Pretty Disappointed in Forest River Coachmen

[jkot]

I got 21QB for full-time. Its less than 1 year old and already seen tons of quality problems.

Please be careful: RANT UP AHEAD.

The thermostat went bad after 8 months. OEM cost $50. A digital (works great) cost $25. Why do this FR?

I found about 6 months that the rivets under the coach had popped out. Even the ones that were there had never made it into the panel. They were just sitting there. Almost 2/3 were simply missing.

Found out that the OEM charger was just meant for float charge to keep the battery "warm" It only put out about 13.1v not a 14.1 - 14.3 v needed to really charge the battery. Dumb because the right one and the OEM are the same price.

I have a rear view camera and an in-dash monitor. You cannot play DVDs in the in-dash. I was told its a saftey feature. Wait you are parked with your parking breaks engaged and it doesn't come on? What kind of bone headed move is that. Even the manfacture said he didn't understand it. The monitor is specfically designed with a wire going to parking break where if parking break is engaged the in dash DVD should play.

The Microwave has a film to protect the buttons from wearing out. Its already loose and wrinkled like it was 10 years old.

The couch where I sit to do work has a lump and deep indentation in it. I only weigh about 128 lbs.

When you want to use the generator, you have to keep the tank a 1/4 full. That's ridiculous. I let it go on "empty" where the gas gauge was on red to see how far I could go. The mileage estimator said 80 miles. My car will only go 30 miles on the "empty" mark so that's plenty of room.

At a 1/4 tank there is about 10 gallons - that'll go another 100 miles or so on highway. So I've got to keep 180 miles of gas in my cab to run the generator. I was told to fix this the tank would have to be dropped. Another boned headed move. Even if you are the kind that wants to wear your belt and your supenders, is 1/8 of a tank more then enough?

That's about about 8 in reserve and about 6 or more in the main tank. Total of 14 gallons to get you back to wherever. And if you're stupid enough to run your generator so you have 1/8 of tank and in the boonies then it's your fault. I don't need a nanny.

They tell me the DVD is for safety. The tell me the 1/4 tank is for safety. Then if there concern is so much for safety then why do they not put in a 3-way refigerator. Think of all the people who run down the high way with their gas on to run refigerator. Yeah most people think its okay. But in most states its against the law for safety reasons.

I could point out at least 5 - 6 more things that are just plain poor manufacturing problems and some design problems as well.

I'm having to fix all this, when in most cases it would cost practically nothing or far, far less to do it right before the fact then after.

The word CRAP has been coming to my mind of late. Wonder why?
Oh point any of this out to coachman and you're told "cosmetic" or "design that way" (oh really ... missing screws are cosmetic? the city water connection breaks the first time its used?)

By the way, the fine folks in the RV world have legislated the "lemon law" away. You cannot apply it to RVs. Cute or CRAP.

[Bob Montgomery]

Why would you play a DVD in the dash radio? CDs are designed for the dash. DVDs are designed to be viewed on your television. Or am I missing something? You need more fuel to run your generator so that you do not accidently run out of fuel. I am glad they designed it that way as I would not have to face running out of fuel. Forest River doesn't make the microwave and it should be covered by the maker's warranty.

[Big Rig]

You can't expect to much out of a unit not designed for full timing.


Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

[wahoonc]

With the exception of the rivets and screws? Everything else is pretty much industry standard. Forest River doesn't make the thermostats and converters or the DVD players. The 1/4 tank of fuel has been around for many years. If keeping that much gas in the tank is a problem, maybe you shouldn't own an RV?

Aaron

[jkot]

I think you're right that you can't expect much from a unit that's not designed full time. But the bonehead part is that as I said it either costs the same or just a tad bit more to do it right. Right so that if you wanted to use it full time your could at least 90% of it.

And if you were a seasonal user then you'd have a unit that was much better and shouldn't cost an arm-and-a-leg more because as I said in many instances the part that proper is same price or cheaper then the price of the sub-par part that was put in.

That's my issue. If it took a major leap for man-kind to do it right, I'd be with you on it. But it's really a small step that wouldn't cost that much other then a little bit of common sense.

That's why I say, you're mostly right and partly wrong.

[jkot]

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

Why would you play a DVD in the dash radio? CDs are designed for the dash. DVDs are designed to be viewed on your television. Or am I missing something? You need more fuel to run your generator so that you do not accidently run out of fuel. I am glad they designed it that way as I would not have to face running out of fuel. Forest River doesn't make the microwave and it should be covered by the maker's warranty.

Why would you want a DVD in the front, why not? I've found myself parked in a parking lot waiting for the Mrs. and what am I suppose to do, turn on the TV and use the generator to give it power or run down my battery? The battery in the cab is plenty powerful to run it for 20 - 30 min.

And if CDs are designed for dash and DVD's for the TV (which uses lot more power then dash player), why would the manufacture of the in-dash put this in as a feature.

And as I said you've got 140 miles even if you went to 1/8 of tank. What's wrong with 140 miles? When you consider 30 Miles reserve is what's been legistated by the DOT. Does an RV *really* need any more than 1/8 of thank when that gets you 140 miles?

