Community Forums

Joe I · 06-09-2018, 03:55 PM

We have had 2 pop-ups, a Layton (Skyline) TT and now a Winnebago 22R class C MH consecutively since 1984. All were bought new and kept for 10+ years, except the '18 MH.

Design and build quality has been great, besides little things on the MH.

BUT, the more we talk to other RV owners the design and build quality of the industry seems to be, in a word, hideous.

If I might ask, what do you have, has the RV lived up to expectations?

Any huge problems? Would you buy it again?

I'm just curious.

blueglide · 06-09-2018, 04:03 PM

No complaints about our 2017 Arctic Fox 32-5m fifth wheel. Full timing in it.

Gordon Dewald · 06-09-2018, 04:14 PM

Our coach has been fine.

Not sure how others judge "quality" as it seems to vary greatly between individuals.

There is another catch phrase "more bang for the buck" that makes me wonder. This seems to be used to indicate better value but it also is very subjective. In order to determine that you should know what the markup is on the parts and labor. Not sure if many manufacturers share that with anyone but need to know managers.

Some seem to think that if they order a unit the one that is delivered should be in perfect condition. Now if you set your expectations as suggested by the RV owners your unit likely be better than expected.

Phil Perrin · 06-09-2018, 05:29 PM

We bought a new lower end TT last year.
I say lower end, because it has a household AC window unit and small fridge.
But overall we are happy with it. I've had to have the water heater repaired twice this year, both under warranty.
So I'll say we got a good one!

bfisher003 · 06-09-2018, 06:16 PM

In April 2016 we bought a new 2016 Keystone Bullet Ultra-Lite 269RLS. Since then we have put 30,000 miles on it, including multiple trips out West from Florida and up the Alaska Highway to Alaska and back (13,000+ miles). Problems encountered along the way: the main regulator died and we broke a spring hanger when I hit some of the dreaded frost heaves north of Destruction Bay, YT a bit too fast. It also bent the rear axle a bit and the mono spring on the same wheel as the broken spring hanger broke in March, so we replaced the axle and all four springs with a bit stronger multi-leaf springs. The only other problem was one pantry shelf started coming loose, due IMO to either a bad design or poor assembly and probably because it was overloaded with canned goods on the Alaska trip. I guess my wife must have thought there were no stores in Canada and Alaska (it was attached to the bottom of the shelf supports, so I put it above the supports with screws and no further issues). All other systems continue to work perfectly (knock on wood). So, considering the major problems were self-induced, yes, I think we got a good one. Would I buy another ultra-lite? No.

cfowler55 · 06-09-2018, 06:22 PM

We bought our first last year. 2017 Reflection. In a year replaced one shower roller. Picked up current 2019 Solitude 2weeks ago. Dropped it off yesterday with issues with slides and auto level touch pad. Oh well.

Mudfrog · 06-09-2018, 08:33 PM

Bought our new Itasca (Winnebago) back in early 2003. I had to take it in to get two things repaired under the first year's warranty. One was the water heater that would not stay lit, the other wallpaper border stripe that was coming loose. Other than that, the coach itself has been great. I've been really impressed with the fit and finish even though it isn't a top of the line model. The chassis, on the other hand, has had off and on problems but nothing too serious that I couldn't repair myself.

Over 15 years old and we've been happy campers!

**TonyDi** · 06-09-2018, 09:29 PM

My Dutch Star has been one of the good ones. I don't have anymore problems with it then I do with my S&B home. Keep up with the maintenance.

I feel that most RVs are fairly well built. You just happen to read articles from people that are having problems. You rarely hear from someone who is having no issues.

Mike and Cha · 06-09-2018, 10:05 PM

We bought a new Newmar Canyon Star in 2014 and it has been great. We had a few minor issues that were handled by our dealer(Tom Lindstrom) while we waited for the MH, and have not had any downtime or loss of use of the MH. I think there are a few things to consider that go into overall satisfaction and expectations when buying a MH.

Number one is pick a Dealership that is honest with you and will treat you right before and after the sale. The honest ones will tell you what to expect, discuss which MH would best fit your needs based on your input, discuss how things will be handled in the event a problem arises, and stick to it.

