Advice on Flair 28A

[Juno 2022]

I am looking at the Flair 28A and asking for advice and information from any current or former owners.

• Were you pleased with the quality of your unit?
• Did you have any major issues with either the chassis or the house?
• How noisy/quiet is the rig when driving down the highway at 55 mph?
• How much sway does the rig have?
• Does the AC cool the whole unit?
• What options do you recommend?
• Did you ever have to take the unit back to the factory for warranty work? If so, how was that experience?

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

Dottie

[Jeweldriver]

Do yourself a favor and check out my FB post from a few weeks ago. REV the parent company of Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco, and Holiday Rambler seems determined to destroy these brands. IMO. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...00061483929553

[Juno 2022]

Originally Posted by Jeweldriver

Do yourself a favor and check out my FB post from a few weeks ago. REV the parent company of Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco, and Holiday Rambler seems determined to destroy these brands. IMO. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...00061483929553

Thanks for letting me know. I'm so sorry for your problems. This is the type of poor quality I'm afraid I might encounter.

[denverh]

My Storm which is the same level as the Flair has been a great unit. Had it to Decatur several years ago and they did great work. It is disturbing to read how things have gone downhill. I feel for folks that get stuck with these lemons. My only advice is look at either Newmar or tiffin if you want to buy new or look for a used units a couple of years old that have had the “bugs” worked out. Get it inspected and look at maintenance records before putting any money down. My unit has 69000 miles, all mine, and has been great for us. Sometimes the units with the lesser bells and whistles are the least problems. There are decent units out there it just takes time and effort to find them.

[Juno 2022]

Originally Posted by denverh

My Storm which is the same level as the Flair has been a great unit. Had it to Decatur several years ago and they did great work. It is disturbing to read how things have gone downhill. I feel for folks that get stuck with these lemons. My only advice is look at either Newmar or tiffin if you want to buy new or look for a used units a couple of years old that have had the “bugs” worked out. Get it inspected and look at maintenance records before putting any money down. My unit has 69000 miles, all mine, and has been great for us. Sometimes the units with the lesser bells and whistles are the least problems. There are decent units out there it just takes time and effort to find them.

Thanks. I know everyone keeps telling me to look at Tiffin and Newmar, but I did an analysis of recalls in 2019, 2020 and 2021 models and they are quite high...higher than REV Group models:

RECALLS

• ENTEGRA 75
• FLEETWOOD 32
• HOLIDAY RAMBLER 22
• NEWMAR 134
• TIFFIN 45

Complaints for Newmar units are significantly higher.

COMPLAINTS

• ENTEGRA 14
• FLEETWOOD 11
• HOLIDAY RAMBLER 2
• NEWMAR 34
• TIFFIN 11

Is it a factor of how many are made and delivered? Or is it that the REV Group units are built better? My next step is a comparison of the number of units produced compared to the number of recalls and complaints.

BTW, if you're interested in seeing the recalls by model, I have attached it.

[Jssr]

Hey Dottie.....I do not have a Fleetwood Flair but I do own a REV product (2016 HR Vacationer). My Vacationer has been a nightmare, but that is one person's experience. My brother owned a Fleetwood Bounder and he was also dissatisfied to the point that he traded it (at a loss) for a Tiffin Phaeton. So, you have two opinions, I guess. I would not go by recall numbers, because some of the recalls may be voluntary. For example, Tiffin voluntarily recalled my previous unit (2015 32SA....NEVER should have traded) a couple of times and repaired stuff before the govt got involved. Some recalls are for chassis issues so those will be the same across the board. There appears to be some sort of ongoing problem with current Ford V-8 units, so depending on how many have been produced by whom, then those will affect the numbers you are seeing. These things are not like cars, so recalls could be for a number of issues not even related to the chassis itself. Now that I have confused you, I would like to address some of your questions based on my ownership of Tiffin, Newmar and REV products. The Flair is an entry level unit. It will be noisy, drive like a delivery truck and one A/C may be insufficient if you live in a warm area. If you have to drive to the factory, do plenty of preplanning because they are usually booked a couple of months out. In my opinion, REV makes a low quality unit and the company has a poor reputation when it comes to customer service. My experience, which could fill a legal pad, is poor. Look at the house warranty very carefully before you buy one of their products. How the manufacturer and dealer handle customer issues is an important factor here. Tiffin and Newmar seem to take care of their customers and produce a much better unit. If you could find a lightly used Tiffin or Newmar I think you would be happier.

[Juno 2022]

Thanks! Your experience and comments are very helpful. I've been concerned about quality. My biggest issue is I want something in the 30' range and there aren't many choices. I really don't need a 35' DP. I just want something a little bigger than I have now...

