The RV industry death spiral

[Mr Havercamp]

There you have it....No holding back with Greg.

Opinion: The RV industry death spiral – Part 1 | RV Daily Report

[BandJCarm]

Wow.

[RCW]

I believe if the RV industry had to deal with the same lemon laws that the auto industry does, it would fix a lot of these issues.

[Mr Havercamp]

LOL......you go Greg.


I think its safe to say that Greg is not getting invited out to breakfast with Liegl or Martin anytime soon.

RV Death Spiral: Manufacturers in race to the bottom | RV Daily Report

[Mr Havercamp]

The last few paragrphs about Lipprt Components is special, and oh so true.

RV Death Spiral — Suppliers in a tough spot | RV Daily Report

[325BH]

Although his article has merit, he loses credibility when he says things like:

Paraphrasing here: an owner was pissed because his trailer was supposed to carry 18,000 lbs, but the three axles were 5,200 each... so his trailer could only carry 15,600.

Apparently this guy is out of touch himself. The 18,000 figure includes pin weight which is not carried by the axles.


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[Oakman]

I read that article a couple of days ago and thought the same as you.

[Mr Havercamp]

Noticed it also, but following his writings for awhile I can look past something like that.......That exact same thing happens all time on this very forum. No one can deny the OEM provided tires in many cases are close to the weight rating and in some cases over, and its an industry wide problem. The guy hits the nail on the head much more than he misses, and he's not afraid to throw it out there unlike sites like RV business. They sugarcoat it all to make the industry look much better than it is.

I can't wait for the next chapter, and the upcoming one where he'll address how the buyer contributes to the mess. It is certain to be a doosie.

[lgray]

He makes some very good points and remains credible by laying blame on all who may be contributing to the mess, volumes 1-4 and beyond.

[Wobbles]

Tonight, I just happened to read Volume 4. Never caught anything prior. He touches on all of the hot spots about dealers in that volume. Thought about making a thread here with a link, but something made me not do it. Now that I have found this one, here is my two cents worth...

The upshot I took away from volume #4 was; The industry should be more like the automotive industry in regards to taking your warranty service to any "Authorized Dealer". That is how you build a brand...

[jtaylor1920]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

The upshot I took away from volume #4 was; The industry should be more like the automotive industry in regards to taking your warranty service to any "Authorized Dealer". That is how you build a brand...

X2 and they could do it, they just need to pay dealers a fair warranty rate for work and establish standards for their build process so there is some consistency with the product. The end result would be a more expensive trailer and to an educated buyer we'd probably be ok with that, but let's face it, a majority of people don't do enough research and are happy buying the bling and not looking at the guts of the rig such as wheels, tires, brakes and frames.

[Mr Havercamp]

RV Industry Death Spiral – Part 4: Dealers drop the ball on service | RV Daily Report

[VinceU]

Link won't work for me??

[aceinspp]

Worked fine for me. Later RJD

[KatanaPilot]

I look forward to the remaining parts from the author - especially pertaining to how the consumer is partly to blame. I get frustrated when folks on this forum "praise" FR (or any other manufacturer) for "getting involved" with their under warranty RV- to fix the massive water leak, defective slide or whatever - when the problems were the manufacturer's fault to begin with. It's as if they are doing us a favor fixing their poorly built, improperly assembled RV. The others that talk about how you need to bring your new RV home and re-seal the roof, install this or that, fix this - as part of the "fun" of owning an RV. That's BS in my opinion. Not taking the RV to the dealer because they can't or won't repair it in a timely manner is also completely unacceptable - but I am guilty of this myself.

I really wish those articles had been published and widely distributed before I bought into the marketing hype...

[gfarmcafe]

Originally Posted by KatanaPilot

I look forward to the remaining parts from the author - especially pertaining to how the consumer is partly to blame. I get frustrated when folks on this forum "praise" FR (or any other manufacturer) for "getting involved" with their under warranty RV- to fix the massive water leak, defective slide or whatever - when the problems were the manufacturer's fault to begin with. It's as if they are doing us a favor fixing their poorly built, improperly assembled RV. The others that talk about how you need to bring your new RV home and re-seal the roof, install this or that, fix this - as part of the "fun" of owning an RV. That's BS in my opinion. Not taking the RV to the dealer because they can't or won't repair it in a timely manner is also completely unacceptable - but I am guilty of this myself.

