Monaco poor Quality/Workmanship!

[Les Stallings]

I laugh when people say "for this price..."

Any limited production, complex and expensive piece of machinery subjected to a challenging environment will will need far more repairs than a massed produced Toyota.

[boaterok]

Originally Posted by archrist

Thanks to everyone who has responded. Couple points;
a) This is not my 1st RV.
b) I am used to fixing things on the coach every single time i take it out.. I have personally fixed the "Auto" leveling system 4 times so far.. not to mention long long list of other items
c) I would send a picture, however coach in an authorized RV repair shop now (which is 2 hour drive away).. The RV Repair shop informed me that Monoco should cover this.. and they had also called both Monoco and Extended Warranty folks to provide them their view.. which is similar to mine. A fundamental Monoco issue that they should have stepped up to plate to fix.
d) I have spoken to many Tiffin owners who informed me that the Customer Service they get is outstanding.. including them fixing items that are way way our of warranty for free. Especially when something like this.

TIFFIN you got to be kidding me!!! My 11 Tiffin Bus is a rolling pos. If I wrote everything that has been fixed or attempted to be fixed on the side of the RV I would run out of space. Even sent it back to the factory and had to fix a slide malfunction and other things and when it came back it broke the next time out plus more issues. I should have let it burn when the exhaust broke and it caught fire.

[archrist]

Thanks. I am not experienced with quality of TIFFIN.. was just talking about what I had heard from many owners.. that when they have issues.. TIFFIN company took care of them.. even if out of warranty.. Customer Service statement.. vs which has better quality. thx. Currently thinking about a Newmar Essex.

[94-Newmar]

Wow.. definitely a can of worms! I won't get into naming one manufacturer vs another however, if you work on these things on a daily basis, working in areas BEHIND the shiny finishes, creature comforts and "competitive marketing designs" you quickly see huge differences of quality in workmanship, assembly and design. I certainly understand archrist's frustration, and it is justifiable regardless of the price range you've entered into.

It is painfully obvious that *most* engineers/designers don't ever have to repair what they've designed - it's an age-old problem that will never go away; manufacturing and design vs reality in just about any vehicle. I know that space is tight and at a premium, however, looking at some things makes you just want to shake your head. It can take hours of disassembly in many cases to fix the easiest of things. Gaining access to the problem is where the majority of the labor hours are encountered.

In an effort to cut costs, many shortcuts are designed into production - regardless of manufacturer. Take a look behind most any AC/DC bay and you'll cringe at the rats nest of wiring (except for Newell's).

Here are some common ideas that turned out badly.. and in most cases we are seeing reversed now:
Rear radiator vs side radiator? (oh my...)
Genset on a slide tray vs fixed? (this needs no comment)
Electric levelers vs Hydraulic? (no brainer)
Cabinet/interior doors that can be left open and crushed in a slideout?
Outside compartment bay doors that hinge from the bottom? (really?!)
Outside compartment bay doors hinged from the top that open beyond 90 degrees located right underneath the furnace exhaust? (really?!?)
Having to go to 4 different places around the RV to winterize?

Oh I could go on and on and on.... and I'm quite each of us could add items to an ever growing laundry list of faux pas' we've encountered. All manufacturers are guilty, but the OP certainly the right to "bi*ch" :-)

Just my $0.02 cents worth.

[deSanford]

My advice no matter which "REPAIR VEHICLE" you purchase is to make out your loooong list of issues and take it back to the place that manufactured it and get it fixed during the 1 year warranty. After that you are on your own more or mostly less. deSanford

[Rambling Man]

Originally Posted by 94-Newmar

Here are some common ideas that turned out badly.. and in most cases we are seeing reversed now:
Rear radiator vs side radiator? (oh my...)
Genset on a slide tray vs fixed? (this needs no comment)

94-Newmar, I just upgraded from a 2001 Ambassador to a 2010 Scepter and was excited about the slide out genset and the side radiator. I have not had the vehicle long enough to become disenchanted. Is there something I should be looking for that will ruin my day?

[94-Newmar]

No I'm ecstatic about the return of side radiators and slide out gensets! Soooooooo much easier to work on and service. You know if the coach engine or genset never needed repair or maintenance then fine - bury them so they can't be accessed :-) stupid idea in my opinion and regardless of what the engineers say the bad certainly cannot outweigh the good.

[Rambling Man]

Glad to hear that. I really like being able to see my Cummins and I am sure the slide out genset will make service much easier.

I hear the comments about Monaco workmanship and quality, but of all the RVs I looked at over the last six months, only the Monacos and the Newmars caught my eye. I always came back to looking for a Monaco built product. I may regret it some day, but for now, I really like my Scepter.

[moisheh]

94newmar. I think you are being unfair to the RV mfrs. They use side rads to keep the unit within a price point. Same for genset slide outs. Those 2 items could bring a basic coach into the lower end of the mid price range.