And what a waste. When I get to where I'm getting to I have to keep in mind that the gen is going to go at 1/4 tank. So I have to needlessly fill up more 1/4 tank. So here's the problem with that, I can't use the generator and what if my battery runs out of juice. So to be prepared I've got to keep another 1/4 to 1/2 tank more just to avoid this "safety" feature.

If the really want to do this as a "safety" feature, then give me control and let me set it myself.

IMHO, suspenders and a belt. Who really needs both?

[Bob Montgomery]

That microwave film??? Is that the protective film the manufacture put on the unit so it wasn't scratched prior to use by the purchaser? It is meant to be pealed off by the end user. If not, your dealer likely should replace it as it should be under warranty.

[jkot]

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

That microwave film??? Is that the protective film the manufacture put on the unit so it wasn't scratched prior to use by the purchaser? It is meant to be pealed off by the end user. If not, your dealer likely should replace it as it should be under warranty.

We went to the dealer, point this out. We were told that coachman consider this "cosmetic" and so would not be covered under the warranty. The same was said about all the screws missing under the mental strip that supports the panel.

The thermostat, well to be honest with you on this, I'm not sure if the dealership messed up or it was coachman. It took 41/2 weeks before we heard that it was okay to do this under warranty. By that time, I had already paid for a digital to be installed.

I say I don't know because after I paid for the Mrs had a hunch it wasn't coachman; she suspect someone at the dealership messed up because she felt no one would take so long to make a such a simple decision. Well I called coachman and they said they could find the warranty request in their system. The dealership claims they did it and could see it just fine.

So like I said, to be honest, I don't know where the fault lies. Our fault does not lie in the stars, but ourselves as the bard says. Our fault was to not do enough research on Coachman before we bought it. After that, I've been on other sites, where people have said their front end wasn't adjusted properly and much worst then I've experienced.

Maybe I should count my blessings.

[Bob Montgomery]

I just looked up your unit. It looks nice. If you want to live in it full time, that is your business and I think there is no reason you can't except you will freeze up in the winter if you are in the wrong area. The radio in the dash is not designed to play a DVD. Sorry, CD only. They look alike but they are not. If you have a DVD player in the coach (I am not sure if you do or not) then it is likely 12volt as is your main television so you can watch it in the parking lot without running your generator as long as your coach batteries are turned on....I hope your dealer will take care of the rivets. I have a Coachmen Leperchaun 230CB (2015) and have not experienced any real problems so far and have traveled at least 10,000 miles since we bought it used. We service it regularly, keep it clean, and even have used it in Montana during the winter but without putting water into the system. By carrying two one gallon bottles of water in the bathroom we can even pour some in toilet and use it in an emergency. Not enough to freeze anything up. Hang in there, I think you have a nice little rig and yes, you should expect things to be done properly.

[jkot]

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

I just looked up your unit. It looks nice. If you want to live in it full time, that is your business and I think there is no reason you can't except you will freeze up in the winter if you are in the wrong area. The radio in the dash is not designed to play a DVD. Sorry, CD only. They look alike but they are not. If you have a DVD player in the coach (I am not sure if you do or not) then it is likely 12volt as is your main television so you can watch it in the parking lot without running your generator as long as your coach batteries are turned on....I hope your dealer will take care of the rivets. I have a Coachmen Leperchaun 230CB (2015) and have not experienced any real problems so far and have traveled at least 10,000 miles since we bought it used. We service it regularly, keep it clean, and even have used it in Montana during the winter but without putting water into the system. By carrying two one gallons of water in the bathroom we can even pour some in toilet and use it in an emergency. Not enough to freeze anything up. Hang in there, I think you have a nice little rig and yes, you should expect things to be done properly.

My in-dash is clearly meant to play DVDs. There is a button on the touch panel that says "DVD". When it first didn't work, I thought it was broken. But then I called the manufacture to see if they would replace it and was told nothing doing. The problem is in how it's been wired not a problem with the unit. I asked was that the "norm" to it that way. He said that's the design and that's the way it's suppose to be done.

If you don't believe me that that's the way it is look up:
AV61BH manufactuer AXXERA. Mine also has a USB stick, a SD card, and external AV. As best as I can tell the external AV has something to do with connecting your GPS so you can use the GPS through in-dash. Or I understand that is supports something called "miracast" which allow you to project your iPhone so you can use google maps off your iPhone.


I ended up taking it to Best Buy to get this "fixed" The guy said the same thing to me. Why wasn't it done right in the first place.

Oh I should mention the other thing the guy at Best Buy found. The in-dash unit had been put in wrong at the factory. It had crushed the 12v socket connector to the 12v plug on the passenger side.

As far as a 12v TV, mine isn't 12v. It's a 110v. And so is the DVD/Blueray player. I have to take an inverter and put in the the 12v plug that's there and feed it into the TV, unless I want to connect to shore or turn on the generator.

