Considering Other RV Brands

[Spark1]

I have a 2009 Phaeton QTH and we have been pleased with it. I am considering upgrading to a 2013-2016 RV. I’ve always thought of myself as a Tiffin guy. I am considering other brands because I can no longer get factory service because my coach is 10 years old. I know Tiffin is selling a lot of RV’s but they are also generating a lot of revenue. Tiffin is the only manufacturer that I am aware of that has this policy. I plan to start my search soon. I am considering Newmar, American coach and Entegra. I don’t have them ranked. Any feedback on the brands mentioned will be helpful. Thanks!

[journey15]

Originally Posted by Spark1

I have a 2009 Phaeton QTH and we have been pleased with it. I am considering upgrading to a 2013-2016 RV. I’ve always thought of myself as a Tiffin guy. I am considering other brands because I can no longer get factory service because my coach is 10 years old. I know Tiffin is selling a lot of RV’s but they are also generating a lot of revenue. Tiffin is the only manufacturer that I am aware of that has this policy. I plan to start my search soon. I am considering Newmar, American coach and Entegra. I don’t have them ranked. Any feedback on the brands mentioned will be helpful. Thanks!

There are many former Tiffin employees here in Red Bay that have started their own business servicing and upgrades to Tiffin coaches. We have a friend traveling with us whose Tiffin coach is 12 years old. But he comes here to Red Bay to get his coach “serviced” by these guys. This is our second Tiffin and in the consideration in purchasing our second coach, none other came to mind except Tiffin!
I guess Newmar or those other Big manufacturers have their own network but these guys are top notch in our book!
They all have their faults and none are perfect. Good luck in your decision in your next purchase.

[Brianb131]

Which other Brands do factory service after 10 years?

[LarryJB]

Originally Posted by Brianb131

Which other Brands do factory service after 10 years?

I am curious about this as well. My feeling is you will be hard pressed to find any. Maybe the ultra high end manufacturers, Prevost, Foretravel, Newell, but not many others. I have no knowledge of this, just an assumption on my part.
I also, know of no other manufacturer that has somewhere like Red Bay where there are so many businesses that work on a specific brand with so many manufacturer specific experts that will work on your coach.

[jayc2640]

We just recently had our Winnebago Forza serviced at the factory. The factory does fantastic work, quickly, accurately, and efficiently. We had been thinking of Tiffin, but instead opted for our Winnie, and are very happy with it. Winnebago has two factory service centers one at their factory in Forest City, Iowa, and one in Junction City Oregon.

While they do take walk ins, they are so busy that you may be waiting days before they can work you in. The scheduling appointments 3-4 months out. If you schedule an appointment, everything is smooth as silk.

[allegro1x]

I think Entegra has mobile service down in Florida, because I've seen them several times. I'm not a big fan of having to take Motorhomes back to the factory. I have had good luck finding mobile service techs. Dave

[GKU]

I was at the Newmar Service Center last week getting work done.
Parked next to me was a 2002 Mountain Aire, he was there getting his Coach worked on.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by LarryJB

Maybe the ultra high end manufacturers, Prevost, Foretravel, Newell, but not many others. I have no knowledge of this, just an assumption on my part.

Yes... the Foretravel/Newell & Prevost converters will service/repair/rebuild ANY year of their respective coaches.. and it is very seldom that they do not have the parts on hand or cannot source them for you.
( I saw '74,a '86 & a '89 in for service the last time I was in Nacogdoces (Tx)

[Spark1]

My brother in law had a 2005 Dutch Star and no issues with getting it serviced at Newmar. He now has a 2014 Dutch Star. I live in central Florida and I have been to three different RV dealerships. I have not been satisfied with their quality of work. I can get my Freightliner chassis serviced in the area but I prefer to go to Gaffney each year because I am satisfied with their quality of work. Just my perspective.

[heathtx]

We had a 2011 Tiffin and heard of the "10 year age policy". We found the IP floorplan of the Allegro Bus was best for us after we looked at Aspire, Dutch Star, Phaeton and Allegro Bus models. I have posted on this forum our decision criteria if you want to read it.

When I think about the materials and parts that are in 10+ year old coaches, I would think exact parts could be very hard to get and there is likely price gouging from sellers of those old parts. Tiffin cannot possibly keep an inventory of every part ever put into coaches and had to draw a line somewhere.

Our experience with the Red Bay Service Center (with both out of warranty and in warranty coaches) has been superb. Our 2019 coach had some minor items to get fixed and we were within 100 miles of Red Bay on a trip. We got them taken care of as well as getting some "nice to have items".

[edgray]

Originally Posted by GKU

I was at the Newmar Service Center last week getting work done.
Parked next to me was a 2002 Mountain Aire, he was there getting his Coach worked on.

That may be changing soon. Winnebago just bought Newmar :(

[gordons1]

Winnebago services their coaches for their entire life.....the original Winnies are still abe to get parts and service at Forrest City. They are able to custom manufacture plastic parts.

Tiffin is making a grave error by ignoring customers with the older coaches.....bad mistake.

A recent shake up occurred a few weeks ago; Tim is no longer company President. He is running Winfield production (class C on the Sprinter chassis) as he had done originally. Apparently he has been replaced by two respected senior managers who are "co-managing the function". This has not been reported to the general public to the best of my knowledge.

[dkrobath]

Where does the Fleetwood Discovery rank? Looks like on the surface it's sharing the same market space as the Phaeton. Always heard a lot about Tiffin , Quality and Service but things seem quiet on the Discovery front. Who out there has done the research and compared both? Where do they stand against each other.
The Phaeton 40IH and the Discovery 40M for example seem comparable. What do you all say?

[Dsrtrider]

Phaeton has way better quality than Discovery I compared both a few months ago and wouldnt buy a discovery. Everybody has their own wants and needs.