2020 Forester 2851SLE

[otilopnad]

Just picked up our newest FR product a Forester 2851SLE today. A few interesting questions or observations for the community. The LE series is (my words) the scaled down version of other Foresters but was surprised to find that some of the scaling down is a bit overboard - for instance 1 set of keys for everything in the coach and cab??? If that is actually the case and the dealer didn't lose the other keys how do I get another set of keys, particularly the coach door lock (a Bauer key) and the MH cab key fob and ignition key???

[otilopnad]

OOPS! Does anyone know where the humble pie emoji is on this thread? It was our mistake - the keys were in the refrigerator along with the missing owners manual. True to form it was the last place we looked. Dealer bobbled a bit not knowing what the LE offered and not being thorough on the walk thru but it was on us not looking in referigerator.

[dumboatt2]

My dealer told me LE stood for limited edition. He said it is their entry model used as a teaser to get you interested before going to more expensive level. He also mentioned he felt the LE series was the best bang for the buck, not as fancy as next level but with many of the amenities.

[otilopnad]

A quick 2 night stay at a local SP for a shake down maiden voyage went well. Aside from a drawer stop/hold in kitchen all systems functioned well. We are off for a long meandering voyage thru the MW here soon and are happy that things went so smoothly on the maiden voyage.

[otilopnad]

Alas if only the story could have ended way back there when only a few items were uncovered and seemingly fixed. An ugly nightmare ensued after our big trip. We uncovered leveler problems, leaking slideout, more drawer pull failures and sofa footrest failures. After months of haggling with Camping World Columbia, SC and Forest River we find ourselves with a list of issues that is pretty much the same! We have driven the unit 5000+ miles on some 6 trips and are still waiting to get it right. Several visits back to the dealer and countless phone calls and emails have netted us practically no gains. I’d have to say both the dealer and FR are equally at fault. The unit is poorly designed and constructed with inferior products throughout. The dealership is woefully inept at getting things done and totally unaware of any sort of customer service. Each party points to the other when they are queried. One last parting shot - if you’ve ever seen any Camping World sales ads you will notice that Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis (also of fame on The Profit) has a slogan - “If you are not happy I am not happy.” Unfortunately those are just hollow words. I am not happy!!! I’ve called his Lemonis hotline and here I sit pretty much with the same lack of resolutions.

[dumboatt2]

I hear you. Our unit was in the shop 9 out of the first 12 months we owned it and never did get it totally fixed. I went back to the dealership to return it. Ha ha. But they did give me an extended warranty for almost nothing. Since then all things are working at the moment. We have about 8 thousand miles on it, been out 9/10 times. It is nice when it works. This is our 5th motorhome and by a long shot poorest quality. Would NEVER by new again. Not just Forest River, we went to local RV show and they all look the same. Airstream may be the exception.

[JoePa77]

I always separated the LE series in my mind by just thinking "Less Expensive" and thus having less features than the regular Forester.

[BehindBars]

It’s no surprise that no big ticket items currently sold have worse quality than recreational vehicles. A poster here on the forum made a comment that all new RVs are sold as “fixer uppers”. This is so true. If you approach the purchase of a new unit knowing that you have a lot of work ahead of you, and prepare for it, there will be a little less frustration.

It’s not right, but it’s the current state of the industry.