[FRasco]

Hi, I had a Newmar Dutch Star and had more problems than the Flair 28A I have now. It is a 2022 and the punchlist at PDI was only 9! And all cosmetic! Now, the first camping trip the water heater did not work, General RV was awesome and fixed the bad diode in 3 days, took us in right away, what a difference from before! No other problems in the last month of camping.

We purchased all available options, including residential fridge, we love the smaller size and less cost. It is a bit noisier than the DSDP, but we are sitting on the engine..

[Juno 2022]

Originally Posted by FRasco

Hi, I had a Newmar Dutch Star and had more problems than the Flair 28A I have now. It is a 2022 and the punchlist at PDI was only 9! And all cosmetic! Now, the first camping trip the water heater did not work, General RV was awesome and fixed the bad diode in 3 days, took us in right away, what a difference from before! No other problems in the last month of camping.

We purchased all available options, including residential fridge, we love the smaller size and less cost. It is a bit noisier than the DSDP, but we are sitting on the engine..

Thank you for the insights! It's nice to hear good things...I think so many times people complain when something is wrong and forget to mention the good things.

A few questions, if you don't mind taking a minute to answer them:

How is the sway? If you bought all the options, I assume you bought the Steering Stabilizer System. Does it help?

Did you choose the dual AC option? Does it keep the coach cool?

Did you get the theater seats or the sofa? If you have the sofa, is it comfortable to lounge on when watching TV? I like the theater seats...

Thanks!!

[rvfigs]

I have a 2018 Fleetwood Flair 31e and it has been fantastic. Yes, we purchased new.

In my opinion, you can't beat the value of the Fleetwood Flair. It has all the basics and no bells and whistles. This was actually a blessing in disguise. Any bells and whistles that did get added, I added myself. I controlled the quality of the upgrades and installation. I've done a tremendous amount of upgrades to my coach. My coach drives smooth and quiet.

One issues that you do need to watch out for is "dash movement." It is a common issue on all Fleetwood gas motorhomes. I spent the weekend fixing it myself instead of taking it to REV Group.

If we do upgrade in the future, I would definitely get a floor plan that includes a washer/dryer, residential fridge, and two AC's.

I feel that the Fleetwood Flair is like the best kept secret in the Fleetwood gas line up. The build quality is the same as the Fortis, Bounder, and Southwind. In fact, I discovered a lot of parts and wiring in my coach that says, "Bounder and Southwind."

Once you get all the bugs under control, the Flair is a great entry level coach. I would not sell or trade my coach for anything.

[furkidmom]

We have the 32' Holiday Rambler, which is the same rig as the Fleetwood Flair, marketed as a different brand. Why the industry does this is a mystery. We took delivery in May, and we've. had a lot of problems. The wires for the Dish that are supposed to run through the roof from the TV over to the other side where the receiver is put were cut and rolled up and stuffed in the kitchen cabinet. There was no way to run them after the fact, so we had to buy a wireless receiver. It cost us 2K to get the Dish set up and working. The cabinets in the kitchen and bath are separating from the wall, the backsplash fell off, the rubber gasket on the floor glue sort of melted and it slides off, the captains chairs can't actually swivel around to make a conversation area, the bathroom fan switch got stuck the first time we used it, and need to be replaced, the kitchen sink drain is wrong and the sick doesn't drain properly. The "solar ready" with the pretty picture in the brochure of a solar panel on teh roof isn't really ready. THere are no cables from the inverter up to the roof to connect a solar panel, so we are having to pay for that. There is more, but that is what I can remember. It has been in a service center for weeks, my husband has made 2 trips there with the rig, no repairs were made. He subsequently managed to track down the owner or manager and made a 3rd trip there with the rig and it seems like they are working on it now and he is getting reports from the lead technician. Yes it is loud, I don't know how it compares to other RV's, The AC does work and seems to do a good job, but the dash, oh yes, that's the other problem, the dash AC doesn't work. My husband has some mechanical upgrades done to reduce the sway and handling, and it has helped. However from reading these forums, these kinds of problems are the rule with all Motorhomes, not the exception. My suggestion would be to buy locally, and buy a brand that has a reasonably local factory service center. Oh, and make sure to ask "what is solar ready" "what is dish ready". etc. -cj-

Originally Posted by WonderGirl

I am looking at the Flair 28A and asking for

advice and information from any current or former owners.

• Were you pleased with the quality of your unit?
• Did you have any major issues with either the chassis or the house?
• How noisy/quiet is the rig when driving down the highway at 55 mph?
• How much sway does the rig have?
• Does the AC cool the whole unit?
• What options do you recommend?
• Did you ever have to take the unit back to the factory for warranty work? If so, how was that experience?

