Regrets

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Domo

The default, if there is no state lemon law, is the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act where a manufacturer that gives (nearly) any type of warranty has the responsibility to effect a repair, replacement or refund. (OP is from MA so he actually can't pursue LL directly in his state - however MA will immediately direct him to the federal law.) MMWA is a harder row to plough - but it's there for a reason and damages will include all collection and attorney fees.

Most manufacturers seek to avoid having their companies connected to any Lemon Law or MMWA action - they get a quick black eye and will (most times) pursue arbitration to settle.

The key is documentation and notification.

The problem with the Moss-Magnusson law is that it's Federal and you have to sue in Federal court and the loss has to be over 25,000 (the loss is well over 25,000 on this). Now, trying to get someone to take the case might be a problem.

[Mapnerd]

Dang. And here I was considering a Thor Aria 4000....Glad I saw this!

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by gwswisher

I feel sorry for anyone that purchased a Thor product. Customer service is nonexistent.

Despite all the venom here, no reason to feel sorry for owners of Thor RV's.
Our Thor Built RV's have been a pure pleasure to own, drive, and modify for our particular needs. We've had two towables and now a motorhome.

Thor Customer Service is excellent, even taking calls about now discontinued bits. No, they won't sell retail. No problem, their dealer network is huge.

These RV's (some more than 21 Brands from tiny Coleman pop-tops to Entegra and Airstream) are built with top-shelf suppliers saving us from the one-offs in other brands that make maint and repair so difficult.
https://www.thorindustries.com/get-t...the-companies/

Are there problem units, sure. Since Thor is the #1 RV maker in North America, the same percent of problems makes a equally larger total number. But, these are hardly poor quality RV's. The problem is most often poor service centers. And just like other brands, you can go back to the factory if you are not satisfied locally, for service that by all accounts is top notch. But unlike other brands, this is not required.

Chassis:
Since 2015, all Thor Motor Coach chassis have been modified from the chassis builder by MorRyde. That only allows a .008 variance from opposite corners upon delivery for install of the house. If the chassis is really crabbing like described by the OP, there was a major problem somewhere in the RV's life.

SlideDrive:
For a 2016 slide...if it was out of alignment, it was an operator issue. All Thor Motor Coach (TMC) motorhomes since 2014 and some 22 other brands use the Schwintek slide drive (two motors that are not mechanically connected). If they get out of alignment, the fix is very easy and well documented on-line and here as well...here's one of many...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW9BAMjeydo

So sorry for the OP's troubles. But my post represents the thousands of happy TMC owners who will not post in these threads because of all the naysayers.

You can pay more, but you are not going to get more.

Safe travels

We are not affiliated, just love our RV.

[dpavlosky]

Originally Posted by marcdohc

Thor, my piece of crap. Please take my trade as I'm done dealing with my Challenger I bought new in 2016. 16 shops, still wrong, rear cap removed and set wrong during repair at factory. Lots of stories by the ----------- staff in the warranty dept. Own up to this crooked POS!
I ignored similar post, you shouldn't
Regrets!!

marcdohc,4426763. Join the club. I don’t own a Challenger but I do own a 2017 Aria 3601 and I can tell you some war stories about what we’ve been through since we bought this junk pile. Numerous trips to dealer and visits to our house from Thor field service and a month back at the factory and still not fixed.

[dpavlosky]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

I am looking at buying new in a couple of years. I am leaning towards a Class C home. I pretty well have it narrowed down to either a Jayco Greyhawk or a Entegra Odyssey. I have heard nothing but great things about Entegra service after the sale. That will probably tip the scale in their favor. Customer service is everything and I won't even consider a company with a bad reputation.

LEO
You might want to reconsider your purchase of the two brands you mentioned. Both are owned by Thor. You might want to check Thor’s reputation before buying.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by dpavlosky

LEO
You might want to reconsider your purchase of the two brands you mentioned. Both are owned by Thor. You might want to check Thor’s reputation before buying.

Thor only acquired Jayco/Entegra in late 2016, but association should be no reason to flatly condemn any brand. Airstream is a Thor brand. DRV Luxury Suites is a Thor brand. Coleman is a thor brand. And, the list of outstanding/premium RV's goes on and on.
Thor Industries reps report allowing, and even expecting the division brands to run autonomously and even compete with each other.

