Letter to Thor

[tanstaafl]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Wonder what the ratio of issues build to supplier is.

For us, the major issues are currently 2:1 supplier to builder.

For minor issues, it's pretty close to 1:1.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by Martinichuck

True, especially for our case, it is manufacturer over builder, BUT, many of those issues would have been resolved BEFORE we took ownership if THOR would have done their due diligence and ran the my through a thorough quality control check. As an example, how ours could have left THOR with severed sat dish coax cables and a non functioning tv is beyond our understanding.

Not sure where that lays.
This was my 1st new rig. Dealer did their own QC and found some stuff.

[Sloride]

Same issue with ours. Dealer said they fixed it. Didn't function. Service department said i guess we didn't check it. No s... RG6 cables cut at 45 degrees. IF not hooked up. $200 bucks to have it done right. . Not back to the dealer. Over 3 hour drive. Sent letter to Bob Martin CEO, hoping for reimbursement Point being. Check things yourself. Lesson learned.

[Sloride]

Also. Stay away from camping world on this issue.rig there four days and tech couldn't determine problem.

[Sloride]

Forgot to mention when I had the problem fixed they found 3 bolts missing under the dome that secures it to the base plate. Dome severely scratched inside.

[mikebrls]

So here is a question , how many rv's does Thor build a year compared to other rv builder's ?

trying think % wise on these problem's .

let say if Thor build's 3000 units a year " just a number I made up " and 300 of those units have big problems .
now let say the other builder's build 1000 units a year .

Thor = 300 unit problems = 10%

other builder's = 100 unit problems = 10%

so has anyone thought that Thor mite have the same amount of problems as other rv builder but it show's up more because they build so many more unit's and in that case will have more unit's with problems but at the same percent rate as the smaller builder's ?

The reason I bring this up is I just signed paper work on a new Thor that is almost done being built, but in my research of other builder's they all seem to have problem's from Newmar to Tiffen , fleetwood , monaco ,entegra, ect, just on a smaller scale , again they don't build as many unit's as Thor so you have the same luck % wise with any builder.

this is just me thinking out loud .
comment's welcome

thank's
mike

[Dogtales]

I've read enough to know that I, most likely, will not be purchasing any new Thor product. I'd rather pay a little more and minimize the headaches.

[Harlee79]

I think they all have issues, of some sort. Browse the forums and you can see everyone has issues. Also most of these manufacturers all use the same stuff, same chassis, same a/c's, generators, fridges, faucets, water heaters etc.. I think there maybe somthing to the fact that thor is selling so many these days and that could be skewing the perception slightly. I also think Thor is apealing to many first time motorhome buyers who have expectations for quality that i don't think truely exists in the RV world at this pricepoint(although i wish it did). just my .02

[F117plt]

Originally Posted by Harlee79

I think they all have issues, of some sort. Browse the forums and you can see everyone has issues. Also most of these manufacturers all use the same stuff, same chassis, same a/c's, generators, fridges, faucets, water heaters etc.. I think there maybe somthing to the fact that thor is selling so many these days and that could be skewing the perception slightly. I also think Thor is apealing to many first time motorhome buyers who have expectations for quality that i don't think truely exists in the RV world at this pricepoint(although i wish it did). just my .02

They don't all "use the same stuff.". There is a huge difference in the quality of the components that various companies use. On my Damon every corner that could be cut was. Granted the Damon price point was much lower than other 40 foot DPs, but oh the problems I had with it. But I did end up with a nice collection of screws, nuts, bolts, etc that I cleaned out of the rig.

