Forest River quality

[BirdeeGirl]

You should plan your routes better. Straight in and straight home! No turning corners!

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by Hclarkx

I have mixed emotions when reading this thread because DW and I do enjoy our travels .... in spite of many hours of maintenance in the off-season (and some while on the road). I'd guess most of us would do it again given a choice. But, I hope we are not discouraging newbies to the camping life. On the other hand, they should know what they are getting into.

Has anybody had more problems than I have? Knowing that would give me some peace of mind. My list ........ (2015 Rockwood 8280WS Ultralite).

ROCKWOOD ISSUES:
Excess wheel bearing grease migrated to shoes - brakes stopped working at 12K miles
Axles not seated on frame perch and some axle bolts not tight.
Numerous unsealed gaps where pipes and wires penetrated the floor (in basement/utility area and under refrigerator) = mouse problem.
Some gaps not foamed in battery compartment (spiders had free access)
Kitchen ceiling vent cover fell apart in two years (non-UV-protected plastic)
Many screws over-tightened, stripped, and falling out.
Rubber propane gas line crossing under belly to bbq hanging down more than 6"
Slide-out electrical outlet not accessible behind hide-a-bed sofa.
TV had power but no antenna or HDMI interconnects from Genesis 3.0.
Very long deep scratches in Corian counter top.
Screen door would not latch to main door; had to re-install.
Shower faucet assembly installed upside down; let shower water run through the wall and into the utility area.
Shower head hose too short and fastened to wall so hose not usable.
Water pump not reachable for adjustment or service; have to remove caulked-in outside shower unit to reach it
Scrap of 1/8" plywood in front of gas space heater air inlet caused gas space heater to overheat.
Forced air heater plenum access panel (end panel 18"x18") fell off (screws were missing) caused basement overheating
One forced air flex duct under floor not working, other barely working (kinked or torn under floor).
Shortest forced air flex conduit to nearby bathroom had no damper so bathroom got 70% of hot air.
Bathroom-bedroom door trim improperly installed, came off in months others quickly followed.
Water pump not adjusted properly, allowed bypass from city water into fresh tank even at 40PSI city water.
Anti-freeze / normal valve barely reachable (have to remove fireplace to get to it with my long arm extended), not labeled or discussed in manual.
Loose sawed plastic panel scrap with cerrated edge in front of one wheel caused severe cut when placing wheel cover.
Skylight had multiple screws missing, started leaking in 3rd year.
Shower door hinged on wrong side (very awkward)
Slide-out seals began failing at less than two years.
Kitchen backsplash (plastic stick-on) started loosening in 2nd year
Shower door installed incorrectly, sheared off lower silicon rubber seal in months.
Wallpaper peeling off bedroom wall (around headboard)
Finger prints (glue) on chair rail around slide-out
Many holes in floor in utility area not sealed (draft and mice came in)
Gas range not level (nearly 1/4" lower on left side)
Decorative header over slid-out came loose after one year
All LED Puck lights failed (Rockwood sent replacements)
Water pipe behind shower wall not fastened, rattles against plastic shower wall from pump pulsations (very loud)
Clearance above wheels just 1-3/4 inch; Dexter specification is 3 inches. I added 3" spacers.
Made-in-China aux propane tank pressure reducer failed at 24 months, emptied tank
Structure supporting drawer under gas range collapsed completely on the first pothole we hit.

DEALER ISSUES:
Battery box with wrong and unusable cover (dealer installed)
Battery jumper too large and short so battery cover could not be used even if it was the right one.
Propane tanks not fastened (strap bolts missing).
Delivered with empty propane tanks and dead batteries.
Delivered (and stored) with water heater on (gas mode).
Delivered with Reese Revolution hitch rusted/frozen and squalking loudly.
Delivered with rubber gas line (bbq) across belly cover hanging down 6 inches.
Some obvious issues not observed and fixed (among list below)

I'd like to draw a contrast to this experiance, 2017 Rockwood Ultra Signature 8289WS. Not a single flaw or problem found in the two years we drug it all over the place. Only thing I replaced were the crap tires that came on it. What a difference a day makes.

[Hclarkx]

Originally Posted by sherman12

HclarkX, holy crap! and you have only mixed emotions! I think North to Alaska hit it right on the head on who built your rig. (Very good NTA)

I agree, North to Alaska may have it. Or maybe mine was made on a Tuesday morning after a three-day weekend over which all the workers consumed kegs of adult beverages for three days. We used to joke about cars made on Monday mornings having many problems.

Yes, mixed emotions ... we dearly love our 4-5 months per year in the unit. Just wish we didn't have to carry so many tools or use them so much. Though at five years there's little left to break. I hope.

[FISHTAIL]

Update on my 2020 Surveyor 245BHS that I discovered this evening....my dinette window leaks. Badly. Pulled the cushions off my dinette this evening to do some cleaning/organizing only to find a wet cushion and mold/mildew all over the platform and the bottom of the seat. Carpet below that is wet also. Took about 2 minutes to find the issue with a hose..a small waterfall was coming inside.

