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Old 06-12-2019, 01:42 PM   #1
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Coachmen Quality

It must be human nature to complain loudly when things go wrong but never utter a peep when things go well. There is thread after thread about the lack of Quality Control in the RV Industry.

I had a 2018 Chaparral 360IBL for a year. From the dealer in Louisiana, I pulled it to Savannah Ga, to Shreveport La, to Knoxville Tn, back to Savannah then down to Mission, Tx and the Mexican border, up through the Ouachita Mountains near Hot Springs, Arkansas where I met moonshiners in three different counties by blindly following the GPS up and down very narrow roads, then to its final resting place near Knoxville.

All the while living in it fulltime.

The single "quality issue" that I had was a piece of corner-trim fell off the bed frame, below the mattress.

My hat is off to Coachmen's quality.


An unfortunate turn of events puts me in the market for a new camper. Despite my success story with Coachmen I had been tempted by SOB which will remain nameless except to mention that its initials are: "Jayco Eagle 319MLOK". Beautiful coach, brand new floorplan, love the new color scheme, then I read the owners' forum.

First post I came to, the unfortunate owner is ready to trade the thing in after his first outing. Schwintek slides - say no more - Dometic fridge, reversed wiring in his a/c thermostat, one grey tank valve won't seal. Yes, that could happen to any brand on a bad day.

But it makes me very grateful and wanting to tell others about the quality of product that I got from Coachmen.
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Old 06-12-2019, 02:09 PM   #2
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I agree. I've been a member of various RV forums that are not brand-specific, for nearly 15 years.
I've seen many complaints on every brand, even the sacred Airstreams and Winnebagos.
And as you saw on the Jayco owners website, every brand-specific site has the same amount of complaints as we do here.
NO RV brand is immune to quality issues, even the million dollar Provost or Marathon Motorhomes.
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Old 06-12-2019, 02:09 PM   #3
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I have to echo this report. We purchased a 26CB Adrenaline toy hauler last year, and pulled it over 12,000 miles. All conditions from empty to probably-overloaded. Other than some cosmetic changes that we wanted, everything was as presented on our PDI and we never had a bit of trouble. The company engineers need to listen to a few more women about storage in the kitchens, how many shelves to put in a cabinet, and where the linen closet really needs to be!
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Old 06-13-2019, 07:28 AM   #4
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Agree on Coachmen quality*. Our 360IBL is our 5th and best coach yet.

20 months, 12k miles, over 140 nights spent in it so far.

*Except the Constancy tires
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Old 06-14-2019, 07:22 AM   #5
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Glad to hear this. I wasn’t considering a Coachmen. I was only looking at Winnebago MHs. I really like the E Pro Campers, but my wife prefers a motorhome, so I ended up here.
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Old 06-14-2019, 07:42 AM   #6
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Same here. On our third Coachmen and happy with the quality.
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Old 06-14-2019, 07:44 AM   #7
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We love our Coachmen! No problems at all with the actual build or reliability of the trailer. Only issues has been with components installed that Coachmen has no control over... Dometic Fridge and Coleman A/C.
We have spent the last couple of years looking at possible replacements but then we do a mod to it and the wife says "I love this Camper" so that is the end of looking

Actually I love it too. Tows great, easy to maintain, and easy to afford! Can't beat that!
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Old 06-15-2019, 07:19 AM   #8
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Glad to hear you had success. My story is different. I had a bunch of quality control issues....outlets wired backwards, black tank valve backwards...tv antenna cable broken and mis wired...slides not closing....tank valves not operable. AC install buggered up causing water leaks......just to name a few. The quality issues are apparent when the dealer has a lead time of 2-3 months to do repairs. Very sad. But the consumer is to blame for tolerating such crap.
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Old 06-15-2019, 07:45 AM   #9
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I too have the same issue, and I love it.

Our 2016 Coachman Freedom Express 248 RBS has been great. The only thing that we had problem with was a toilet valve that was stuck open.
On our first trip we were parked across from a brand new Grand Design 5er that has some serious roof leaks.
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Old 06-15-2019, 09:47 AM   #10
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We have been very pleased with our 2017 Apex 269RBKS. I think it is a perfect couples trailer for the money. The DW loves the large rear bathroom and the walk-in pantry plus the island.