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

Dottie

[donr103]

I have 2000 Fleetwood storm.. southwind.. love it.. but what ever you choose.. WALK THAT ROOF.. inspect it closely.. inspect ceiling for any kind of staining.. around vents and a/c and shower dome.. pull dipstick on eng. Trans.. p/s, gen.. wipe on clean white paper towels and check color
Pull plug on diff, and wipe on clean white paper towels and see if a lot of metal on magnet
Run car fax very important
Good luck and let us know what you did and maybe better members then me will help you
Oh if has auto park system check oil level and color.. same with hydraulic jacks..

[Juno 2022]

Originally Posted by furkidmom

We have the 32' Holiday Rambler, which is the same rig as the Fleetwood Flair, marketed as a different brand. Why the industry does this is a mystery. We took delivery in May, and we've. had a lot of problems. The wires for the Dish that are supposed to run through the roof from the TV over to the other side where the receiver is put were cut and rolled up and stuffed in the kitchen cabinet. There was no way to run them after the fact, so we had to buy a wireless receiver. It cost us 2K to get the Dish set up and working. The cabinets in the kitchen and bath are separating from the wall, the backsplash fell off, the rubber gasket on the floor glue sort of melted and it slides off, the captains chairs can't actually swivel around to make a conversation area, the bathroom fan switch got stuck the first time we used it, and need to be replaced, the kitchen sink drain is wrong and the sick doesn't drain properly. The "solar ready" with the pretty picture in the brochure of a solar panel on teh roof isn't really ready. THere are no cables from the inverter up to the roof to connect a solar panel, so we are having to pay for that. There is more, but that is what I can remember. It has been in a service center for weeks, my husband has made 2 trips there with the rig, no repairs were made. He subsequently managed to track down the owner or manager and made a 3rd trip there with the rig and it seems like they are working on it now and he is getting reports from the lead technician. Yes it is loud, I don't know how it compares to other RV's, The AC does work and seems to do a good job, but the dash, oh yes, that's the other problem, the dash AC doesn't work. My husband has some mechanical upgrades done to reduce the sway and handling, and it has helped. However from reading these forums, these kinds of problems are the rule with all Motorhomes, not the exception. My suggestion would be to buy locally, and buy a brand that has a reasonably local factory service center. Oh, and make sure to ask "what is solar ready" "what is dish ready". etc. -cj-

I'm so sorry for all your problems! Can you tell me what model and year Holiday Rambler you have? Did you buy it new or used? Did you buy from a dealer or from a private seller? Did you have the unit inspected before taking delivery? Was that even an option?

[TFell]

We purchased a 2021 Flair 29M in May. It's been really good. No major issues, just niggly things that I have not yet bothered to have fixed. My family and I are happy with it. Keep in mind, this is an entry level class A, so don't expect it to have perfect craftsmanship. I find it meets my expectations. Ours has the granite partial paint with the light/white cabinets inside. It's pretty sharp! I wanted the 8000 lb hitch, which is rare on gas Class As. I was determined not to buy a Thor after issues my inlaws have with theirs. This one fit the bill for me.

I did take it to a truck shop for an alignment, but that is a common need with any Ford gas chassis. Setting the tire pressures to 80 and getting the alignment right made a big difference in ride quality and my fatigue level on a long haul.

I may also have the "flipped AC line" issue, which seems to be happening with multiple manufacturers after the 7.3 V8 came out. Dash AC blows hot once the engine warms up.

I also just noticed what appears to be a small rear main seal leak on the engine, so it will go back to Ford eventually. I'm a GM guy, so I was reluctant to buy a first year Ford engine. I do like the engine/trans though. Plenty of power for this size coach.

Were you pleased with the quality of your unit? Yes
Did you have any major issues with either the chassis or the house? No except chassis AC
How noisy/quiet is the rig when driving down the highway at 55 mph? At 55, it's not very loud, but I run at about 70mph, at which, I find it loud as the driver. I have added sound deadener and it helps, more to come. All gas class A coaches are pretty loud. Only seems loud to the driver though, per my family.
How much sway does the rig have? The 2021s are greatly improved over the V10 chassis. It gets pushed around by trucks and their air. I have gotten comfortable driving it. My first trip was from MI to FL two days after we got it...tire pressures too high, alignment not right...stress trying to get ready to go...I was not a happy driver. Things are different now that I have tuned it and settled in.
Does the AC cool the whole unit? The chassis AC? No. In hot weather, we run the generator to run the AC units. Running one unit while driving seems to keep it cool even in Florida. We bought dual ACs.
What options do you recommend? Recommend dual AC if that is an option on the 28A. You get a larger generator too. We also bought an RV fridge. I like that I can run on propane but it is a smaller fridge. It's a choice. Also recommend power driver seat, for sure. Save your money on the steering stabilizer and buy a better one aftermarket if you feel the need. The Bilstein one sucks.
Did you ever have to take the unit back to the factory for warranty work? If so, how was that experience? No.

Best of luck!