Finally got my Wildwood 201BHXL

[OzzieL]

You buy, you wait in anticipation, and finally!

Like the title says, I finally got my trailer that my dealer promised me for the last week of May/beginning of June on June 20th. They blame FR for the delay...I'm not so sure about that.

We bought it because it was the best compromise in space/size/price of pretty much everything we had seen. I know Wildwood is not a PREMIUM brand but I still have some issues build quality.

I pick up my trailer from my dealer (Another WHOLE story) and the tongue jack is not working. Simple problem the fuse holder on the jack is broken. NOPE, that's one issue but still not working. It's a connection problem in the front junction box. Easy fix after messing with it for a while.

When I get home I start installing my bike rack and it fits like a dream...ON ONE SIDE...the other side it does not. I measure and try to understand how that's possible...SIMPLE the propane tank mount is mounted crooked! not an inch or so but enough to be visible by eye when you look from the side of the trailer. SIMPLE fix, take it all apart, measure where it should go reinstall it on the tongue. Really? There's no jig at the factory for this?

On installing my RV TV (12-volt), that doesn't fit because (it's a 24" TV) the model (2017 201BHXL) I measured at the dealer and the one I received (2018 201BHXL) don't have the same cabinet layout. I couldn't find a 12-volt outlet. Not behind where the TV goes, like most RVs, NOT ANYWHERE! NO USB charging outlet either...So, no TV while dry camping and no charging phones or iPads...AND NO CPAP MACHINE without an inverter to eat power? Not to mention WHERE DO YOU HOOK IT UP? Really? So now I have to install at least a couple of 12-volt outlets.

We took it out for a 3-day weekend late on Friday, just to get the feeling of it before we actually go on a longer trip.

Friday night, our first night, the A/C cycles on and off every 3 minutes and getting more frequent until it was cycling on and off about every 45 seconds. This doesn't seem normal to me. In order to stop the unit from annoying me so I can sleep, I set the thermostat to FAN LOW from AUTO...there is no LOW because LOW and HIGH are the same. but, it was a solution that worked.

Oh! I forgot to mention the wicked gash I got in my hand from the SHITTY piece of plastic they put around the edge of the murphy bed. I could come up with at least 2 other ways of making it that wouldn't hurt anyone!

On Saturday I turn on the radio to listen to some tunes outside, one of the speakers only works if you have the inside speakers on at the same time. Not a big deal...just a small wiring problem.

On Saturday night my wife and my daughter took showers. My wife noticed a small puddle at the rear of the toilet (which, by the way, is the crappiest piece of plumbing fixture I have ever sat on. It creaks and cracks when I sit on it. OK I'm 240lbs but still, I have used others and not felt like they were going to bust). We assumed it was our daughter making a mess and wiped it up. later in the night my wife wakes me up asking about a light coming from the bunk area. My daughter has left her bunk light on. I got up and turned it off. Not to waste being up, i went to the washroom. Again I noticed the puddle behind the toilet. I wiped it up and reached around with my hand to feel where it might be leaking from, if there was a valve or something leaking. No valve, it must be the fitting. I TOUCH the fitting, and I mean barely TOUCH the fitting and it pops off the toilet and water started coming out! Imagine a garden hose cut off, that's what was going on. so I yell for someone to turn the water off while I TRY to keep the water from coming out (NO, it didn't work). My Son, from a deep sleep, jumps up like a champ and goes out to the spigot and turns the water off. I quickly lift the rear stab jacks and put the tongue jack up to keep the water, now flowing out of the washroom into the living area, contained in the rear washroom area. It turns out the fitting on the plumbing was stripped and BY HAND would turn until slightly tight and then click and be loose again. AND BEFORE ANYBODY ASKS, YES I HAD A PRESSURE REGULATOR (Valterra adjustable) and it was set at 40PSI.

So, here I am preparing a 2,000 mile trip with my wife and kids, with less than 2 days use on my RV and I'm not feeling very confident. I'm burnt out from all the small issues I must deal with.

I would have paid $1000-$2000 more to have a trailer that had some of the many small improvements I've already done or am going to do and the quality improved. I have a list of tiny details that would have made my experience WAY better. Or, as much as I love my electric stab jacks and tongue jack but I would swap them in a second for better quality and details.

