Flagstaff poor construction

RETCHIEF · 08-16-2015, 10:28 PM

We have had our Super Lite for almost a year and the quality is crap! They use a single #4 screw to hold down drawer assemblies and wire staples to fasten into aluminum square tubing on the bed rail. I have had to fix 2 drawers and the bed rail because they were cheap. Why, if you pay 20K for a trailer, can't they spend $10 on hardware to keep it from breaking? I now have to figure out how to fix the doors under the sink from sticking. The dealer will fix it if you want to wait 4 weeks. The quality control is poor at best. We are looking at other brands, but don't see much quality out there. If you buy a car, the dealer will usually fix things pretty quick. Why do RV dealers have to have 4 weeks? I will fix things as I can as I'm the dummy that bought a Forest River Super Lite.

kandl · 08-16-2015, 11:25 PM

We feel your pain.

Unfortunately, it is was it is. Lost track of the number of staples we've removed from shelving etc and replaced with screws. Replaced most of the cabinet hardware screws in the 1st year. PITA for sure and shouldn't be that way but it does not stop us from getting on down the road and having fun.

txredfish · 08-19-2015, 04:03 PM

You are right. Construction is poor, especially in travel trailers. I looked at several brands of TT before buying. I owned a Newmar motorhome prior to buying my current TT. The Newmar quality was much more superior than the travel trailers. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision to downgrade from a motorhome to the TT.

TURBS · 08-19-2015, 04:09 PM

My 32bhss flagstaff not once went to the dealer for any kind of repair from poor quality or workmanship.
Never could find a problem with it.
DW hated to get rid of it.

tahoe1840 · 08-20-2015, 12:07 PM

Chief, TURBS got lucky. I'm with you, Forest River builds crap. I have repaired so many things in our 2015 28RKS it's ridiculous. Dealers are useless, fortunately for me I can repair almost everything. I find also that when you open a concealed space its full of debris. Holes for such things as roof vents are not cut but basically broken out, ragged cut lines etc. most of the pieces and parts bought by Forest River are also of the poorest quality. I have replaced so many things it's also ridiculous. I've looked into a couple of other coaches and find they are pretty much the same. It's the industry as a whole that is the issue. My advice, if it's worth anything, fix what you can and enjoy what you can, it's better then a tent...

txredfish · 08-28-2015, 04:34 PM

I think it depends on the problem and fix and the cost to get to dealer, ie: distance, gas, etc. Just remember, when you work on a problem under warranty, then there is no warranty on that item unless it is normal maintenance. After I bought my trailer, I had a punch list of things to fix. I think that I could have fixed all of them myself. But since it is under warranty it goes to the dealer.

RSchleder · 08-28-2015, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txredfish

You are right. Construction is poor, especially in travel trailers. I looked at several brands of TT before buying. I owned a Newmar motorhome prior to buying my current TT. The Newmar quality was much more superior than the travel trailers. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision to downgrade from a motorhome to the TT.

I have to agree, my $265K Allegro Bus built by Tiffin had a much higher quality level than my $34K travel trailer built by FR. Geez, I wonder WHY?

KMP44 · 08-28-2015, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RETCHIEF

The dealer will fix it if you want to wait 4 weeks.

We had a list of minor workmanship issues after we bought our trailer. Waited until the end of the season and dropped it off - about a dozen items done in a week and half. And we had a couple of other issues pop up mid-season the second year while still under warranty. Dealer fixed one of them in 1 day to keep us from missing a trip, and ordered the part for the other issue and let us keep the trailer until it came in. Took it back and was in and out in 1 day again.

Seem like you have ask (plead) sometimes, but if you do, most dealers seem to work with you so the rv doesn't sit needlessly on their lot waiting.

tenttotrailer · 09-06-2015, 11:47 AM

Had same kind of issues with our 27 BHSS, like 1/2 inch screws holding a wooden door into particle board and wonder why it gets loose. Or things you can't see until you start looking around like the two screws into 3/8 inch wood holding down the sofa/bed, fist time sleeping on pull out bed and it was falling off the mounting. I get the whole thing of saving weight as it is a super lite; for the warranty work I got them to remove the torn up wood and replace with peices of aluminum tube and screwed with real screws.....nice and solid now. The more you look around the more you find.

Kevin

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