Nice factory video
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Old 06-15-2019, 01:50 PM   #11
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Our 2016 Apex 239RBS has been good except for the Dometic AC having to be replaced this spring and now the Jensen stereo unit has quit working, neither are Coachmen's fault.
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Old 06-15-2019, 09:08 PM   #12
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We are on our second season with our 2018 catalina 293 RLDS. Lots of room with the double slides, layout is great for the 2 of us. Fit and finish is a bit better than our last unit.We are seasonal campers so we spend about 4 months in the campground. We did have about a dozen problems when new last spring which was irritating at the time. Only a couple from poor workmanship, the rest were from faulty or poorly made parts . We have a great dealer who looked after everything for us which means a lot no matter what brand you purchase imo. No problems at all this year. Very happy with our purchase.
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Old 06-16-2019, 12:10 PM   #13
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I have had my FE 246RKS for nearly 5 years. I had the frame stress fracture issue (not Coachmen's fault) and a leak I've fought the whole time I've owned it. Turns out the leak was from a bolt on the awning frame wasn't sealed at the factory. Great, finally get that fixed but now when I put the awning out in the rain, it leaks so I have other issues. I will just keep this one until it falls apart completely and then look at another Coachmen first.

All in all I am very happy with the quality of the unit. No issues with the appliances or fit and finish inside. Nothing has fallen off during my travels and everything works as advertised. I am currently living in mine full time and it is holding up great but I take very good care of my stuff.

I belong to several other forums and there are problems with every brand from minor to major. I am somewhat handy and can fix little things but pay the experts for the major issues.

If you look hard enough, you can find issues with anything you buy.

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Old 06-25-2019, 03:57 PM   #14
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QC

Over all very happy with both of our Coachmens. Traded a 276 RKSLE in on a 321 FEDSLE last August. The 276 was 100% trouble free for three years and we put about 5k miles on each year. The 321 is very good except for one pretty wierd manufacturing error. The shower drain is higher that the rest of the shower pan. Consequently the shower must be squeegeed out after every use unless you don't mind about a pint and a half of shower water sloshing around and getting stinky. It seems the connecting tube between the tail piece and the "P" trap is too long and the trap is sitting right on a frame crossmember, thus holding the shower pan up about 3/8". Soooo if this is not fixed sooner or later either the shower pan or the trap is gonna crack and fail.

Had the dealer check it out and was told in order to effect a proper repair the entire shower enclosure, door and pan have to be removed to make it right. Have an appointment for the repair and hopefully all will turn out well. Contacted COA and was told they'd go to bat for me if there's a problem. So far the dealer has been cooperative. Keep y'all posted.
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Old 06-28-2019, 07:39 AM   #15
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I have a 2018 Catalina LE 293QKBS, and the only major issue I had was with the cable. One end wasn't connected and the other connectors weren't crimped onto the cables.

Other than that, this is by far the trailer with the least amount of issues from the factory that we've owned.
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Old 07-14-2019, 01:25 PM   #16
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We bought a 2020 Apex 215RBK in the beginning of May. Set it up in the driveway and could find no issue. Have had it out for a couple of weekend trips and nothing more than a couple loose screws. maybe I will find something on a longer trip but so far very happy with it.
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Old 07-14-2019, 06:40 PM   #17
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When I posted about the problem with my shower stall in my Coachmen I said I’d get back to y’ ll with how it all worked out. Well, last week I took the trailer back to Campers Inn for the repair. I was told the entire shower needed to be removed to get to the problem. I left it Monday AM and was returning on Wednesday just to check to make sure it was being worked on. Three miles from the dealer they called on my cell and informed me that the trailer was ready to be picked up.
When I arrived the technician was there and explained everything he had done to address the problem. He did a great job and it was completely covered by the warranty.
I have always treated the staff there with respect and expect the same in return. So far so good. I know positive experiences are not always the case with RV dealers so I have to say I am pleased. Back to enjoying my Coachmen !!!!
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