Like:
- A door window
- Gas/ELECTRIC water heater
- 5v USB outlets near all beds
- 12v outlets near TV and beds
- better layout for TV placement
- Low Pressure quick connect for LP GAS (There's plumbing for the fridge right behind the wheel!)
- Master switch inside for stab jacks (so people cant mess with them)
- Bluray player
- HDMI TV connection from DVD player
- Detachable shore power cable WITH
- Built-in Progressive Industries Surge suppressor!
- Low wattage light over the Queen bed (that you can reach without getting up)
- TALLER hatch doors (I could have put a Weber BBQ in but the DOOR was too small, had to buy an "O Grill" to fit)
- Something to keep the door from bashing on the awning supports
- under-counter sink with cover for more counter space
- Bunk curtain rod that goes all the way to the wall, not 3" short
- Angle the toilet so "Husky" people don't have to be stuck to the wall while doing their business
- easy to clean/dry tub surround (instead of just the bathroom wall)
- Water pump/heater controls NOT next to light switches (maybe in the bathroom or above the sink)
- easy grab entry handle
- 2-step entry (we are always stepping on the aluminum door sill)

These are just some of the things that would have made a much better trailer.

There are a lot of things I really like about this trailer. I don't want it to seem like it's all bad. But sometimes this type of story will be enough for the company to see the light and fix some of the SMALL things that can make a BIG difference.

Oz

[SeaDog]

welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. that was along post, I had to force myself to keep reading (something to think about for future posts). It's hard to imagine you ever being satisfied or happy with a list like that.

[Briorick]

Wow, that's quite a list! Doubt that I would have even taken it off the lot.

Sounds as though you should have taken your wish list with you when you ordered your new TT. A lot of the "likes" you are stating would have been evident, or not, and "front & center" when doing your PDI just simply by asking. This would have eliminated a lot of your after-camper purchase frustrations.

WELCOME......and Good luck with your trip and hope all continues well. Make many memories along the way.
Most of all enjoy, and

[OzzieL]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. that was along post, I had to force myself to keep reading (something to think about for future posts). It's hard to imagine you ever being satisfied or happy with a list like that.

Thanks for your reply! It was a bit long winded but I had to tell the story.

The list was mostly suggestions. A lot of the suggestions were things that were standard on another brand of TT I was comparing with (it was on the lot so I could touch it). I chose to buy this TT over another brand because I didn't feel comfortable with the other brand's dealership, they already have a bad reputation, and there are very few of their dealerships near (within 250 miles of) me. Prices were similar, products specs were similar but, the details were significant.

Unfortunately when buying an RV that's "already on order" you don't get any amount of time to "touch and feel" it and go over the details. You get what you get. After a month and a half wait, with no other possibilities, you suck it up and you make due. But that doesn't mean stuff should break or fit badly.

I like my new trailer. I will make a few changes that need to be made. I'm just disappointed that I have issues in less than a week of ownership, and simple things that should be there like, 12-volts for the TV are not.

My story all comes down to 2 things: 1) Build quality 2) Details. Both could be improved and make a better experience for new owners.

[OzzieL]

Originally Posted by Briorick

WELCOME......and Good luck with your trip and hope all continues well. Make many memories along the way.
Most of all enjoy, and

Thank you! That's what it is all about!

It's my first NEW RV. I'll be better prepared next time...LOL

[Briorick]

We are tent campers from way back when. Back then there was no real science behind tent camping, unlike all that is needed to learn and know for TT camping. A whole new ball game. We all learn as we go and when we choose to upgrade we take our previous painstaking mishaps ( lol ), knowledge, and apply it, hoping we have all the previous bases covered. Which it seems we never do 100%, always something new to learn. But when we do, we pat ourselves on our backs for our accomplishments. Your next camper you will better versed on owning a TT, and better informed when making the deal. In the meantime this will be the learning curve that you so need. Once again.....enjoy, and make great memories! They make for great campfire stories.

[OzzieL]

So, after get most of the bugs worked out, save one electrical problem (posted in another post) , we now have a couple thousand miles on our trailer. I really like the layout and it tows very well.

Our choice of size and layout has been great. My kids love their bunks, I love my queen bed.

Today we are in the Gaspé area of Quebec, our home province, where my mother grew up. The Carleton-sur-Mer Camping site is out in the ocean. Beautiful place, nice people.

Here is the view from my couch.

[geeman53]

Welcome from SW Ohio ,enjoy your TT !