RV Dealers Fed-up with Quality

[lewisra]

General RV, a dealer with dealerships in 7 states, has built a pre-delivery inspection facility in Bristol, IN. Hopefully this will help their business and the quality our rv’s.

https://www.generalrv.com/about/rv-inspection-facility

[Bob2019]

I don't think is is all about poor worker skills and not caring. When you are expected to push out the quantity of RVs on a shift expected of course there will be problems. My take on any crappy build products is MANAGEMENT and their greed and lack of pride. Workers have to be trained properly and treated decently to get good products. Also, if there is a problem, they have to be able to pull the cord to shut down the line to get something fixed or fit properly so the next RV is fixed and built properly.

As far as covid - there were problems way before that hit. Workers now need to feel safe working in proximities to each other, and that will not happen until everyone gets vaccinated. People need daycare that their pay will cover. People are not dumb - they will not feel motivated if their day existence is owed to the company store.

As much as I have had to fix or have dealer fix stuff, I tremble at the thought of my 2019 - built in 2018 Forester would be destroyed and I would have to have it replaced with a current year model. When I note what has been cut and cheapened since 2019 it would be a deal breaker for replacement, not to mention the quality getting worst since 2019. It is all about company greed!

[Teaman]

Yes - Poor quality control - like zero!

My opinion too, its rotten quality control and no legal accountability. I saw a video article recently by a lawyer on youtube. He addressed RV Quality issues. Seemed it was legislation granted RV makers exemption from quality control standards. I think maybe because the makers offered such 'good' service warranties the legislators cut them some slack. Still the RV customer suffers in the end like roadside trouble repair and repair shop time delays, etc.

[SQROOT]

We blame the "manufacturers" for the problems, but they don't build anything any more. All they do is put out "bid requests" for this item with form, fit and function. I don't know if they actually build the walls or any part of the RV. But they have a assembly line that puts all of the pieces together and hope it works.

If a major problem with a MH or a TT or even a 5th wheel where cause an accident that the fault could be traced back to the manufacturer, like they do in autos or aircraft, then there would be something done.
My thinking.

[CyberShanks]

I just recently toured the Dynamax factory this past Friday. I can assure you that they actually weld all the 1x aluminum to build the walls, grind welds flat, cover them with the Azdel, fill with foam insulation and install the interior wall board, etc. They build the roof framing, cast the front and rear caps, do all fiberglass work, install windows, appliances, and even looks like they build most/all cabinetry in-house.

Not all companies are the same, some seem to actually still care about their customers.


Jim

[Backcountryboondocker]

It’s not just the manufactures or the dealers that are to blame for the poor quality and haphazard units being sold. It’s the CONSUMER’S that are ultimately the ones to place blame on the most. Why? Because we all know that a “Recreation vehicle” has “its problems” and people have become ingrained with the beliefs that owning a RV comes with having questionable quality control; but yet we as the consumer still go out and buy the junk trailer anyways….. and then come to sites like this to complain about the junk quality trailer. If the consumers start rejecting the crappy quality, and then start NOT buying the trailers or RV’s then the dealers and the manufacturers will start getting the drift and wise up. If we buy junk then the manufacturer and dealer feel and believe that the consumer doesn’t care enough about crappy quality to walk away and will buy it anyways.

[Ford1]

I brought this point up in another fourum some time ago. RV manufacturers can't make any money on the coaches until they go off the factory lot. Using an example of a round number of $100,000 for a 'sold' coach, a manufacturer may decide that fabrication errors, defects and screw-ups for each coach may be allotted 10 manhours corrective time upon completion/quality checks where items are identified. As it stands now, they should probably be allowing 2-3 times that amount of time on each coach, but that would slow delivery time a lot more, especially when you consider that some broken items might further delay delivery of other assembly line units by swiping components from them to fix a just finished unit. Now the cost of allotting 10 hours for corrective items only adds $250 to the final cost of each coach, then you can ship the $100,000 coach and bill the dealer. Yes, it is true that many needed repairs remain incomplete even though the unit was shipped and billed. How will the other items get finished? The dealer will be responsible for performing warranty repairs on items that they are forced to perform by customers. Some of the repairs won't be approved by the manufacturer and many customers will either fix the problems themselves or pay another dealer to do the work because they are too far away from the selling dealer. So the factory only has to deal with a low percentage of ACTUAL warranty repairs for a few of the completed coaches. This approach has proven to be lucrative as long as all they have to do is put up with a few complaints! Just remember that their ultimate objective is to move the completed coaches which is where the real money is.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by PodGeek

