problems

[overthemtn]

just was thinking of all of us spending our life savings on these coaches and all of us are always having problems and having to spend more and more money and time to fix what ever isnt their no quality control with any one any more i dont think so

[Norm4015]

Quote:

Originally Posted by overthemtn just was thinking of all of us spending our life savings on these coaches and all of us are always having problems and having to spend more and more money and time to fix what ever isnt their no quality control with any one any more i dont think so

First, I would never consider spending my life savings on a motorhome. There are much better investments. Second, the owners post here because they have a problem and hope someone can help them while others give suggestions on how to fix the problem. Third, many owners visit this site to educate themselves and after one year of reading posts they have earned a RVing 101 degree.

Owners seldom post they traveled all summer without any problems and that would include the majority of owners. Some owners complain when a cabinet door hinge comes loose or a battery dies while most owners just fix the minor problems and never report them on the forum.

It certainly helps if you can fix your minor problems yourself instead of taking your motorhome to a dealer. You will be much happier and have money left for fuel for traveling.

I bought my first RV in 1972, an 18' travel trailer. I bought my first motorhome, a Newmar DSDP, in 1999 and used it and my present 2005 DS for fulltiming. In 115,000 miles I have had one breakdown when a fuel injector stuck open and I had to be towed. So I figure one breakdown in all my years of RVing is not too bad.

[DandS]

overthemtn - I have been reading your posts for the last month or so and have concluded you are one unhappy individual based on your complaints. Perhaps you purchased a used motorhome that did not have proper maintenance or are just plain unlucky with all the problems you have experienced. As Norm stated, if you own an RV you will have problems, it is a house rolling down the road. My coach is two years old, I bought it new and have maintained it with loving care but still have had issues and that is with a vehicle made by one of the better manufacturers - Newmar. I have not spent my life savings for my coach but it has been a substantial investment which I intend to protect as best I can. If I became frustrated with the upkeep and maintenance required, I would sell it and move on.

[D in Davie]

My feelings about my MH are constantly evolving. I know I did not buy a top of the line unit so that moderated my expectations of perfection. I once owned a boat and my experience with that is similar to the MH. "A boat is a giant hole in the ocean that you throw money into." There is always something that you can fix or improve. You do the same with a brick and mortar home. You will find that the problems that are the most frustrating are the ones that can only be fixed by a facility that is 300+ miles away and most broken parts are broken by the operator of that part. I hate when that happens. My suggestion is that you drive the MH no more than 250 miles each day and that you find out what your favorite adult beverage is and have at least one before dinner. I won't fix anything but it will change how you look at the problems.

[overthemtn]

well sorry you all feel that way about me i wont be posting on this forum any more but so you know i spent $250,000.00 on a brand new 05dsdp thinking i was buying a new coach and spending enough money that within the first few years i would basically be trouble free i mean of major problems.
our bedroom slide didnt work for 11/2 years now the coach is 6 years old and been maintained it is a newmar and we thought we were buying a better coach but too my dismay i am still issues to this day with the slides. Not to get into all the other stuff.
the coach has been back to newmar 4 times.
i feeling after spending this much money i shouldnt be dealing with a lemon still till this day.

[jmtandem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by overthemtn well sorry you all feel that way about me i wont be posting on this forum any more but so you know i spent $250,000.00 on a brand new 05dsdp thinking i was buying a new coach and spending enough money that within the first few years i would basically be trouble free i mean of major problems. our bedroom slide didnt work for 11/2 years now the coach is 6 years old and been maintained it is a newmar and we thought we were buying a better coach but too my dismay i am still issues to this day with the slides. Not to get into all the other stuff. the coach has been back to newmar 4 times. i feeling after spending this much money i shouldnt be dealing with a lemon still till this day.

There is a point where it is time to move on. When the factory cannot fix stuff they originally built why continue with the frustrations? I agree with others, most initial new problems get fixed and stay fixed with the exception of minor stuff that would work loose or whatever anyway (drawers, batteries, etc.). If everytime you use the RV something else goes wrong, the fun is gone.

[awarnes]

Well maybe you should have learned more before buying what you did or inspect it for further details. Again its a big house on wheels and it will break, make noise, and you must know how to fix things yourself. If the dealer hasn't fixed it right then get an attorney and fix it. Also maybe RVing isn't for you. I'm a type A personality and it wasn't until the last couple of years (life tends to do this to you) that I realized that the persuit of perfection is impossible. We have a simple life. Less stress, less money, less hassles.

I spent 32+ years managing restaurants from 1 to 158 and now I don't. I chased after the money and lost. I drive a 7 year old car, 16 year old van, and a 79 full size Bronco all paid for. They aren't the pretty girl, but they are mine. My MH is 24 years old and nice for its age. It breaks and I fix it (something 3 years ago I wouldn't have done) now I enjoy it.

I like all people sometimes wish it was better. I then look at my 2 young daughters (second family - I'm closer to retirement than not) and see the gleam in their eyes when camping day arrives and that is worth all the crap that comes down.

Go park your rig, have a cold beer, sit in your favorite chair, kiss your DW, pet your dog, and enjoy a good fire. Just think you could be a grumpy old s***.

