig will spend months at a dealership for warranty work. We averaged about 4 months per rig the first year.

The good news is after you get all the bugs worked out the first year, then you can actually enjoy your RV without having to work on it every time you go out After the first year we have had relatively few problems.

It's a sad statement of the quality control of manufacturers but seems to hold true with all our camping friends as well.

Next RV I am seriously considering trying to find a used one in good shape. That way hopefully all the 'bugs' are already worked out. LOL!!

Good luck and enjoy learning all kinds of things you never wanted to know

[larryo]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Welcome to the world of new RVs! We are on our fifth new RV and one thing is common to all of our purchases regardless of brand or type. The first year you will spend a lot of time fixing little things yourself and your rig will spend months at a dealership for warranty work. We averaged about 4 months per rig the first year.

The good news is after you get all the bugs worked out the first year, then you can actually enjoy your RV without having to work on it every time you go out After the first year we have had relatively few problems.

It's a sad statement of the quality control of manufacturers but seems to hold true with all our camping friends as well.

Next RV I am seriously considering trying to find a used one in good shape. That way hopefully all the 'bugs' are already worked out. LOL!!

Good luck and enjoy learning all kinds of things you never wanted to know

I agree with that comment. Last spring we bought a nice used Puma 295bhk. To date we have used it 8 times for a total of 29 days. I have not had to touch a thing and everything works perfectly. Except for one of the rear jacks that I bent.
Happy camping.

[Domtherrien]

Well I called the dealer yesterday and explained the awning situation he said he would order a motor and then we could set up a time to get it put on.
I told him that I wouldn't have time to make a 6 hour round trip to drop off the unit. I explained everything else to him that had been happening and how we weren't very happy with the product.
In turn he offered two outcomes. If he has a service guy coming this way he will send him to my place free of charge due to the fact it's still less than a year old or he can pick it up after Canada day long weekend (which is our last camping planned before 10 day trek) and we can pick it up on the way to PEI. (They are close to the ferry service to the island)
This feels like a win to me.


2011 F-150 Supercrew Ecoboost.

2015 Salem 27 DBud.

Keep Calm
and
Chive On

[dblr]

Glad to hear the dealer is working with you, good luck and hope all goes well so you can enjoy your camper, keep us posted.

[tahoe1840]

Welcome to the Forest River family. All of these posts are so true. The question is, "Why is the RV industry this way?" Amazing!

[brandon 2]

How true about bits and pieces going wrong or not working. I had the front end aligned on our 2014 Sun Seeker. with only 11,000 KMS on it and now it steers like it should. (Bought used) Then there was the battery control center made by Worth electronics and it went bad and no parts were available and they do not use them any more. (go figure|) Thanks to Russ Stall of Forest River he scored me a new Precision Circuits unit and it works fine. (These are on all the new units) Got back from camping the other day and went to put the bedroom slide out and the trim around one side of the slide came off during the extension. So took it off completely. Evidently this part was to long and got caught up on the bottom. So sawed off 1/2 inch at the bottom and now no binding. Put it back on with screws rather then staples. Radio and navigation system decided not to work. So went to the Ford Dealer who services my F-150 and all fuses were ok . Even the ones in the unit its self. So rather than spend hours and dollars at the RV dealer trying to locate the issue I had them run a line from a spare fuse space under the dash that was not used and now problem solved. Some trim pieces came off with the use of staples.on the inside of the roof. Some "no more nails" from the Home Depot fixed that.
One always has to be tinkering and keeping an eye on everything.


Brandon2
2014 2500TS
Sun Seeker

[Skyliner]

These storeis makes me glad I bought a 6 year old 5th wheel. It was in near perfect operating condition which allowed me to focus on upgrades instead of repairs.

How to Rv companies get away with it? Sometimes I wish Toyota would get into the RV business to wake up American companies that quality needs to improve.

[The_Rhino]

In 2014 we bought a used 2011 PT Tracer & had no issues the first 2 years. However, our TT is now 5 years old & since we camp over 30 days per year some stuff is starting to wear-out.

1) This spring our Dometic RV fridge wouldn't cool to 40, so I replaced it with a larger Whirlpool residential fridge ($300 at Sears Outlet), a 2000W inverter ($100), and extra 12V battery ($80). It cools to 40 in 1 hour & I don't have to worry about having propane on in tunnels, etc... It did great boondocking recently with occasional daytime generator runs.

2) The cheap pressboard/laminate dinette table & vanity countertops are warping & bases that hold the dinette poles have become wobbly. This summer I will replace both with a DIY mod using higher quality materials...

3) The rooftop TV antenna is not directional & performs poorly so I rewired the cable lines so that I can connect a much better HD antenna through the outdoor TV connection.

Previously I replaced the stock tires ($600) & mattress ($350) and added MaxxAir fans front & back ($550 for both). I also added a 2nd 30 amp circuit & outlets so that we can power a 2nd electric skillet, etc. and power a future 2nd A/C when we head out West... I also installed OldCoot's awning tie-down brackets & poles purchased from Turbs. And, I replaced the dinette benches with heavier ply because we turn them upside down to hold our bikes w/fork mounts.

Originally I saved 25% buying used vs. best wholesaler prices on new units. So far I've spent about 10% on mods & upgrades (about $2000). So I'm still 15% less than new & feel our TT is better than ever. We plan to keep it about 5 more years & then upgrade to a MH...

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Welcome to the world of new RVs! We are on our fifth new RV and one thing is common to all of our purchases regardless of brand or type. The first year you will spend a lot of time fixing little things yourself and your rig will spend months at a dealership for warranty work. We averaged about 4 months per rig the first year.

The good news is after you get all the bugs worked out the first year, then you can actually enjoy your RV without having to work on it every time you go out After the first year we have had relatively few problems.

It's a sad statement of the quality control of manufacturers but seems to hold true with all our camping friends as well.

Next RV I am seriously considering trying to find a used one in good shape. That way hopefully all the 'bugs' are already worked out. LOL!!

Good luck and enjoy learning all kinds of things you never wanted to know

Just purchased a 2013 Wildcat Sterling 32RL. We looked at some new models and decided not to purchase new because of all the stories our friends have about constant problems with new campers. We also saved a TON of money buying used and got MUCH more for what we did pay for a pre-owned over new.

We are out on our "shake down cruise" so to speak and nothing has been out of the ordinary so far this weekend.

That said, campers do break so we don't expect everything to be perfect, either.

[mowingman]

We went the used route for the reasons mentioned here. I did not want to deal with a warranty that usually is not worth the paper it is written on, nor the long waits at dealers for warranty work. We figured a clean, well cared for used travel trailer was the best way to go. Last week we bought a gently used 2015 Puma. I will fix any problems that come up myself, or take it to a reliable repair shop of my choosing.

[phillyg]

I know it's annoying to you, but other than a potential and expensive awning motor problem, you got off fairly easy. I've seen lists of 30+ issues, some of which were serious.