6 Weeks in Shop

DrJAG · 09-21-2015, 06:16 PM

Finally got my RB back after 6 Weeks in shop. Was told time was due to waiting on parts and waiting to get authorization from Forest River for warranty work. What was wrong and fixed:

1. 1 1/2 in long piece of molding had fallen off driver side --- oops they ordered wrong part and didn't replace it --- mistakes happen but would have been nice to know before driving 30 mi to pick RV up. Not a big issue and will get it installed next visit.

2. Paint started peeling off upper rear driver side from corner round piece between roof and sidewall. Anybody else had this problem? I had noted that the caulk around the roof seams was painted along with the rest of the coach; may have contributed to the paint peeling. -- repainted and did good job.

3. Water entered front passenger side storage compartment during rain, while parked. When shut, the top of the door would extend out from the frame, so water could run in around the top. -- replaced the compartment door and frame, painted to match rest of rv. Will see if this works.

4. Valence was missing from window under TV in bedroom. Had RV 2 months before I noticed it was missing; guess I should have done I better delivery inspection. -- installed valence.

5. Asked shop to look at intermittent problem with stair not extending and retracting properly. I was told on the phone last week and in person at shop that problem could not be duplicated. Well it was intermittent... Of course when I opened door to RV, the steps did not extend ... guess I duplicated the problem .... 3 hrs later and it was fixed. Turned out to be bad magnetic switch. Didn't really enjoy spending an extra 3 hrs at shop but I am glad to get it fixed. Also got nice lunch complements of the shop.

Overall I will be satisfied if problems don't reoccur. Hope no one else has these problems, but if you do maybe this will help. - DrJAG

conceptumator · 09-21-2015, 08:51 PM

Strange you mention the leaking doors. I've been in and out of mine since we got it in April and never saw any leaks until yesterday. Opened up the front passenger compartment door and some shop clothes and an old towel I keep in there were soaked. Today, I find the same thing in another compartment on the same side. Hasn't been out of the drive but we have had torrential rains over the last week. Do you know how far the doors extended past the outside wall on yours? Mine aren't 100% flush but certainly not far from it. I was wondering if the blowing rain ran down the side wall and maybe the door just wasn't tight enough to the seal. Thanks.

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2015 Legacy SR340 360RB with 2014 Wrangler Unlimited Toad
Gigi, Poppy and Sadie the Jack Russell (all 14 lbs of her)

DrJAG · 09-21-2015, 09:05 PM

I had adjusted the door latch to make the door close as tight as possible. The top of the door stuck out 1/8 in or so. I think rain would run towards the front of the roof and then be channeled to the side by the seam where the front cap meets the roof. It would then run down the side and onto the compartment door. The new door is flush with the frame.

conceptumator · 09-21-2015, 09:10 PM

Thanks. I'll take a look tomorrow and make sure but I don't think it sticks out that far. May just need to follow your lead and tighten the latch. Leaving Saturday morning for a 7 week 3,000 mile trip and don't want any problems if I can help it. Have a nice evening.

DrJAG · 09-21-2015, 09:19 PM

Hope you can figure it out before your trip.....good luck

jgriffin7 · 09-22-2015, 01:19 PM

Typical for Forest River. Yes, the burden is on you to get the PDI right!! /sarcasm
And once you take it in, they keep it for months while 'waiting for authorization. And if you take it back, you fall to the end of the queue'.
The dealers badmouth Forest River, saying they (FR) rush through construction and expect the dealer to fix prior to PDI. And FR says that's not true, they inspect every unit.
If you took delivery of a unit in great condition, kudos. But the silent majority begs to differ.

magpi26 · 09-22-2015, 06:21 PM

Having lived through a nightmare with my FR TT last year and watching the posts on this forum, I now conclude there are three groups of people who have differing opinions about FR products. First there is the crowd that worship FR and rationalizes every mistake, flaw, delay and lie that comes their way. Generally when they hear someone complain about a FR product, they first try to blame the consumer. I call this crowd the "FR Groupies".
The second group of buyers are the passive, laid back, disinterested folks who accept any problems as being the way this industry works and they just keep writing checks and are tolerant with how things work.
The third group are those of us who have some understanding of quality management and customer service and refuse to accept the screw-ups, BS and incompetence that pervades this company. It is beyond rational thinking to accept any product that has so many problems in design and manufacturing. In my opinion there is a tremendous opportunity in the RV business for competitors who have competent managers.