Arnold

[jmtandem]

Part of the problem is the expectation going into the purchase of the RV. We can purchase cars and trucks that are virtually problem free from the dealers showroom. Then we get an RV and realize that it is not the same. As stated previously some handywork abilities goes a long way in keeping an RV on the road. They are very complicated pieces of machinery and in some cases RV quality is somewhat less than what we might hope for.

[micd]

Overthemtn,

For what it is worth, I agree with you. If you spend good money you should expect good quality. Personally, I'm always surprised that people accept new units with thing falling off, plumbing not hooked up, electrical connections miswired etc. Then post its the nature of the beast. I'm much more impressed by those who don't accept it and get on the manufacture's case as well as let others know so then buyers can beware. It doesn't do anyone any good to gloss over poor construction and no quality control which seems to be rampant in the motorhome industry. I think alot of people try to gloss it over as it makes them feel bad that they chose and got a poor quality unit.

No one does the manufacturers any service by glossing it over. People may get bitten once but then they get discouraged with RVing and give it up. They also tell others of their experience and it discourages more from getting into it.

When I bought my unit I could have afforded to buy new. I was put off by all the 'cheery' posts about how I would have to give up the whole first year getting it fixed instead of using it. We looked at units of all ages and decided to go with a mid. 90's units. The technology is simpler and the build quality seemed higher. It also fit the way we wanted to use the unit which was to go camping in the national forest and visit national and state parks. We weren't looking to replace our house as I don't think I would ever be interested in full timing. But we were interested in seeing the West.

In conclusion, I think you should keep posting. I think your looking at things the right way and the board needs more of that and less cheer leading where the manufactures are supported when they turn out junk.

Michelle

[Perry White]

Ever think of buying a service warranty policy? It would pay off if you are having that much trouble.

[tworootless]

Guess it 'just wasn't meant to be' in your case. . . Happy trails.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norm4015 First, I would never consider spending my life savings on a motorhome. There are much better investments. Second, the owners post here because they have a problem and hope someone can help them while others give suggestions on how to fix the problem. Third, many owners visit this site to educate themselves and after one year of reading posts they have earned a RVing 101 degree. Owners seldom post they traveled all summer without any problems and that would include the majority of owners. Some owners complain when a cabinet door hinge comes loose or a battery dies while most owners just fix the minor problems and never report them on the forum. It certainly helps if you can fix your minor problems yourself instead of taking your motorhome to a dealer. You will be much happier and have money left for fuel for traveling. I bought my first RV in 1972, an 18' travel trailer. I bought my first motorhome, a Newmar DSDP, in 1999 and used it and my present 2005 DS for fulltiming. In 115,000 miles I have had one breakdown when a fuel injector stuck open and I had to be towed. So I figure one breakdown in all my years of RVing is not too bad.

Pretty much sums it up for me except I bought my first TT (a 16'er) in 1968 and have never been without an RV since. Have not yet had a breakdown that I couldn't fix and needed to be towed.
This last weekend the front TV finally quit (9 years and been over some ROUGH roads), headed over to Costco to look at new ones. Had to put new tires on last year. Taking the grandkids with us --- well, we're raising two of them due to an untimely death so it's a pain sometimes!

["007"]

Sorry to hear you feel thats a useless process to continue on this forum.
A lot of us do not feel that way and are trying to help you resolve some of your problems.
After looking at your profile I feel you have been taken advantage of and dealers are like that even to myself when some I have dealt with do not know what they are talking about.
Dealer Case in point.
Thats one reason I have never been back to any with the coach's I have own, and have been able to fix a problem myself.
Most of us will have problems within the first year and some go beyond a year.
I have been a factory for any problem I could not resolve and they were very good at taking care of the three Newmars I've had.
We have taken trips out west through Canada & back and had problems that I fixed while on the road with friendly help from people to resolve them.
The coach's have all been gas no DP because thats a whole different game more complex systems that can go wrong and more money than I have.
When you were back to Newmar what did they explain what was wrong with your slides and why they keep giving you problems?
Did they explain any system operations for you so you had full understanding of them?
If I was in your area I would gladly try to help you and maybe there is someone in area that could do that.
I agree with you its not fun to have so many problems continuously.
There maybe a good quality Mobil RV Tech in your area that may help you, look in Yellow pages and ask alot of questions of them about your problems and see who makes you feel comfortable about getting them fixed.
You need someone to help you after we try to give you some idea how the problems might be resolved.

[Mr_D]

I suppose I could be angry about our rig too. The dealer had it for 113 days out of the first 305, they didn't get stuff done, they refused to fix paint chips even though we followed their instructions. Another time both my radio antennas were stolen, all they said was "it happens" and refused to replace them. They couldn't/wouldn't fix some things so I had to drive the rig to Charlotte then Nappanee to get it taken care of. Right now my main slide isn't working correctly either. Supposedly it was fixed in 2005 but it's never worked right even then.
Am I bitter about it? NO!! Because I'd had lots worse problems with other brands! Even my parents Foretravel had problems.
Newmar is by far the best of the rigs I've owned.