I 've given in to the thought I've bought a $38,000 "project" trailer...

[great white]

Well, I give in.

I admit it; this trailer is a pretty face with cheap construction and an over inflated price, and I fell right into their trap.

As much as we like the layout and appearance of our 2011 831rlbss, I've been burnt by FR and have a very expensive never ending project.

Admittedly, my problems so far have been very few compared to others on here.

Couple messed up shades, a bit of trim falling off, the concertone junk, had to replace the kitchen faucets and associated plumbing and that's about it.

But with living with the trailer for a year, there just no denying the cheap construction. The plumbing will eventually all have to be replaced, the wiring is eventually going to have to be pulled out and redone (looks like something Red Green would have done), it's only a matter of time before the concertone gives up the ghost again, we cringe everytime to slides go out (noise, wall movement and the occational popped fuse - pinched wiring/etc), everytime the power jack runs i wonder when I'll have to break out the hand crank and the finishes will all have to be redone in short order (showing far more wear than it should for only me and the missus using it). Even the laminate countertop backer boards (well, particle board) are curling and the laminate threatening to debond (coriander here we come).

No, it's not the trailer I had hoped it would be.

But it will be after I (and my bank account) are done with it, so long as the walls stay on it, the frame stays intact and the thing doesn't start leaking....

$38,000 and it needs work to finish it.

Shame on you FR, shame.

Shame, shame, shame.

Things should not be falling apart this early on with a new trailer at this price.

The value for the dollar is just not there.

I don't think I can ever recommend the brand to anyone in the future which is a shame. It's such a "pretty face".

I should have bought a used trailer and gutted it for a cutom interior, seeing as I'm going to be doing that to my new one far sooner than I should have to.

The ironic thing is; we still like the looks and layout. People still ask to look inside when we pull up and it sure "looks" good when you don't have to fix it. It never fails to impress on "looks". I just wish it lived up to the promise of quality it's appearance and purchase price gives.

It's like that high maintenance girlfriend/trophy wife; very expensive to keep and doesn't give a lot back to you for the investment.

A very disappointed 1 yr owner soon to be a far too active participant in the "modifications" sub forum....

[TURBS]

My dad always said and still does ( if it's got tires or boobs your going to have problems!)

Sorry your disappointed.
Ron

[great white]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

My dad always said and still does ( if it's got tires or boobs your going to have problems!)

Sorry your disappointed.
Ron

That's actually pretty good!

Thanks for the chuckle.

[mike54]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

My dad always said and still does ( if it's got tires or boobs your going to have problems!)

Sorry your disappointed.
Ron

and both are going to be expensive to maintain

[lbrjet]

We paid 25K US dollars for our 831FKBSS and after two years have had zero problems. I would say that the quality in mine is excellent compared to our previous trailer.

[Herk7769]

Even great manufacturers have an occasional "Built in October" item slip out the door.

Beware Of Tools Made In October- YouTube

[great white]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Even great manufacturers have an occasional "Built in October" item slip out the door.

Occasional?

A quick perusal of the may RV forums seems to refute the "occasional" bad item slipping out the door.

Sure, there's more likely to be griping when something goes wrong as opposed to silence when all is well but the shear volume of complaints across the industry defies dismissal....

On another note; do you ever miss flying the dump truck?



Keep in mind, this is from a "rotor head".....

[beanoil]

I would take my 05 829FKSS back in a heartbeat over my new V-Lite. Man what a pile of dung. The latest stuff from FR seems to really be cheapened, and a real lack of quality.

[TURBS]

Although I wouldn't refute there's issues I think to many times people are WAY to picky .
If I think it just not worth my time to return to dealer I grab the tools and just fix it.
As of this week my 5er is out Of warranty.
YOU can never compare autos to rv's cars are designed to last hundreds of thousands of miles with 5 6 and 10 year warranties and to be used everyday.
Rv's for the MOST part are designed for weekend use and short travels.
I understand many of you take them over hundreds of thousands of miles of all kinds of terrain. Kudos to you.
If so just understand YOU bought an ULTRA LIGHT camper and expect it to go where your 4x4 goes and expect it to handle it as your 4x4 does with a one year and optional 2 year warranty.
I enjoy the complaints
My dealer is 100 miles away round trip or one way.
My dealer can't get it in for 2 weeks
My dealer is crappy and the next closest won't work on it.
I bought 2,000 miles away at a wholesaler and now my local dealer is giving me the cold shoulder.

