Blue Ridge Nightmare

krussell · 04-24-2011, 04:39 PM

Finally got to take out our new 2010 this weekend after numerous issues, one being the hydraulic hose exploded when we brought it home. We got to the lake, and our slides wouldn't come out. We jimmy rigged it and finally got them to go out. Thought it was a fuse, no problem. Then that night we got over an inch of rain and woke up the next morning with water running into the overhead cabinets in the back, down onto the entertainment center and into the lower cabinets and the t.v. lift compartment. Once we got everything wiped up we noticed this was not the first time this unit has leaked. There is water damage all over the rear end. The rear window also appears to be defective as rain came in there as well. Then the DR slide carpet was soaked! Going to see a lawyer next week, not getting any help from Forest River, and not a heck of a lot from the dealer.

mooneybeem · 04-24-2011, 06:14 PM

Take lotsa pictures....you'll need them. So sorry to hear about your misfortune.

sherdep · 04-24-2011, 07:51 PM

that really blows that your weekend didnt go so well.
Document everything you can to help your case including pictures like stated above.

Quick question for ya though -
was it a used 2010 but new to you or a left over 2010 which was never titled until you bought it?

I always wondered what warranty would be if you bought a new last year left over - whether it would have full warranty or not.

eaglesdancing · 05-02-2011, 01:23 PM

We have a 2011 model and having the same leaks. We found it was coming from the A/C unit but can't get to it to repair the leak. Removed shroud and took a look from the inside ans outside too, but can't find the leak to repair it. Grrrrrr Can't seem to fix the darn thing. Hopefully there are some folks that might have a tip or two to help us out.

sherdep · 05-02-2011, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eaglesdancing

We have a 2011 model and having the same leaks. We found it was coming from the A/C unit but can't get to it to repair the leak. Removed shroud and took a look from the inside ans outside too, but can't find the leak to repair it. Grrrrrr Can't seem to fix the darn thing. Hopefully there are some folks that might have a tip or two to help us out.

If you had the shroud off did you check to make sure the 4 screws that pull the two pieces together were tight?

I do not remember what kind of Gasket was on the bottom of the unit that is on the outside of the trailer.

I do know the one's we used had a gasket attached to the putside unit and was sandwiched between the two units (Inside and outside units) - we use these types of A/C units in Booths in the Garages.

eaglesdancing · 05-06-2011, 08:27 AM

We check the 4 bolts, two were loose. But we are still having a problem with leaking even after tightening them.

Can't get local dealer to do the work for repairs because he claims that Forest River doesn't pay him enough to do the repair work. hmmmmm Not what I expected from Forest River dealership. Disappointed.

krussel, I don't know if you have had this problem as well but I am not crazy about the company's customer care after shelling out big money for their product.

donn · 05-06-2011, 08:42 AM

Contact FR direct. You have a crappy dealer. Sorry for that. Also mention to FR that your dealer is worthless. Give them lots of pictures. So far they have always been good to work with for me. Try and get them to find you a different dealer to get the service work performed. If you make enough of a stink they may take it back to the factory to do the repairs for you. They have done it in the past.

sherdep · 05-06-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eaglesdancing

We check the 4 bolts, two were loose. But we are still having a problem with leaking even after tightening them.

Can't get local dealer to do the work for repairs because he claims that Forest River doesn't pay him enough to do the repair work. hmmmmm Not what I expected from Forest River dealership. Disappointed.

krussel, I don't know if you have had this problem as well but I am not crazy about the company's customer care after shelling out big money for their product.

Like donn said - sounds like the dealer is crappy.

You can do one of two things - call Aixcell and tell them your situation - they might be able to give you better insite or even send you a new gasket - sounds to me like your gasket has been compromised or has flipped over when the A/C unit was installed - I had called Airxcell for a part # for the added heat strip to my unit and they were cery helpful so hope they treat you the same way they did me. Tell them it is a new trailer - I suggest having the model and serial # on hand before calling though.

Or like stated above call FR direct and see if you can get satisfaction that way and tell them exactly what the dealer said about not getting paid enough for warranty work - that comment alone would piss me off especially if I bought the unit from that dealer and wouldnt stand behind the product since they are / were making money off of the product.

TitanFlyer · 05-06-2011, 09:11 AM

How do dealers get away with this? If you go and buy a Honda in another state, and had a problem, and the local dealership said they wouldn't work on it FOR ANY REASON, that dealership would get the business end of a boot from Honda. I don't know if its the manufacturers fault for nickel and diming the dealers, or the dealers for cutting back so far that they can't do the servicing, but when you invest the kind of money we are for these units, we shouldn't EVER deal with that kind of crap.

PS - Sorry to hear about your problems. I was on the fence about spending a little more on a BR bunkhouse over the lower cost Sierra, and your post a while ago did help me to decide. My new Sierra is at the dealer today waiting for me.

eaglesdancing · 05-06-2011, 09:25 AM

We attended a big show in Indianapolis (Boat Sport and Travel Show) and talked to some FR dealers, and they told me not to try and "nickel and dime" the company with some problems on my unit. grrrrr I would think they would be wanting happy owners of FR products so they would have more people looking to buy FR units. ....but once you are suckered in to buying one....too bad sooo sad is the feeling I am getting from them.

