I will just share my experience buying a 2017 201BHXL Wildwood. I purchased it in March 2016. First time using was June 2016. First trip we had a pretty bad water leak at the toilet. Found the line on the toilet was cross threaded and the hole in the wall was higher than the hookup was so the line was at an angle. It was leaking at the PEX connector behind the cross threaded connector. No way to fix it at the campground so it ended our first trip. Dealer repaired it and said they had tested it prior to us picking it up originally but somehow it leaked when I first hooked the water up. Also the wall behind the murphy bed was bowed out and we noticed it the first time we lowered the bed. The panel is not glued or something and its going to break at the seam tape. You can push it up and it feels like its got some adhesive behind the panel but it pops back out and the only thing holding it is the tape at the seem. Dealer took photos of this and said it would be a very detailed tear down to try and repair. Also the black and gray tank wiring was backwards. The bathroom fan black knob was missing on pre-inspection and the plastic support part that has the screen attached for this fan was falling out. Also something minor but the cover where the water pump is only had one screw holding it, the left side has a screw, but nothing for that screw to go into because there is no wood support behind it for it to grab.
All in all I am pretty disappointed in this trailer. First time ever owning one. We used it 7 nights this summer and I am ready to upgrade to something with a little better quality. I think Forest River needs to work on some quality control. There is no reason a buyer should find all these issues on their first use. We need to get the wall fixed before my warranty expires next March.
I will just share my experience buying a 2017 201BHXL Wildwood. I purchased it in March 2016. First time using was June 2016. First trip we had a pretty bad water leak at the toilet. Found the line on the toilet was cross threaded and the hole in the wall was higher than the hookup was so the line was at an angle. It was leaking at the PEX connector behind the cross threaded connector. No way to fix it at the campground so it ended our first trip. Dealer repaired it and said they had tested it prior to us picking it up originally but somehow it leaked when I first hooked the water up. Also the wall behind the murphy bed was bowed out and we noticed it the first time we lowered the bed. The panel is not glued or something and its going to break at the seam tape. You can push it up and it feels like its got some adhesive behind the panel but it pops back out and the only thing holding it is the tape at the seem. Dealer took photos of this and said it would be a very detailed tear down to try and repair. Also the black and gray tank wiring was backwards. The bathroom fan black knob was missing on pre-inspection and the plastic support part that has the screen attached for this fan was falling out. Also something minor but the cover where the water pump is only had one screw holding it, the left side has a screw, but nothing for that screw to go into because there is no wood support behind it for it to grab.
All in all I am pretty disappointed in this trailer. First time ever owning one. We used it 7 nights this summer and I am ready to upgrade to something with a little better quality. I think Forest River needs to work on some quality control. There is no reason a buyer should find all these issues on their first use. We need to get the wall fixed before my warranty expires next March.
Next time do your pdi very thoroughly .take your time , 4 hrs min. test everything . fill tanks , check city water , fridge , furnace , trim, etc,etc,
Next time do your pdi very thoroughly .take your time , 4 hrs min. test everything . fill tanks , check city water , fridge , furnace , trim, etc,etc,
This is our fault for sure. The problem is we bought it from a mom and pop dealer. Which we did not know at the time. We purchased it at a RV show and had no idea the dealer facilities. We I went to pick it up it was sitting there outside of their 1 bay garage. The guy I signed all the papers from took me on a 10 minute tour. We are taking it to a larger dealer to get the wall fixed behind the murphy bed. I guess I expected better quality. Now we know and this will be a learning experience.
Large facility does not mean better example Camping World. Buying an RV is not like buying a car you really do need to do your research and a very detailed checkout. Problem most first time buyers don/t know what to look or ask for. I hope all works out for you.
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This is our fault for sure. The problem is we bought it from a mom and pop dealer. Which we did not know at the time. We purchased it at a RV show and had no idea the dealer facilities. We I went to pick it up it was sitting there outside of their 1 bay garage. The guy I signed all the papers from took me on a 10 minute tour. We are taking it to a larger dealer to get the wall fixed behind the murphy bed. I guess I expected better quality. Now we know and this will be a learning experience.
Poor quality exists throughout the RV industry . Next time you'll know better and what to look for . if it doesn't meet your expectations don't buy until things are done right
It is hard to determine without tear down... if it is worth anything to you. It doesn't look bad. Maybe just crappy glue and a panel that is in a little bind. I would (first give the dealer a chance to fix)... I would also want to see it taken apart(make sure it isn't water damage)... then I would understand how they are going to repair... and determine if I agreed... and either suggest some other way, agree with their assessment.. or fix it myself. JMO
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It is hard to determine without tear down... if it is worth anything to you. It doesn't look bad. Maybe just crappy glue and a panel that is in a little bind. I would (first give the dealer a chance to fix)... I would also want to see it taken apart(make sure it isn't water damage)... then I would understand how they are going to repair... and determine if I agreed... and either suggest some other way, agree with their assessment.. or fix it myself. JMO
These pictures are from May 8th. Since then the entire seem from left to right has split apart and there is about 1/4 inch gap that is opened up. It would be a easy fix if they can somehow spray some (a lot) glue down behind the lower panel and then use the same seem tape that the manufacture used to make it appear seamless. It needs repaired for sure before it ends up warping out of place for good.
