Forest River quality

[Robbe]

Originally Posted by Theb2b

Before we purchased our new TT we went dealer shopping in addition to brand. We selected Rockwood but the local dealer left us feeling like we needed to shower with industrial grade cleaner due to out right deceitful tactics.

Ended up purchasing from a dealer over an hour away, first they sold themselves then sold us a TT, what we wanted not what they had on the lot. Never felt lied to, treated fairly and honestly. Sent them our PDI, dealer asked for an additional day and when we showed up we found a couple minor items that where fixed right away.

This pass weekend we had a problem with the water pump and the dealer offered to come out and fix it, we where able to resolve it over the phone and it was self-inflicted problem, color me impressed. My advice find the dealer then the RV.

X2 We have a 08 Concord we bought used from local dealer. Bought 5 yr extended warranty on coach. Have had air suspension replaced, shower walls fixed, battery replaced in coach, refigerater propane parts replaced, new euro chair from initial PDI. Visiting daughter in Ohio, microwave went out. Called my dealer talked to svc rep
This is microwave, convection combo. Rep said if we took it to local dealer it would be covered under warranty, but probably sit on lot until parts ordered. Come to find out unit was discontinued. My dealer advised if we could make it until we got home he would see what Magic Chef who took over old co operations would do. They made a new combo unit that slid right into the old opening. When I got home dealer installed.
I think finding the right dealer is Almost as good as the right motorhome. All brands have issues at some point, and if you have good support it's a lot less time, and aggravation. I always call the dealer, take it by so they order any parts needed, make appt for repairs, ask for time estimate, and if less than one day wait for it so they see wandering around there all day. (No back lot parking.) Cultivating a relationship with the dealer I believe was the single most important step for me. Color me a satisfied customer, and when it comes time to buy a new one you know where I'll go.

[Maggot]

My 2020 Puma is top notch so far. I have been nit picking it for about a week. Everything so far is good to go. Impressed with the Puma line actually. Impressed with the info I have gotten from the Puma folks.


I may change opinion after using it a bunch like we do. But with good owner upkeep it should last a long time. Puma set me up with a very good start and I am happy with that.



My take on the OP's situation is dealer issues not the brand.

[rmac04401]

Both my brother and I love our Pumas. His had less small items than mine but were all corrected by dealer. I had mine first and low and behold 6 months later he had one. Different models but same brand.

[Capt. Mike]

People beat up "Forest River" on this forum for their lack of quality, but I submit that the industry, as a whole, could do a better job on quality control. The phenomenal sales across the industry in the last 8 or 9 years have, sadly, led to a "get 'em out the door as quickly as possible" mentality. When you plunk down your hard-earned money for your tt or 5th wheel, you want it ASAP. You do not want to wait six months for delivery.

Combine that with the shortage of labor nationwide (have you gone anywhere lately that hasn't had a "help wanted" sign posted?) and you start getting some degradation in quality. Is it acceptable? Shouldn't be, but it is a fact of life. And it isn't just Forest River and its divisions.

The attached photo shows a problem that happened in a campground with a Crossroads Elevation. Crossroads RV is owned by Thor.

[CZNEDY]

My opinion, 8 out of 10 problems are caused by the dealers. They generally don't know anything about the RVs they sell. Units sit in the lot at the mercy of the sales department only to be half fixed by the service department when they are sold. How much abuse do you think a unit takes when it's taken to an RV show? 100's of people walking through them touching everything. Dealers abuse them at shows and on their lots. They put slides out for weeks and never level them, they let the batteries get drained beyond use, they don't know how to operate half of the features on them. Once the sales department is done ruining it, the service department is left holding the bag and does what they can to get the customer off the lot. If you buy a unit that has been on the lot for a long time, you can be sure that you will have issues. There is a forest river dealer near my office and everyday, I would drive by there lot and see a really nice Heritage Glen Fifth wheel, three slides (all of them deployed). Fall came and went, winter came and went. We had a lot of snow that year. Those slide were out all winter long. I would say the slide toppers were pretty stretched out by the time it was sold, never mind the moisture in the camper from sitting like that all those months. At the Tampa show this year I saw many Motorhomes and campers so out of level, you wouldn't be able to walk in them. Everyone of them has all slides deployed and no jacks down. Sometimes it helps to ask the dealer how long the unit has been there, how's much they know about taking care of it and how many times it has been to a trade show.