I've had a few issues with my unit and live with them (if) I can till I can take to my dealer whom promptly fixes and away we go.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by great white

On another note; do you ever miss flying the dump truck? Keep in mind, this is from a "rotor head".....

Believe it or not; no. It always was just a job for me.
A FUN job; no doubt. I truly loved what I did and some folks say I was pretty good at it. Others kissed the ground when they got off of one of our flights. Admittedly we were doing high speed combat spiral approaches at the time, but hey; would you rather have your arse shot off?

I put it down and picked up RVing and never looked back.

[great white]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Believe it or not; no. It always was just a job for me.
A FUN job; no doubt. I truly loved what I did and some folks say I was pretty good at it. Others kissed the ground when they got off of one of our flights. Admittedly we were doing high speed combat spiral approaches at the time, but hey; would you rather have your arse shot off?

I put it down and picked up RVing and never looked back.

I hear ya there.

Aviation technician was a job when I started (although enjoyable), then SAR was a calling. Now it's become "just a job" again. A very rewarding job, but just a job.

23 years now and was pensioned at 20. 7 more years to make my 30 and then I hang up the helmet for good.....

[great white]

I sure do expect my TT to go everywhere my 4x4 does.

It goes up and down the highway.

My TT spends it's life in the driveway and on occasional weekend trips and it still is showing more wear than it should for a 1 year old rig.

It went from one end of the continent because the military moved me, not by choice.

My dealer is 8000 kms away because, again, the military moved me. They were a 5 minute tow away from the house prior to that. Still has nothing to do with the fact they are cheaply built. In all fairness to my original dealer (whom I'll never see again), they were quite good when it came to replacing bits. Kudos to them.

An "ultra Lite" shouldn't mean "Ultra crap" at nearly $40,000. It should mean newer style building materials and innovative design and reasonable use for the price. Replacing major components at just over 1 year is not reasonable use for the price...

Not the cheap and chinzy build quality and cheapest components they can source.

Point of order; more weight doesn't mean better quality so I'm not buying that line either.

Don't get me wrong, for some unexplainable reason we like the trailer.

I've just accepted that it's a cheaply built unit that is going to require a lot of care to get to the ten years of use we reasonably expected of it. At ten years, replacing water heaters, fridges, faucets, etc would have been reasonable. At just over 1 year it is not.

I never neglect my equipment, but I do expect reasonable use for reasonable payment and reasonable maintenance.

This rig is NOT reasonable use for the price....at just over 1 year it should be things like checking brakes, lubrication, cleaning, etc.

Like it or not, accept it or not, they're just not giving you the product they should for the price you pay.

It is a very pretty face though......

[kfp673]

I agree with you on the quality. I love my trailer but I do agree that they cut every corner possible. I owe way more then it is worth and am trying to fix leaks and wiring issues, slideout issues, etc. I am not dead against a FR product ever again but this will be my last new trailer for sure. I will look for a trailer a few years old so I am not paying ridiculous price for something that depreciates so damn fast!

[J_KHawthorne]

Really sorry to hear of your problems...

It sounds like you got a lemon... not just a 'project'! (I would define 'project' as a 1932 Ford Coupe.)

In life, you get what you negotiate; seldom what you assume you automatically deserve.

Don't waste you're time here; sympathy is cheap, and you got mine and that of others, but that's not what you need.

Start kicking butts at FR.

[great white]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a "lemon" but I will say it's not as durable as it should be for the price....

[Don and Elaine]

Great White, It could be worse. The problem I've had is my 2009 831FKBSS has been de-laminating 6 months after it was delivered. It spent 7 months having the complete rear replaced, It looked fine for 6 months but then the problems started all over again but now its out of warrenty and I have 5 different areas where its delaminated again. It will cost a small fortune to repair with no garranty that it won't delaminate somewhere else. I'm thinking about just trading it in and getting a 5th wheel...In plain words, I'm fed up!