26dbh warranty repairs

purple_50 · 07-27-2016, 05:30 PM

In April my wife and I purchased a 2017 26dbh, after taking it on our first outing I had a small list of issues that I wanted fixed at the dealer. The fridge wouldn't work on lp, the front screen door needed adjustment, the ac plug cover had the LED light stop working, there was a leak above the outdoor cook top when the awning was out and it rained. So I took it to the dealer I purchased it from. Long story short, fridge still doesn't work, screen door still shuts funny, they replaced the entire outlet plug in assembly with a different brand that has no LED light on it and the sealed up the gutter above the cook top. So I'm fairly irritated with the whole experience at the dealer and I emailed Forest River. Got a reply with some other options to have our camper fixed, one of which was a dealer about 40 miles away. So a scheduled an appt back in June. Last Monday I dropped it off and told him my fridge issue plus some trim rubbing on the floor when the slide is run in or out and that the water heater sometimes doesn't light on lp. So today I get an email from the service guy at the dealer, he tell my my trailer is done and ready to go... but the fridge and water heater had dirty "components" and it isn't covered under warranty and that the trim board was a half inch too wide on one end so they had to remove it, take the covering off of it, rip the board down a half inch then recover and reinstall it. He tells me Forest River will only pay 1.5 hours and it took them 2.5 so I was responsible for the additional hour... I about lost my mind at this point. Am I correct in thinking that I should have ZERO financial responsibility for the repairs since it's under warranty and only 3 months old?? I'm not very happy....

SeaDog · 07-27-2016, 06:15 PM

Sorry to hear your problems. keep in mind the unit is three month old to you but may be much older check the build date. The Fridge and water heater in my opinion should be covered with that said it is the owners responsibility to do basic maintenance. Forest river should cover the cost of the repairs to the floor. They (dealer) took it on the floor as warranty work and are now doing what is called "balance billing" which I believe is not legal but that IJMHO

purple_50 · 07-27-2016, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Sorry to hear your problems. keep in mind the unit is three month old to you but may be much older check the build date. The Fridge and water heater in my opinion should be covered with that said it is the owners responsibility to do basic maintenance. Forest river should cover the cost of the repairs to the floor. They (dealer) took it on the floor as warranty work and are now doing what is called "balance billing" which I believe is not legal but that IJMHO

The build date is 03/16.. still only 4 months old and I bought it 3 days after it arrived at the dealer. After I received the email from him I replied and let him know I was displeased. I was not rude in any way as I know that does no good and will make things worse if possible. I was a technician at an auto dealership for 15 years before I took my current job so I do know how warranty works for the most part. Some jobs pay you less than what you had in it and some pay more. It was NEVER the customers responsibility to pay anything on warranty work. The dealer is responsible for submitting any extra time and the manufacturer would either accept or deny the extra time claim. Anyway.. in my email I did mention that I would be contacting Forest River to discuss the money I "owed" on my repairs. 2 hours later the dealer replied that they would see if they could get the extra time covered by Forest River... 20 Min later he emailed again saying he just got off the phone with Forest River and they agreed to cover it all... Seems awfully shady to me. And he said there were spider webs in the fridge and water heater... there were not as I had the covers open inspecting all the ignitors, flow tubes, valves and gas ports. I have a bad feeling the fridge isn't fixed however.. It would light and run fine for about 2 min.. shut down and flash a red LED code 2 on the fridge panel, that code comes up as " fault in the refrigerator controls" .. that doesn't seem like a dirty component to me....

Asrabbit · 07-28-2016, 08:57 AM

The day my wife and I picked up our camper we discovered a number of issues and reported those issues within 24 hours. Pictures of the issues were taken. An appointment was made to return the camper for service a few weeks later which we did. I was told all the issues were fixed, (and some were “fit and finish” issues), with the exception that the axle needed to be replaced and it would have to be order.
When I picked the camper up, nothing had been fixed, (not one thing on the list). I was told the next week all items would be fixed when I returned the camper for service once the axle was delivered. Well, when I took the camper back, I was told that fit and finish issues were only covered for 90 days. I just could not believe it. I remind the dealer that these had all been reported and also reported as fixed. The dealer did end up fixing the issues, (although I must say not the way I think they should have been fixed), but I had to really push to get these items fixed.
In the end, I felt cheated and I felt the dealer was very unfair.

I purchased the second year warranty and really feel like I wasted my money. The reason for this is that I really never want to take my camper back to the dealer, (although I may have to at some point). I could not offer a positive recommendation for Fun Town RV regardless of the sales price they offer. For me, it is just not worth it if I cannot get some form of reasonable service.

Bottom line, I really think it is unfair to not fully cover the camper by warranty and tell the customer they will need to pay for some items because FR only approves a certain amount. This is unfair to the dealer and it is certainly unfair to the customer. It sounds like FR is setting the dealer up for failure in this case.

BandJCarm · 07-28-2016, 09:03 AM

I had a 2014 model of this.

