Surveyor Quality - are you happy?

[soapydonutzs]

Bought a 33KRETS this past June. Absolutely love it. There were a few things that were wrong but this being our 4th TT we knew there would be issues. This unit is beautiful inside and out. The biggest beef I had was someone at the plant put a staple through the sat cable so dealer had to use outside connection for bedroom. I love the decor but that being said the furniture in the 2017/2018 leaves a lot to be desired. Surveyor sales and engineers are great if you have a question. Would for sure buy another one.

[jeshoffstall]

No extra charge, but to remain covered you have to have their recommended services done annually ($399) - salesperson said it covered major systems (appliances) mostly. Since the price on the TT is comparable to what I am seeing elsewhere, it seems like a pretty good program. Home - National Automotive Experts

[DustyRoads]

Cost of the inspection was less the $100 but refrigerator needed to be serviced. The cost to complete at Long View RV was reasonable. They found no issues with the appliances that needed a warranty repair. I agree with that assessment as our trailer has had no major issues that I have found.
I was told at the time I purchased the trailer that I need to make sure trailer was inspected before required date and to make sure it was done or it would be voided. So the beginning of every June I will take it to the dealer for inspection. There are RV dealers closer to me that could do the inspection but as we know if they didn't sell the trailer to me their support will be hard to get.
I wish I had it for my Palomino Solaire TT the quality was very questionable. It was the reason I got rid of the TT.

[HappyCamp3r]

I came across this the other day and and after speaking with a salesman while shopping around he had mentioned some issues similar to this with this same line of trailers. It happened that we had been looking at these as well before our purchase. I'm already glad that we chose the FR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TEWKGO_ujM

[Sfry]

Very happy with the coach and craftsmanship. A little disappointed with the documentation.

[DustyRoads]

None of the trailers I have seen have very good documentation. You need a really good walk through to learn a lot about your trailer. If it wasn't for you-tube and this Forum I would have been in a world of hurt. It also helps that I am fairly handy with tools and looking for things.
Good Luck to you!!

[pt1655]

We bought our Surveyor Sport 220 in April of 2013 and have very few problems with it other than what I have caused. We did hit a very big bump on a trip recently that broke the bed platform struts and loosened some ceiling trim staples but I fixed all that (even put stronger struts on the bed platform so now it stays up when we lift it up which it didn't want to do after putting on a Costco 4" memory foam topper). I have put Carlisle load range D tires on it and Viking composite propane tanks and an inside electric water heater switch for convenience. We really like the nice bathroom and all the storage and our slide out "lounge" is especially comfortable after upgrading the seat cushions to high quality firmer foam. All in all, a great trailer for a couple. Good luck and happy camping!

[clarkbre]

We've been happy with our Surveyor 247BHDS; however, I anticipated having to work the kinks out. We chose Surveyor as it was the best value in the 24' bunkhouse floor plan that we could (and were willing) to afford. With those parameters, I feel like we got a huge bang for our buck and am thrilled with it.

QUALITY
Quality is a loose term that has a looser definition.

Quality compared to what?
Our parameters for the trailer were 24' Bunkhouse, less than $30k and easily towed by my truck. Compared to others (Keystone Passport & Bullet, FR Vibe, Wildwood, Salem Cruise Lite, Cherokee, KZ RV Connect, Heartland Wilderness & North Trail) Surveyor seemed to have the best layout, features, standard accessories (built in BBQ) and finishes that we liked. For that, it was very high quality compared to others.

Build quality?
I researched how the trailers were built. The stick and tin did not appeal to me at all. The Heartland's were very nice in that they had 2" thick walls as opposed to 1.5" but there was very little information on how they were assembled. Surveyors are built how I would build something...simple and strong. The openings on the walls (ie windows, doors, compartments) are framed on all 4 sides and provide a very rigid structure to "hang" the components on. The roof is walkable which some ultralites do not have. Its not a feature that jumps out at you; however, being in the PNW it's not uncommon to get up there and brush pine needles off the slides before retracting them.

Finish quality?
This was probably the biggest letdown for me. Being a detail oriented person and liking precision in the final fit, the RV industry sucks. Overall, the trailer was assembled well but there were things that needed to be improved:
1. Kitchen faucet wasn't tight and would swivel at the base.
2. The struts on the bed were mounted with screws that were too short. FR's solution was to use about 30 screws in a 4"x6" area that didn't hold. I used 3 bolts and nuts on each side and it works flawlessly.
3. The drawer fronts on either side of the queen bed were not aligned and crooked.
4. The kitchen island drawer slide was not aligned and fell apart on the first pull.
5. The main exterior door rubs in one spot.
6. The bathroom exterior door latch needed to be filed down for the deadbolt to operate as designed.
7. The outdoor kitchen door was dented on the interior due to someone closing it before fully retracting the BBQ.
8. There was a missing clip on the curtain to the lower bunk that was never installed. Found the clip months later buried down by the water heater when I winterized the trailer.
9. The dinette slide sometimes blows it's 30 amp fuse when being retracted under battery power only.