Anyone know if even outfits like Lance and Airstream are having these issues?

We have other brand sister sites in the RVLIfe family. Just like our Forest River forums, they are free for everyone to peruse. You can check them out at this link, and then see if they are also having poor quality complaints from their owners/members.


You may have to select the 'more' option, to see them all



https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...do=rvlife_page

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by D W

From what I understand from reading this forum is that many States have mandatory annual motor vehicle inspections for RV towables, and they actually check tires, lights and pull wheels to check brakes.

Must be an eastern thing. Never seen any inspections out west.

[phipps33]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

Must be an eastern thing. Never seen any inspections out west.

Definitely not in Ohio. Thank goodness!!

[FlaNative]

With all that has been posted on this issue, it comes down to this: "Follow the Money". Who pays? We do, whether it's in the time your coach is in for repairs, trips cancelled or in cash itself. Either way, it's a sad state of affairs for the rv industry.

[FlaNative]

It's my guess that had the manufacturers paid attention to quality control, that this forum wouldn't be so heavily geared towards repairing the issues they came with.
Again, "Follow the Money".

[Tabasco_Joe]

Originally Posted by mjbenedict

I know the manufacturers state that they would need to charge more for the rigs if they did more extensive quality control. I honestly think this would be a welcome charge and it would not need to be too much over the price of these high-priced units. I would have gladly paid thousands more on my motorhome to have it done with higher quality craftsmanship especially when it comes to plumbing and electrical. Funny how they can’t even afford to take a vacuum to the insides of cabinets before closing them up. They need a quality control group that inspects each finished step in construction.
Tearing apart a rig to fix a pipe glued too far down into a black tank should be unnecessary. Leak and capacity tests should be standard, electrical checklist items should be done before leaving the factory. The only thing that the dealer should have to deal with is loose or disconnected items that occurred while the delivery guy pulled/drove the rig to the dealer.

Agree with the post that stated this needs to move from Elkhart. It’s obvious that the workforce is not very concerned with their quality of work.

Much of the current designs depend on quality of the craftsmen involved. Too dependant in my opinion.

[nomad297]

Moderators Note: Merged with this existing thread to eliminate duplication.


Imagine that:

https://youtu.be/efuS1g7GvHc

Bruce

[rdforsha]

I can certainly attest to the poor quality of production. Our brand new travel trailer still has a refrigerator mounting bracket, still in it's plastic packaging, tucked between the back of the refrigerator and the coils. It cannot be removed unless the refrigerator is pulled out by the dealer service department!

And, not to bore anyone with the details, there are more problems that only the dealer can repair.

I highly advise anyone in the market for an RV to simply wait. It is simply not worth the money to buy now and fix.

[Kid Charlemagne]

I feel very lucky, our 2021 Geopro hasn't had any major issues in the first 5000km. Just a few loosened screws and a couple of part specific problems (dometic 300 toilet, water pump bypass valve, etc). Not all COVID-era trailers are lemons.

[KyDan]

You are right! Glad you got a good one but I am baffled why they are still using that dometic 300 toilet after all the complaints!

[Brewhedd]

Originally Posted by Palinduff

Even Grand Designs quality has decreased as they have increased the prices the last couple of years.