One note.......not sure if it applies to you or not.........but the entire screen AND regular door will not shut properly if the trailer is not level all the way around.....and stable. Putting a level on the floor by the door wasn't enough. Had to be level all the way around, and then the door(s) worked fine. Otherwise, they stuck.

jhenretta · 07-28-2016, 10:17 PM

That is terrible. My 26dbh is only a month old and we have not had any problems, but I would be livid if 100% of the issues were not fixed with zero cost out of my pocket. I also paid an additional fee for the 7 year warranty.. If they arent going to honor that stuff, maybe I should try to get that refunded? Definitely leave a yelp review for them to let future potential customers know they will end up regretting their decision if they purchase from that particular dealer. I would also have my attorney draft a letter to them which indicates you will be taking legal action if they do not repair your RV to factory standards. Also, it does not matter how long the unit sat in their yard.. your warranty begins the day you purchase the vehicle, that's just common sense.

RND · 07-31-2016, 10:42 AM

My thoughts are on all of this is that you should not have to pay a single cent. It's BS and I too agree that it's Shady! Probably was getting their time covered by FR and was trying to get you to contribute to their own pocket fund. I think that a thread should be started in here somewhere (maybe it already has been) about dealer reviews. Create a section and let everyone give their opinion, good or bad, and take it for what it's worth.

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uchytil · 08-17-2016, 12:09 PM

Wow, I had a similar experience with my 2017 22RR. After owning it a week I took it out for a 4 day trip. I had a laundry list of loose screws, broken zipper on the rear screen (toyhauler door), door that would not latch, strap that had stitching come out, and worse - no hot water (which was a open bypass and it came from the factory like that). Anyway, my dealer did not hesitate to fix everything - bumper to bumper for the first year warranty. They even ordered me a new table just because the supplied unit had a few scratches from the factory. I would think a new trailer like yours would have the same warranty and the dealer would do everything at their cost.

Kiervin · 08-20-2016, 04:46 PM

2015 cherokee Gray Wolf Limited 26 dbhs and it's been in the shop more than its been camping...fridge wouldn't work, need a new fridge....speaker crackled, replaced all the speakers...speakers still crackle.....gray water tank leaks, been fixed 3 times and was told it's fixed....here camping gear now and guess what....gray tanks leaking on a insulated sealed underbelly.....now the bedroom wall is coming apart and part of the flooring had lifted and split...7 year warranty and it looks like it's going to spend 5 years in the shop.....we're frustrated

uchytil · 08-20-2016, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiervin

2015 cherokee Gray Wolf Limited 26 dbhs and it's been in the shop more than its been camping...fridge wouldn't work, need a new fridge....speaker crackled, replaced all the speakers...speakers still crackle.....gray water tank leaks, been fixed 3 times and was told it's fixed....here camping gear now and guess what....gray tanks leaking on a insulated sealed underbelly.....now the bedroom wall is coming apart and part of the flooring had lifted and split...7 year warranty and it looks like it's going to spend 5 years in the shop.....we're frustrated

Don't want to hijack the thread from Purple_50, and I did comment previously, but...I wonder if there is a Lemon Law concerning these vehicles. I mean they are "vehicles" sharing the road with other vehicles, they have a VIN, they need to be safe, and functional. I've only had mine for a few months and had enough problems to warrant service, but, if I had the problems I read about other's I would be looking into state, and federal, lemon laws, and at the very least contacting the BBB. Maybe we should look into this?

purple_50 · 08-20-2016, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uchytil

Don't want to hijack the thread from Purple_50, and I did comment previously, but...I wonder if there is a Lemon Law concerning these vehicles. I mean they are "vehicles" sharing the road with other vehicles, they have a VIN, they need to be safe, and functional. I've only had mine for a few months and had enough problems to warrant service, but, if I had the problems I read about other's I would be looking into state, and federal, lemon laws, and at the very least contacting the BBB. Maybe we should look into this?

I worked in the automotive industry for 12 years before I took my current job, The lemon law "in Minnesota anyway" had to be 3 repair attempts made on one warranty issue with the issue not being fixed before the manufacturer would offer a buy back. Only saw it 2 times in 12 years at the dealer, but I would think the RV industry would be same or similar at least?

uchytil · 08-20-2016, 06:58 PM

My dealer has been completely "nice" about doing repairs I just had no idea the trailer would have so many issues. My first by the way. I have nobody to blame for some items as I could have been more thorough when I went through the acceptance. Later, after I bought it, someone said these things were thrown together pretty fast without too much QA. I can believe it as I really look at some detail. Don't get me wrong - I really wanted this and plan to make it work, and upgrade at some point. I guess the best we can do is press the warranty, and if items have repeat failures keep records.

purple_50 · 08-20-2016, 07:04 PM

Well at least they are being decent about it for you, that does help! I know I was completely blown away at the differences between when a new car is delivered vs a new camper. There was metal chips and wood/saw dust everywhere. Everything is filthy... cars are spotless with higher quality fit and finish, it's crazy! Pdi process for cars is a whole different thing too, so thorough. We basically got the keys to the camper and a "thanks". I was highly disappointed

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