[NMWildcat]

Ah, a venting thread.
We've had our Wildcat for 7 years and there have been several times I've just wanted to set a match to it. BUT, the majority of the time I just love it!!!!
I keep thinking it's time for a new one, but I remember my own advice to everyone that asks about a new RV. "The first year of new RV ownership will most likely mean having to work on fixing problems every time you use it. Or taking it to a shop after every trip."
Just the way it is. After that, chances are you can actually enjoy it.
At least that is how it has worked for our last several RVs

[CZNEDY]

Same here, my post is just an observation. Dealers generally wreck RVs

[flaggonzo]

As someone else mentioned, FR makes a lot of different trailers. Sometimes it does matter which trailer you choose. FR makes cheap ones, mid-level ones and very expensive ones. Sometimes, you will find issues with each category. I was very skeptical about the RV industry as the information is out there. Fortunately, a friend of mine had owned three Rockwoods over the past 20 years and had good luck with them. I bought my very first trailer, a Rockwood 2707WS last September. It rained the day we were doing the PDI and continued to rain when we set up camp that evening and all day the following day. We definitely found out that fortunately, there were no leaks. I was also quite surprised that everything worked! We have used it about 5 times and everything works. We are very pleased with our Rockwood and when the time comes to get another, I will probably get another Rockwood.

[pgandw]

Everybody want to compare RVs to automobiles because they have a dealer network. But I submit the more accurate comparison is to houses, or as somebody already mentioned pre-1980 American-made cars and trucks.

Quality cannot be inspected in after an item is built. It has to be a mindset. Modern manufacturing (especially cars) measures quality by comparing the finished article to the design. It does not measure the quality of the design, but rather the amount one vehicle differs from the next on the assembly line. If the deviations from one to the next are small, quality is high, and the chances of one unit being worse than the next are very small. If deviations are numerous and extensive, the chances of getting a defective unit skyrocket.

But to build in quality as I described, your supply chain has to be every bit as good as your assembly floor. And you have to have jigs, drawings, materials, and extensive training to make sure things get done the same way every time. That is why every modern vehicle has a factory-made wiring harnesses - to limit the installer's freedom to improvise and deviate from the standard.

Finally, the culture has to be there - that doing things your own way "just because" is not acceptable. Changes in process have to be prototyped and standardized just as much as a change in materials.

Is that change going to happen in the RV industry? Not a chance unless somebody starts eating everybody else's lunch by doing so (like the Japanese did to the US car makers in the late '70s through '90s).

So I treat my RV purchases (and used car purchases) like I do buying a house. I do a thorough inspection (or have a trusted individual or shop do one), and condition the sale on satisfactory inspection and resolution of discrepancies. I simply add the wording to the sales contract. If the dealer (or individual) won't accept the inspection clause, I walk. I've done this on used cars, houses, and RVs.

I don't demand the seller fix everything, but I insist on the seller fixing items that are too expensive, time-consuming, or difficult to fix myself. Or reduce the price enough to bring in my own professional.

Works well for me, and loss of my business, however slight, might just be a little nudge to drive the bad actors out of business. And my home inspectors and my trusted mechanics get paid - their services help me evaluate the deal and get my initial work list started.

just my experiences
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[poriggity]

We have a no boundaries 19.5 travel trailer. We just completed a 2400 mile trip with it.. and yes, we had some small issues. In my opinion quality control in the rv industry as a whole sucks. No doubt about it. I have fixed everything myself and upgraded my issues with stronger better items and no warranties anything. If you are not a technical person or cannot work on your own rv you are in for a world of hurt no matter what brand you buy.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Face it folks....the RV industry is putting out crap. They know it...we know it. They also know that many will...."I'll just fix it myself" so why should they care about quality. Blow an engine on your new car, are you to "Fix it yourself" ?? Son has a Jayco I have an FR. Similar in craftsmanship, but one BIG DIFFERENCE ? THE ROOF. Jayco...roof is nice and tight, no bubbles, perfect along the edges, sealing is very well done. FR....my roof looks like crap. little bubbles everywhere...from day one. big buckles in all the corners, edges look like crap and the caulking is on EVERYTHING ! vent covers, A/C cover, it looks like it was put on by a 10 year old. This is the last trailer well ever own and glad to be selling it soon.

[g gunnell]

Originally Posted by Kebees4

What does everyone think about their quality? I'm not very impressed. We had it for almost a year and it been back 4 times for warranty work. That brings up another problem. Dealer seems to have problems listening to what's needed. The one time that ticks me off probably the most is took it in for some roof issues and they replaced water tank. There was nothing wrong with water tank. To top that instead of removing screws from belly panel they cut it out with a knife and taped back together. Last trip we took it in for interior wall delamination and piece of trim that goes up front to roof that was 2" too short and they just fill gap with caulk. They never touched delamination issue. Now we have to wait on parts and take it back again. They are 2 hours one way. I wish I would have never seen a forest river. If it was a car it would qualify for lemon law.