txredfish · 09-22-2015, 06:46 PM

I am in the group that begs to differ. If FR inspects every unit before leaving, they need to take a look at their inspection procedures. The factory inspector must have been on vacation the day mine was released from the factory. They missed several on my trailer. I also should have done a better job on the PDI. I caught a couple of things during PDI at the dealer and dealer said they will fix. After arriving home with trailer, next day I found 14 issues for repair after taking more time to go over all the workings. I learned the hard way, buyer of RV beware. I am on my fourth RV. First RV for 2 years no problems. Second RV, 3 problems fixed right away. Third RV, 2 years, a few problems during the warranty period and taken care of. When I buy car I don't have to check every little thing to insure that it is correct because I know the car company will take care of me very quickly. My RV has been in the shop for 8 weeks and still waiting on parts. Part of problem is with the dealer and part with FR factory getting authorization. Six months ago I purchased a new Ford pick up. So far, not one problem. Should'nt I expect the same when I spend $30,000 on an RV?

aceinspp · 09-22-2015, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgriffin7

Typical for Forest River. Yes, the burden is on you to get the PDI right!! /sarcasm
And once you take it in, they keep it for months while 'waiting for authorization. And if you take it back, you fall to the end of the queue'.
The dealers badmouth Forest River, saying they (FR) rush through construction and expect the dealer to fix prior to PDI. And FR says that's not true, they inspect every unit.
If you took delivery of a unit in great condition, kudos. But the silent majority begs to differ.

You can bet delay is due to the dealer not submitting parts order till they get enough orders to pay the freight. So don't always blame FR. Later RJD

txredfish · 09-22-2015, 06:59 PM

Magpi26,
Points well made. As long as we as consumers keep buying the BS, it will keep happening. I will not go into all the details with my TT but there were too many problems from the factory for me to believe that they have any kind of factory inspections. So far I have not used my trailer in the 4 months that I have had it.
It is still at the dealer waiting on parts that should have been caught at the factory
so called inspection.

txredfish · 09-22-2015, 07:08 PM

The dealer should not be responsible for the freight for warranty parts. Another problem that I hear from the dealer is that the factory has to have pictures for every fix in order to approve every fix. And that the the factory will not pay the dealer a decent service rate to fix factory warranty problems.

phillyg · 09-23-2015, 05:48 PM

In retrospect I have to admit my dealership service dept. has stayed on top of FR the three times mine's been in for service in nine months, and it's going back again in a couple of weeks. I even got a non-verbal response from my service writer whom obviously agreed with me during one of my rants against FR.

txredfish · 09-23-2015, 06:57 PM

I have a hard time understanding why it takes so long to get approval and parts from FR during a warranty period. I was in the service and repair business about 30 years ago. We did not take this long to get parts from a manufacturer. My previous RV was a Newmar and a few times it needed service. Approval for repair and parts shipment was very quick. They cared about service after the sale.

conceptumator · 09-23-2015, 08:53 PM

Did you personally talk to FR? I know all dealers are different but ours is one of the largest in the US and in checking with FR, the dealer was lying through his teeth to me. Also confirmed they lied about conversations with Girard and lied directly to me about having the unit plugged in. I was told to plan on waiting on the unit when I are the appointment so I didn't empty the fridge and freezer. Then they kept it six weeks, telling me daily that it was plugged in for that reason. The rotted chicken in the freezer and the 97F temp inside when I picked it up said otherwise. Check and verify - always.

TURBS · 09-23-2015, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conceptumator

Did you personally talk to FR? I know all dealers are different but ours is one of the largest in the US and in checking with FR, the dealer was lying through his teeth to me. Also confirmed they lied about conversations with Girard and lied directly to me about having the unit plugged in. I was told to plan on waiting on the unit when I are the appointment so I didn't empty the fridge and freezer. Then they kept it six weeks, telling me daily that it was plugged in for that reason. The rotted chicken in the freezer and the 97F temp inside when I picked it up said otherwise. Check and verify - always.