Secondly you get what you pay for, there are a lot of new RV owners who have entered the market lately who may have not done their research and bought an RV that did not meet their needs because they were trying to save a little money.

Which leads to number three which is some peoples expectations are just too high. Sure major things should not go wrong, but sometimes they do and should be taken care of. But you will also read a lot of complaints about minor issues that could easily be fixed/repaired by themselves, but because they have a "warranty" they chose to leave their RV's at a dealership for days or weeks, and then complain. It is a house on wheels and things are going to break or need to be adjusted and RV's need to be properly maintained, that should be an expectation in the RV world. But people who haven't had the experience of RV ownership aren't used to this and think that it is more like buying a new car.

That leads into the fact that you hear more from those who are having problems, than from those who love their MH's on a Forum like this. Those having issues are frustrated and come here to either find the best way to fix the problem or vent.

I'm sure at some point this will turn into a new vs used thread, but we are really glad we bought new and love our MH. We bought new for a lot of reasons, and have not had all those bugs to work out that some say can take a year or more. Do your research and buy what is best for you, everyone has their own sense of what "quality" means to them. We would buy ours again, and our only real complaint is that we don't use it as much as we would like to, but that has nothing to do with the MH.

Whirrlly · 06-09-2018, 10:33 PM

We loved all our units. All were new purchases.
Elkhorn truck camper when we pulled our boat.
Hornet travel trailer
Jayco travel trailer
Wildcat 5th wheel
Torque 5th 40 ft toyhauler

now we have a Torque 34 ft travel trailer toyhauler

and every single unit has been sweet

a few quirks as with all new units we have owned but never a horrible problem. All were solved fast....all of our campers have treated us very well.

if you met us you would not hear us having hideous experiences LOL

momdoc · 06-10-2018, 05:54 AM

Other than some minor finish work fixes and a mirror that had to be replaced we are quite happy with our new Tiffin.

TJDave · 06-10-2018, 06:36 AM

1998 S&S slide in camper. Bought new. Only issue was the water pump went out at about 2 years old.
2006 Thor Four Winds class C E450. Bought almost new in early 2007. No problems except some fit and finish on interior trim coming loose. Interior was made with very thin and cheap materials. Peeling oak stickers on balsa wood, is what I always called it. Not very well insulated. It got very cold very fast in the winter. Heater was on off on off, all the time.
We wanted a class A gasser and have been looking at them for the last 2 years. Most all the new motorhomes we looked at just didn't seem well put together. We saw a just traded in coach at our local dealer one day. It was night and day difference from the new and used class A's we looked at. But, it was a year older than our class C. We bought it.
2005 Holiday Rambler 30pdd. We think it's a good one. Aluminum roof and sidewalls. Real wood interior trim and cabinets. Bus style side hinged storage compartments, instead of the "hole in the wall doors".
I don't think they make them like this anymore. From what I have read, Holiday Rambler quality is a far cry from what it was back in 2005.

tnrver · 06-10-2018, 06:52 AM

We own a 2016 KZ 17RBS that we bought new. I has been FLAWLESS since the day of purchase. As of now I have no intentions on buying another trailer, i'm content with what I have.

I've been to a few RV shows over the past few winters and from what I've seen with KZ, yes i'd buy another.

Problem with the RV industry is that theres no accountability. They need to be held to a lemon law similar to the auto industry.

I had lemon Jayco the dealer couldn't fix after 4 times (poorly designed heat pump) if it wasn't for the mercy of the dealer to buy it back at full purchase price i'd be stuck with it.

That's how we wound up with the KZ

tnrver · 06-10-2018, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfowler55

We bought our first last year. 2017 Reflection. In a year replaced one shower roller. Picked up current 2019 Solitude 2weeks ago. Dropped it off yesterday with issues with slides and auto level touch pad. Oh well.

Two years ago we were entertaining purchasing a Imagine 2150RB. Went to look at it and IMO the quality left a lot to be desired. Roofing material was buckled, fit and finish absolutely sucked. Decided to stick with our KZ.

This past winter we went to an RV show and the same dealer was there along with a Grand Design rep. They offered me an excellent price on the same trailer. But the quality was still the same as it was 2 years ago.

IMO Grand Design has slipped in quality big time.