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Old 10-09-2018, 07:39 AM   #1
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Leaking - lack of response by Forest River

We have a 2015 3051 FR Forester with significant leaking. Discovered soft floor. Camping World inspected and did seal/leak test. Determined there was a manufacturers defect - the track for the bulb seal was not installed properly. They reinstalled...of course costing us many hundreds of dollars. We opted to fix the floor ourselves. Now, we have also discovered significant leaking in other places (stains on the sealing), but nobody can figure out where it's coming from. We even filed an insurance claim - the adjuster said he's *never* not been able to find the source of a leak/water damage. Of course, though, it's not covered. Both the adjuster and CW state that the seals have been well-maintained and the leaking is not due to anything we could be doing differently. We are so frustrated with this unit and with Forest River. We have emailed FR multiple times. The very first time was a "sorry, you are out of warranty." We responded with pictures and the CW assessment. No response. We tried to send to someone else at FR. No response. This entire unit is a leaking mess and FOREST RIVER WILL NOT RESPOND. We are not new to RVing...just new to FR. Any suggestions?
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:02 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by cmbagwell71 View Post
We have a 2015 3051 FR Forester with significant leaking. Discovered soft floor. Camping World inspected and did seal/leak test. Determined there was a manufacturers defect - the track for the bulb seal was not installed properly. They reinstalled...of course costing us many hundreds of dollars. We opted to fix the floor ourselves. Now, we have also discovered significant leaking in other places (stains on the sealing), but nobody can figure out where it's coming from. We even filed an insurance claim - the adjuster said he's *never* not been able to find the source of a leak/water damage. Of course, though, it's not covered. Both the adjuster and CW state that the seals have been well-maintained and the leaking is not due to anything we could be doing differently. We are so frustrated with this unit and with Forest River. We have emailed FR multiple times. The very first time was a "sorry, you are out of warranty." We responded with pictures and the CW assessment. No response. We tried to send to someone else at FR. No response. This entire unit is a leaking mess and FOREST RIVER WILL NOT RESPOND. We are not new to RVing...just new to FR. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately, you have a 1 year warranty. The warranty only covers manufacturing defects(many people confuse warranty with insurance and think warranty should cover things they break- not saying this applies to your case). So, even though your defect may have been there from the beginning, it would not be covered. The whole point of the "1 year" part is that they'll make repairs for, you guessed it, 1 year.
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:07 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by cmbagwell71 View Post
We have a 2015 3051 FR Forester with significant leaking.
....
This entire unit is a leaking mess and FOREST RIVER WILL NOT RESPOND. We are not new to RVing...just new to FR. Any suggestions?
You say you contacted Forest River which is the big company, the corporate name. Have you contacted the division that makes the Forester?
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:38 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by dustman_stx View Post
Unfortunately, you have a 1 year warranty. The warranty only covers manufacturing defects(many people confuse warranty with insurance and think warranty should cover things they break- not saying this applies to your case). So, even though your defect may have been there from the beginning, it would not be covered. The whole point of the "1 year" part is that they'll make repairs for, you guessed it, 1 year.
Thank you for responding. Yeah, it was definitely a defect that did not rear it's head until after the one year (as is often the case with leaks). The only reason we filed an insurance claim was because our unit was in the path of Florence. With the wind and rain, the leaks were much more significant. Camping World blames Forest River, Insurance blames Forest River and Camping World (saying they did not adequately fix the original issue). It's all a big blame game and very frustrating for us, sitting here with a relatively new unit that has turned out to be nothing but a headache and poor workmanship.

It's all a big learning curve, though. Our big lesson here is NEVER trade quality for floor plan. It's turned out to be quite an expensive lesson for us, though.
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:39 AM   #5
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You say you contacted Forest River which is the big company, the corporate name. Have you contacted the division that makes the Forester?
I did not know this was an option. You think we'd get anywhere? It all feels like a big waste of time at this point. Lessons learned.
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:46 AM   #6
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Don't email them...CALL them on the phone and get a real voice!

Email is the second step...where you send photos and descriptions and dates and all of that stuff to the person you spoke with on the phone.

Email gets you nowhere fast...as you found out.
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:57 AM   #7
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Mike Jankowski Forester warranty rep.
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Old 10-09-2018, 09:18 AM   #8
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Mike Jankowski Forester warranty rep.
574-206-7625
Yes, we emailed him one month after buying the RV with concerns about the slide not sitting flush against the RV. He looked at the picture and said it looked like it was supposed to look.

