Community Forums

mojoracing · 03-27-2016, 11:48 AM

First off, I dont blame the dealers. I blame the manufacturers. The dealers dont build them, they service them. The dealers are in the same boat we are, maybe worse. Yes, the dealer does the prep on the units and hopefully finds any issues but there are some that wont show up until the unit is actually being used. The dealer then repairs the items they find and HOPES, yes hopes that they get reimbursed by the manufacturer.

With that said, take your time and use a checklist. As others have said, operate everything you can. Turn it on and off, switch it, open it, pull on it, bend it, fold it, lay on it, you get the idea. Look closely and make note of any issues. After delivery, take advantage of staying at their campground and using the coach. They will fix any issues while you are there. A couple days and you should be good. The best advise I can give anyone is to not plan on pulling out of the dealer and going on your trip of a lifetime! You will be disappointed. When purchasing your new RV, I would not plan any major trips for at least the first couple months. I would start out by doing what I call "driveway camping". I would also do a couple short weekend runs where you give it a good shakedown. This will not only expose any problems with the coach but allow you time to get use to the operation of the coach and all its systems as well as make it your own so to speak. Youll find many accessories you may need and ways to solve problems that will make your trip of a lifetime much more enjoyable. Its like purchasing a newly constructed house, your always going to have a punch list. If you are in a time crunch your going to be disappointed. Good luck and have fun! Your lucky that Lazy days has the campground, take advantage of it and get any issues straightened out before you leave otherwise like another person said, you go to the back of the line.

mojoracing · 03-27-2016, 11:52 AM

Which lazy days are you purchasing from? Is the Bounder new?

jerichorick · 03-28-2016, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojoracing

First off, I dont blame the dealers. I blame the manufacturers. The dealers dont build them, they service them. The dealers are in the same boat we are, maybe worse. Yes, the dealer does the prep on the units and hopefully finds any issues but there are some that wont show up until the unit is actually being used. The dealer then repairs the items they find and HOPES, yes hopes that they get reimbursed by the manufacturer.

With that said, take your time and use a checklist. As others have said, operate everything you can. Turn it on and off, switch it, open it, pull on it, bend it, fold it, lay on it, you get the idea. Look closely and make note of any issues. After delivery, take advantage of staying at their campground and using the coach. They will fix any issues while you are there. A couple days and you should be good. The best advise I can give anyone is to not plan on pulling out of the dealer and going on your trip of a lifetime! You will be disappointed. When purchasing your new RV, I would not plan any major trips for at least the first couple months. I would start out by doing what I call "driveway camping". I would also do a couple short weekend runs where you give it a good shakedown. This will not only expose any problems with the coach but allow you time to get use to the operation of the coach and all its systems as well as make it your own so to speak. Youll find many accessories you may need and ways to solve problems that will make your trip of a lifetime much more enjoyable. Its like purchasing a newly constructed house, your always going to have a punch list. If you are in a time crunch your going to be disappointed. Good luck and have fun! Your lucky that Lazy days has the campground, take advantage of it and get any issues straightened out before you leave otherwise like another person said, you go to the back of the line.

"I dont blame the dealers." I do. Dealers are expected to the the QC the factory refuses to do. We, the consumer, should expect it. When you pay out $150k or $1.5M you should get a RV that is usable and with minimal problems. Cosmetic issues should hardly exists on a PDI. But they are very common and frequently difficult to get corrected in a timely manner.

One area that I might consider to be discovered is leaks. I think it is a good idea for a new RV owner to go camping in the rain ASAP. I have had water problems in both of my Winnebago coaches. I had no factory or dealer coverage for the issues. Too much to this for now.

The dealers, in most cases, just want your money and will promise you anything to get it. When put to the test too many of us have found that most, not all, dealers have very poor service departments. Incompetence seems to reign in this industry. If you find a good service center advertise them well and keep up a good relation with them. They are water in a desert.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

TeJay · 03-28-2016, 08:53 AM

Here's a little more information about warranty issues. I got this from a GM at an RV dealer. He told me that the manufacturer expects a certain percentage of the cost of an RV to be spent by the dealer to fix what they don't get right.