We've had our Sandpiper, bought new in 17 for two years, and it's been a nightmare! And the question from the poster wants to know whom to blame ? Forest River AND camping world, quality construction is non existent from F R and c we'd reputation speaks for itself!!!

[BandJCarm]

I've had more problems than anyone, and yes, I'll take that bet.

But I love my trailer. It is amazing. It is my tool to see America and enjoy life. I do realize that they COULD increase quality with just a few tweaks, and not cost a mint. HOWEVER, I am convinced that if a manufacturer made it bullet proof, it'd come out costing about what a New Horizon fifth wheel does. And I'd have to get a tent.


Pulling a house down the road with two tv's, bathroom, kitchen, storage, king size bed, a/c (two of 'em), big refrigerator, central heat, ad nauseum.......is a bit difficult to do and still have no issues. I'm glad I have what I have. I also fully know that for whatever reason, some FR Divisions are better than others. And as said above, FR technically doesn't make RV's. They have dozens and dozens of subsidiaries that do. So don't complain about "FR Quality".

[g gunnell]

Paid for by Forest River!!

[danking49]

They consistently leave the last 200' of their production line for the dealer and buyer. Burned twice, never again.

[sbrookssc]

We bought a 32 foot Rockwood 5th wheel, and I have had very little trouble. I bought it from a dealer up North in Ohio, because they were about $5K cheaper, and it has not been back to a dealer. I did have an issue with the stereo not turning down low enough in volume. I called the dealer and since I was comfortable swapping it out ,they shipped me a new replacement and prepaid shipping label for the return.
I did have an LP regulator fail last year, and did replace the China bomb tires when they still looked new, but aside from that, we've not had any issues. Currently we have towed it about 13K miles.
With no real failures, there are some things we replaced, like the bathroom sink faucet which was junk, and the kitchen sink faucet, because it was tall and blocked my wife view of the TV. Overall for the price we paid, I think it has bee very good, and we love traveling this way.

[Connierod22]

We bought a brand new Forest River Sabre in 2015. We loved the floor plan but unfortunately discovered the quality wasn't that great. We had a Montana previously and that was quality built. We just assumed they all would be as solid. That being said, we still have it ( the Sabre)and if its doesn't get too hot while out and about ( no winterizing package) we are fine. I am betting that FR makes all levels of quality and priced to match. If we had a do over, we would make sure it had a weather insulation package before buying.

[jbrobson]

2018 Rockwood. Lots of teething issues. Leaky kitchen faucet, rip in sofa, oven didn't work, dinette rubbed on counter when slide in, 2 propane tank pigtails 2 times same window shade. All fixed. Adjustment arm on awning, out of align drawer face, not fixed. Dealer managed to damage things every time they worked on something. So in my opinion, Rockwood assembly, third-party components, and dealer all share the blame in reverse order.

[jaybe]

Originally Posted by Kebees4

What does everyone think about their quality? I'm not very impressed. We had it for almost a year and it been back 4 times for warranty work. That brings up another problem. Dealer seems to have problems listening to what's needed. The one time that ticks me off probably the most is took it in for some roof issues and they replaced water tank. There was nothing wrong with water tank. To top that instead of removing screws from belly panel they cut it out with a knife and taped back together. Last trip we took it in for interior wall delamination and piece of trim that goes up front to roof that was 2" too short and they just fill gap with caulk. They never touched delamination issue. Now we have to wait on parts and take it back again. They are 2 hours one way. I wish I would have never seen a forest river. If it was a car it would qualify for lemon law.

Delivered in May of 2018, Rockwood 2507. Found leak in Propane hose first month, Rockwood mailed me two hoses under warranty, third month Dometic shipped me replacement commode due to known problems with certain unit manufacture, third month cleaned excess insulation from AC ducting at unit and at ducting termination points, third month found loose screw in stove cover, (I repaired) . This is June of 2019 after 5000 miles of use - no further issues. Rockwood quality and customer service - great. I could not ask for a better maintenance history or support. You have a good product backed by a great company in my opinion.

[chrisochoa]

I think they build a good product as others have stated for the price point. I supposed if I spend $750k I might want a better fridge.....I do think there are MAJOR issues with dealerships/repair facilities. The exact reason when I retire from my current position, I am going to become a certified RV Maintenance technician so I can be a part of the solution to this problem.