We emailed him again in July 2018 regarding our current issues. No response.
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Old 10-09-2018, 09:23 AM   #9
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You say you contacted Forest River which is the big company, the corporate name. Have you contacted the division that makes the Forester?
Actually, as I am looking back in my records, it turns out we did email the Forester folks...Travis Bird. This was his response. We did follow up with pictures, but no response to those. We were a little annoyed about the comment regarding routine maintenance. We are always very meticulous about maintaining our units.

"Thank you for your email into Forest River expressing your concern. As Forest River has a one year limited warranty, and there have been no complaints of a factory concern, we will not be able to assist with any repair costs. Motorhomes require routine maintenance on all seals to prevent this type of concerns. If you are the dealership would like to provide pictures, I can review and provide my thoughts."
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Old 10-09-2018, 09:28 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by cmbagwell71 View Post
Actually, as I am looking back in my records, it turns out we did email the Forester folks...Travis Bird. This was his response.

....
OK, that's all I have then. You have done what I suggested.
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Nights Camped: '13 = 49/'14 = 74/'15 = 74/'16 = 85/'17 = 110/'18 = 111/'19 = 86/'20 =108/'21 = 115/'22 = 135/'23 = 78; Booked for 2024 = 69
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Old 10-09-2018, 09:31 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by cmbagwell71 View Post
I did not know this was an option. You think we'd get anywhere? It all feels like a big waste of time at this point. Lessons learned.
Sorry for the long post...

My previous TT had some major issues that were factory related (SOB=some other brand), and of course, I didn't find out until it was just barely two years old and roughly 4000 miles on it.

Was 1000 miles away from home when a wheel bearing seized up and almost burned the thing down on the interstate, which alerted us to the fact that the trailer had been riding on the tops of the tires for a major part of this trip and burning holes in the floor of a slideout and the trailer on the other side.

Anyway, I found out just how good my dealer-sold extended warranty was...totally worthless!

I also got the same old usual "Oh, you must have overloaded this thing!" response from the manufacturer, and they, along with the extended warranty, left me hanging out to dry 1000 miles from home!

Anyway, got a $1000 bandaid repair to get us home...then four months of back and forth trying to get this thing fixed...still being told this was my fault and that I had overloaded the TT.

Now, one day before this trip while taking it to my hitch shop to get my new truck set up for this TT I pulled up alongside the same brand TT in a Home Depot parking lot and was talking with the guy, and I took a photo of the two trailers side-by-side in the parking, then was on my way home...more on this in a second.

As I was researching this I looked my TT up online on the manufacture's website and my exact model in the photo sat a good 5-6 inches taller in the air than mine...hhmmmm, interesting I thought.

Then I started looking at the photos I had taken over the two years I had the TT and stumbled on the photo I spoke of earlier, and the other TT sat a good 5-6 inches taller than mine!

Then I looked at the photo I took of the TT less than 5 minutes after leaving the dealership the day I bought it brand new, and there is was...sagging 5-6 inches shorter than it should be.

So I emptied the TT...and I mean took every single thing out of it so that it was exactly the way it was the day I purchased it, then took it to be weighed.

Only difference was that one of the propane 30 LB propane tanks was probably 2/3 empty and the other full...no water...no nothing...and it weighed 1040 pounds more than the axles were rated for!

Well, this got the manufacturer to help me get new springs and upgraded axles for it (probably $500 in parts) from Dexter, but I still had to pay shipping from Elkhart, Indiana to Denver, Colorado, plus labor charges and new wheels and tires due to the heavier-duty axles.

All said and done I paid roughly $4000 between the bandaid repair in Phoenix and getting it fixed in Denver, then one week later traded it in for my 5'ver!

And my extended warranty, after fighting with them for months, offered to pay $150 toward the total repair...after I paid my $150 deductible!

Needless to say I turned down their $150 dollars and found a backout clause on the warranty and got my money back for the warranty (dealership wasn't happy with me...oh well), then used that money for the down payment on my current 5'ver.

About the photos:

First two shots-Home Depot parking lot, third shot one week after being fixed and the same day I traded it in while camping (notice the tires and fender distance), last shot the day I bought it-notice how the tires are behind the fender on the TT:
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Old 10-09-2018, 02:03 PM   #12
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Did you purchase this unit new?
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Old 10-09-2018, 02:19 PM   #13
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Did you purchase this unit new?
We did, yes.
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Old 10-09-2018, 02:23 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by JohnD10 View Post
Sorry for the long post...