[bukzin]

Originally Posted by RCLImperial

Diplomat Don suggests a notepad to jot down what is needed for the coach. Instead,I mounted a small eraseable board on the inside of a kitchen cabinet. It is always there, and I can write things down before they disappear from my failing memory.

Diced Lucas. '04 HR Imperial

The way we keep track of the broken and forgot list of items
(which is every trip) is to email them.

We send them to both Mr. and Mrs. from the smartphone as we
are going down the road.

Makes them a bit harder to forget we we get 'home'.

[bukzin]

Originally Posted by 94-Newmar

Wow.. definitely a can of worms! I won't get into naming one manufacturer vs another however, if you work on these things on a daily basis, working in areas BEHIND the shiny finishes, creature comforts and "competitive marketing designs" you quickly see huge differences of quality in workmanship, assembly and design. I certainly understand archrist's frustration, and it is justifiable regardless of the price range you've entered into.

It is painfully obvious that *most* engineers/designers don't ever have to repair what they've designed - it's an age-old problem that will never go away; manufacturing and design vs reality in just about any vehicle. I know that space is tight and at a premium, however, looking at some things makes you just want to shake your head. It can take hours of disassembly in many cases to fix the easiest of things. Gaining access to the problem is where the majority of the labor hours are encountered.

In an effort to cut costs, many shortcuts are designed into production - regardless of manufacturer. Take a look behind most any AC/DC bay and you'll cringe at the rats nest of wiring (except for Newell's).

Here are some common ideas that turned out badly.. and in most cases we are seeing reversed now:
Rear radiator vs side radiator? (oh my...)
Genset on a slide tray vs fixed? (this needs no comment)
Electric levelers vs Hydraulic? (no brainer)
Cabinet/interior doors that can be left open and crushed in a slideout?
Outside compartment bay doors that hinge from the bottom? (really?!)
Outside compartment bay doors hinged from the top that open beyond 90 degrees located right underneath the furnace exhaust? (really?!?)
Having to go to 4 different places around the RV to winterize?

Oh I could go on and on and on.... and I'm quite each of us could add items to an ever growing laundry list of faux pas' we've encountered. All manufacturers are guilty, but the OP certainly the right to "bi*ch" :-)

Just my $0.02 cents worth.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

As a newbie I need a bit of explanation.



Gen-set on a slider. Is fixed better, why?
Rear radiator better? Why?
Which levelers are better?

Thanks again!

[Rambling Man]

Originally Posted by bukzin

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

As a newbie I need a bit of explanation.



Gen-set on a slider. Is fixed better, why?
Rear radiator better? Why?
Which levelers are better?

Thanks again!

In my opinion (IMO), a gen-set that slides forward when you open the front hatch (on a diesel pusher of course) is easier to service, therefore better.

A side mounted radiator leaves the rear of the coach open when you open the rear hatch and makes it easier to get to the diesel, therefore better.

Hydraulic levelers tend to be more reliable, therefore better.

Wiley

[Barlow46]

Originally Posted by Rambling Man

In my opinion (IMO), a gen-set that slides forward when you open the front hatch (on a diesel pusher of course) is easier to service, therefore better.

A side mounted radiator leaves the rear of the coach open when you open the rear hatch and makes it easier to get to the diesel, therefore better.

Hydraulic levelers tend to be more reliable, therefore better.

Wiley

Presently have "air leveling" on our 05 dynasty and really like it. Very easy to set up after a stop, dump air and push one button on the pad. No jacks to put pads under and no hydraulic repairs to jacks. Pro's and con's to both hydraulic and air leveling but I have been very satisfied with the air leveling.
Regarding workmanship, I have no complaints about our 05 and feel the quality is exceptional for a production line coach. I had an old school cabinet maker visit with us a while back and he could not believe the quality, fit and finish of the cherry woodwork inside the coach. I think he ran his hand over every joint and piece of wood inside and still talks about it today. The one complaint that I have is with the Velvac mirrors finish. Seems like the finish on the mounting part of the mirror bubbles and peels after just a few years. Wish they had used a stainless mount.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Barlow46

Presently have "air leveling" on our 05 dynasty and really like it. Very easy to set up after a stop, dump air and push one button on the pad. No jacks to put pads under and no hydraulic repairs to jacks. Pro's and con's to both hydraulic and air leveling but I have been very satisfied with the air leveling.
Regarding workmanship, I have no complaints about our 05 and feel the quality is exceptional for a production line coach. I had an old school cabinet maker visit with us a while back and he could not believe the quality, fit and finish of the cherry woodwork inside the coach. I think he ran his hand over every joint and piece of wood inside and still talks about it today. The one complaint that I have is with the Velvac mirrors finish. Seems like the finish on the mounting part of the mirror bubbles and peels after just a few years. Wish they had used a stainless mount.

If you want to fix your mirror bases, contact "Space Coast Plating". On the east coast of Florida. If you send them your base they will prep and do a first class job of plating. The Owner of the shop is a Monaco owner.