His take was he will do his best to get that percentage (what ever it is) by finding things that need to be fixed. As long as a dealer does not go to far over the expected percentage the manufacturer does not care. If you or the dealer don't find things wrong then the dealer is loosing at lot of potential money.

Oh, Just in case you are wondering. I don't work for the dealer and have not bought an RV from them either. We are just friends, we like to talk about service issues and he is trying to run the place efficiently and as well as he can. He just really cares and is trying to do a good job.

TeJay

Gordon Dewald · 03-28-2016, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerichorick

"I dont blame the dealers." I do. Dealers are expected to the the QC the factory refuses to do. We, the consumer, should expect it. When you pay out $150k or $1.5M you should get a RV that is usable and with minimal problems. Cosmetic issues should hardly exists on a PDI. But they are very common and frequently difficult to get corrected in a timely manner.

One area that I might consider to be discovered is leaks. I think it is a good idea for a new RV owner to go camping in the rain ASAP. I have had water problems in both of my Winnebago coaches. I had no factory or dealer coverage for the issues. Too much to this for now.

The dealers, in most cases, just want your money and will promise you anything to get it. When put to the test too many of us have found that most, not all, dealers have very poor service departments. Incompetence seems to reign in this industry. If you find a good service center advertise them well and keep up a good relation with them. They are water in a desert.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

I have had superior service from Lichtsinn in Forest City. We travel 1800 miles one way to get service from them but it is worth it.

mchero · 03-28-2016, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

When they did the PDI on our rig the tech glossed over stuff like starting the gen. Told me to push the button and hold it but he didn't want to start it inside the building. Turns out it didn't work at all. The gen only starts from the switch on the gen set. Not by the remotes inside. Nor will the auto start work. Need to take the time to troubleshoot it since it would be nice to have it working.

Chech the connector between rig and genset. Some have a tendancy to get corrosion on the pins.

Brian W · 03-29-2016, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeJay

Here's a little more information about warranty issues. I got this from a GM at an RV dealer. He told me that the manufacturer expects a certain percentage of the cost of an RV to be spent by the dealer to fix what they don't get right.

His take was he will do his best to get that percentage (what ever it is) by finding things that need to be fixed. As long as a dealer does not go to far over the expected percentage the manufacturer does not care. If you or the dealer don't find things wrong then the dealer is loosing at lot of potential money.

Oh, Just in case you are wondering. I don't work for the dealer and have not bought an RV from them either. We are just friends, we like to talk about service issues and he is trying to run the place efficiently and as well as he can. He just really cares and is trying to do a good job.

TeJay

Your friend is dead on. I am the Sevice Advisor for our PDI department, and we operate the same way as your friend.

cspeake · 03-30-2016, 07:27 AM

Well I will say that the delivery weekend was very unsuccessful, but at least the inspection was successful!

Overall I was very disappointed in the condition of the coach. There were some very obvious issues that NEVER should have been overlooked at the factory. For example, the left front leveling jack was missing, and the light switch in the rear bathroom was missing - just a hole in the wall with a wire sticking out.... In all, my list has 46 noted problems. I still have yet to get to a couple things (showering, operating LP water heater and furnace, etc.). Needless to say, I did not accept delivery of the coach.

What is especially frustrating is that the coach had been delivered to the dealer in early March and the dealer had been on my case to come up (from a couple hours South) to take delivery and close the sale ever since it came in. Had they done their own thorough inspection, all these problems could have been taken care of before I made the trip up. When I refused to close, they implied that I was the bad guy when the coach was clearly not ready for delivery.

