Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-19-2016, 05:08 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15
Coachmen Clipper 179FQ - Creaky Floor

Our 17FQ is just about a year old, and the creaking in the floor is getting worse.

Any of you other Coachmen travel-trailer owners have this problem?

When I first asked about it at the dealer, I was told that there has to be a certain amount of 'give'...

But it's getting worse, and everytime I take a step I hear "Coachmen - cheap piece of crap!"
2DogNyte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2016, 06:29 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 197
Don't have an answer but I do know about the flex of the floor as anyone walks on it.
__________________
John & Mary Jo
Enjoying the adventure
Ky-N is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2016, 08:35 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Henderson, KY
Posts: 104
Ours hasnt developed a noise yet, but there are a couple spots with a little "give". But I expect a certain amount of give. This is an entry level unit built to a low weight level. So yeah, it does feel a little cheap. It is what it is.
__________________
2014 Coachman Clipper 17FQ
2011 Ford Ranger 4X4
Kenrod is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2016, 11:12 PM   #4
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ky-N View Post
Don't have an answer but I do know about the flex of the floor as anyone walks on it.
Not sure I understand... are you saying yours creaks?
2DogNyte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2016, 05:59 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
davel1971's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Seaford, De
Posts: 2,377
always going to be a bit of flex in floor when walking, and sometimes some creaks can come with that. Being this is a light entry level model, I'm sure the floors are as thin as possible.
__________________
David & Lynn
2014 Coachmen Chaparral Signature 327 RLKS
2016 Ford F350 Lariat CC Dually
davel1971 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2016, 05:11 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Boss Hoss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 155
I can answer this.Your floor is made of Luan-which is a light weight thin flooring that they use to save weight in the trailer.the usual spots are in the bath and in front of the kit. sink.
We had the same problem on our 2013 Palomino and it cost me $450 to have the bath floor torn out and replaced with treated plywood.
That solved the problem.
My repair guy is also a service mgr at a local RV dealer-he says he sees this all the time.
__________________
2013 Palomino 30ft. of Pure Bliss at 5400#-and then we have this 14 ft.Sea Eagle that I tote around for my wife and son.Michigan State Parks are The Best !:thumbsup
Boss Hoss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2016, 06:49 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 197
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2DogNyte View Post
Not sure I understand... are you saying yours creaks?
No creaks yet but lots of flex.
__________________
John & Mary Jo
Enjoying the adventure
Ky-N is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2016, 07:19 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Boss Hoss's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 155
That's Luan exactly
__________________
2013 Palomino 30ft. of Pure Bliss at 5400#-and then we have this 14 ft.Sea Eagle that I tote around for my wife and son.Michigan State Parks are The Best !:thumbsup
Boss Hoss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2016, 09:24 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Just outside Durango CO
Posts: 154
Maybe I just haven't noticed it but no squeaks, creaks, or give on ours.
__________________
Barry, MSgt, USAF, Ret. & Rose

2017 Ford F150 w/ 3.5 EB
2014 Coachmen Viking 17FQ

Colorful Colorado
La Plata View is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2016, 02:20 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Austintatious's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 158
Mine has a spot in front of the refrigerator that will creak once when walking into the bathroom area; then it will be quiet until it's not been walked on for a while.
__________________
2016 Clipper 17FQ
2016 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Austintatious is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2016, 02:59 PM   #11
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15
thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. I contacted Forest River, and their reply was to take it to the dealer to look at it.

The other dealer in AZ has set an appointment for me to take it in at the end of the month.

So, wish me luck -- I'll keep you posted with what happens.
2DogNyte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2016, 11:12 PM   #12
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15
We took the trailer to Desert AutoPlex, the Coachmen dealer in Mesa, AZ. Unlike the first dealer we tried for warranty work (Galpin Ford RV in Dewey, AZ), Desert AP was very prompt addressing the issue.

Jill, the warranty dept customer service person, has been very good about keeping in contact via email and phone.

We took the unit in on Wed, the 31 of August, and she promised that a tech was waiting to look at it. When she first walked in the trailer, on the squeaky floor, she said, "oh my, something is not right!" and that she had never seen similar movement and creaking.

Thursday or Friday they inspected the floor, cutting away the fabric beneath the trailer, with one tech walking inside, and another underneath watching. They determined that major repairs would be necessary, and they would contact Forest River for authorization.

Monday the 5th I got this email:
"Ok we got auth to start the work we wont have to take anything out from the inside what Factory recommends is that we add 2x2 to soft areas to support add liquid nail and glue to support and let dry for awhile I will keep you posted the tech That will be working on this is good
we will get this right for you"

Poor email skills not withstanding, (I think she uses voice recognition on her phone to write emails!) it looks like they are making an attempt to fix the problem.

She didn't say what the 2x2s are - alum, wood, steel or what - but I presume wood, since they will use Liquid Nails. Not sure how much rigidity will come from 8' lengths of 2x2s, but we'll see.

Daily high temps in Mesa have been over 100°, so it should not take too long for Liquid Nails to set up...so I anticipate hearing something from Jill this week.

Again, I'll keep you posted...
2DogNyte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 11:37 AM   #13
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 15
Well, that didn't take long... I was concerned that 2x2s wouldn't fix the problem, and this morning I hear from the dealer that I was correct:

"Found that floor is going to need more than just supports so we have auth requested waiting to hear back from them I will keep you posted Just adding 2x2 for support is not going to make it go away we will need to pull lino up and depending on if it can just peel back or if its glued down we might have to replace
I will let you know what they say"

So, now we wait again...
2DogNyte is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
coachmen

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:04 PM.