What I would caution a buyer about is purchase of any first year RV design like the new for 2017 Aria. Generally speaking, that is the year they work out "bugs." Sorry for your troubles. That's just a simple fact of manufacture.

Safe travels

[daverubino]

We bought our 2016 Thor Challenger new and traded the POS 2 years later for a 2014 Tiffin Phaeton. No more falling apart!

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by dpavlosky

LEO
You might want to reconsider your purchase of the two brands you mentioned. Both are owned by Thor. You might want to check Thor’s reputation before buying.

Fully aware of Thor's horrible reputation. The Entegra Odyssey and Jayco Grey Hawk both come off the same line, just different name badges on them. Basically it's a choice of which floor plan that suits best. Both have a two year warranty. Difference though I have heard that the woman who is in charge of Entegra's warranty issues is top notch all the way. A owner's best friend. Refreshing when it seems the majority of the industry's Customer Service doesn't exist.

[Oldman5145]

I purchased new a 2017 Thor Hurricane and I had a couple of minor issues with the coach, but very few. My Onan/Cummins generator gave me problems from the start. After paying over $600 to Onan telling me I had purchased bad gas. The third trip back they replaced the carburetor. It finally seems okay and I will never get my $600 back, I tried.

I owned a 2011 Flagstaff V-Lite 30WRLTS that the side wall panels cracked. Not once, but twice. Forest River was much better than Onan because they admitted a problem and fully repaired it twice. At no cost to me.
My point being they are all built by man with a mass of multiple company products inside and out. If you don't have a problem, you are very fortunate. Having worked in a service industry for over 40 years your attitude can make a difference. "Honey attracts more bee's than vinegar!"

Oh, by the way, I love my Thor Hurricane and have over 17,000 miles on it and I get no paid vacation days and work 40+ hours per week. Thor Motor Coach has more than lived up to my expectations!

[marjoa]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

What I would caution a buyer about is purchase of any first year RV design like the new for 2017 Aria.

Right you are.

There was a lot of interest and chatter on this forum when the Aria was 1st announced. I posted a warning then, NEVER buy anything that is version 1.0 Always wait till at least 2.0 and see what the public says first.

I'm also in the camp of "thumbs down" for Thor's main product line. We've met a lot of very unhappy people on the road with their Thor unit. NOW, to be somewhat fair, we do have a very close couple that we're friends with that own a Miramar, They bought it new, use it ALL THE TIME, have had very little go wrong with it (even their Schwintec full wall slide has been flawless) it's a beautiful coach and they love it. But IMO, theirs is one of the rare exceptions.

I kinda view Thor's main product line kinda like Camping World projects itself as the Nations #1 RV Retailer.

They both will do whatever it takes to get you INTO an RV—but after that—your transferred to another reality that resembles "Survivor" the TV show.

[Igeaux]

In a previous lifetime, I was an owner of a shipyard, Nauti del Sur, in Puerto de Santa Maria, España. We were the Southern Warranty Yard for several major Yacht manufacturers including Swan, Nauticat and Beneteau.


The Swans were the Monaco/Country Coach/LazyDazes. Nauticats would be the Tiffins and Beneteau would be the French Thor.


The retail price of each reflects the quality of build. a 33' Swan cost more than 40' Natuicat or a 52' Beneteau. After spending a month in La Rochelle as a witness in a class action suit against Beneteau and seeing the workmanship on the factory floor, you would have to put a gun to my head to get me off shore in one of their products.


I know people who have made ocean passages in Beneteau yachts and enjoyed the voyage, likewise, I have meet people happy with their Thors. They are few and far between.


Owning the Thor left me with the same emotions I got at the Beneteau factory. I do not want the lives of my family to depend on it.

[Oldman5145]

Originally Posted by Igeaux

In a previous lifetime, I was an owner of a shipyard, Nauti del Sur, in Puerto de Santa Maria, España. We were the Southern Warranty Yard for several major Yacht manufacturers including Swan, Nauticat and Beneteau.


The Swans were the Monaco/Country Coach/LazyDazes. Nauticats would be the Tiffins and Beneteau would be the French Thor.


The retail price of each reflects the quality of build. a 33' Swan cost more than 40' Natuicat or a 52' Beneteau. After spending a month in La Rochelle as a witness in a class action suit against Beneteau and seeing the workmanship on the factory floor, you would have to put a gun to my head to get me off shore in one of their products.