Oh well, deep breath. We'll try again in a couple weeks as promised. Wish me luck ;-)

Chris

We_B_Tripn · 03-30-2016, 08:25 AM

Wow. Missing jack and missing light switch? That is just embarrassing on both the manufacturer AND the dealership. It is also inexcusable.

jerichorick · 03-30-2016, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeJay

Here's a little more information about warranty issues. I got this from a GM at an RV dealer. He told me that the manufacturer expects a certain percentage of the cost of an RV to be spent by the dealer to fix what they don't get right.

His take was he will do his best to get that percentage (what ever it is) by finding things that need to be fixed. As long as a dealer does not go to far over the expected percentage the manufacturer does not care. If you or the dealer don't find things wrong then the dealer is loosing at lot of potential money.

Oh, Just in case you are wondering. I don't work for the dealer and have not bought an RV from them either. We are just friends, we like to talk about service issues and he is trying to run the place efficiently and as well as he can. He just really cares and is trying to do a good job.

TeJay

What I see as the intent of this practice being generated by common sense, "We can't catch it all", has become is a monster that the consumer is suffering with. The thought from the dealers, as seen by many of the horrible QC and PDI reports I have read on this forum alone, is "Do nothing till it is discovered by the buyer." The end results is that, too often, a buyer misses a season of RVing because the new coach is tied up with factory/pre-delivery issues being corrected on the buyers dime and warranty. This is simply a bad way to create customer loyalty and satisfaction in my opinion.

Rick Y

z3406 · 03-30-2016, 08:43 AM

cspeak
Please look at this attached listing from General and see if it isn't a better deal. If it is ask Lazy to match it or you'll walk since they have not delivered on their end. Yhea I know the coach in the listing is in UTAH but that's a helluva price. Good Luck
New 2016 Fleetwood RV Bounder 36H Motor Home Class A at General RV | Draper, UT | #130619
also
That missing lack concerns me. I'ld look at the mounting are and see if it was left off, removed, or torn off on the delivery drive. If it is sitting there with uncapped hydraulic fitting or evidence of the jack being torn off I would not accept that coach . The leveling jack are enough of a problem without buying one that has contaminated hydraulics or frame damaged from the onset.

Wanna bet Lazy stripped those parts to fix another coach for delivery?

ralphie · 03-30-2016, 09:51 AM

Hey cspeak, yes, very disappointing especially considering they had several days to get it right on their 123-point inspection (I think that's what it's called). Still, good for you doing a proper PDI and discovering the issues before you left their lot.

Our ordered Montana still shows as incoming with delivery now pushed out another week to April 9th (but they assure us it will come in before then, righttttttt). As I previously indicated, my PDI will probably take no less than three hours. I hope you don't mind me asking, were you requested to sign for the RV before they took you out to the unit for the PDI? I've heard from others that LD will try to do that so you have less leverage if you find issues. Other than the obvious problems with your Bounder, how was the rest of the delivery process with LD?

TeJay · 03-30-2016, 10:54 AM

ralphi,

If all they have is your earnest $$$$ I don't believe they can force you to do anything.

Rick Y,

I agree. The consumer is getting the short end of the stick. We bought a MH from a dealer in OK. It was a 1999 and a new show model and the first Dutch Star by Newmar that the dealer sold. We loved everything about it from first sight.

The salesman was good as well. For the years we had it all was well. The salesman told us about one time he visited the RV industry in IN. He said this and I quote,
" All it seemed anybody needed was a few pole bars, some workers a few parts, a sign and you could call yourself an RV manufacturer. "

He was not impressed and that was his take on the RV industry up in IN at that time. I also don't believe the RV industry has as many police dog independent organizations watching over what and how they operate their companies. As evidenced by the lousy QC we've all experienced and seen.

Anytime you're buying a house on wheels you better do your homework.

TeJay

Brian W · 03-30-2016, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z3406

Wanna bet Lazy stripped those parts to fix another coach for delivery?

Yep, first thing I thought. We do it all the time at our dealership.

My first thought on reading how the attempted pickup went on this coach is was there a PDI supposedly done? If they claim it was, I would love to see the check sheets. No way it was done, and they couldn't convince me otherwise.

If you still want the coach from them I would demand my PDI money back.