I have it shored up for the moment until I can get the parts to fix it properly, but now I'm hoping there is no hidden damage from water getting into that wall. I love the camper, but good grief. We had it factory made picking up about a month back and already;

Leaking Dinette window
P-Trap under the shower was wedged against the floor, ready to break. It had missed its relief cutout by about 2".
Bottom bunk framing had one board totally un-supported on one end, and another that was just laying there not screwed down.
Front windshield trim was over 1/2" off the wall on the bottom, the screws had missed the framing.
The Outlet on the side of the cabinet in the kitchen was hanging out of the "wall"
Bathroom door doesn't shut unless the camper is perfectly level, and pops open during travel
The front trailer wiring was hanging down nearly hitting the road
The removable panel under the dinette was cut too fat by about 1/8", pushing the trim off.
Slideout manual override grommet was mis-installed causing some impressive noise when operating the slide.
Slideout stopper was loose, as was the jam nut, which would have caused some fun issues had I not spotted it.
A few of the bolts through the floor into the frame are missing nuts, I just haven't gotten around to getting new ones yet.

Pretty sure I'm forgetting a few minor things, and that's not even getting into the fit and finish stuff I've been cleaning up. I don't mind having to do little stuff here and there to improve what the factory did, but some of what I've seen is just sad. Especially the leaking window, there's no excuse for that. Clearly there is no real quality control at the factory, because the amount of water coming in through that window took about 2 seconds to spot.

[RetiredSoldier919]

Originally Posted by mwallace61

I've had no issues with my FR product to date. It's a Cherokee Alpha Wolf. The cosmetic things I take care of myself. I can do a better job of those than my dealer anyway.

That's exactly how I feel. No one will care about the quality of work on my property more than myself.

[Irobutterfly59]

Originally Posted by 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.

We have been fortunate with our dealer. We bought local and they are 10 minutes from us. Awesome sales and service department. We took our camper out for first trip this week. We set up in like 40min everything went well. However, husband found the tv and microwave wouldn't turn on. It worked before we left home (camper in our driveway). So he called our dealer and the mechanic got on phone and said, check your hookup to the camp box. Yep, it had come loose when we plugged it in. We have called and talked to them numerous times about how things work, simple questions from new TC owners, always so patient with us.

The dealer was saying how there is a major shortage of RV mechanics.

[Irobutterfly59]

We love our Wildwood camper. We are first time TC owners. Took our first trip out this week. Rained hard one afternoon for 4 hours. No leaks. Everything worked, no issues. Very happy with what we bought. We love our dealer and their service department / and mechanics are awesome. We bought from local dealer who is 10min from our home. When we did our PDI we had them add some things, like a TV, mini screen over a vent so bugs, bees don't get in, added a bathroom sunlight cover over the vent. They put the backup camera up for us, etc. They let us keep our camper at their own site storage center no charge while our old truck was being repaired (after a failed first attempt at camp trip due to truck issues) it was there for about 9 days. We ended up buying a new TV. Very happy so far with everything.

[dmctlc]

I've own a 2018 FR Class A for over 2 yrs now and still have quality issues, like the gimp to the awnings won't stay in, molding won't stay own, Slides won't work, doors falling off, etc. .It might be the dealers responsibility to repair these quality issues properly the first time but it's the manufacturer lack of pride and quality control that is the source of the problems. If you didn't have quality issues then you wouldn't have to go to the dealer. I'm sure others have said it before but whether it's a $150K coach or a $1M coach they should be built with the same quality or cars are made to today. It seems some folks accept the quality issues as the norm and fix them while others feel it's our hard earned money why shouldn't the dealer who represents the Mfg. companies fix them. The problem is the dealers get paid pennies on the dollar for what they normally are paid per repair hours b/c that's all that FR pays them to fix them was something like $45 vs $160 I think a few years ago. It only pushes the dealers to keep us standing waiting for weeks rather than get it in and out, then we get it home to find out they rushed it through and it wasn't fixed properly so they can charge back the std. repair time for a 3 hr. yet do it in less than 1/2 the time to make more money. No matter how you slice it us consumers control our own destiny. You put up with it instead of speaking up they'll walk all over you. I still work with my dealer even though I'm now 1500 miles away, I was on the other end at the beginning until they understood I wasn't going away and wouldn't put up with crap in and crap out. In the end they've helped me a lot these past few years not just in repair.

[casper9545]

For those saying it's not a Forest River issue, if it was done right at the factory he would never needed to bring it t the dealer. Dealers hire cheap labor who usually have no qualification, from what I've seen. AS my wife has done before, she will make a scene if something is not done right, making sure customers are within ear shot. I cannot do what she does but she does get results.
example bought our second TT used from a local dealer, got it home and one of the tires went flat the next day. Took it off and she brought it down to the dealer who noticed a plug and claimed we did it. Wife came home with a new tire and a $25 gift card to their store.

[KFinn]

My wife looked at me with confusion When I climbed right up and looked over the roof before we even talked a price. I get up in our rig at least 4 times a year if not monthly. Water is a relentless enemy of RV’s. I have to admit I have had to adjust or have the dealer address more things on this new FR than my heartland. But I didn’t know the things I do now after having a TT for 5 years. So far I only had to flip the strike plate over myself so the door would lock. All the other trim pieces or Kia alignments I found the dealer addresses before pickup.

[JSP]

Originally Posted by RetiredSoldier919

That's exactly how I feel. No one will care about the quality of work on my property more than myself.

Me too. Actually I'm pretty happy with the cosmetics on my Wolf Pup.. things are tight.. there is no molding that is 3/4 of an inch too short. Cabinets and woodwork are pretty solid. Doors line up etc. I'd never bother the dealer for cosmetic stuff because I know I will like my fix better. I do think they need to reconsider one of their appliance suppliers though. Me tinkering with a $1300 appliance and voiding a warranty leaves me at their mercy.