I was able to fix 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 in very short order. It just wasn't worth the hassle to take it to the dealer.

4, 7 & 9 are being addressed by the dealer under warranty next week and should be relatively easy corrections.

My best advise is to go into with an open mind knowing that there will be items to correct. But, the Surveyors are a cut above the rest.

[lugoismad]

We purchased our Surveyor when it was 7 years old from a local RV dealer for $5k.

So far, I am very happy with it. We did have a floor issue due to a leak. I had to pull the linoleum out, run a dehumidifier, then put a new floor in. I put new 1/4" plywood and then carpet tiles. I'm very happy with how that turned out.

It tows well, I've not had any issues with any of the amenities. I also like how well insulated it is - we can camp in below freezing weather and a single 1500 watt space heater heats the 25' camper with no issues.

[oldcat]

Bought our Surveyor new four years ago this month. Liked the aluminum framing, ducted air-conditioning, heated tanks, and large rear fold down rack. Overall build quality seemed better than most in the price range. Just over 20K miles and holding up very well. Only real issue was a leak under tub/shower. Turned out the tail piece was not tightened enough. We keep a cover on it when not in use and it still looks like new.

Upgraded to load range "D" tires, two 6 volt batteries, and added 200 watts of solar.

Safe travels.

[Alaskan SS]

Originally Posted by clarkbre

9. The dinette slide sometimes blows it's 30 amp fuse when being retracted under battery power only.

4, 7 & 9 are being addressed by the dealer under warranty next week and should be relatively easy corrections.

Clarkbre... Would you mind letting me know if this is resolved when you get your unit back from the dealer? Either here or a PM would be great. I'm having a similar issue. Dealer told me it is what it is. Thanks...

[clarkbre]

Originally Posted by Alaskan SS

Clarkbre... Would you mind letting me know if this is resolved when you get your unit back from the dealer? Either here or a PM would be great. I'm having a similar issue. Dealer told me it is what it is. Thanks...

I will and I would be happy to share it on here for others to see. It seems that the slide/fuse issue is an ongoing one for the Surveyors.

It was in once to have it looked at and the dealer said it needed some adjustment. There are end points that need to be fine tuned. If the slide goes too far, the clutch won't allow it to "click".

[debit]

We love our 2016 251RKS. One of the main must have items was the aluminum frame and 15" tires. I'll upgrade to the "D" or even "E" soon. I ordered the two 6 volt battery set up from day one and this has been perfect so far. It is an excellent trailer.

............
Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 (so nice)

[209surveyor]

I can only assume I bought the Friday afternoon / Monday morning trailer, nothing but issues. At least 90% of the miles are to and from dealers and the factory. Only used it twice in two years, actually camping. In total, 9 visits to 3 different dealers, and 1 trip to Indiana for repairs (built in Oregon). With a whole lot of time in between waiting to get into a dealer or waiting for parts. At one point I was told not to use it, unplug it, and disconnect battery due to it being a fire hazard. Like most, I was expecting little things to be wrong that wouldn't be discovered on the PDI.

- Ladder hits roof, wrong ladder installed at factory.
- Cabin and bedroom ceiling lights blow fuse, took 3 trips to find shorted wire.
- Shower wall installed at an angle, warranty declined.
- Shower leaks water on wood and floor, warranty declined to fix properly, approved 18 minutes to seal.
- Outside shower, water line located inside leaked.
- Shower floor soft spots, warranty declined, said it was normal.
- TV antenna melts, took 4 antennas, 2 boosters, and a trip to Indiana. Fingers still crossed that it doesn't melt again.
- Air conditioner cover melted.
- Front bedroom vent cover melted. Factory replaced bathroom vent.
- Black tank indication.
- Slide closed - day light on lower corners.
- Slide seal upper aft gap.
- Both pass through storage doors leak.
- Outdoor kitchen forward lock loose.
- Outside trim forward of cabin door came apart.
- Front cap faded, replaced at factory and sent back to me with wrong color stickers attached.
- Brakes dragging.