I really wish those articles had been published and widely distributed before I bought into the marketing hype...

Totally Agree! Yes, we've been one of those customers that will praise Forest River when we've been taken care, but in looking at new and used RV's, we've been very "blunt" with the salesperson in our view's and experiences with owning our present trailer. It may not help with what's happening in the RV industry, but we have to get it off our chest. We won't own another Forest River product and most of the salespeople fully understand why!! There are some good manufacturers out there if you do the research. There are also people out there that have to work with these products daily and they are invaluable in telling you what to look for and what to avoid!

[lgray]

Originally Posted by KatanaPilot

I look forward to the remaining parts from the author - especially pertaining to how the consumer is partly to blame. I get frustrated when folks on this forum "praise" FR (or any other manufacturer) for "getting involved" with their under warranty RV- to fix the massive water leak, defective slide or whatever - when the problems were the manufacturer's fault to begin with. It's as if they are doing us a favor fixing their poorly built, improperly assembled RV. The others that talk about how you need to bring your new RV home and re-seal the roof, install this or that, fix this - as part of the "fun" of owning an RV. That's BS in my opinion. Not taking the RV to the dealer because they can't or won't repair it in a timely manner is also completely unacceptable - but I am guilty of this myself.

I really wish those articles had been published and widely distributed before I bought into the marketing hype...

Agreed and especially find interesting the comments on how wonderful it is that if you are willing and/or able to take time off from work and haul your rig to the Promise Land…”Goshen”, the manufacturer, out of the kindness of their heart will fix the problems that they are more than likely responsible for or have a fiduciary responsibility for, to begin with.

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by lgray

Agreed and especially find interesting the comments on how wonderful it is that if you are willing and/or able to take time off from work and haul your rig to the Promise Land…”Goshen”, the manufacturer, out of the kindness of their heart will fix the problems that they are more than likely responsible for or have a fiduciary responsibility for, to begin with.

I find the appeal of that interesting also. I did not buy a Rockwood Roo because I am in love with Forest River or want to join some group. I had done my research or so I had thought. Frankly when I traded in a one year old 2010 Palomino Y4124 popup that was the most shoddily constructed POS ever made I swore at the time I would never buy another Forest River product.

Personally the last thing I would ever want to do is be packed tight into some wide open Indiana fairground, in the middle of the hottest month of the year, but if that's what floats your boat have at it. I certainly do not expect anything for free as that's never been my style.

When I went down the Rockwood road I did not anticipate the 6/7 month journey it would take to get something delivered in an acceptable enough condition that I would actually buy it. I especially can't wait for the part of the editorials telling how the consumer is partly to blame.

As far as our Rockwood, we got through our 2nd outing with it, a 10 nighter, without anything breaking. That's sort of a bonus I guess.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

I find the appeal of that interesting also. I did not buy a Rockwood Roo because I am in love with Forest River or want to join some group. I had done my research or so I had thought. Frankly when I traded in a one year old 2010 Palomino Y4124 popup that was the most shoddily constructed POS ever made I swore at the time I would never buy another Forest River product.

Personally the last thing I would ever want to do is be packed tight into some wide open Indiana fairground, in the middle of the hottest month of the year, but if that's what floats your boat have at it. I certainly do not expect anything for free as that's never been my style.

When I went down the Rockwood road I did not anticipate the 6/7 month journey it would take to get something delivered in an acceptable enough condition that I would actually buy it. I especially can't wait for the part of the editorials telling how the consumer is partly to blame.

As far as our Rockwood, we got through our 2nd outing with it, a 10 nighter, without anything breaking. That's sort of a bonus I guess.

I'm certainly glad that I'm not as cynical as you and can go out and have a good time without the constant fear of whether my RV is going to fall apart on me.

[KatanaPilot]

You know the old saying -

A pessimist (or cynic) is simply an optimist with better information