Lopsided 36 ft 2015 Vacationer 36B

[domsrs]

I dropped the motorhome off at the facility in Decatur, In. on Monday, the 24th. The process was fairly painless (minus the 6am appt. time). The team did a great job of going over all of our coach issues, including the right side lean. They happily wrote down and documented each issue without any disputes.

On Wed., the 26th, they called to inform me that they had to call in 3 engineers to look at the lean. They seemed to be truly amazed that it was leaning as much as it does. They found that the rear end is obviously leaning to the right, which is easy to see from the rear. The shocker came when they told me that they found the front end to be leaning in the opposite direction. I never noticed that lean....the whole thing seemed to be leaning right to me. The engineers were stumped. I was informed that they would call me back in a few days with a proposed solution.

Well, I received that horrifying call just this morning. The diagnosis is that the coach (not the chassis/frame) is twisted. The horrifying part is the fix. They need to completely remove the roof and the rear end-cap to straighten the coach.

The process will take the better part of the winter. We are lucky that we are still 2 years from full-timing, so will not need living arrangements. In fact, we would be putting the coach in storage soon. I will be picking the coach up at the end of the week. Holiday Rambler will send a team out to pick it up from me in November with the hope of having the repairs completed by March.

I did not get into all of the technical details involved in the fix over the phone. I will ask to speak with one of the engineers when I pick the coach up later this week. As you can imagine, I have a ton of concerns.

I am not a mechanical engineer, but I am not completely convinced that this "twisting" is in fact the cause of the lean. It seems to me that the springs should handle the load regardless of any issues with the coach. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.

I certainly hope that this is not the same issue for the rest of you. Good luck!!

[oilman51]

This is a brand new motorhome right? I would run not walk away from it. it has lemon written all over it. It will never be right. I'd see what the manufacturer can do for you in getting another coach. They should replace it at no cost to you. I wish you the best.

[Crankshaft]

Originally Posted by oilman51

This is a brand new motorhome right? I would run not walk away from it. it has lemon written all over it. It will never be right. I'd see what the manufacturer can do for you in getting another coach. They should replace it at no cost to you. I wish you the best.

Do this. Don't settle for a fix. I wish I had done this rather than have my Coachmen sit at the factory for a few months. Get a new unit, nothing less.

[drstanly1]

I picked up my motorhome today. Here is what they did.

Verified complaint- leans to right. Inspected suspension. Found sway bar brackets, bolts and nuts missing from rear axle on right side . Measured for spring shim to correct lean. Installed spacer under right rear spring, but still low on right. R&I and add 1/2" thickness to spacer. Fab and install 3/16" spacer under front right spring. Weld new rear spacer to existing spring seat. Align rear axle & test drive-OK

They had to repair the broken sway bar bracket caused by the rear axle. They installed a new sway bar bracket.

The coach is now 1.5 inches lower on the left.

Any thoughts?

[ahicks]

Take it back?

[Papa_Jim]

I assume that it is the factory that looked at your coach and has decided on their repairs. I also assume that this will be done under warranty.

It sounds like the coach body frame was twisted in the welding process.

My advice is to get your trading boots on with the manufacturer and trade yourself out of this problem.

I say this based on my experience with a Buick car that I bought brand new in 1981. The body immediately twisted due to welding stress. The factory cut the body and the frame several times to straighten the vehicle, but the vehicle would not stay level. Eventually they ran out of their willingness to cooperate anymore. I should have paid the money to trade the problem away instead of letting the manufacturer play with it.

Jim