I am finding many businesses these days just don't have a good service record. This is not helping the economy in this country at all.

Thanks for the input and sorry krussel for high jacking your post....I just had to jump in on your problem because I am sharing your grief.

I love the looks of this RV but its has its problems. Retailing at $50,000 you'd thing this wouldn't be the problem. Thank goodness we got our's a lot cheaper.

mooneybeem · 05-06-2011, 10:30 AM

It's a shot in the dark, but I though I would mention it. Did you deal with the owner/manager or someone below him? Sometimes it's the person down the chain of command that shrugs customers off hoping you will just go away. All the best to you and sorry for the mess you are going thru.

eaglesdancing · 05-06-2011, 11:00 AM

Sorry to say it but we were talking to the owner. I was thinking the same thing when he was talking to us, so I asked if he was the owner.

I am contacting Dometic today to see if they will help us out. (this is the make of the A/C unit) and I might try FR...but I am not holding my breath on that one.

Thanks for you help.

**Herk7769** · 05-06-2011, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eaglesdancing

We check the 4 bolts, two were loose. But we are still having a problem with leaking even after tightening them.

Can't get local dealer to do the work for repairs because he claims that Forest River doesn't pay him enough to do the repair work. hmmmmm Not what I expected from Forest River dealership. Disappointed.

krussel, I don't know if you have had this problem as well but I am not crazy about the company's customer care after shelling out big money for their product.

You can not "retorque" the closed cell foam gasket. It must be replaced. Once dirt gets between the foam and the textured roof, it is going to leak no matter what you do. "Don't ask how I know"

eaglesdancing · 05-06-2011, 11:17 AM

OK that is good to know. I just email Dometic so we will see what I need to do to replace this gasket.

Sounds like it might be a common problem. I would think running down the road those units wiggle around a lots. So it might not be a bad idea to have a spare just in case.

Water and pressed board cabinets don't mix well. Just hope we have stop this ASAP! Of course we are looking at more rain heading our way!! Just can't win it seems.

Thanks for your help

ilovecamping · 05-06-2011, 12:54 PM

We had a leak in our front bunk and after the dealer had it five times and couldn't fix it, FR had it sent back to them and they fixed it. Our dealership says FR is the best company for backing up their campers. Hope you get it repaired/replaced soon. I feel your disappointment.

**Herk7769** · 05-06-2011, 01:28 PM

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...g-on-7112.html

Is a good thread on this subject.

krussell · 05-16-2011, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherdep

that really blows that your weekend didnt go so well.
Document everything you can to help your case including pictures like stated above.

Quick question for ya though -
was it a used 2010 but new to you or a left over 2010 which was never titled until you bought it?

I always wondered what warranty would be if you bought a new last year left over - whether it would have full warranty or not.

It was new. We bought it in Feb. 11, a left-over. Got a good deal, but then again, we got what we paid for!

krussell · 05-16-2011, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike06081969

Deleted per OP's request. He mistakenly blamed the MFR

Love Good Sam, but at the end of the day, wished we'd have bought a NuWa Hitchhiker. We've had two of them and NEVER had any problems like this. Just didn't want to spend the extra money. Guess we should have.

krussell · 05-16-2011, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eaglesdancing

We attended a big show in Indianapolis (Boat Sport and Travel Show) and talked to some FR dealers, and they told me not to try and "nickel and dime" the company with some problems on my unit. grrrrr I would think they would be wanting happy owners of FR products so they would have more people looking to buy FR units. ....but once you are suckered in to buying one....too bad sooo sad is the feeling I am getting from them.

I am finding many businesses these days just don't have a good service record. This is not helping the economy in this country at all.

Thanks for the input and sorry krussel for high jacking your post....I just had to jump in on your problem because I am sharing your grief.

I love the looks of this RV but its has its problems. Retailing at $50,000 you'd thing this wouldn't be the problem. Thank goodness we got our's a lot cheaper.

Good for you! Glad you got a good unit at a good price. We have purchased two NuWa's in the past 15 years and have never had a problem with them. Just wish we'd have thought about the quality instead of the money this time. We have a son at college and thought we could get a good product and a lower price, since it was a "10 leftover. Wish we'd have paid for quality now.

krussell · 05-16-2011, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovecamping

We had a leak in our front bunk and after the dealer had it five times and couldn't fix it, FR had it sent back to them and they fixed it. Our dealership says FR is the best company for backing up their campers. Hope you get it repaired/replaced soon. I feel your disappointment.

Hope they did fix it! We talked to a FR rep for our area and he was a jerk. This was our first weekend out, and they would have had to replace the back end, the one piece floor in the LR, etc., etc., etc. I'm not impressed with FR, but I'm definitely impressed with our dealer who bought our unit back and sold us Cardinal for invoice (we saw it!). $76,000 vs. $41,000. But we still may trade it off for a Hitchhiker in a year or two. Much better quality and they stand behind what they sell!

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