RePost From Another Topic: Sounds like FR is from the "It's my ball, play by my rules or I'll go home" school. While recalls aren't necessarily the fault of the manufacturer, they are the ones who buy the products that go into their products, so ultimately, it is their quality that suffers. The problem is, RV's are built to a price point. The old function follows form rule. And, as consumers, we buy these faulty products, say things like, "my slide out stuck open, the furnace don't work, the roof leaks, the tires go flat, but they were all fixable so this is a very good product". As long as we, the consumer, head out with that mindset, why would ANY manufacturer want to spend more money to make their product better. Why would ANY company want to have a quality control department. If you watch the YOUTUBE videos on RV construction, you would think the manufacturers go over each product with a fine tooth comb. BUT, if that is the case, how do you get a motorhome where the trim is not matched? Where the carpet doesn't reach to the end of the floor? Where a door doesn't close because it is hung crooked? Where tools are left in storage compartments? Where pipes leak because they forgot to put clamps on the ends? How can a manufacture, with a straight face, say quality control? They can because we consumers say, other than those problems, this is a great unit. Reminds me of auto makers back in the 60'. They didn't care because they knew if you wanted a car, you had to buy theirs. Then the imports started and the makers cried "buy American, help your neighbor" but guess what... your neighbor was the one building and pawning off the junk on you. So, they HAD to improve or go out of business. We need to start NOT BUYING JUNK and force them to make a decent product. But, we won't cause "other than these few problems, it's a good product"........ I have told my dealer.. I WILL DO A COMPLETE INSPECTION OF THE UNIT AND WILL NOT SIGN UNTIL EVERYTHING I FIND WRONG IS FIXED FIRST, NOT AFTER I SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE. Maybe something along those lines is the answer. Fix first, not under warranty.
Jeff Houseless Not Homeless
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apopj, this forum is chock full of posts with the same analogy. So are most other RV/camping forums. The quality issue applies to most RV manufacturers. At this point your best bet is to do your research and pick a manufacturer and brand known for high quality and then buy it from a dealer with an excellent reputation for after sales service. But there are no guarantees when these things are built with human hands.
You're right that they are built to a price point. There are superior manufacturers out there but of course you'll pay a lot higher prices for the lower risk.
This industry is probably too small for a Japanese company to start up like what happened in the '80s in the auto industry, and its sales are more vulnerable to a downturn in the economy than the auto industry. But wouldn't it be great if that happened!?
If you're risk averse, the alternatives are: never buy one, or get a tent.
You are right in many ways, but I refuse to bury my head in the sand or make concessions to the manufacturers. If they want to sell me a product, whether a car, motorcycle, boat or motorhome, I will not buy something different. I will do what is required to get a quality product. If that means I need to spend a day touching, feeling, looking, prodding, pressurizing, and moving in/out , I will take the day. If they won't let me, I'll go to another dealer. I will not be part of the " other than these 15 problems, it's a good unit" crowd. My last coachmen MH had 118 faults the day I received it. That will not happen again. We need to stand up to these shoddy manufacturers, not move to something different. Okay, enough sermonizing. If you want a good unit, you're going to have to work at finding it.
Hi! I posted this in another thread after reading the RV Daily Report story but this seems a better thread for it. I wish I would have known about the industry and dealer problems with warranty and factory problems before I ordered a new RV. The last RV I purchased was a 1996 Trail Manor new. The dealer who no longer exists was great to deal with and I may have returned to them one time with an issue. The RV did not come with all the issues I'm reading about on this forum . I owned this RV for 8 or 9 years and had no problems with anything. I never even considered an extended warranty. When I sold the RV everything was still in working order. I now fear what I might receive from the Factory when my new RV comes in. I agree a proper walk through needs to be done and I will be doing a more intensive review than I might have done before reading all this stuff. I also agree about not paying up until you are satisfied. Here is a twist to that though. I had to put down a 10% deposit to special order my RV. I feel this may limit my amount of pushback. The deposit is non-refundable so I can't just walk away. I hope I don't have any problems because my dealer Keystone RV in Greencastle Pa. is supposed to be a reputable dealer. I have a Coachmen Apex 249rbs on order. I also special ordered the Frameless Window option. I thought they would make the appearance better. Does anyone have any experience with this still window. I see them mostly on higher level Trailers and Motor homes.
My bunk was pulling apart, and turned out the bottom of the frame was only tack welded. They flexed, allowing water to get in and do damage. I realized things were bad when I heard it 'pop' while standing on it to caulk the marker lights. I ended up installing brackets to pull the frame back together and square it up. Repaired the water damage myself too. Quality!
The original poster stated some concern about a "mom and pop" dealer. I purchased my camper from a very large dealer with a very large service department. The dealer replaced my axle. Below is a picture of what I found. I found that they put the brakes back on in reverse. The put the left brake on the right side and the right brake on the left side. They must have figured it out on the right side because they installed the right side upside down so that it would at least function. I guess they did not want to go back and fix their work. This was Fun Town RV in Cleburne Texas. Saving a little money has really cost me. I wish I had paid $1,000 more on the purchase price and gotten good service. Now I need to replace my magnets on my brake and likely my bearings as they got pretty hot.
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