I don't know if it has decreased but I do know my experience. Purchased a 2019 GD Reflection TT (new) which is the top of their line for TT's. Before purchasing I visited an owners website, found people were a little unrealistic in singing the praises of the brand. Visited their website where they touted their PDI right after being built. Their marketing is really good btw. Anyway, after about a year of warranty work I sold it. In total, had about 30 issues. Not uncommon at all for the industry. Don't believe I will own another RV, sure wouldn't be buying one now.

[n1acguy]

Originally Posted by SQROOT

I have a Sunseeker 3010DS 2018 that was built in 2017, guess that was lucky as I have not had many issues with it other then things I spoiled. The major items were the door locks inside that keeps the doors closed. Replaced many of those. Knock on wood! Installing front and rear torsion bars this month and waiting on the stabilizer to arrive. Do all the same time.

Thus far I can say the same for our motorhome purchased new in Sept of 2019. It did have some blatant mistakes, like the solar panel not really being screwed into anything solid, and departing ship on our maiden voyage.
Other than the problems that caused, everything else has been pretty good.
At the time, dealers were touting the recent Warren Buffet cash infusion that really helped Forest River quality control. After looking at some really rough Thor products, I decided I'd never own anything from that company, and Forest River looked pretty good to me. They were the only ones who actually got into how their construction was better as far as insulation and panel strength were concerned. All of those other companies just calimed they were the best without even giving one construction detail.

From having a 24' 79 Dodge chassis motorhome in the early 90s, I remember even class As made back then being pretty cheaply constructed.
That was the key reason I opted for a class C motorhome, as opposed to an entry level A. Unless moving up to an air ride suspension on a heavier chassis, class A cabs are built on the same budget that gives the industry a bad rap. I wanted a cab built by a major vehicle manufacturer.
Since towables aren't intended for passenger use, they don't have to meet the same requirements.

[fishingkid]

I purchased a brand new 2021 Forest River Wolfpack 23pack15 on 09/14/21. The dealership was 460 miles away. We negotiated price over the phone I was sent pictures via text message. We put a deposit down on the unit being we had a couple trailers sale prior to us making it out to make the deal. When we arrived for our pickup appointment we had our check in hand and insurance ready. We were under the impression the trailer had been fully inspected and detailed prior to us showing up we would do quick inspection. Sign a few papers setup sway bars and get on the road heading home.
Definitely not the case we go to inspect the trailer it’s semi clean interior and exterior tech wants to start inside ok sounds good. The rear happy jacks bed frame is bent in more then 1 spot the main door would not shut the bathroom door would not close corner of cabinet was busted up a little. Generator fired up then he could not shut it down. The controller on the wall that reads out tank levels would not work. He says he can fix most of it prior to us leaving.
Now we go to inspect exterior. First thing I notice is rusted bolt then some corrosion then some surface rust trailer only has 1 battery all ground wires are corroded rusted ground screws. Propane tanks and lines are rusted and corroded.The trailer still had salt all underneath of it from initial transport from manufacture 4 hours later we work out a deal they throw in some extras offer to take more money off put us up in hotel room and return the next day after they make some repairs.
We return the following day at the time specified they are not finished. We sit in the lobby with a 1 and 3 year old for 3 more hours they finally ask us to inspect it but mention generator will not run more then 1-2 minutes they promise to get in contact with manufactures get parts ordered and sent to local dealer near us. We end up driving 9 hour trip home next day I get in contact with NPS generators myself since the dealership did not have a lead on parts or repair option. NPS was great on the phone had a warranty certified tech out next day he says generators possibly wired wrong might need new generator he ordered a board and said try that next week.
In the meantime I have been making small repairs and finding terrible craftsmanship all over this trailer staples pulling out of the wall after our drive home screw heads sticking up out of the floor. The main entry doors a disaster they dented the door jam made Swiss cheese under the strike plate trying to readjust latch door is scratched up from rubbing on the latch with giant pan head screws sticking out. I won’t name the dealership just yet as I did have a few guys that were extremely helpful but needless to say I am very disappointed in the workmanship on this trailer. I purchased new hoping to avoid some of this