X2

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "27 nights"

Semperfi1961 · 09-24-2015, 02:09 PM

We have an FR Legacy 340RB, 2015. Tend to agree no inspection prior to delivery! We've had our coach 11 months and still dealing with some original problems, such as: big slide doesn't slide correctly and gouges floor tiles; right front compartment leaks; media center and outside TV don't work properly; hot water heater inoperative; forward air conditioner doesn't cool; and more! Also, newer problems such as 12v accessory plug in dashboard inoperative; jacks won't auto level; main fuse on cabin batteries; window shades don't roll up; etc. Also, when we took it in to Camping World in COS, they burnt out the motor to the overhead bed!
When we speak to Forest River in person, they tend to be helpful. But once you count on the repair folks, it's all downhill. We spent $200,000 and you'd think it would be built like a luxury car, seems more like a lemon....
We are new full timers, so it's a huge inconvenience when your "home" is in the shop so much!!

conceptumator · 09-24-2015, 02:31 PM

Sermperfi1961:

Lots of similar issues with our 340RB. Here are some hints that might help.

1. Our big slide got really slow and labored going in and out and didn't quite close all the way - lacked about 1/2" or less. After a lot of diagnostics, they figured out the hydraulic cylinder was leaking internally and replaced it. All better now.

2. Right front compartment leaks: Yours is the third one I've heard about, including mine. If you look at the top of the door, you'll most likely find it projects beyond the side wall of the RV about 1/8" or less. This is the issue. The compartment where the hydraulics are is the same problem on mine. Another fellow took his in and they replaced the doors but then he had to wait for them to paint them to match. I'm going to try adding a small weatherstrip around the inside of the door on the plastic strip to see if I can get enough pressure to seal them. Rather do that than haul it in and wait on them to screw it up.

3. Hot water inoperative: Don't even get me started. I finally talked with Kyle Johnston at Girard and he got the service guys on the phone and got it worked out. After three repair attempts and 6 new components, it appears to be working correctly. Kyle will help you trouble shoot over the phone and will even send the parts directly to you if you want to do the work yourself.

4. The accessory plug is very likely a fuse but can't be sure. Ours is fine (for now).

5. Is Camping World going to replace the bunk motor? That thing is mucho expensive!

Hope this helps some. At least we're not full timing - I truly do feel for you. Good luck.

DrJAG · 09-24-2015, 06:12 PM

Wow....didn't think I'd get so many comments to this post. I posted this primarily because I have not seen any posts talking about paint peeling. I have seen several posts talking about water getting into storage compartments. While I didn't like having to have the RV in the shop for 6 weeks, it was not needed for the first 4 weeks so I decided to not get too upset. All repairs were done under warranty. These were not as severe issues as many others have had. I will say that prior to my accepting the RV, the dealer had to replace the ATS, one motor for the drop down bed, weatherstripping around the full slides, and all 3 TVs. My dealer pointed these before my inspection, so I delayed picking it up 10 days or so so they could be fixed. I agree something that costs as much as a Legacy shouldn't have so many issues. I'll also point out that our previous 2012 Winnebago also had a number of issues that needed fixing. I think the Legacy has not been as much of a pain as the Winnebago.

captnrick3 · 09-24-2015, 08:41 PM

We are well along on our first long trip with our Legacy. Covered many states, in Cambridge, OH tonight. At the moment happy campers. For the record I have fixed most little things myself since our dealer has a fit over the "crazy" warrantee process FR makes them go through. Our travel plans just altered and heading into Michigan tomorrow. Once we head home to San Diego hoping to arrange a little plant tour in Elkhart.

conceptumator · 09-24-2015, 10:35 PM

Good to hear, captnrick3. We head out Saturday morning for our first long trip. Get back to Orlando on November 2, then head over to Fort Wilderness two days later for the annual church campout. When all done, that will give us about 50 nights camping in the Legacy when we're done. Add on the 40 days in our previous rig early this year and our numbers will be sitting around 90 nights for 2015. Cool! Drive safe.

Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums
2015 Legacy SR340 360RB with 2014 Wrangler Unlimited Toad
Gigi, Poppy and Sadie the Jack Russell (all 14 lbs of her)

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