I know people who have made ocean passages in Beneteau yachts and enjoyed the voyage, likewise, I have meet people happy with their Thors. They are few and far between.


Owning the Thor left me with the same emotions I got at the Beneteau factory. I do not want the lives of my family to depend on it.

Pretty narrow point of view! My pockets are just not that deep!

As far as safety, I ride on the same Ford chassis all the others use in the later model gas motor homes.

[Dave-Oh]

Around 2013ish, Swintech apparently had supplied inadequate slide-motors leading to industry-wide issues with full-wall/large slides failing. My best friend had purchased a Winnebago Journey which had slide problems and, finally, the main slide failed - requiring removal and much of the summer in the shop. Much of the shop-wait was for the other Winnebagos and non-Thor brands waiting for parts and slide repairs....this was an industry-wide issue as I've said, and affected everyone. I'm sure Thor got most of the blame as they were still selling most of the units in the industry, but it was a component manufacturer that started the ball rolling on that issue - many people don't trust full-wall slides to this day. Thor did come up with the 3-trax system as a response to this issue.

Support is an issue and my conclusion - after having chassis issues with my original Thor ACE - is that the sequence in which you attempt to address the problems seems to be important. I found that calling Thor first with an explanation of the issues worked much better than trying to go through the dealer. For the few minor coach issues I had, Thor would readily send me the parts. Much of the rest (like the toilet clogging) was my newness at RVing and not fully understanding the systems.

My main issue was support from Ford. Thor went as far as to send a rep to my house and we drove, and confirmed, the issue. He checked underneath to see if there was anything Thor could address (loose sway bars or obvious component issues) and then Thor had to defer to Ford, as Ford is responsible for the chassis warranty issues - and Ford was not very good at diagnosing or supporting Motorhomes, in my area anyway.

Yes - quality control, warranty issues, dealer support, who is responsible: It should be at least EXPLAINED before you purchase, that some components are not warrantied by the Motorhome Manufacturer directly....but they are warrantied by the manufacturer of the component or system (Ford is 3 years/30K miles).

I'm still on the fence about Thor - but they are the biggest, highest volume of motorhomes out there. They did support me within their limitations. My dealer was okay - not super. Ford was a let-down (I sued them and got most the money I laid out back and then traded it for a Tiffin).

If you want some hair-raising issues, dollar wise - read the Cummins threads and even the Freightliner threads. This is not an inexpensive hobby/lifestyle. I wish the issues weren't so time-consuming and frustrating, but anyone can get stung by any manufacturer.

When I bought the Tiffin, I did so only with the understanding that when I brought it in for repairs or warranty work, I'd be there when they opened on the day I was appointed and WAIT for the rig. In return, I would call the manufacturer first to get an idea of (or if) any parts that would be required and pre-order them so there'd be no "waiting for parts". When my Jacks were leaking down, I called HWH, they told me how to help diagnose the problem, they then told me which parts I'd probably need and even checked their inventory and said the dealer (whom they knew and had a good opinion of) should have the parts is stock. I called the dealer, they did have the parts, made the appointment, and was in-and-out the same day. I'm a 2 hour drive away.

The above is no consolation to those having major issues. It's just my experience with some tips that work for me. Your mileage may vary.....

[Scarab0088]

"Thor's Main Product Line" If we're talking about motorhomes, that would be the Damon, FourWinds, and Mandalay Luxury Coach lines...All very fine RV's.
These lines were only merged and renamed Thor Motor Coach as recently as the 2010-2011 model year.
This is an obvious issue with the naysayers reporting problems from years and years ago.

"Thor...Biggest, Highest volume of motorhomes..." Well, to be factual...yes, Thor Industries is clearly the #1 largest maker by volume of RV's in North America (all RV types), BUT Thor Motor Coach (that's nothing but motorhomes) is really only in the middle(ish) of the pack for production according to RV Business magazine.
I think Winnie and Forest River battle for the #1 Spot.

If you add the Class B's from Airstream and all the Motorhomes from the newly acquired Jayco/Entegra, that bumps the total output to the top.
But I hope the Thor haterz will not go so far as to knock Airstream and Jayco/Entegra just by association.

Safe travels

We are not affiliated, we have just loved our Thor Built RV(s)