[Bob Montgomery]

We wish we had purchased a larger unit, ours may be a little longer than yours but has no slides. However, after only one month we found we would take a 7-12K hit (for depreciation) so we have worked to make ours more comfortable and will drive it a lot this summer and then make a choice to keep it or trade it. Unfortunately it was our experience that the salesman was not really looking for our best interests. He was very nice but was simply trying to make a sale. I told him I didn't want slides because I was afraid of water leakage but he didn't try to educated us. It was our first motorhome and although we did look around we really didn't know what we needed in the long run. We likely paid too much ($52K) but were led to believe it was a great deal. I think generally Forest River makes a pretty good coach for the money but would advise anyone new to motorhomes to rent one for a week or two and live in it before purchasing. Or learn the hard way like we did. Our best to you, come visit Cody WY if you can during the nice months and you will have a good time. Yellowstone is only an hour away. Good luck to you.

[jkot]

As far as the heat is concerned, I really didn't have an issue with 50 - 60s. We were nested for the winter around Savannah GA. r The Mrs. is a different story. She likes it toasty. And I'm not sure why we couldn't have it "toasty".

We had put up those 3M sheets. And after that we had some refletx. And we had a gas heater. In a 20ft coach, that should have been plenty. One of the other problems was that the lock on the windows aren't design right. They vibrate loose. So if we went for a drive the window would open.

Because we had the window covered and refletx I didn't notice it. We were outside and coming back "home" and I saw it 3/4 way open. And I know I shut it. I ended up taking a dowel and some padding from two paint rollers to keep the metal from bending and jammed it in. But why?

Can't coachman just make something that locks and doesn't vibrate loose when you're on the road? How difficult could that be? Or does Coachman think you don't drive your RV? Who knows.

Oh don't know if you saw this. But thanks for the best wishes. The Mrs. is from San Diego and wants to go soon. We may take a trek in May. Who knows we may go up the Yellowstone way rather then through Texas.

Thanks again.

[keith_h]

If the player won't play a DVD until the parking brake is on and you want to watch a movie while you are parked waiting for the wife, why isn't your parking brake on? It makes sense not to allow it to run while you might be moving and basing operation on the parking brake setting seems like a reasonable solution.

[jkot]

Originally Posted by keith_h

If the player won't play a DVD until the parking brake is on and you want to watch a movie while you are parked waiting for the wife, why isn't your parking brake on? It makes sense not to allow it to run while you might be moving and basing operation on the parking brake setting seems like a reasonable solution.

The parking break is on. It still didn't play (like its suppose to).

[tuxedo]

I am a little confused (normal?). This may or may not help.

The AXXERA in our 390AMP 5th came up with the parking brake screen and prevented us watching DVDs. With research I discovered I need only fool it into believing brake is on. Found the correct 2 wires from back of unit and installed a normally closed switch that is open when pressed (a momentary switch). All I am doing is mimicking parking brake. The only trick is that I have to sort of time the length of time switch is depressed. In hindsight maybe I could have just used a normally open switch.

Sometimes the AXXERA screen still has warning screen but movie plays to TV, and sometimes it shows movie on its screen as well as on TV. Never understood this but did not care.

Hope this helps some other 5th or TT owner. (And why didn't Forest River do this at install?)

[richard6335]

There is no requirement to use good quality materials, instruments, or units in any RV. It is a completely unregulated industry as you will come to learn, along with numerous other disappointed consumers. No one at Forest River is concerned about poor workmanship primarily because the work force turnover is too high to control quality. The only concern FR has at the moment is one upping the competition before this sales spike blows out.

[Myrle]

Originally Posted by Bob Montgomery

Why would you play a DVD in the dash radio? CDs are designed for the dash. DVDs are designed to be viewed on your television. Or am I missing something? You need more fuel to run your generator so that you do not accidently run out of fuel. I am glad they designed it that way as I would not have to face running out of fuel. Forest River doesn't make the microwave and it should be covered by the maker's warranty.

Mine is a combination CD/DVD you can not play DVD's while driving you have to be parked, it can be used to play DVD's on the TV in front I have to go remote to Aux 2 for this feature. TV in bedroom has DVD player in the TV.

[sam2424]

I came to the realization it does no good to complain. It's kind of like FR has brain washed us. We has excepted high prices and low quality (and actually a lot will actually defend it). I told FR after all my troubles on my 2015 $90,000 5th wheel if I had know of this site before I purchased unit, you wouldn't have found me within 500 feet of FR dealer. Now you watch, someone will get on here and defend and say something like this "All RV manufactures are just as bad", or "Drive up to Elkhart and they will fix it for you for free with a smile." I only spent $60,000 on my 3500 Silverado and I didn't have to spend 1/2 the first summer repairing things that failed to work or simply fell off. I also didn't have to drive to Flint Michigan to let them fix it for free and a smile. Now somebody will say "The RV industry is not like the car manufacture". It might have been at one time, but those inferior manufactures went out of business because people didn't put up with poor quality. So who's fault is it that we pay good money for junk? OURS!!!!! We make excuses and belittle the buyers who complain to the point the manufactures say to them selves "Hell we can get by with anything, so LET"S STICK IT TO YHEM"

[mike.t]

No DVD player while the wife shops?? Get over it.Go for a walk

[aceinspp]

Not quite what I would use for full timing. Later RJD