Consumers Report for RV's

[clifford j]

I subscribe to Consumers Report and each year they publish an article about Auto Quality. They list brands by year and categories of equipment and the frequency of repairs. The summery is based on user experience.
Is there such information for RV's available.
What prompted my curiosity was reading threads on this forum from people asking "what's the best 5er" Responses range from "Mine is the best" ,others say "never but that brand" .
I would love to see a list of manufacturers and the kinds of failures folks have
experienced. Someone mentioned in another thread that mfgr's buy equipment form a pool of suppliers.Given that it puts the 5er mfgrs on an even playing field. But what separates each producer is how they design and assemble their rigs.
I'd like a format of :
Brand , Model year, type of failure, IE: Electrical Wiring, plumbing, hardware, hvac, frame,roof, trim, warranty resolution time, misc items controlled by craftsmanship.
This kind of information can help people make purchase decisions.
If I see a particular car on the Consumers Report list that has an example BAD transmission problems I would be hesitant to buy the car. Same would hold true if I saw that a particular brand 5er had certain issues I'd be hesitant to but.
Anyone feel that way?

CLIFF

[glennwest]

I have never been a fan of Consumers Report. Good example, only a few lawn mower companies. Lots of names. 5 different named units all the same rated from worse to best. Lost all confidence after that. People look too much at flash on campers. The infrastructure is what is important.

[wahoonc]

No list that I am aware of. Best bet is to do your own research. I have yet to see any company build a perfect unit. I have seen some absolute garbage assembly work from some of what are supposed to be quality manufacturers. You can take the best materials available and do a crappy job assembling them and have a poor product. You can take middle of the road materials and do a good job with assembly and have a quality product. All RV's are built to a price point. Look at the ones in the price range where you are willing to spend your money, after a while you will get a feel for who does what. As a general rule you hear more complaints than praise.

My general rules for shopping for an RV, new or used:

1. Pick a floor plan
2. Pick a price poiint
3. Find a dealer you can work with
4. Choose your manufacturer
5. Do a thorough PDI BEFORE you sign on the dotted line, don't be afraid to walk away if there are major issues.

Aaron

[slallen1262]

jrconsumer.com publishes a book and other guides that rate RVs and their manufacturers. When we purchased our fifth wheel a few years ago, it was very helpful.

[clifford j]

Thanks SLALLEN 1262 for the link . That's exactly what I was referring to when I started this thread. Information gathered to help RV buyers make a more informed choice.

CLIFF

[jimcumminsw]

Originally Posted by clifford j

Thanks SLALLEN 1262 for the link . That's exactly what I was referring to when I started this thread. Information gathered to help RV buyers make a more informed choice.

CLIFF

Not with consumer report, this is too bias. They use a small sample size for their reporting people who subscribe to CR and report issue to them. If you use a Six Sima process their results would be thrown out do to limited sampling size of build quality on a given unit.

[Old-Biscuit]

http://www.rvt.com/rvlinks/consumer-reports.php

[Tollyman]

Another thing that needs to be considered, is how well the manufacturer will respond to a problem. We often see comments on this and other forums that some manufacturers will do anything to avoid correcting items under warranty.
I don't know if you can really compare RV manufacturing to vehicle manufacturing. Vehicles are made on an assembly line with (generally) very tight controls. And a lot of it is done by robots today. The major components (transmission, engine, etc.) are designed and built to the manufacturer's requirements. Whereas RV's generally use third party components for furnace, A/C, frames, landing gear, etc. You will find similar components on numerous manufacturers. And they are assembled as quickly and as cheaply as possible. A little more care in assembly and quality control could pay off big-time in reduced after-sale problems, but the manufacturers don't seem to get that concept.
If you look at these forums, you would probably never buy an RV. Most of the people with the problems do the complaining. And justifiably so. But there are thousands of RV's that have happy owners; it's just that those owners don't usually write about it.

[SkiSmuggs]

Originally Posted by Tollyman

If you look at these forums, you would probably never buy an RV. Most of the people with the problems do the complaining. And justifiably so. But there are thousands of RV's that have happy owners; it's just that those owners don't usually write about it.

The same is true of truck and auto forums. Not many go on forums to post what a great experience they've had; they are looking for a place to get help or air grievances.

[monkey]

Very true. You have to take forums, be it this one, auto, truck etc with a grain of salt so to speak... You usually only hear from people with problems,,, which in a way is not a bad thing. Personally So Far,, I'm very happy with our new Silverado,, and our new Keystone Cougar... Time will tell....

[Earl E]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned https://www.rv.org/. It is the single best resource out there, bar none. You have to understand their info and how they rate RV's but you won't find a better resource. They don't test every unit...they just can't do that, but they rate rv's by a set of criteria that are very useful. The total package for either Motorhomes or Towables is worth every penny. Just read the books very carefully to understand their ratings.