[Martinichuck]

Originally Posted by Harlee79

I think they all have issues, of some sort. Browse the forums and you can see everyone has issues. Also most of these manufacturers all use the same stuff, same chassis, same a/c's, generators, fridges, faucets, water heaters etc.. I think there maybe somthing to the fact that thor is selling so many these days and that could be skewing the perception slightly. I also think Thor is apealing to many first time motorhome buyers who have expectations for quality that i don't think truely exists in the RV world at this pricepoint(although i wish it did). just my .02

All manufactures do have problems. We expected issues. This is why we bought a year early so we could flush out those problems. our previous mh(Fleetwood) also had issues. Those issues though we're not something that a QC measure would not have caught. My only take on this is that Thor could have resolved many customer frustrations if they would have done a proper Quality Control check before sending it out to the dealer. If there claim is that they do do a proper QC then they should be doing an internal review of the process and people assigned to the task and ascertain we're they are lacking proper controls.

We'll get our problems resolved just going to take longer than we expected.

We also have an extended warranty. First one I have ever purchased and hopefully we won't need it. But in the event we do.....

[mikebrls]

I just went on the tiffen forum because they have a 35 QBA with bunk bed's that would work for me . and they have just as many problem's as thor doe's . the only thing people keep saying is that if you bring your rig to the factory they will fix as many time's as it take's " and it seem's like it take's a few time's for the same problem from the post ive seen " well Thor will do the same from what I have read .

I will stick with what I ordered and do a extreme PDI myself and hope for the best .
There also seem's to be a LOT of happy Thor owner's on the board .

mike

[usinvestment]

After looking at motor coaches for many years, I saw a big difference in fit and finish between manufacturers. I decided on a Fleetwood based on years in the RV industry looking at fit and finish. Yes all coaches have issues but, a nice interior and exterior fit and finish will ease the pain when the subcontractors fail. Don't blame the manufacturer when the generator or A/C fails, unless it's a design flaw like the ACE. They all use the same subs, there are only a few players for the components.

[George Lewis]

I must put in my .02 on this subject. I have been looking at DP units. We like the Thor Palazzo 33.1 floorplan. I can buy any make I wish, however I am cooling on the Thor due to the many problems....mostly slide problems and poor workmanship. They have very poor QC but say they have a 200 item check list before their units leave the factory. It is of little matter to me if Thor builds 100 or 10,000 units a year....poor or no QC is unacceptable to me. Cheaper parts to save money (drum vs. disc brakes on the front of the Palazzo as ordered by Thor) Now they are replacing slide motors and railings with heavy duty parts...unacceptable....when you pay the money we pay.

My Bounder has never been the shop.....only repairs were new converter after 11 years and a Onan generator tune up every five or six years. I would love a new DP...and if I buy it won't be a Thor....At my age, 80, I don't need the aggravation and driving to northern Indiana to get repairs that should not have happened in the first place is not gonna happen.

Rant over. I wish you luck.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by George Lewis

I must put in my .02 on this subject. I have been looking at DP units. We like the Thor Palazzo 33.1 floorplan. I can buy any make I wish, however I am cooling on the Thor due to the many problems....mostly slide problems and poor workmanship. They have very poor QC but say they have a 200 item check list before their units leave the factory. It is of little matter to me if Thor builds 100 or 10,000 units a year....poor or no QC is unacceptable to me. Cheaper parts to save money (drum vs. disc brakes on the front of the Palazzo as ordered by Thor) Now they are replacing slide motors and railings with heavy duty parts...unacceptable....when you pay the money we pay.

My Bounder has never been the shop.....only repairs were new converter after 11 years and a Onan generator tune up every five or six years. I would love a new DP...and if I buy it won't be a Thor....At my age, 80, I don't need the aggravation and driving to northern Indiana to get repairs that should not have happened in the first place is not gonna happen.

Rant over. I wish you luck.

George,
Good luck with whatever you choose.
If I were in your financial position I would have been looking at Newmar, Entegra, Foretravel, and others that are 3+ times the cost of my Palazzo 33.1. Since I am not and never will be I am very satisfied with what I have and feel fortunate that I am able to have this much.

Since I have not had the problems that others are experiencing I hope it stays that way and one of the things I do to help that along is stay tuned to these forums. In addition to the rants and complaints there is a wealth of information to both avoid problems and things to look out for.