I'm sure there are more items than this, but without taking out all the paperwork and irritating myself, this is what I'm remember right now.

From my understanding, there are two sides to FR's warranty department, the consumers side and the dealers side. You may/will receive different answers from the two. The turn over in employees on the consumer side seems high. Don't expect to talk to the same person if you have an issue over a long period of time, only hope that the first person entered the notes in the computer.

At this point, I don't think I would buy another FR product. On the flip side, not sure any manufacturer is any better. My opinion may change if I could ever use it, as it's in the shop still today. Good luck!

[Stovebolt]

Originally Posted by 209surveyor

I can only assume I bought the Friday afternoon / Monday morning trailer, nothing but issues. At least 90% of the miles are to and from dealers and the factory. Only used it twice in two years, actually camping. In total, 9 visits to 3 different dealers, and 1 trip to Indiana for repairs (built in Oregon). With a whole lot of time in between waiting to get into a dealer or waiting for parts. At one point I was told not to use it, unplug it, and disconnect battery due to it being a fire hazard. Like most, I was expecting little things to be wrong that wouldn't be discovered on the PDI.

- Ladder hits roof, wrong ladder installed at factory.
- Cabin and bedroom ceiling lights blow fuse, took 3 trips to find shorted wire.
- Shower wall installed at an angle, warranty declined.
- Shower leaks water on wood and floor, warranty declined to fix properly, approved 18 minutes to seal.
- Outside shower, water line located inside leaked.
- Shower floor soft spots, warranty declined, said it was normal.
- TV antenna melts, took 4 antennas, 2 boosters, and a trip to Indiana. Fingers still crossed that it doesn't melt again.
- Air conditioner cover melted.
- Front bedroom vent cover melted. Factory replaced bathroom vent.
- Black tank indication.
- Slide closed - day light on lower corners.
- Slide seal upper aft gap.
- Both pass through storage doors leak.
- Outdoor kitchen forward lock loose.
- Outside trim forward of cabin door came apart.
- Front cap faded, replaced at factory and sent back to me with wrong color stickers attached.
- Brakes dragging.

I'm sure there are more items than this, but without taking out all the paperwork and irritating myself, this is what I'm remember right now.

From my understanding, there are two sides to FR's warranty department, the consumers side and the dealers side. You may/will receive different answers from the two. The turn over in employees on the consumer side seems high. Don't expect to talk to the same person if you have an issue over a long period of time, only hope that the first person entered the notes in the computer.

At this point, I don't think I would buy another FR product. On the flip side, not sure any manufacturer is any better. My opinion may change if I could ever use it, as it's in the shop still today. Good luck!

Sometimes we wind up buying a lemon and no matter how hard you try they are never right. I had a similar experience with another brand trailer and was probably close to the worst experience I ever had minus one horrible car dealership that I won't go into. Sorry to hear about your problems, I know it's frustrating to beat the band.

I've had 3 FR's in a row and only minor problems that the dealer fixed as quickly as possible. Hope your luck changes.

Stovebolt

[209surveyor]

Originally Posted by Stovebolt

Sometimes we wind up buying a lemon and no matter how hard you try they are never right. I had a similar experience with another brand trailer and was probably close to the worst experience I ever had minus one horrible car dealership that I won't go into. Sorry to hear about your problems, I know it's frustrating to beat the band.



I've had 3 FR's in a row and only minor problems that the dealer fixed as quickly as possible. Hope your luck changes.



Stovebolt

Thanks Stevebolt. I'm hoping Lady Luck changes her way with this trailer. Missed some good trips the last two summers. I always keep after it until it's right!

[Stovebolt]

Originally Posted by 209surveyor

Thanks Stevebolt. I'm hoping Lady Luck changes her way with this trailer. Missed some good trips the last two summers. I always keep after it until it's right!

Bummer!

Hooah!!!

[jeshoffstall]

I truly appreciate everyone's input. After looking at campers for six months we have put a deposit on a 201RBS - should arrive at the dealer next week! I will keep everyone posted!

[Sfry]

Originally Posted by jeshoffstall

I truly appreciate everyone's input. After looking at campers for six months we have put a deposit on a 201RBS - should arrive at the dealer next week! I will keep everyone posted!

Congratulations! Come back a and let us know how you like it.

[jeshoffstall]

Briefly looked at it today, take delivery Friday - I didn't have much time as they were prepping it and I felt like I was in the way. All my concerns with the prior unit we not apparent in this one - looks like they took more than a shift to build it! They had all the water systems hooked up an appliance working, so far so good!

TV was on and turned to Fox News! Good Dealership!