My previous TT had some major issues that were factory related (SOB=some other brand), and of course, I didn't find out until it was just barely two years old and roughly 4000 miles on it.

Was 1000 miles away from home when a wheel bearing seized up and almost burned the thing down on the interstate, which alerted us to the fact that the trailer had been riding on the tops of the tires for a major part of this trip and burning holes in the floor of a slideout and the trailer on the other side.

Anyway, I found out just how good my dealer-sold extended warranty was...totally worthless!

I also got the same old usual "Oh, you must have overloaded this thing!" response from the manufacturer, and they, along with the extended warranty, left me hanging out to dry 1000 miles from home!

Anyway, got a $1000 bandaid repair to get us home...then four months of back and forth trying to get this thing fixed...still being told this was my fault and that I had overloaded the TT.

Now, one day before this trip while taking it to my hitch shop to get my new truck set up for this TT I pulled up alongside the same brand TT in a Home Depot parking lot and was talking with the guy, and I took a photo of the two trailers side-by-side in the parking, then was on my way home...more on this in a second.

As I was researching this I looked my TT up online on the manufacture's website and my exact model in the photo sat a good 5-6 inches taller in the air than mine...hhmmmm, interesting I thought.

Then I started looking at the photos I had taken over the two years I had the TT and stumbled on the photo I spoke of earlier, and the other TT sat a good 5-6 inches taller than mine!

Then I looked at the photo I took of the TT less than 5 minutes after leaving the dealership the day I bought it brand new, and there is was...sagging 5-6 inches shorter than it should be.

So I emptied the TT...and I mean took every single thing out of it so that it was exactly the way it was the day I purchased it, then took it to be weighed.

Only difference was that one of the propane 30 LB propane tanks was probably 2/3 empty and the other full...no water...no nothing...and it weighed 1040 pounds more than the axles were rated for!

Well, this got the manufacturer to help me get new springs and upgraded axles for it (probably $500 in parts) from Dexter, but I still had to pay shipping from Elkhart, Indiana to Denver, Colorado, plus labor charges and new wheels and tires due to the heavier-duty axles.

All said and done I paid roughly $4000 between the bandaid repair in Phoenix and getting it fixed in Denver, then one week later traded it in for my 5'ver!

And my extended warranty, after fighting with them for months, offered to pay $150 toward the total repair...after I paid my $150 deductible!

Needless to say I turned down their $150 dollars and found a backout clause on the warranty and got my money back for the warranty (dealership wasn't happy with me...oh well), then used that money for the down payment on my current 5'ver.

About the photos:

First two shots-Home Depot parking lot, third shot one week after being fixed and the same day I traded it in while camping (notice the tires and fender distance), last shot the day I bought it-notice how the tires are behind the fender on the TT:
Wow! We learned from our experience with extended warranties, that it's normally better not to have one! We've put aside a small amount of money each month, and that money is not double what an extended warranty would have cost us. Unfortunately, we'll have to drain that account to fix our current issues.
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Old 10-09-2018, 03:33 PM   #15
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FR customer no service

If you’re out of warranty FR could care less. Been there.
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Old 10-09-2018, 04:32 PM   #16
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If you’re out of warranty FR could care less. Been there.
Sadly, yes. I see you have a Winnebago...we should have kept ours!!
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Old 10-09-2018, 06:11 PM   #17
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Talking leaking issue

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Originally Posted by cmbagwell71 View Post
We have a 2015 3051 FR Forester with significant leaking. Discovered soft floor. Camping World inspected and did seal/leak test. Determined there was a manufacturers defect - the track for the bulb seal was not installed properly. They reinstalled...of course costing us many hundreds of dollars. We opted to fix the floor ourselves. Now, we have also discovered significant leaking in other places (stains on the sealing), but nobody can figure out where it's coming from. We even filed an insurance claim - the adjuster said he's *never* not been able to find the source of a leak/water damage. Of course, though, it's not covered. Both the adjuster and CW state that the seals have been well-maintained and the leaking is not due to anything we could be doing differently. We are so frustrated with this unit and with Forest River. We have emailed FR multiple times. The very first time was a "sorry, you are out of warranty." We responded with pictures and the CW assessment. No response. We tried to send to someone else at FR. No response. This entire unit is a leaking mess and FOREST RIVER WILL NOT RESPOND. We are not new to RVing...just new to FR. Any suggestions?
Are you anywhere near central Florida? If so, I would be glad to examine your unit. I've never come across a leak in anyone's RV that I haven't been able to resolve and repair.
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