Community Forums

clifford j · 05-08-2016, 08:57 AM

I'd love to have a conversation RIGHT HERE with an RV assembly line worker , a shop manager and an executive/investor and discuss their views of the products they send to market. ( No holes bared)

CLIFF

Cumminsfan · 05-08-2016, 09:17 AM

Two things come to mind when the quality and RV is mentioned in the same sentence.
"You need to either be rich or handy to own one".
And what another forum poster said when he bought his RV. "I bought an RV kit".

I read and posted an article a couple months back about how the RV industry is trying to keep up with demand, so they're trying to hire more workers. But the problem is that they are having trouble finding qualified, drug free help. They mentioned that having a worker just show up everyday was priority #1.

Grand Design is a prime example of whats wrong with the RV work force today. When they started their company the 3 gentlemen, who all previously worked for Keystone new what the RV workforce was capable of producing. So to stand out they decided to operate their company with the idea that we'll give you better customer service after the sale. They knew they couldn't build a better product so they new the only way to set themselves apart was to go the CS route.
Sad state of affairs IMO.

JBurg · 05-08-2016, 10:06 AM

We've only been full time in our $150k+ Mobile Suites (MSRP, to be clear) for a little under a year. So far, I'm pretty convinced that the same... Individuals, to keep it polite, that built our rig are no different than the people at the other factories. They simply do not care. That said, the biggest difference that will make your rig less issue prone is the construction, and that is one thing that DRV does not skimp on. Thick walls, big frame, and good insulation; it is a rolling house, after all. (Even though they forgot to put that insulation in my front cap. Luckily(?) my entire lower cap had to be replaced due to it being very clearly broken before installation. Again, a worker that didn't care. Anyway, the dealer added insulation to the front when they replaced the cap under warranty.)

We've still had issues that almost had us second guessing our decision to spend so much money on a camper, but the factory support has been phenomenal. Visiting the brand specific forums definitely makes me feel better about the decision. Both dealers I've been to didn't hesitate to perform warranty work on our rig due to how quickly and easily DRV reimburses them. Both of them said they will not touch a keystone product unless it was bought there because they are so difficult to work with.

ralphie · 05-08-2016, 11:46 AM

No OP, you're not being too critical. It's the nature of the beast and I've seen no improvements in the 40+ years I've been rv'ing.

clifford j · 05-08-2016, 02:10 PM

I think I'm getting the big picture,,, and I hate we're the victims . RV mfgr's push out the crap and hope the come back levels are reasonably low and warranty costs are within a limit they schedule. I think they care less about repeat customers, most will be out of business by the time the first time customer is ready to buy again. They got their bucks and they're down the road.

CLIFF

Johnnyb5646 · 05-08-2016, 03:18 PM

Rv's, travel trailers, 5ers and there products are an assemblage of individual components delivering certain design objectives. Each part is made in a commercial environment where it is governed by the need to be produced economically. Hence no part can be 100% reliable. If it need to be it would be prohibitively expensive! Each part can't be inspected also in a commercial environment. The probability for a part to fail much before its intended life is more during its earlier life cycle than later. Keeping this in mind, the manufacturers offer to take the risk of replacing/repairing a sub normal part under Warranty! later on the wear and tear take over the failure of the part. There could be a grey area where a part has functioned more than what can be termed as premature failure but lower than what an average life cycle could be. In such cases the manufacturers absorb the cost of failure under GOOD WILL warranty also.
Johnny

09 harley · 05-08-2016, 03:48 PM

With the responses so far to tell the truth I don't feel anymore optimistic. I did meet a fellow at Sun River in Oregon last summer who was towing a Mobile Suites with a Volvo class 8. Impressive looking rig, both of them. He rarely had to do a repairs on his Volvo but his 5th wheel had. Numerous problems, but since it was about two years old he hoped he had fixed most of them.
I think that the basic problem is that even though we all say we want to buy American most will choose China because it is cheaper. The manufacturers know that most will choose the cheapest rather than spend for improved quality. If sales went down they might listen, but they won't . Sad state of affairs.
Who sells more trailers, Keystone or Airstream? Same for all segments of the RV industry.

clifford j · 05-08-2016, 07:41 PM

Most understand that the appliances and equipment made by various company's can have defects, that's not what we're addressing. The point being made is the crap craftsmanship the RV company's throw at us. Leaking plumbing, appliances not mounted properly, trim not aligned and fastened properly, stuff that should be done with pride and care. Whether it's a low end RV or a high end that should not dictate the quality of craftsmanship. The hardware, amenities , features and benefits should determine sell price NOT the craftsmanship.

CLIFF

FaithBowls · 05-08-2016, 09:05 PM

Yes I'm still happy with my purchase because we have great design, great materials and great equipment. If you hear this from owners of brands like Mobile Suites and Lifestyle, you know it goes double for the cheaper brands. All of our problems are minor and all related to faulty construction- crooked plumbing, poor wire connections, loose screws. Plus the fact that its all moving so new problems will come up. All in all my trailer is made very well and I'm fine working on it to fix the 20+ minor issues and whatever new comes up. Anyone who isn't handy when they buy an rv should be ready to learn some skills or pay the repairman .

Menendez · 05-14-2016, 07:39 AM

Management chooses the quality of their workforce and of their products, after all, that's what management is. If you take the profit from the product you take responsibility for it's quality.

People value good work--until they have to pay for it.

DrDaveMA · 05-14-2016, 05:17 PM

It is less expensive to design in the quality, then either inspect it in, or worse yet, correct it under warranty. I know that it is less expensive to do it in the factory with the proper tools and jigs, it is for a dealer to correct it, even if they have the right tools. Those dealer costs go back to the manufacturers.

FaithBowls · 05-15-2016, 07:08 AM

It does seem like they rely on the warranty repairs which is really short sighted. They rely on repairs to fix the problems rather than get it right the first time. Maybe they do it on purpose to support the dealers but it costs them more in the end. No wonder repair centers are backed up for weeks.

ga traveler · 05-15-2016, 07:47 AM

In 1972 the RV industry was flying high. Then in 1973 the oil crisis hit. (Of course the crisis went away as soon as fuel prices doubled) In 1974 we bought a 1972 Open Road motor home for less than .50 cents on the dollar. The $16,000.00. dollar motor home was a repo. We bought it from the bank for $6000.00. Every time I put on the brakes I heard a weird sound. I finally determined it was coming from the cabinet directly behind my drivers seat. I got tired of hearing it every time I stopped. One day I remover the light in the overhead cabinet. Enlarged the hole enough to get a finger in. started probing around. I found a 3 inch screw in the space between the inside and outside of the cabinet. I got my magnet and probed the space and finally found eight screws in the space. They rolled back when you started off and rolled forward when you braked. Some overpaid and under worked jack ass thought it would be funny to drive the new owner of his product crazy with this setup. On a side note my cousin works on the assembly line for Ford. He told me several years ago that Ford had remover all coke machines, that used bottles, from the assembly line areas. It seem that some of the workers thought it funny to put coke bottles in the door panels so the new owners would be plagued with rattles in their new car.

DrDaveMA · 05-15-2016, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ga traveler

On a side note my cousin works on the assembly line for Ford. He told me several years ago that Ford had remover all coke machines, that used bottles, from the assembly line areas. It seem that some of the workers thought it funny to put coke bottles in the door panels so the new owners would be plagued with rattles in their new car.

So the assembly line worker thinks that it is funny that new owners are plagued with rattles, so much so that they don't buy another Ford, sales go down and workers are laid off. Yep, I understand that logic?????